14 DAY TRIAL // Video games have always been blamed for bad things, from teaching children that violence is fun, to giving them hints on how to commit crimes or how to kill other people. Various anti-game representatives like Jack Thompson have protested against them and asked the governments of various countries to take action against them and make them illegal. But it now seems that the wishes of anti-game fanatics are coming true in Australia.
Before they get too excited, it seems that the Australian police are taking action against people or stores that sell various MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) like the very successful World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online or Age of Conan. But it isn't because they are violent or teach kids bad things, but because they didn't receive a rating from the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia.
That's right, because they didn't receive a rating from the government agency, the police will fine people or stores selling such titles. The reason the IEAA didn't offer ratings was because the games didn't have a single-player story, so there wasn't anything to rate properly. As you may know, online interactions can vary according to the people you are playing with, and can't be rated.
So now, because of a standing law in the country, games that aren't rated are illegal, so people must report if they see anyone selling such titles like WoW or WAR. The fines that police can issue range from 1,100 to 11,000 Australian dollars, with guilty parties being eligible for up to a year in jail.
Until the Australian government will change the law and agree to the recommendations made by the IEAA, it seems that anyone selling MMORPGs is now committing a crime in the country. Representatives from Blizzard or other companies that published such games haven't commented on the issue.