According to this piece from The Escapist, the fact that a game has been Refused Classification doesn't mean it's illegal to import it:<blockquote>As it turns out, the situation isn't as dire for the Australian crowd as some would paint it: Anyone who wants Fallout 3 is free to order it elsewhere with no risk of penalty. "The main thing to realize is that Fallout 3 hasn't been 'banned' in Australia, it's just been refused classification," Yug [of Australian Gamer] said. "That means retailers here can't sell it (because they can't sell a product without a rating) but it also doesn't make the game illegal. So no jail time for importing games that have been refused classification!"
He predicted that the game will be modified to abide with the Classification board's 15+ rating, but added that if Australian gamers don't want to wait for that, they won't have to. "Basically we can just import the game from another PAL territory (such as the U.K.) and the game will work on our Australian systems, although videogame region coding isn't really an issue for the PC and PS3 versions of the games," he said.</blockquote>The story also contains some revelations about the attitude of Attorney General Michael Atkinson towards ratings, which however falls a bit outside of our own scope.
To complicate the picture there is also this IGN newspiece explaining that importing the game is illegal:<blockquote>Also worth noting, for people considering a foreign copy of Fallout 3 on PC and PS3, we have some bad news; you may run into legal issues. The OFLC's guidelines on the importation of games restrict buyers from importing games with drug-related content:<blockquote>The Classification Board may advise that importation or exportation of items should not be allowed if they:
* in relation to a computer game – are unsuitable for a person under 18 to see or play; or
* promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence; or
* promote or incite the misuse of a drug specified in Schedule 4.</blockquote>Like importing any other banned game or film, you take the legal ramifications of the process into your own hands. Don't say we didn't warn you.</blockquote>We're waiting for a decisive answer, but for now, if you're caught in customs don't try the "NMA told me it was OK" line.
Thanks to URAGR8M8 for bringing this up.
Also, this has been mentioned elsewhere, it is possible to complain directly to the Australian classification board about this decision and/or their standards in general. We encourage people to do so, as this kind of censorship can only hurt the gaming industry.
He predicted that the game will be modified to abide with the Classification board's 15+ rating, but added that if Australian gamers don't want to wait for that, they won't have to. "Basically we can just import the game from another PAL territory (such as the U.K.) and the game will work on our Australian systems, although videogame region coding isn't really an issue for the PC and PS3 versions of the games," he said.</blockquote>The story also contains some revelations about the attitude of Attorney General Michael Atkinson towards ratings, which however falls a bit outside of our own scope.
To complicate the picture there is also this IGN newspiece explaining that importing the game is illegal:<blockquote>Also worth noting, for people considering a foreign copy of Fallout 3 on PC and PS3, we have some bad news; you may run into legal issues. The OFLC's guidelines on the importation of games restrict buyers from importing games with drug-related content:<blockquote>The Classification Board may advise that importation or exportation of items should not be allowed if they:
* in relation to a computer game – are unsuitable for a person under 18 to see or play; or
* promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence; or
* promote or incite the misuse of a drug specified in Schedule 4.</blockquote>Like importing any other banned game or film, you take the legal ramifications of the process into your own hands. Don't say we didn't warn you.</blockquote>We're waiting for a decisive answer, but for now, if you're caught in customs don't try the "NMA told me it was OK" line.
Thanks to URAGR8M8 for bringing this up.
Also, this has been mentioned elsewhere, it is possible to complain directly to the Australian classification board about this decision and/or their standards in general. We encourage people to do so, as this kind of censorship can only hurt the gaming industry.
