South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson might be trying to censor the censorship debate, but Australian gamers like regular Screen Play contributor Blackwell have been very active this year campaigning their leaders about the introduction of a long-overdue R18+ games classification.

Fresh from penning his "Gamer's Bill of Rights", Blackwell today describes how he has got politically involved this year.

It's a reminder that even if Mr Atkinson succeeds in blocking the release of a discussion paper and the subsequent public consultation process that would follow, gamers passionate about the issue can continue to try to educate our politicians on why games matter so much to so many people and why our classification system needs an overhaul.

The political game

Today and tomorrow the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General will be meeting to discuss, among other things, the implementation of an R18 classification for games. Despite recent setbacks, the issue has been recently getting the attention it deserves, such as Ben Croshaw's article and Alex Hawke, Federal MP for Mitchell, calling in parliament for an R18 classification to be introduced after it was brought to his attention by parents in his electorate.

After my poor showing back when Jason ran the R18 classification poll earlier this year, I decided to be more politically active and spoke with my state MP in July to find out he thought of this issue. I discovered that nobody had brought it up with him before.

However, by the end of our discussion his interest was definitely raised after I explained the situation and demonstrated the type of games being allowed with the MA15+ classification by showing him the trailer for Bioshock.

He asked me if I could write a letter which would explain the current situation so he could present it at the next meeting of the National Party. With the help of some other like-minded individuals, I did so. It contained information like:

- An explanation of what actually happens when a game is refused classification in Australia.

- A table that compared a number of games rated MA15+ here which were given an R18+ classification in New Zealand.

- Why not having an R18+ classification for games failed at a retail level including personal testimony by myself.

When I gave the letter to my MP in August I also told him some important reasons why I would want to play games like Bioshock and emphasised the fact that despite what some people may think, I am a mature adult capable of distinguishing reality from fantasy.

Now I also have something important to admit. Just like DexX, I keep in contact with Max, the operator of refused-classification.com, and pass on news about video game censorship in Australia whenever I hear about it, such as the transcripts by GamePolitics regarding that infamous session on the ABC's Q&A program.

During one email exchange over the holidays in regards to the banning of Silent Hill: Homecoming, I was rather struck when Max wrote that "I think it is just going to get harder to get an R18+ through as the various state ALP governments fall. We've already lost one in WA. I really can't see any Liberal government allowing it through."

With that piece of information stuck in my mind, I decided to write a letter to Christian Porter, the new state Attorney General for Western Australia, in order to find out his views on the introduction of an R18+ games classification, similar to the one my friends and I had cobbled together for my state MP.

I don't expect a reply, because why would the state Attorney General for Western Australia reply to a letter written by somebody from New South Wales? But in any case, I hope he reads it and gives the issue some careful thought.

Anyhow, that's what I've been up to this year regarding the campaign. How about you?

- Blackwell

Screen Play readers can submit articles or ideas for consideration in Your Turn using the email address screenplayblog@gmail.com. The best blog post each month as judged by Jason Hill will win a PlayStation 3 console from Sony Computer Entertainment worth $699. The next Your Turn prize winner will be announced on November 28. Only Australian residents are eligible and the judge's decision is final.

Timothy Gerard Richards

15.8.1972 - 21.10.2008

The Australian gaming community has lost one of its most passionate and active contributors.

Tim Richards, a lawyer, writer, founder of Melbourne's Dissecta gaming events, and a keen supporter of the Australian game development community for over a decade, passed away on Tuesday at the Alfred Hospital after a long battle with heart disease and a recent transplant. He was just 36.

As the touching death notice from his family in The Age read, Tim's passing was "far too soon for someone so loved and talented".

For more than 10 years Tim was an industry advocate for mobile content and game development, particularly for the Victorian sector.

He also had a special interest in new media law, specifically end-user content regulation and legal issues surrounding mobile content and applications.

Tim was also keen to educate more Australians about organ donation. He was convenor of the Transplant Waiting List Advocacy Group and spoke at Federation Square earlier in the year during Australian Organ Donor Awareness Week about "life on the list".

Tim was diagnosed in early 2005 with severe pulmonary hypertension due to congenital heart disease and listed for a heart and lung transplant with the Alfred Hospital.

He worked as an in-house lawyer for a public technology company, and continued to work despite his heath problems, saying that life on the organ transplant list was "all about trying to keep your health stable and doing your best to get on with life".

As testimony to his character, Tim started the Dissecta events in June 2005, less than six months after he was first diagnosed. He described the unique initiative as "a monthly
get-together for video game fans and game makers to discuss all things video games".

