R18+ for Games - Worth it?

There has been a push lately for the Australian Classification Board to bring in a R18+ rating for video games, but would it actually help? It all depends on your view. For me, the idea in theory seems like a good idea. After all, some of the current M rated games should be classed as R18+ (games such as Bioshock and the GTA series comes to mind). This would give parents a better understanding of what games they're purchasing for their kids, though this itself contradicts the reason for the new rating as parents may still continue to purchase such games for their kids (they handled it under the old system, so this new rating means nothing to them).

So, why all the fuss? A few recent articles from various papers have highlighted Australia's restrictions on games over things like Movies/Books etc. Compared to other countries, Australia is alot tougher on it's restrictions. One example was the Left 4 Dead 2 game, which was forced to lower it's graphical gore in order to be released here. The next example came from the upcoming Alien vs Predator game, in which the game makers had to argue that the killing of humans was part of the franchise and that the humans weren't 'innocent civilian' type characters. Games that involve disturbing storylines, sexual content, offensive material, bloody violence and the killing of humans are what gets scrutinized. So would an introduction of a R18+ help these games to get into Australia.....not really. I believe this is the only reason that some people want this rating.

Personally, I want to believe the reason for this rating introduction is to help protect children. Indeed, as the EFA stated on their site, a number of games that were given a M15+ rating in Australia while they were given adult ratings overseas. It's introduction could help some parents make better decisions when purchasing games, though I feel from some of the comments I've read, it is nothing more then an illusion to make people feel better and that it won't stop these games getting into the hands of those not mature enough to handle them.