NZ's classification system... At least it is better than Australia's..

I for one believe that the classification system for games in New Zealand is an effective way of categorizing games – in theory that is..While our rating system shows that gaming is not only associated with Children, there is a market for adult gamers as well, which was recognised as a lacking market by Sony when they introduced Playstation.Yet while there are some problems associated with how the games are actually rated with regards to violence etc, we are definiately better off than those Gamers in Australia where MA15+ is their highest rating system, this means that adult gamers in Australia are unable to access the same adult content that they would see in Films, TV shows etc, due to the fact that R18 games have to edited to be suitable for younger players, which even when they are they still contain high levels of violence and or sexual content that is not suitable for 15 year olds. sometimes they are banned by the government or even gaming companies choose not to release their games in Australia which is the case with EA games release of Syndicate, which will have a New Zealand release but not an Australia. So while our ratings system needs work done to ensure people are playing games that are suitable for their age, yet I also believe that it is the parents place to take an interest in what their kids are playing, try out the games before they actually play them, it is what my parents did, it is what I would do with mine. The moral of this story.. well it shows that New Zealand is actually a pretty progressive place to live, by keeping things simple (having the same rating system for games and films etc) it ensures a thriving gaming market in which games are able to be enjoyed by anyone no matter what the age.

Jarrod Te Moananui