Australia’s Classification Board has refused classification for Halloween: The Game, effectively banning its sale in the country. The decision is not due to the game’s graphic violence, but because players can smoke marijuana to detect the location of the villain Michael Myers, a feature deemed a “gameplay advantage”.
Reason for the ban
Under the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games 2023, video games are refused classification if they contain “illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards”. The board stated: “Halloween: The Game contains illicit drug use that is linked to an incentive or reward, in that use of the drug provides a gameplay advantage to the player. It is on this basis that the game has been refused classification, as required under the Code and Guidelines.”
The decision has sparked an uproar, with Illfonic’s social media accounts flooded with comments from irate Australians. An FoI officer said the Classification Board had received more than 500 complaints about the game.
Criticism of classification standards
Claire Henry, associate professor in screen at Flinders University, says the board enforced the guidelines correctly but the controversy highlights “a mismatch between the community standards and the classification standards”. Dan Golding, professor of media at Monash University, notes that games have been regulated based on assumptions that interactivity is more impactful than watching in a film, and that games are for kids.
Ron Curry, former CEO of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), helped introduce an R18+ category for video games in 2013. He says the trade-off was that games were still seen as a distinct, more dangerous form of media. Margaret Anderson, a former director of the Classification Board, says the focus on interactivity drove her nuts during her seven years on the board, pointing to research showing games are predominantly played by adults.
Inconsistencies and review
Marcus Carter, founder of the Sydney Games and Play Lab at the University of Sydney, led a study showing inconsistencies across mobile game classifications, with four different age ratings for a single game in 18 cases across 31 top-grossing titles. He describes the current system as “not fit for purpose”. Henry warns that inconsistencies “can kind of undermine public confidence in the classification system”.
The Australian government is reviewing classification guidelines, with proposals including removing the harsher judgement of video games’ interactivity. A spokesperson from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts said: “The Australian Government is working to modernise the National Classification Scheme to ensure it remains aligned with community standards and helps Australians make informed decisions about what they read, watch and play. This work is ongoing.”
Illfonic has shown no sign it will censor the game and have its classification reviewed. The game’s co-publisher Gun Interactive did not respond to requests for comment. Anderson said: “The foundational pillar of classification in Australia is that adults should be able to read, hear, see, play what they want. Can we please respect that fact?”