Dissecta forums have brought local game developers, publishers, students and fans closer together and encouraged serious and informed discussion about the medium and the ever-growing industry.

Topics covered have included gaming industry trends and future challenges, competitive game playing, game development, classification, public relations, distribution and many sessions from local developers sharing their experiences when crafting their latest titles.

Tom Crago, President of the Games Developers Association of Australia, yesterday paid tribute to Tim's contribution to "the success and solidarity of the Australian video game industry".

"From his early work and research in the mobile space, through to his founding of Dissecta,
Tim remained one of the most knowledgeable and giving personalities in our close community," says Tom.

"His achievements are in fact too numerous to mention. For many years he edited the newsletter for the Game Developers' Association of Australia, while managing a number of other lists and bulletins that were a tremendous source of insight and information for the entire industry.

"At all times Tim was absolutely selfless, looking only to make a contribution where he could,
to an industry he clearly loved. That industry will miss him, and will benefit greatly from his legacy."

Tim's significant contribution to the industry was recently acknowledged by Film Victoria, who presented the inaugural Tim Richards Award to Puzzle Quest developers Infinite Interactive.

The award was established to pay tribute to an organisation or individual who has consistently demonstrated achievement, leadership and innovation in the digital media industry, as Tim had done over a decade.

Steve Fawkner, CEO of Infinite Interactive, says he was honoured to win the award and when he first met Tim he "immediately struck me as an incredibly generous person, giving his time freely to bring together a community that he loved - the gaming community".

"As I got to know Tim better in the intervening years, it became apparent that he was just simply a great guy - exactly the sort of person I was proud to call a friend and colleague.

"Sadly it's not until today, when I've heard of his passing, that I've truly taken the time to reflect on what Tim brought to the Australian Game Development industry. He educated aspiring developers, opened lines of communication between existing companies and, simply put, formed a hub that kept everybody talking to everybody else.

"He realised that shared knowledge and experience makes us all more powerful. We'll miss him greatly, and I'll do my very best to ensure that what Tim started never gets lost from the gaming community in which he played such an integral role."

Game industry veteran Martin Wilkes added that the gaming community is "full of characters" - "some speak loudly and make a lot of noise, and there are those that speak softly and have far more impact".

"One of the quiet, influential characters was Tim Richards. Tim gave us a place for the publishers, the developers and the gamers to meet and mix. We will miss him."

In an interview published in The Age last year, Tim said that "although interactive entertainment is relatively new compared to other media, it is developing rapidly and it already has an important impact on society".

"Games are the media of choice for many people, for entertainment and as a means to engage socially with others," he said.

Tim also said that while video games were becoming an increasingly important part of Australian culture, there were a lot of issues that are "currently not given proper consideration".

"There is greater scope for more critical analysis coming from inside the local industry and Dissecta would like to encourage that."

Tim was a firm believer in the huge potential of the Australian games industry and its local talent.

He said the local industry "should be proud of what it has achieved over the past decade as there are now many excellent development studios here".

"That's not to say the industry is big, but it is currently diverse and robust, and I think game development in Australia has proven to be sustainable with a big future."

Tim also ran an Australian gaming news website for three years called GameNews.com.au.

When asked about his favourite games last year, he naturally nominated some home-grown hits, and also revealed how much games can mean to people who struggle with ill-health, mobility or disabilities.

"Due to my health, it is difficult to get out and about, I need to plan things carefully," he said. "So it was surprising to find that Elder Scrolls: Oblivion gave me a real sense of freedom, so that's a favourite.

"Hooning around in Need for Speed Underground 2 is also very satisfying, and anything from the Call of Duty series is a great escape. Local games WarWorld and Puzzle Quest are also big favourites."

Tim had a law degree from Monash University and a Science Degree with Honours by research (pharmacology) from the University of Melbourne. His previous positions included work as a senior lawyer with the Gold Coast City Council.

Tim was also passionate about the health of the first Australians. When asked about what technology would make the world a better place, he said: "any technology that we as a society can get to indigenous Australians to assist in increasing quality-of-life and opportunity would be a step in the right direction".

"I have had the opportunity to go through several days in a hospital bed thinking this was the end of the line, so while I do enjoy video games and technology, I take life and living seriously."

Tim is survived by his wife Sanae and son Conan.

One of the grandchildren is browsing my achievement points. It's a record filled with tens of thousands of entries, an indelible, almost embarrassing testimony to a life spent in games.

She looks round. “Grandpa, what’s your favourite videogame of all time?”

It’s always been an awkward question but these days it’s near impossible to answer truthfully. She might as well have asked about my favourite meal. Who can possibly remember every plate of food they ever sat down to? You know that you ate most days and you know that you must have been nourished to some extent or other, but the details of what was on the menu, how it felt in the mouth, what it smelled and looked like are all lost to time.

