Valve Appeals Left 4 Dead 2 Ban in Australia
Valve Software has appealed Australia's decision to ban Left 4 Dead 2 in that territory.
Yesterday Valve Software sent along a small announcement that it has formally appealed the OFLC's Australian ruling that has virtually banned the sale and distribution of Left 4 Dead 2 in that territory. Currently the game has scored ratings in all other foreign countries including Europe, Japan, Germany (gasp!), and even Korea. However, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are still marked as "in progress."
Last week the Australian Classifications Board refused to classify Valve's upcoming zombie shooter sequel, banning the game based on its "realistic, frenetic, and unrelenting violence," a feature many FPS games of late actually share. The game's high-impact violence was thus deemed unsuitable for gamers less than 18 years of age, and since there are no Adult Only ratings in Australia, the game thus remains in limbo.
"We were surprised to hear of this news yesterday," Valve's Doug Lombardi said last week. "Obviously, everyone at Valve is pretty bummed. It would be a shame if folks in Australia, or anywhere else, are unable to purchase Left 4 Dead 2 because of a ratings issue."
But there might be hope for L4D2. Apparently, there are some members on the OFLC who believes that the game could still classify under the MA 15+ rating, but with an added caption that advises consumers against strong violence as seen with the first Left 4 Dead installment. Valve said it would keep us informed on the issue.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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All they need to do is introduce an R18+ rating for games in Australia. Ppl will play the games anyway its just going to make it safer and more controlled.Reply
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the associate it's a game about shooting zombies isn't it? how in hell is that a bad thing? I wouldn't mind having a populace mentally trained and prepped for popping a zombie horde, would you?Reply -
charlesxuma rebel conquestThat's a very backward law :SReply
seriously ..... i mean how stupid can it get..... this is by far the dumbest thing iv heard ..... (until the next dumbest country makes some new crap up) we'v got australia in #1 dumbest .... second we have germany in #2 ....... any one else for 3rd (new zealand or UK maybe) ?
.......to be continued -
B-Unit Yes, because we all know how effective a training tool an FPS is for actual use of a firearm.Reply
That and all these damn zombies running around... -
r0x0r And the government can also get the taxes on it.Reply
Seriously, if I want to play L4D2 here what is stopping me from buying it digitally from overseas and playing on an overseas server? If the overseas retailer won't sell it to me then I'll just fire up utorrent and then everyone loses.
Just another example of how backward South Australia* is.
*The only reason we do not have R18+ games in Australia is because of the South Australian attorney-general Michael Atkinson is opposed to it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Atkinson -
the associate B-UnitYes, because we all know how effective a training tool an FPS is for actual use of a firearm. That and all these damn zombies running around...Reply
Sarcasm exists you know, and mental preparation doesn't = training use with actual firearms -
Kelavarus charlesxumaseriously ..... i mean how stupid can it get..... this is by far the dumbest thing iv heard ..... (until the next dumbest country makes some new crap up) we'v got australia in #1 dumbest .... second we have germany in #2 ....... any one else for 3rd (new zealand or UK maybe) ? .......to be continuedReply
1. If that's the dumbest thing you've heard, you haven't seen your own posts.
2. Compared to things like the patent lawsuits, this is small apples for stupidity.
the associateSarcasm exists you know, and mental preparation doesn't = training use with actual firearms
... Wasn't he using sarcasm right there himself? -
eklipz330 Last week the Australian Classifications Board refused to classify Valve's upcoming zombie shooter sequel, banning the game based on its "realistic, frenetic, and unrelenting violence," a feature many FPS games of late actually share.Reply
yes, because shooting zombies is real, against the law, and racist. they have feelings too.
no but seriously, its a rehash of the first game which came out not even a year ago, why do they make asses of themselves