Easy does it: Be careful of what games you want to defend

Following news last week that Australian censors have withheld yet another game (Dark Sector) from adult players, most gamers would feel frustration at the inequity of the current classification regime.

But Dr. Brett Hutchins, a passionate gamer and a senior lecturer in Communications and Media Studies at Melbourne's Monash University, believes the lack of an R18+ rating for games in Australia might actually be good for the long-term health and acceptance of interactive entertainment.

The gaming community should be very careful about what games they use to rally around and prosecute the classification system. In much of the public eye, unnecessary and mindless games like Manhunt 2, which rely on extreme violence to shock, titillate and garner attention, are only going to reinforce the stereotypes that gamers are fighting to overcome. Dr. Hutchins points out that "if the wrong games (i.e. extremely violent games) are held up as evidence of unfairness, this may actually be counter-productive."