After a while games lose their definition in memory too. You know that you played most days and that you must have been nourished to some extent or other, but the details... A few stand out, for sure, but most slip forgotten.

It's been six weeks since I was told that I'm dying.

The problem with death, for the lifelong gamer, is its supreme familiarity. There aren’t hairs on my head to measure the virtual lives I’ve lost over a lifetime of play. So when you’re told you’ve three months at best, it’s easy to be flippant.

In my time I’ve fallen foul of countless mis-timed jumps, stray bullets, car crashes and drug deals gone wrong; I’ve flown fighter jets into solid ground at 300 miles per hour, fallen under the heavy tread of a London bus and watched incredulous as my space ship dissolved in the mute explosion of a sun. The blocks reached the top of the screen time after time.

Playing a videogame is to enter into a state of inescapable impending doom: they are the moments between leaping from the clifftop and hitting the rocks below. Games only become games when you’ve a Game Over screen to avoid. Lives, profoundly perhaps, only gain value when they can be lost.

In a way then, videogames are the ultimate preparation for life’s ultimate event: through them you’ve died a million times.

Yes. Death should be easy: it’s virtually all I’ve ever known.

Except no, of course. There’s no such thing as one life left in videogames. If you’ve got another quarter, you’ve got another chance. There’s always another go, another opportunity to perfect your technique and claw closer to the final prize. There’s always another chance.

Not so for this world, for this body, for these cells. Not so for this man.

I think I’m one of the first generation to have lived their whole life with videogames. From cradle to deathbed, my life breaks down into legion roles, ghost lives led in pixel dimensions. You could write ten thousand obituaries of my life and every one of them would be as true as it is distinct.

A crack sniper who served his country with skill and determination through the Second World War; six times winner of the Le Mans 24 hour; he scored the winning goal in no less than twenty World Cup finals. This giant yellow vegan was relentlessly chased through life by his ghosts. Simon was the finest plumber in all the Mushroom kingdom. A loving father.

But while the lines of identity between virtual and real world experiences have blurred, there’s only one obituary for me that could really be written: gamer till the end. I never served in Dresden; I can’t drive, or kick a football where I want it to go. I’ve never eaten a ghost and I couldn’t fix a dripping tap, let alone rescue a flirtatious princess.

No. I sat and precision twitched in front of screens. I moved light from A to B and back again and played make believe forever.

They say our actions in this life echo through eternity. But what of those actions outplayed in videogame lives? Or does the very fact we acted in virtual worlds and neglected this one echo through the years; save game files a history of mis-spent time, energy and resources. How did my virtual choices shape tomorrow’s reality? Did I simply deplete our resources all the faster, escapism that fueled Armageddon’s engines?

It’s something we rarely speak of: gamer’s guilt. The generations that came before us feared our hobby, its intrusion into our lives, the distraction it brought. Indeed, their damnations made us all experts in defending any and every accusation aimed at gaming.

Now those older generations are all dead their mistrust is gone with them. Everybody plays games and, with nobody left to justify our hobby to, the protestations we learned rote echo as loud as they do pointless.

Did I waste my time? It’s a question you can only truly ask when you’ve no time left to give, no time left to justify. Play is the first step to knowledge and development, for sure, but as you streak into adulthood haven’t all the lessons game mechanics could teach been learned a thousand times over?

Aren’t games, as we defended against time after time after time, simply a colossal waste of time, a leisure pursuit as meaningless as a stack of blank Sudoku? Aren't they little more than a comfortable distraction of consciousness from the grim realities of this world, realities we would have been better off running toward, not from.

And if all videogames could ever aspire to was being big, dumb, blockbusting escapism, does that even matter? Hasn’t every generation that ever lived created make-believe worlds to climb into and take refuge?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I just wish we’d asked each other the questions a bit more fifty years ago.

Back to her question, the one being asked now. I look deep into young eyes, the eyes of a life with all of its cards left to deal.

‘Tetris,’ I murmer. ‘It was my first’.

[Simon Parkin does not, in fact, have any grandchildren and, while he rarely feels it, he’s still in his twenties. Just.]

After spending the last couple of weeks playing the wonderfully unique, hilarious and hugely ambitious plaything that is LittleBigPlanet, I am prepared to declare that it's going to be very difficult for anything else to dislodge it from the lofty position of "my favourite game of 2008".

The charming LittleBigPlanet might not help shift as many PS3 consoles as Sony hopes, but it is the "killer app" the PS3 so desperately needs. Players of all ages will be entranced and thoroughly entertained.

