A regional Attorney-General in Australia is appealing the country s ratings board decision to grant Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 a 15+ rating, reports Gamesindustry.biz. Michael Atkinson, the South Australia Attorney-General, filed the appeal. He has made comments that the Classification Board who grants ratings to the country’s films and games often tries to get product in under the radar. In justifying his appeal, Atkinson makes specific references to the controversial terrorist mission in the game. He calls it a glorification of terrorism and says it s proof that game creators can t be counted on to be responsible.
A successful appeal by Atkinson could block the release of Modern Warfare 2 in its current iteration in Australia, forcing Activision to consider censoring content to re-submit for rating. EA’s Left 4 Dead 2 experienced a similar outcome in Australia when it was denied a 15+ rating and was forced to make extensive content changes. Initially, EA had joined a growing lobby to introduce an 18+ rating in the country. GI.biz says Atkinson has become a highly vocal critic against games and is central to blocking the effort to introduce a mature-equivalent rating in Australia. Read more at Gamesindustry.biz.
