The Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) Act 1995 requires all video games/computer games to be classified before they can be sold, distributed or operated in an amusement centre or other public area in Australia.

Perhaps due to the sizing down or closure of some of the major distributors/operators, the importance of having games classified by the OFLC has been overlooked. For whatever reasons, some Australian operators have not been following the particular rules and regulations that have been imposed in our industry.

Due to the extensive work done by Felix Sajn, Imelda Mclean and us here at ZAX AMUSEMENTS, most of the unclassified games are now classified and we have now been told by the OFLC that if a game has been classified for a pc, or home console platform, and if the arcade content is the same, this classification will also apply to the arcade version.

NOTE: It is the importer of a title's responsibility to have the video game classified (if currently unclassified) before being SOLD or OPERATED in a public area. (Amusement centre, Hotel, etc)

A recent incident transpired that brought about the importance of having the proper classification labels on our machines. Lengthy discussions with concerned operators/distributors and members of the Association reveal that this recent incident was brought about by some factors that apparently caught the attention of the enforcing authority i.e.

a) The general presentation of the amusement centre .
b) Games in the Centre did not have classification labels attached/displayed on the machines or were incorrectly labelled or were not classified
c) A game that was classified MA15+ (restricted) was being operated without a curtain.

Hence, it is prudent to note that any game with an MA15+ (See Below). These games need to have curtains around them or be placed in an area where an under 15 year old player cannot view the game.

1) Carn Evil by Midway
2) Zombies Revenge by Sega
3) House of Dead 1, 2 and 3 by Sega
4) Maximum Force by Atari
5) Area 51 by Atari
6) Hell Night by Konami
7) Gauntlet - Dark Legacy - By Midway
8) Mortal Kombat 4 - By Midway
9) Mace - by Midway
10) Kung Fu Master - Jackie Chan by Kaneko
11) Quake Arcade Tournament Edition

Of far more importance to each and everyone in the industry is to be conscious that the OFLC have not given a Classification of "R" rating for our video games. Any game with "pornography" is illegal and prohibited and should not be operated. Any person caught operating a game that is unclassifiable - meaning unclassified and if classified will receive an "R" rating will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This is punishable by up to $24,000.00 fine and up to two years imprisonment. Likewise, the enforcing authority will not allow any appeal or grace period should anyone be caught operating a game that falls under the rating "R" classification.

I will raise this issue again, the entire reason classification was introduced and enforced in such a severe way many years ago in our industry, was due to pornographic material being operated in Arcades. At this stage, the OFLC, and the enforcing bodies will allow us to use the home platforms as a classification base, BUT if any R rated arcade game is found, it could mean the end of our industry. Especially now that due to the actions of others, we are under the spotlight again.

I encourage everyone, whether they be a distributor or an operator to treat this as a very important part of their business and they should take the extra time in finding the correct classification for each and every video game they have in their operation and have the proper classification attached to their games.

The enforcing authority here in Melbourne has given us a grace period wherein we are allowed to take up the necessary steps to comply with the requirements of classification act.

For those that need to find the classification of any game, they can go to the the OFLC web page www.oflc.gov.au. Classification Labels can also be downloaded from this web site.

Newly classified games for Arcade Use that may not appear on the OFLC web pages are:

Time Crisis 3 - M15+ Medium Level Animated Violence
Virtua Cop 3 - M15+ Medium Level Animated Violence
World Combat M15+ - Medium Level Animated Violence
PGA Tournament Golf - G
Out Run 2 - G
Initial D (Arcade Stage) Version 2 - G
Initial D (Arcade Stage) Version 3 - G


If you require any more information on this topic, please call or email.