With up to three friends alongside you joining in the fun, there are over 20 incredibly clever and imaginative platform-leaping obstacle courses to explore, plus dozens of bonus challenges.

The "hand-made" levels are filled with collectibles, puzzles, vehicles, mechanical foes, traps, rollercoaster rides, bosses and hazards like fire and electricity. Each is set in lush areas like colourful gardens, temples, jungles and canyons, with stunning Japanese, Indian and South American-inspired stages the highlight.

Controlling your adorable Sackboy character is simple, with only three moves to learn - run, jump and grab.

Many players will enjoy puppeteering with their Sackboy and dressing them up in various outfits, or the simple pleasure of seeing them bounding around on seesaws or swinging on ropes.

My sons (ages six and eight) were literally in stitches playing LittleBigPlanet for the first time because of how endearing the Sackboys are and how much fun it is to simply muck around in the tactile worlds with their realistic physics.

The only significant hiccup is that moving your Sackboy "in and out" of the three planes on the otherwise strictly two-dimensional levels can be occasionally fiddly.

Moving planes can be manually triggered but is usually automatic. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens when you do not want it to, which can be a pain and lead to an unnecessary Sackboy death.

Speaking of lives, I also think some players will be annoyed that there is a finite amount of lives between each (very closely spaced) checkpoint, which can mean replaying entire stages when the difficulty ramps up significantly towards the end of the adventure.

And while LittleBigPlanet simply must be experienced in the joyously wild and riotous multiplayer form (additional players can jump in and out of the action at any time) thanks to its terrific blend of competition and co-operation, four-player action can get a little too chaotic at times, with players frustrated if they constantly get left behind.

However, none of the minor grumbles will spoil your enjoyment of Media Molecule's delightful stages, which offer plenty of smile-generating surprises that I certainly do not wish to spoil by revealing. Even if the professional levels were the only thing that LittleBigPlanet offered, this would still be an essential purchase and brilliant fun.

But of course, the biggest drawcard of LittleBigPlanet is that users can also make their own creations with the wonderfully easy-to-use tools.

You can replicate anything the professional designers have made, harnessing raw materials like wood, cardboard, string and metal (each with their own distinct physical properties) as well as more complex items like switches, motors and gears.

You can play around in a stage as you build it, constantly testing and tinkering as you go, and have others simultaneously contributing to the design, which is even more chaotic and prone to disaster than playing the ready-made levels (and therefore more potentially hilarious).

Even ridiculously over-ambitious or feebly primitive levels can be terrific fun to build and very amusing to play.

While the tools are easy enough for anyone to use, making high-quality creations is still hard and might be beyond many people. Thankfully, if you think you lack the talent, patience or imagination to construct from scratch, you can simply modify or decorate existing designs.

Everyone benefits from other people's handiwork as creations can be posted online for all to share, and it is not difficult to imagine that within mere weeks of LittleBigPlanet's release next Thursday that the PlayStation Network will be flooded with thousands upon thousands of unique digital treasures.

The "Popit" tool has some annoying quirks, and I would particularly love a rewind feature to repair the damage of my frequent clumsiness when constructing or testing, but some of the amazing and imaginative creations from beta testers which have already been posted online are testimony to its flexibility and ease of use.

It's thrilling to imagine what might be offered in the coming months once more players are exposed to Popit and have been mightly inspired by what Media Molecule has managed to construct using the terrific toolset.

It's going to be big.

In a report issued last week, Judge Dava Tunis writes:

After considering the arguments presented by the Florida Bar and the Respondent (Thompson), observing the Respondent's demeanor during the nine-day trial proceedings, and carefully reviewing the record consisting of four volumes of exhibits totaling 1700 pages and approximately 2400 pages of transcribed testimony, the Court finds that the facts, circumstances and evidence presented regarding the Respondent's conduct, supports a finding of guilt as to certain Florida Bar rules...

Tunis made 21 recommendations of guilt in relation to Thompson's participation in Strickland vs. Sony, an Alabama case in which the anti-game attorney represented the families of two police officers and a police dispatcher slain by 18-year-old Grand Theft Auto player Devin Moore.

Tunis also recommended that Thompson be found guilty on four out of five counts relating to his 2006 attempt to have Rockstar's Bully declared a public nuisance in a case before Miami Judge Ronald Friedman. An additional two guilty counts stemmed from a non-video game matter.

