...Classifications...

...Classification...

What does the board do?

Every Film and computer game that has been produced has to be classified before it is made to be legal.  The board also decides on the information which should be provided to the audience. Consumer advice is designed to let consumers know which classifiable elements (for example violence, sex, coarse language, themes, drug use and/or nudity). The board decided on what classification to give a film or computer game.

The Board does not classify TV programs or films for broadcast on TV.

How important is context in the decision making process?

The context in a film or game plays a major part in the decision process. For the board to make a decision on choosing the classification they must take all aspects of the film/game into prospective. Before material is made available to the public, the Classification Board assesses the content to see where it fits within the classification categories – such as G, PG and so on.
The Classification Board also makes a decision on appropriate consumer advice that lets you know what to expect when you watch the film or video, open the magazine, or play the computer game. Consumer advice warns the audience about content that may scare, upset or have a strong impact. In providing consumer advice at lower classification levels (such as G and PG), the Classification Board focuses on providing information about content that may have an impact on children, especially very young children.

How is impact assessed?

While the board is deciding on a classification for a game or film they must go through the process of impact assessment. This is when the board thinks about the impact that the media produced on the consumers

Research some of the decisions the board has made in recent years.

One recent decision which the board had made was this year with the game ‘we dare’ which was classified pg- mild sexual references with parental guidance. Three essential principles underlie the use of the Guidelines, determined under
section 12 of the Classification Act:

·         the importance of context

·         the assessment of impact, and

·         The six classifiable elements – themes, violence, sex, language, drug use and nudity.

In reaching its decision the Review Board had regard to the following:

The application for review

The computer game, we dare

A disc of material provided by the Applicant which depicted the full range of mini games

The relevant provisions in the Classification Act, the Code and the Guidelines, and

What content has been refused classification or needed to be amended.

One film that had been refused classification in certain countries is the human centipede two as the board in them countries has decided that it is still inappropriate for any type of classification in the state.