Michael Atkinson

Michael Atkinson is the Attorney General of South Australia, which would suggest he's a little bit intelligent and possibly has a somewhat strong grip on reality and the law. He's also a big fan of protecting children, which would suggest that he's got quite a conscious.

Suprisingly, however, the man is an idiot.

If you've ever played a video game, actually, check that, if you've just got some common sense, you probably think that there are some video games out there that are just a little outside the 3 - 15 year age gap. Some of them have quite a bit of violence in them, some have some nudity, some have some sex, and some allow you to shag hookers and then kill said hookers to get your money back. Now, even though I don't have a fifteen year old child, I wouldn't be keen on that child playing some of those games. But frankly, I'm not going to sit down and play every game that comes out, and I may even not look up information about a game on the internet sometimes. No, it would be nicer if there was a big black sticker on the front of the game with a nice fat "R" telling me the game is for adults only.

As events transpire, Mr Atkinson disagrees. He feels that there should be no "R" rating for games. He feels that games should just be banned if they are not suitable for children. Because, at the end of the day, he feels that adults don't play video games. In interviews he's banged on about how he can barely control what games his kids play, and how the effects of interactive games may be more severe than watching "R" rated movies, and some people just can't distinguish fact from fiction. And he may be right about all those things he's said in interviews. But he's very wrong about his feelings that adults don't play video games. He can defame Bond University all he likes, but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of gamers are 30+. And adults should be allowed to choose what they want to do, not be told by Big Brother. Because, if not, then why not ban alcohol?

And the really funny thing is, that most gamers want the "R" rating to protect children, because at the moment too many games are getting through and being classified "MA 15+" because there simply isn't a higher rating.
An "R" rating isn't going to magically solve all the problems of kids getting their hands on inappropriate games, but the fact is it will go some way to solving the problem. And any little bit helps.

It's a little sad that the only person who doesn't see this is Michael Atkinson. And it's also a little sad that one state AG has the ability to veto all the other six.

Well done Michael. You're doing a great job.