As many of our regular, devout readers have noticed, we’ve been borderline obsessive on the debacle surrounding the push for an R18+ rating in Australia. Recently, the EveryonePlays campaign, headed up by Australian gaming site PALGN, has teamed with national retailer GAME to keep the government in the spotlight.

Being advocates for the rights of gamers the world over, Gamer Limit has teamed up with EveryonePlays to spread the word, chalk up support and hold both the South Australian and Federal administrations to account. Since public submissions closed on the 28th of February, it’s critical that the issue doesn’t float of the public realm.

If you’re interested in keeping abreast of the campaign, hit up “EveryonePlaysAU” on Twitter, and head over here for Facebook.

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We’ve been reporting about the R18+ rating debacle for the last year or so, where adult gaming in Australia has become hampered by an outdated, complicated and generally ridiculous scheme that bans any title that doesn’t fit the requirements of your standard 15 yr old.

In December last year, the federal government of Oz released a discussion paper on the subject and invited the public to make submissions for or against the introduction of an R18+ rating for gamers. 3 months on, and there has been a resounding response from the gaming community, local industry and general concerned public in support of the rating.

How successful has it been? Most public submission calls usually rope in a few thousand responses at the most. This one has brought in a whopping 22,000+ submissions. These aren’t just signatures folks, since they can range from a simple template based response, to full blown 17 page researched and referenced essays. In any case, every single one is obligated to be published and submitted to the Attorney General.

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The smart fellows at sister gaming e-zine Pixel Hunt realized, like the rest of us, that a significant amount of great, or at the very least “anticipated”, games are coming out this year. They also thought it might be a good idea if someone took at look at, well, all of them.

So, they rounded up some of the best writers from the likes of IGN and Hyper to tell you why you should, or shouldn’t, take a second look at the plethora of titles hitting our streets over the next 12 months.

The best part? 60 pages of easily packaged, produced and gloriously coloured previews are yours for a single dollar. I liked it so much I paid $10, so you can take my word for it. You can grab it here, or hit the jump for more info.

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Some of you Australian based gamers may have heard the murmurings of The Mana Bar, a pet project of Zero Punctuation famed critic “Yahtzee” and AustralianGamer.com’s Yug.

Based in Brisbane, Australia, the hometown of yours truly, the bar promises to combine the two passions of the modern gamer – gaming and drinking – in a way that promises to suit every taste; from Retro (Vodka Martini) to Rock Band (JagerBomb).

The still-in-production website offers the opportunity to play unreleased titles, attend launch parties, multiplayer tournaments and other special game related events. It’s also pretty likely that most of Brisbane’s burgeoning gaming industry will make it their local, so prospective game developers may find themselves with an opportunity to smooze.

It’s planning to open next month, so if you’re a local, subscribe to @TheManaBar on twitter or hit up their facebook page for updates on upcoming events and specials.

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It’s been an interesting few months for the rights of gamers in Australia.

After years of fruitless deliberation and gerrymandering between state attorney generals, progress has been made. It was only a year ago that SA AG Michael Atkinson had originally promised a total scrubbing of any public discourse on an R18+ rating for games.

Eventually, he bowed to pressure from fellow colleagues and gamer lobbyists for a public submission inquiry to be released, but looked like it was never going to come.

But, as we all know, it did. But the campaign is far from over. Read on to see how you (Australians!) can help. Or, alternatively, you can read Gamer Limit AU’s submission to the inquiry here.

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Oh, snap!  After being denied OFLC classification in Australia for their upcoming game Aliens vs. Predator, game developer Rebellion re-submitted it to the OFLC’s review board.  They had originally refused to censor the game, essentially guaranteeing that it would never see an Australian release if the appeal failed, which seemed incredibly likely.

The kicker: they actually won.  See what they had to say about it after the jump.

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If there has ever been a time for Australian gamers to punch the air in excitement, or flip the bird at Michael Atkinson, it is now.

The Attorney-General’s Department has officially released a consultation reform paper entitled “An R18+ Classification for Computer Games – Public Consultation”

Hit the jump to find out more details.

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Today word got out that Australia’s Office of Film and Literature Classification has refused to rate the upcoming movie monster shooter Aliens vs. Predator, essentially banning the game.

Much like Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, Aliens vs. Predator has been refused classification due to “various types of violence.” Specifically “the Predator collects ‘trophies’ by explicitly ripping off human heads, their spinal columns dangling from severed necks…heads can be twisted completely around…eyes can be stabbed through or gouged, leaving empty, bloodied eye sockets…extensive post-mortem damage, including decapitation and dismemberment, is also possible.” Read more… »

It seems that the R18+ issue has really gathered some steam over the past couple of days. Michael Atkinson addressed the issue personally, a Member of Parliament backed an e-Petition for the cause, and now the Treat Us Like Adults blog has organised a protest that will take place in Brisbane, Australia.

Hit the jump to check out all the details, and find out how you can get involved.

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It seems a clever soul has gained the support of a local MP here in QLD and generated an e-petition in support of an R18+ rating within the QLD Government. I’m sure many of you are thinking, “Another petition? Well, that’s useless”.

Not exactly; E-Petitions that gain significant amounts of support get officially submitted to parliament for discussion, and at the very least, puts the issue in the forefront of the state assembly for a while.

As a result, it may even get some media play, or (hopefully) become a pet project for a committee and encourage support. In any case, it’s another cog in the growing practical support machine to change the outdated and basically ridiculous rating system that has neutered games like Fallout 3, Left4Dead 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV to name but a few.

More info and link post jump.

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You may be getting sick and tired of hearing about his latest escapades in attacking the proposed R18+ rating, but Michael Atkinson is at it once again. This time, he has written a lengthy letter detailing just why he is so opposed to such a change in Australian legislation.

You can download the entire scanned letter here, or just hit the jump to read the juiciest parts.

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James Pinnell, Colin Robinson, and I recently returned from the International Digital Entertainment Festival (iDEF) 2009, where we were promised a feast of gaming, electronics, and exclusives.

Dubbed as one of the largest gaming expos in the southern hemisphere, I felt myself wanting far more than the meager rations that were on offer. Certainly there were a few unreleased titles worthy of a trip home to change my pants, but if iDEF is all that Australia can muster in way of an international gaming exhibition, I have to wonder at the current state of our profession.

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