Two steps forward, 50 steps back.

Living in Australia comes with its perks; Beaches, sun, attractive people. It also comes with its disadvantages; backwards politicians who can take two very positive steps forward, then turn around, get in a fast car and drive way past the starting line.

Earlier this year, the Australian Government released a discussion paper on the non-existent R 18+ rating for video games. The response was fantastic. With petitions from EB Games and GAME retailers, the word was out about this and 59,678 responses were retrieved. An overwhelming 86 percent of respondents were in favour of an adult rating.

Well, that’s where we went wrong. According to those in charge, further research needs to be done before they can even start discussing the idea. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Conner tends to agree because of “interest groups” who had made submissions. These interest groups include 34 community churches.

Censoring games doesn’t make themes disappear and it doesn’t make games more “playable” for young people. It’s probably doing more harm than good. Censoring what isn’t good for the kiddies, doesn’t take away the themes implied.

I even wrote a letter to Michael Atkinson (when he was in power) saying that the adult rating was needed more than ever. A well researched, well written and quite logical argument was sent off to his desk. He sent me back the same form letter that was given to everyone who wrote to him.

In an election year, something that could sway thousands, if not millions, of votes, is probably not something you want to take too long thinking about.

OMG GRRL ON TEH INTERWEBS!!!!oneone!111

According to The Internet, I don’t exist. I am a figment of your imagination. Hi, my name is Adelaide, and I play videogames.

I wonder how the whole thing got started. I mean, who decided that girls don’t play games? Or that we don’t play games as well as boys. I could quite easily stand my ground against some blokes in Halo or L4D and do it regularly.

I’ll admit this “stereotype” isn’t really true. Most of my male friends just go along with it to annoy me, to which I shoot them in the back with a sticky grenade. But there are some (See Xbox Live) who quite ignorantly announce it and will do anything to muscle out a girl, especially when she’s 15 points ahead on Halo 3.

I pin it on jealously, and after being beaten by a girl, the emasculated feeling. As Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory once said, “She must be cheating. No girl can be that attractive and that good at videogames.”