Australian Politician Claims Video Gamers Are A Bigger Risk To His Family Than Angry Biker Gangs

from the maybe-in-a-game... dept

Tue, Feb 16th 2010 2:50pm — Mike Masnick

South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson, last seen around these parts supporting a law that banned anonymous political commentary during election season (though he later said he'd repeal it after the election), is apparently now taking on video gamers. Slashdot points us to the news that Atkinson has claimed that video gamers are a threat to his family, after he found a note from a video gamer left on his doorstep:

"I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me... The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven't been hanging around my doorstop at 2am. A gamer has."

I like how he automatically lumps all video gamers together into a single group because one gamer left him a note. Atkinson appears to have a way with words -- including those against both bikers and video gamers. In the past he was forced to apologize after falsely suggesting that a group of motorcycle gang members had used a local park to "cook a cat for human consumption". Turns out it wasn't true: "The animal was not a cat, the incident happened at another location and bikies weren't involved." So, he's good with the details, it seems.

The specific issue when it comes to video gamers is that Atkinson has been an adamant opponent to allowing any sort of "adult" or "mature" rating for video games. As you may or may not know, Australia censors video games, and will simply not allow games they don't feel are appropriate for those under the age of 18. Yes, if you're an adult and make the conscious choice that you want to play a violent video game, you are legally out of luck in Australia.

At times, Atkinson has supported this position to ridiculous levels. When the football video game "Blitz: The League" was banned from Australia, Atkinson supported this because one option in the game was that a player could take performance enhancing drugs, and apparently, he prefers to keep reality out of video games. When asked by a constituent why he wouldn't support a mature rating for adult video gamers who want to play such games, his response was quite dismissive:

"I think you will find this issue has little traction with my constituents who are more concerned with real-life issues than home entertainment in imaginary worlds."

And now he's claiming that video gamers are a threat to his family? I think the person dealing with the "imaginary worlds" might be Mr. Atkinson.

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Filed Under: australia, michael atkinson, video games

36 Comments

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Brian (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 2:24pm

Fail
The level of fail this man is emitting here cannot be described with words. The only proper response is a tactical facepalm.
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AdamBv1 (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 2:54pm

Re: Fail
Tactical Facepalm you say?
http://cdn3.knowyourmeme.com/i/7588/original/tactical_facepalm.jpg
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Dark Helmet (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 2:57pm

Any chance...
That this "note" left by this "gamer" is the world's gayest, wimpiest Reichstagg Fire?

Just sayin', did they go all Aussie CSI on the note?

"Crikey! Look at this 'ere note! It's from a gamer, it is!"

"'Ow do you know that, mate?"

"It's covered in Cheetoh residue and Mountain Dew spittle! This is the biggest threat to Australia since that shit movie Kangaroo Jack!"

"I agree! Let's go find Jerry O'Connell and kill him!"
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Tom Landry (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:20pm

The only fitting end to this guys career would for him to be dragged out of his office and beaten to death by angry outlaw motorcycle gang members wielding 360 controllers.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:23pm

Re:
Shoot him when he spawns!
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:29pm

I live in Adelaide in South Australia.

Thankfully they have a "pro-gamer" candidate running in the numbnut's local seat of Croyden.

If you live there... you know what to do.

@Attorney General Michael Atkinson: Hey numbnut - allow an "R" category for games just like there is for literature & movies and you won't have to worry about "gamer" notes. Get with the program.
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John Duncan Yoyo (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:42pm

Re:
Well he is a proven idiot. Is there an Australian equivalent to the US Senate where he could retire to?
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Matthew, 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:45pm

Re: Re:
Unfortunately yes...
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Solohan50, 16 Feb 2010 @ 3:49pm

Of course he's more afraid of gamers. Who would you be more afraid of, a bunch of men in leather hopping around on kangaroos or angry video game nerds?

http://www.freewebs.com/rock4supremeoverlord/AVN.jpg
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LM, 16 Feb 2010 @ 4:03pm

The Aus game's classifications are bit more nuanced than reported here. They are restricted to anything involving sexual violence, sex with sheep, and something else. That's why GTAIII was initially banned. It wasn't the hookers, or the beating of people up, it was the fact that you could have sex with a hooker then beat her up for a refund.
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Epsyle (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 4:39pm

Re: Any chance...
Ehhh, except for the stereotypical "Crikey" (Which literally no one says, so lol), that sounds more english then anything I hear around here.
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Epsyle (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 4:41pm

Re:
Sex with sheep? never heard that before. Wait... does this mean games exist where you can have sex with sheep? D:
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Shameless plug, 16 Feb 2010 @ 4:49pm

Public consultation template on R18+ rating for games
Any Australian readers who haven't already done so should take a moment to fill out the public consultation form the Australian government has provided and send it in. It's short, it's multichoice and you can make your submission via email.

http://ag.gov.au/gamesclassification (submission template to the right of the page).

Submissions close Feb 28th.

(Hope you don't mind the plug, Mike...)
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 5:36pm

"Australian Politician Claims Video Gamers Are A Bigger Risk To His Family Than Angry Biker Gangs"

It's not the job of a politician to make his personal problems everyone elses problem.
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crucible, 16 Feb 2010 @ 5:40pm

Australian Politician
I went to the Australian governments site, in the upper right corner it says..."ACHIEVING A JUST AND SECURE SOCIETY".
Why are they compelled to say it?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 6:02pm

Dear Australia,

You are a laughing stock.
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John Duncan Yoyo (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 6:03pm

Re:
I wonder how long it will take the Biker gangs to make him eat those words?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 6:04pm

It's just spawncamping, Mr. Atkinson. Get over it.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 6:24pm

HA ha ha, I forgot he was the "Bikie BBQ Cat" guy. Well pointed out.
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Ash, 16 Feb 2010 @ 7:54pm

Re: Any chance...
We don't have Cheetohs... least I've never seen any.

