Censorship or Complete Freedom? (part 2)

Some gamers applaud Valve's move to make Steam censorship-free. One gamer stated, “I really don't get why we should control what kind of games people are playing. So thumbs up for Valve.” This statement encompasses the view of many of the gamers reacting to the decision. A little background on censorship in gaming is helpful in understanding some of the opposition to censorship many gamers have formed in recent years. Australia, for example, is well-known as a country strict on gaming—like most other countries, they have their own rating system for games, but they go further and outright ban the import of some games commonly sold around the world. Games like the Grand Theft Auto series, and even Bethesda's renowned Fallout 3 were banned from Australia entirely. Fallout 3 was initially banned because of "realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method (bringing) the 'science-fiction' drugs in line with 'real-world' drugs." Bethesda agreed to change the name of the Morphine drug to “Med-X” in the game and was finally approved for Australia. It is likely that Australia will make a move to block Steam from their country for the recent removal of censorship on the platform. The point is, the standards for censorship can sometimes be rather ridiculous and prevent great games from being available to gamers. A ratings system where consumers can make their own decisions is often a solid solution, but Australia goes a step further with outright government bans on some games. Is that going too far?