The laws in Australia are pretty ridiculous. One of the few countries with no R raiting for games meaning that games that might normally get an R rating (and prevent kids from playing them) either end up scraping through as M or get banned and pirated by people who would otherwise buy it legitimately.
Having said that, I'm often amazed that the ages of some wow players. My 2 eldest children play (ages 10 and 11) but they only play when my wife or I are playing. If we didn't play I doubt that I'd let them play a game that is esentially made for adults and where they are interacting online with adults. Most of those adults are great people but some are not. As a GM of a fairly large guild it staggers me the number of kids younger than my own who play the game with absolutly no parent supervision at all. I often feel as though the other guild officers & I are being proxy parents for them by guiding them in the game and trying to keep their gaming experience a positive one. I think a lot of parents buy wow for very young kids without really understanding the nature of the game. Just install and leave them to it. I really think that a game like this can be a great one for kids to play but it is not a game made for kids. A rating would give parents a better idea of what they're buying. I've seen mnore than one young kid have serious in game issues simply through lack of maturity and not being able to handle the social aspect.
Australia Cracks Down on Selling Unrated MMORPGs
The age classification system found on video game boxes to help parents decide whether a game is suitable for their children has landed MMOs in some hot water in Australia. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald today (via IGN ) has stated that "Video game publishers and retailers are risking hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines by illegally selling online role playing games such as World of Warcraft without age classifications."
Basically, games such as WoW, Warhammer Online, Age of Conan and Pirates of the Burning Sea are being sold without being classified by the Australian Classification Board, which apparently goes against the NSW Classification Enforcement Act. The game industry, however, believes online games without a single player component don't need to be classified. Regardless, a spokesman for NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos explained the fines for breaking the act:
The spokesman added that enforcement of the act was the responsibility of police but penalties for breaking these laws ranged from $1,100 to $11,000 for individuals and/or 12 months' imprisonment. For corporations the fines were approximately double.
Blizzard poster Zarhym stated on the official World of Warcraft forums that "We will always respect the laws of the countries in which we operate."
