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interview :: exclusive: hot coffee and the oflc

EXCLUSIVE: Hot Coffee and the OFLC

We sat down for a hot coffee with the Director of the Office of Film and Literature Classification, Mr Des Clark, to talk about the Grand Theft auto 'hot coffee' mod and the state of game classifications in Australia.


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With all the hoo-har going around about the 'hot coffee mod' able to be unlocked on Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and it's subsequent declassification and removal from Australian store shelves, a lot of gamers found themselves asking "WTF?" and also "Is that how you spell hoo-har?"

Well, we here thought we would avoid all the hype and speculation and get the news straight from the horses mouth. We sat down for a hot coffee with the Director of the Office of Film and Literature lassification, Mr Des Clark


AustralianGamer: Hi Des, thanks for your time today

Can you explain for our readers in your own words about the recent changes to the classification of Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas?

Des Clark: The Classification Board revoked the classification of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas so it is now unclassified in Australia. The decision was made on the basis that it contains contentious material that was not brought to the Board?s attention when it was classified. ?Contentious material? is defined in the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 to mean ?... material that would be likely to cause it to be classified ... for a computer game ? M or a higher classification?. The Board found that the content unlocked by a third party ?Hot coffee? modification contained material that could not be accommodated at the MA15+ classification .

Under section 21A of the Act, the Classification Board must revoke a classification if it is ?of the opinion that:

(a) ... a classified computer game contains contentious material (whether activated through use of a code or otherwise) that was not brought to the Board?s attention ... before the classification was made; and

(b) if the Board had been aware of the material before the classification was made, it would have given the film or game a different classification.?

Revocation of a classification means the computer game cannot be legally sold, hired, advertised or exhibited in Australia from the date the decision is made (29 July 2005).





AG: Has this revocation happened to any game before in Australia?

DC: This is the first time the classification of a computer game has been revoked.


AG: Does this move mean that if other games are found to contain material not suitable for their classification, then their rating could or would be also modified?

DC: This decision highlights the fact that distributors need to ensure they are aware of all the content of computer games they submit for classification and that includes ensuring the Classification Board gets to see any material that might contain locked code.


AG: Any number of games have independantly developed modifications that allow for content of a similar or more disturbing nature too be introduced into the gameplay and are freely available for download from the internet. Is it the role, or of interest to the OLFC to be aware of such modifications and prevent them from getting into the hands of minors?

DC: The Classification Board can only classify the content of games that are submitted to it for classification. In this case, the code was already in the game of Grant Theft Auto: San Andreas. It was not downloaded from the internet. If extra material is downloaded from the internet that is not already part of the code of a game, that is a matter for the internet regulator, the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA). However it would be in the OFLC?s interest to know if and when this happened and how it would be dealt with by the ACMA


AG: Are games judged differently in relation to mature / adult ratings than movies are?

DC: No, the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games are the same. However, there is no R18+ classification for computer games, whereas there is for films.





AG: Does the Office of Film and Literature Classification feel a game like this would be more appropriate to an R rating, considering the relatively "soft core" nature of the scenes, say in a similar fashion to the movie industry?

DC: It is important to understand that the revocation is not a classification. Without an application for classification being made for the game containing that content, it is inappropriate to comment on the classification outcome. If the content proved to be stronger than the guidelines for MA15+, it would be refused classification.


AG: What is the position of the Office of Film and Literature Classification on introducing a seperate 'R' rating for games?

DC: The OFLC is not in a position to comment on whether there should be an R18+ classification for computer games or not. This is a decision made by classification Ministers in the Standing Committee of Attorneys General. When they last considered this issue they chose not to implement an R18+ classification for computer games.


AG: Is there anything else you would like to say to the Australian gaming public in regards to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas?

DC: The classifications and consumer advice are a guide to people, helping them to understand the content of computer game before they purchase it. Parents and families need to be aware that MA15+ means that some of the content makes the game unsuitable for people under 15 to play. It is a restricted classification and cannot be sold or hired to people aged under 15 unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. MA15+ games contain strong content, so families need to be vigilant in assessing which members of the family unit they allow to play it.


AustralianGamer.com would like to thank Des Clarke and Brinsley Marlay from the Office of Film and Literature Classification for their time



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