What could possibly be so controversial in upcoming E3 2008 headliner Fallout 3 that the Australian government would impose a dreaded "RC" rating on Bethesda's upcoming tertiary post-apocalyptic RPG? No one knows for sure, but speculation is that the optional use of drugs in the game -- specifically the option to employ morphine as a stimulant -- may underly the Aussie classification board blacklisting. Bizarrely, this sort of activity would be allowed in films, but unlike films, games in Australia are refused an R 18+ or X18+ classification, reducing everything to an MA 15+ or below, or bust.
In a recent fan interview posted on the official Fallout 3 message boards, Fallout 3 producer Todd Howard admitted the game includes:
Slavery, children, drugs and addiction more than the others, as those factor for [sic] into the setting more. In regards to nudity and child killings, no, it features neither of those, as they don't really add to the flavor of the game... I think if you look at Fallout 1... Fallout 3 is pretty much the same... no more, no less. Drugs and drug addiction play a larger role perhaps, as it's a key gameplay device. I think the heart of this question is "has the harshness and maturity of the world of Fallout 3 been tempered from the earlier games?" and I can certainly say "No, it hasn't been."
RC, which obdurately stands for "Refused Classification," is a rating typically reserved for titles like "Busty Beauties No. 61," "Audrey: Sexual Freak 8," and "Faces of Death 4." Games as well as films slapped with these two dreaded scarlet letters "cannot be sold, hired, or demonstrated in Australia" according to the Classification Board's FAQ.
A little history: In 1996, Duke Nukem 3D was refused classification because of minor nudity (recall the highly pixelated topless pole dancers). When a censored version of that game accidentally shipped with the nude scenes intact, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) attempted to have it recalled. In 2002, Grand Theft Auto III was tagged with an RC-rating until Rockstar removed the option for players to solicit sex from prostitutes. Players could of course still kill them, underscoring the bizarre intercultural disconnect between wanton murder (AOK!) and the biological act of procreation (impolite and evil!).
To give you a flavor for the Aussie board's latitude here, an RC rating may apply to films and games that:
- Depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.
- Depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or who looks like, a child under 16 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not).
- Promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence.
I spoke with Pete Hines at Bethesda by phone this morning, but his hands are tied. All Bethesda's willing to say at this point is: "We're not going to comment on it."
What'll most likely happen: Bethesda will have to censor the offending scenes and/or mechanics and coax an MA 15+ rating out of the OFLC.
Stupid? Or stupider?
I also heard a rumor that the Vendetta Valentine song "Dissidents" was thought to be promoting violence with its chorus of GET YOUR GUN!. I think it would make an excellent addition to the soundtrack if they can clear this hurdle.