[Keyboard Cowboy]

It's Official: Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia | Kotaku Australia

It's Official: Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia

Yes, the rumour was true. The Office of Film and Literature Classification has handed an RC to Bethesda's Fallout 3, making it illegal to sell the game in Australia. It's not known at this stage if the ban was for drug use, as the original rumour states, or gore as I was predicting.

I was ready to dismiss the rumour when I first heard it, but my suspicions were raised when Red Ant failed to confirm or deny it. It's not unusual for a publisher to do this, but it seemed particularly odd as Red Ant had no problem in the past commenting about Fallout 3 and the OFLC.

We'll be on Red Ant and Bethesda's backs to see what they plan to do. Most likely the game will be edited to remove the offending content and resubmitted, as AFA Interactive did with Dark Sector.

Even if it is edited, I don't think it'll stop some from importing the title, as was the case with Grand Theft Auto IV after it was censored for Australia.

OFLC Report: Why Fallout 3 Was Banned In Australia | Kotaku Australia

OFLC Report: Why Fallout 3 Was Banned In Australia

When I woke up this morning, I thought the Fallout 3 ban had been a dream. Yet, when I opened my browser to Kotaku AU's front page, there it was: my own post declaring the event as fact. When I wrote the post, I could only guess at the reasons why the game was refused classification, though rumours suggested drug references as the likely cause.

Well, Australian Gamer managed to get its hands on the OFLC's report for Fallout 3. The ban had nothing to do with decapitation, gore or dismemberment. It was the drugs, and only the drugs. I should be shocked, but all I can do is shake my head. And shake it hard.

From the report:

The report then states that "material promoting or encouraging proscribed drug use" is grounds enough to refuse classification. Furthermore, the use of morphine is highlighted, as well as its in-game effect: allowing the player to ignore damage.

Wait, doesn't Call of Cthulu on Xbox have a similar morphine mechanic? It does indeed. What rating did the OFLC give it? An MA 15+.

As a lot of readers have mentioned, Half-Life constantly refers to the use of morphine. Yet, by the same guidelines, the OFLC gave the 1998 title an MA 15+. While the OFLC has no control over the guidelines - that's up to the Attorney-General's department - it does determine how they're applied.

I think in Fallout 3's case it was the addictive qualities of in-game drugs like Jet and Mentats and their visual representation, combined with the "morphine" mention, that pushed Fallout 3 into RC territory. Throw in a stricter board and we have our magic formula.

Yet, seeing as these drugs (with the exception of morphine) and their effects were present in previous Fallout games, it still feels like half-arsed application of the guidelines. Of course, none of this would be a problem if the Attorneys-General could agree on an R18+ rating.

Sadly, it is only a "vocal minority" that want such a rating, according to the AG office's 2007 report on games classification.

Update: A while back I made a post on what you can do to help make an R18+ for games reality. I plan on writing an update to the article in light of recent events. Remember, if you do email the Attorneys-General or the OFLC, be articulate, well-mannered and logical with your arguments - rants built of swear words will only hurt our chances.

That bull$#!+.

The previous Fallout games add drug use in it. What the problem with this one.
Oh well, it's just means that people will be ordering it over seas instead.

The government is getting too sensitive about what is being used in computer games these days.
We have a movie rating callifaction so that you can tell people what sort of audiance that movie is made for. Obviously a Rated R is not going to be shown to kids. They bring this over to computer games, and yet the governmnet still thinks that computer games are made for kids.

[veedubfreak]

Meh, just torrent it. Or buy a US version and have someone mail it to you.

[zmatt]

Yeah. There are ways to get games even if the local gamestop doesn't have it.

[Saxon]

This ****ing sucks for the auzzie fans of such a classic game, the previous 2 had drug use in them for medical an recreational use (although being high an trying to kill a death claw with a pipe rifle is just stupid under an circumstances), **** I say more jet for every one.

[dario03]

whats with Australia banning games?

[Keyboard Cowboy]

Originally Posted by dario03

whats with Australia banning games?

Too many over sensitive parents and the people attitudes being that games are just there for kids.

Like for crying out loud, the computer games and dvd movies have just about the same classification system. Lets just ban all movies with drug use it in, even though it rated R for 18+ restricted, while we are at it

Problem is that the OFLC just does not want to give out rated R for 18+ restricted for computer games.

[zmatt]

A vocal minority can always ruin it for everybody. especially when the mass majority of the populous are sheep. Sorry guys, hopefully you can either get a copy another way or get it certified.

[Peter.Cort]

i'll send copies to you auzzie's

[Kdar]

lol.. That's pretty stupid..

Other numerous games also have those "drugs"...
Especially in RPG area.. or any kind of role playing..

Just name it.. Witcher, Oblivion..

Especially Witcher.. where they had positive and negative effect.

But in other games any kind of poison always existed.

[Apokalipse]

One way or another, people are going to play the games they want. It's stupid to ban them, and offensive that people think they need to decide for us what (artificial and digital) games we should or shouldn't play.