There is something deeply rotten in the heads of Australians at the moment. The “fair go” spirit which built the place is being lost as the country cries out for censorship and protection from every fear under the sun.

Now it is starting to look like there is a backlash against those normally religious minorities which have been setting the agenda on censorship. More than 67,000 Australians have signed a petition backing an R18+ rating for video games. The Herald Sun reports the response to the petition, by national games retailer Game, has been so large after just one month it has extended the deadline by two weeks.

Game managing director Robert Lukic said he had not expected the volume of support. The petition will increase pressure on attorneys-general, who are meeting on May 7 to consider introducing an adult games classification. Because Australia does not have an R rating on games it has lead to a fair number being banned.

Conservatives claim an R-rating would open the floodgates to ultra-violent games that could find their way to children and everyone knows that you must wrap children in bubble wrap to protect them from the outside world.