Between this lumphead and Conroy, what are we Aussies to do?
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Dark Helmet (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 8:02pm

Re: Re: Any chance...
Oh, give me a break, when it comes to Australia, I'm a stereotypical ignorant American. In history class, they began by telling me that you were a nation created from criminals, so I assumed you were all black and mexican...

C'MON! I'm KIDDING!!!
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Paul`, 16 Feb 2010 @ 8:13pm

Some background on this bloke:

In Australia, to get a change made to the rating and classification system there must be a consensus between all 7 State Attorney Generals. So far 6/7 think that a rating system for games that includes a R18 section for games aimed for adults is a good idea. The one who is holding out is this bell end from South Australia called Michael Atkinson.

He seems to think that if you play a video game where you defend yourself from a zombie with a frying pan then OF COURSE the next day when you walk outside you're going to club the first 6 people you see to death with one.

This man is about as right wing we have to deal with here, plus he is barely a real Australian coming from SA... They are a weird bunch.
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Epsyle (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 8:57pm

Re: Re: Re: Any chance...
Haha, I realised that.
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Epsyle (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 8:58pm

Re: Re: Any chance...
I'm in the NT, we don't have as much range as down south but we still have Cheetohs. You must be in like Alice or something lol.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2010 @ 9:50pm

Re:
Perhaps Angry German Kid left him the note. I'd be scared too!
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toddski (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 9:57pm

Beware for the offtopic
This guy seems extremely detached from the majority and how they relate to violence in video games.
/offtopic

That said, I would say that certain video games do seem to be slowly eating away at the 'work ethic' in a minority of my young peers. Unless your definition of work includes raiding dungeons or killing people online with an m4a1 ofcourse.

So I suppose it could be argued that video games could have a negative effect in that way. Not that this would ever advocate the removal of a certain video game in my opinion - it is a problem with a minority of users, not with a game or console itself. I suppose moderation is what needs to promoted, if only for the health of the individual.

Then again if you can feasibly fund your gaming life with government handouts then at the moment there is little reason for many 'hardcore' gamers to try to further themselves in the real world.
/ontopic
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Michael Atkinson, 16 Feb 2010 @ 10:10pm

Just to point out some other stuff that I have also said while banning those terrible video games.

"It was banned because in the course of the game, the player may use illegal performance-enhancing drugs for the members of his or her team."
- Explaining why Blitz: The League was banned in a speech to South Australian Parliament in March 2008

"This game was banned because it promotes breaking the law by vandalising public buildings with graffiti."
- Explaining why Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was banned during the same speech
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Fred McTaker (profile), 16 Feb 2010 @ 10:26pm

Re:
To be completely fair, he is right that intelligent video gamers are a much bigger risk to the livelihood of a stupid politician, than some random huddle of bikers are. Biker gangs are only a threat if you like to drive on curvy mountain roads during the weekends, or you get your kicks opening your door in front of lane splitters, and you don't have insurance for when their yamurlke-sized helmet inevitably fails them. Video gamers know how to vote, present their arguments in a cogent manner, and much harder to knock off and blame it on a "gaming accident."

Plug! videogamevoters.org
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2010 @ 3:39am

The fallacy of this guys position is that by refusing an R18+ classification for games he effectively forces those games to make a few changes here and there to get the lower classification, thus he himself is the main culprit in bringing games, created from the ground up for an adult audience, to the chilldren and young people of austrailia.
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Yeebok (profile), 17 Feb 2010 @ 4:19am

I'm sure every country has a politician that they'd much prefer they didn't. At least he's currently the worst we have to offer. To my understanding he's pretty safe in his seat, which is probably even more unfortunate.
Any twitter users, the candidates are on @Kat4Croydon and @Gamers4Croydon.
.. and yes I hold the man personally responsible that my 15 year old son can play Fallout3, Alien Vs Predator and GTA4.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Feb 2010 @ 6:51am

Like others mentioned, by not having an R18+ , games meant for adults can now be purchased by children (well not really children, by 15 they're mostly young adults).
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jezsik (profile), 17 Feb 2010 @ 10:05am

Let me get this straight, Mr. Attorney General. You're saying that constituents are more concerned with real-life issues than with home entertainment imaginary worlds, right? So, uh, why are you spending so much energy controlling access to these imaginary worlds?
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nasch (profile), 17 Feb 2010 @ 2:59pm

Re:
and yes I hold the man personally responsible that my 15 year old son can play Fallout3, Alien Vs Predator and GTA4.

I think you're the one responsible for that.
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TechNoFear (profile), 17 Feb 2010 @ 11:11pm

Please don't give this idiot any more press...
Atkinson was voted for by less than 13,000 Australians, yet is able to block all 23 million Australians from having a full rating systems for games.

Problem is games that should be R 18+ are rated M 15+ (ie GTA) which makes it harder to use the parental controls on a console to restict access by children.

All we can hope is that either he fails to be re-elected this March (not likely)
or is not appointed AG again (not likely)
or the federal government puts some pressure on the SA governement to change his stance (not holding my breath).
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World Help Us, 16 Jul 2010 @ 2:22am

We get some games that should be 18+ introduced as 15+, wheres the logic in that.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, Michael Atkinson's labor mate Senator Stephen Conroy wants to introduce an Internet Filter.

this shows just how restricted we will be

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship

Our current government is a joke, how can we call ourselves a free country when we have such archaic censorship laws.
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funny adult game, 16 Jul 2010 @ 11:35pm

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