Australian MMO Controversy
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World of Warcraft, with more than 11.5 million subscribers, is the most popular of the online-only games - known in gamer parlance as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) - but there are scores of other examples including Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and Pirates of the Burning Sea.Potentially this could shut down retail sales of MMOs in Australia, but no word of any practical consequences as of yet.
All are sold as boxed sets in retail stores across the country without classification by the Classification Board or the appropriate labelling, for instance M or MA15+.
A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said the NSW Classification Enforcement Act prohibited publishers and retailers from selling unclassified computer games.
"The NSW legislation covers computer games bought online as well as those bought in stores, and treats single, multi-player and online games the same way," he said.
The spokesman added that enforcement of the act was the responsibility of police but penalties for breaking these laws ranged from $1100 to $11,000 for individuals and/or 12 months' imprisonment. For corporations the fines were approximately double.
"If there is any suggestion that any business is trading illegally, police need to know, and it should be reported," he said.
