ABSTRACT
At this point, it is useful to briefly outline the process by which games and other media are regulated in Australia, especially during the period from 2001 to 2013, which is the period with which this chapter is primarily concerned. By 2001, Rockstar Games had already established a successful franchise with the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series of games, which revolved around players stealing cars to perform a number of missions. The decision to refuse classification for Grand Theft Auto III in Australia is significant in that it highlights many of the key facets of the game censorship debate. Not surprisingly, the decision in this case revolved around the depiction of sex and violence, and particularly the combination of these elements into what the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) referred to as "sexualized violence".
