The ongoing refusal to introduce an R18+ rating for computer games is actually exposing children to more sex and violence in games, rather than protecting them.

Every year there's an uproar when the latest slasher game manages to scrape through for an MA15+ rating in Australia with only minor changes. Were there an R18+ rating, surely some of these games would have been classified as such and thus made more difficult for children to get their hands on.

Of course such logic escapes the vote-driven politicians who make these decisions for all of us. They're meeting today to decided if Australia should finally introduce an R18+ rating for games, to fall in line with other forms of entertainment such as movies. The usual suspects have stepped forward, such as South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, vowing to block its introduction to prevent society's moral decline and protect our young ones.

Expect another round of moral grandstanding pandering to the conservative Christian vote, which has become quite a powerful force in Australian politics in the last few years. Atkinson argues that no amount of safeguards would prevent "the most computer literate and savvy in our society" from getting their hands on restricted R18+ games. I guess he's never heard of eBay, or even the local dodgy market. Australia is one of the few countries in the world without an R18+ category for games, so "the most computer literate and savvy in our society" are already getting their games elsewhere. For those buying their games off the local shelves, there are games sitting there right now that would be locked behind glass if we had an R18+ category.

Fairfax gaming guru Jason Hill has started an online petition to lobby for the introduction of an R18+ category, which you might want to take a look at.

I'm not going to get into the whole debate as to whether adults have the right to play violent games, because the obvious conservative comeback is; "but think of the children". I am thinking of the children - the lack of an R18+ rating means they're exposed to games that should have received an adults only rating.