In the light of Australia's Classification Review Board overturning the Classification Board's ban of the video game We Happy Few , the Australian government is now considering whether games censorship rules need 'modernising'. The Department
of the Communications and the Arts has confirmed that talks have begun to modernise the classification guidelines. Any adjustment to the classification guidelines for computer games must be agreed by classification ministers in all Australia's states and
territories. The department also said it will consult extensively with industry stakeholders and communities. We Happy Few an indie game, was initially banned over the prominence of the drug Joy, which underpins the game's dystopian society by
being used as a method of controlling the populace. The Board's initial finding found that the presence of Joy violated the clause on incentivised drug use: The games developer appealed against the ban and the Classification Review Board - a
separate statutory body the unanimous overturned the Classification Board's original ban resulting in an adults-only R18+ classification. The department did not provide a timeline as to when said discussions might take place. |