Among the Florida Bar offenses for which Judge Tunis has recommended a guilty verdict:

• Knowingly making a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal
• Knowingly disobeying an obligation under the rules of a tribunal
• Communicating the merits of the case with a judge before whom the proceeding is pending
• Using means that have no purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden a third person
• Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation
• Engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly or through callous indifference disparage or humiliate litigants or other lawyers
• Making statements that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge

Judge Tunis's full report to the Florida Supreme Court is due on September 2nd. In the meantime, a disciplinary hearing regarding possible sanctions against Thompson will be held before Judge Tunis on June 4th.

For his part, Thompson has made a number of allegations concerning Judge Tunis, including a complaint that state-mandated loyalty oaths were either not signed by the judge or were signed by others. Thompson also has filed federal lawsuits against the Florida Bar and Florida Supreme Court in relation to the Bar charges and other sanctions.

For all GamePolitics coverage of the Bar Trial of Jack Thompson, including transcripts, click here.

Last year, the madcap defense attorney was on trial for charges of misconduct, many of which revolved around his obsession with violent videogames. Tunis has recommended that 27 of the charges be upheld by the Florida Supreme Court, which will make the official ruling:

After considering the arguments presented by the Florida Bar and the Respondent (Thompson), observing the Respondent's demeanor during the nine-day trial proceedings, and carefully reviewing the record consisting of four volumes of exhibits totaling 1700 pages and approximately 2400 pages of transcribed testimony, the Court finds that the facts, circumstances and evidence presented regarding the Respondent's conduct, supports a finding of guilt as to certain Florida Bar rules...

Among the guilty acts are knowingly making false statements in court, dishonest or fraudulent practices and making statements intended only to embarrass or burden other parties rather than contribute anything of use. Sounds like she knows our mutual friend well, eh?

Of course, Thompson continues to prove Tunis right by attacking her and the Florida Bar. While he stomps his feet and shouts, the Supreme Court now holds the testes of Jack's career in its mighty grip. Let's see if they get popped.

What was going through James Christopher Stitt’s head when he murdered two of his roommates three years ago? One can only imagine, but what we do know is that he was allegedly playing Grand Theft Auto until the wee hours of the morning. The defense hopes this will get Stitt sentenced to life imprisonment in lieu of the death sentence. His psychiatrist Dr. Moira Artigues testified in court, “He went in and killed George and Jenna in a state where he was like an automaton, not in control of his actions at the time.”

Other court testimony presented facts of Stitt had frequent behavior problems as a young child. He was without his parents for a time, and eventually dropped out of school in the eighth grade. Around that same time Stitt was kicked out of his home for stealing from his family. It seems like all this is a more likely reason to contribute to a person’s violent actions than playing a videogame. So blaming these acts of a disturbed individual on Grand Theft Auto is a stretch to say the least.

Anyway, I have doubts on whether this defense will hold up. Especially since earlier testimony made no mention to Grand Theft Auto at all. Seems like the desperate last effort to save the man’s life.

As reported by the Fayetteville Observer, James Christopher Stitt is waiting to learn whether he will be executed or face life in prison for the gruesome double slaying. Stitt told a psychiatrist that he played GTA until 4 a.m. and then committed the killings. The psychiatrist, Dr. Moira Artigues, testified:

He went in and killed George and Jenna in a state where he was like an automaton, not in control of his actions at the time.

The newspaper report notes:

[Dr.] Artigues... did not suggest that there was a connection between the video game and the murders.... Artigues said Stitt seems at times to live in a fantasy world and she wasn’t even sure that the version of the murders he described to her was the truth. He told a different story — in which Grand Theft Auto wasn’t mentioned — to his girlfriend, according to earlier testimony.

Courtroom testimony also revealed that the convicted murderer had an extremely troubled childhood.

In Soldiers of Misfortune , The ACLU maintains that the US has:

...failed to uphold its commitments to safeguard the rights of youth under 18 from military recruitment and to guarantee basic protections to foreign former child soldiers... U.S. military recruiting practices... target children as young as 11...

The ACLU's claims submitted to the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of the Child. the group oversees compliance with a U.N. protocol which requires countries to shield those under 18 from military recruitment. The ACLU's Jennifer Turner said:

Military recruitment tools aimed at youth under 18, including Pentagon-produced video games, military training corps, and databases of students' personal information, have no place in America's schools...

Of America's Army, the ACLU report says:

The Army uses an online video game, called “America’s Army,” to attract young potential recruits at least as young as 13, train them to use weapons, and engage in virtual combat and other military missions... According to Army personnel testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the goal of the then-new recruiting effort that included the “America’s Army” video game was to penetrate youth culture.. the Army’s video-game development team found that about 60 percent of recruits had played... more than five times a week, and four out of 100 said they had joined the Army specifically because of the game.

The full ACLU report is available here.