L4D2 banned in Oz

[Mach1.9pants]

Man the Ozzie government is turning into the digital puritans...ISP filtering...banning FO3 and now L4D2

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2009/09/17/left-4-dead-2-banned-in-australia/1

One of the main problems being they still don't have a 18 type rating, muppets!

Another reason that NZ is better :p

[DaFox]

Man the Ozzie government is turning into the digital puritans...ISP filtering...banning FO3 and now L4D2

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2009/09/17/left-4-dead-2-banned-in-australia/1

One of the main problems being they still don't have a 18 type rating, muppets!

Another reason that NZ is better :p

They shouldnt need an 18 type rating, L4D2 should not achieve that, Neither should FO3.

fuck censorship.

[JohnnyWakko]

This issue REALLY gets under my skin. Sif they can't make a 18+ game rating.

Australia is turning into such a Nanny State.

Shame I can't rage quit.


EDIT:

So I can't blast heads off in a video game, however I can see WhenMilfsAttach x18+ rating:

http://www.oflc.gov.au/www/cob/find.nsf/ClassificationsByDate?OpenView

*cough* Nannystate.

[L2Phantom]

Wow, that's pretty... sad. :?

[Frag Maniac]

Man the Ozzie government is turning into the digital puritans...ISP filtering...banning FO3 and now L4D2

And Man Hunt and others, I agree, I feel sorry for my Aussie friends that game. Australia seems to be ban happy lately, and this just lends to rumors you hear about crazy crimes down there and the movies that depict them. Restricting freedom to this degree is never a good way of policing such tendencies, if that in fact is what they're trying to avoid by it.

It's funny how the internet and video games are so singled out as the worst elements of entertainment, yet you have these highly accepted cheesy over the top action and horror movies, and idiots like Kanye West acting like a racist jackass on the MTV awards that no doubt influences way more kids adversely than video games or the net in general do.

[Abram]

I guess you Aussies just don't know enough to make your own decisions. You should feel lucky that your government loves you so much.

Though, game being so pricey over there, isn't is cheaper to buy from elsewhere and ship it in, anyway?

[StingingVelvet]

I guess you Aussies just don't know enough to make your own decisions. You should feel lucky that your government loves you so much.

Awesome... lol.

This is a trend going on everywhere, really. I had a class a few days ago where the professor talked about how we need to make racist comments and websites illegal like child pornography.

As technology increases governments will try to get more and more restrictive and controlling. At some point though, it will become so effecting and apparent I am hoping people will rebel against it.

[DaFox]

As technology increases governments will try to get more and more restrictive and controlling. At some point though, it will become so effecting and apparent I am hoping people will rebel against it.

We're nearly at the point that I hope things speed up so that the rebellion happens sooner. Rather than them slow down.

[maherie]

bah, just buy it online and get it shipped here or torrent it depending on your stance.

[Abram]

Or download + donate.

[GeneralAdmission]

So I'm too lazy to look this up. Is L4D2 (and other such content) illegal to own or illegal to sell or both?

[StingingVelvet]

If it's illegal to own, Valve would have to prevent AUS Steam accounts from having the game, which means a pretty effective ban.

Won't they censor the game and release it late though? I would imagine so.

[Mesh]

What's to stop people from making a second steam account that isn't listed as AUS located? I've read people doing something similar to get around country-specific blocks on xbox/ps3 online things.

[JohnnyWakko]

There is no point owning the game if the a majority don't have easy acesse to it, making the community small and worthless playing online.

I guess we can play on NZ servers, but the sheep tend to get in the way of the ping/latency.

[StingingVelvet]

What's to stop people from making a second steam account that isn't listed as AUS located? I've read people doing something similar to get around country-specific blocks on xbox/ps3 online things.

Somehow people can't work around this to buy games on Steam that are not in their region, so I don't see how they could activate one. I think no matter what you set things to it detects your IP address location.

In other words, I know several friends in Europe who beg me to send them games as gifts because no matter what they do, Steam won't let them buy them.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Decisions like this do seem a bit daft. I'm amazed they haven't banned GTA (gunning down hookers) Diablo (for all the demonic references) and just about every other game but "Nintendogs"... but of course that could allow the passing of the electronic pet abuse act, or something, so then that would get banned too.

[JohnnyWakko]

They should ban TripleHead2Go as well.

[Frag Maniac]

They should ban TripleHead2Go as well.

...and tourists, and Samsonite luggage, and anyone looking like Lloyd and Harry and Wayne and Garth. Oh, and rabbits, they wouldn't want THOSE nasty beasts coming back.

[Paradigm Shifter]

That's what myxomatosis is for, Frag. ;)

[yogibbear]

It'll get reinstated...... otherwise that Atkinson guy and his anti R18+ ranting is pissing me off

F&*( my country sometimes. It's great for beaches and jobs and hospitals and kangaroo shooting...

But the governments (both of them) are so totally always making awful awful decisions surrounding censorship, laws, environmental policy (don't get me started on how ineffective the CPRS will be vs. just having a simple energy efficiency legislation)....

ARGH!!#!#!#)*&

Well at least in my profession i can go work overseas. :)

Plus yeah it's cheaper to buy games on steam or overseas and pay the shipping than buy them here. Prices of things like electronics, dvds, games etc. are ridiculous. (Especially with our dollar doing so well)