At the end of the month, Singapore's Media Development Authority will begin implementing a simplified videogame rating system that will hopefully signal an end to the country's practice of banning games.
Singapore's ratings will have just two ratings: Mature 18 and Age Advisory. Games earning a Mature 18 rating can only be purchased by adults, while those that receive an Age Advisory rating can be bought by anyone, but discretion is advised. Games that don't receive either rating are considered to be suitable for anyone.
The M18 rating requires age checks by cashiers, and covers games that include realistic depictions of violence, drug use, or nudity. Mass Effect, whose sex scenes originally got it banned in Singapore, was one of the first games to receive an M18 rating.
Age Advisory games contain material that's a step down from M18, with implied sex, not quite so graphic violence, and so forth. Games with this rating don't require an age check, but are flagged to let consumers know that they contain potentially objectionable content.
With a ratings system in place, hopefully the Media Development Authority won't feel the need to ban any more games, and consumers will be allowed to play whatever they choose. It remains to be seen how consistently the ratings are issued and enforced, but stickers and age checks are certainly a vast improvement over not allowing certain titles at all.
Photo: babasteve/Flickr
Singapore Unveils New Game Ratings System [Next Gen]
