There’s lately been quite a storm of controversy regarding video games in Australia, with GDAA head Tom Crago recently attacking the Ozzie government for refusing Fallout 3 classification and effectively banning the game from the country. Today, we have a collective response from the politicians themselves, and boy, do they have no idea what they’re talking about. Behold the inane ramblings of Nick Xenphon and Barnaby Joyce, two men who have likely never even seen a video game console.

Said Xenphon:

"I think we need to listen to the psychologist who looked into this. This is different in the sense that it’s interactive. People get immersed in these games, I think there’s a real risk. As a society I think we can live without it."

Joyce chimed in with:

"You can’t say just because you can see it, you should be allowed to see it. Otherwise you’d legalize snuff movies and all sorts of profane things which I don’t think take our society ahead.

"We had a thing with [avatars] -- is that the right term? -- where people can actually go out and rape people. Now, this is not acceptable. You have to draw a line, you must take into account - not where a certain group in society is, but those who are vulnerable to influence, how they would be affected by that.

"And if you don’t you suffer what comes next. I too have got four kids, and you’ve got to think, ’I want these kids to grow up in quiet, unaffected streets, and if there’s someone playing a videogame where they’re raping someone, I’m not feeling good about the place.’ So knock it out."

Really? "Amatars" (great work with the lingo, buddy) raping people? Sounds like they get Fox News in the Land Down Under. Makes sense, seeing as Rubert Murdoch is an Aussie but still, the level of knowledge these men display on the issue is laughable. Are they supposed to be the legislative experts on this sort of thing, because if so, I feel bad for all Australians subjected to their stupidity.

That’s not all however, as Heather Ridout of the Australian Industry Group also added her two cents, and it was just as ignorant and sensationalist as the others.

"As a mother of three kids, two of whom spend an awful lot of time playing these sorts of games, I just find the whole thing appalling - the sort of minds that come up with stuff.

"Grand Theft Auto was one of the more famous games that seemed to turn everyone into a car thief. My children thankfully didn’t do that.

"I’m not a censorship girl...but violent games, violence - breeds violence. It’s not nice"

Talk about inaccurate blanket statements; way to lump the entirety of people who enjoy a medium together. That’s like me, a person who knows nothing about hunting, saying that anyone who hunts is a stupid redneck whose only joys in life are drinking beer and having sex with relatives. Grossly inaccurate? Check. Stupid and unfounded? Absolutely. Unacceptable in modern discourse? Well yes, unless of course you’re an Australian elected official or CEO, then it’s fine.

Wait a minute...