A BLOCKBUSTER video game has caused a classifications storm by putting players in the shoes of terrorists.
Footage from the upcoming game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been leaked online, showing a scene where the player shoots civilians in an airport.
The realistic graphics show a first-person view of terrorists shooting unarmed civilian characters that leave trails and pools of blood or lie crippled on the ground.
Jane Roberts, president of the Australian Council on Children and the Media, has called for the Classifications Board to reconsider its rating for the game.
"The consequences of terrorism are just abhorrent in our community and yet here we are with a product that's meant to be passed off as a leisure time activity, actually promoting what most world leaders speak out publicly against," Ms Roberts told the Sydney Morning Herald.
he game was given a rating of MA15+ by the Classification Board earlier this month. Australia, unlike most Western countries, does not have an 18+ rating for games.
Modern Warfare 2 has been rated M (17+) in the US and 18+ in the UK.
A spokesperson for the game's developer, Infinity Ward, advised against watching the clip.
"Won't comment on leaks," he said on Twitter.
"Too many spoilers out there being viewed out of context. I'd avoid watching and reserve judgement till you play."
Publisher Activision says the scene was taken out of context from an illegal copy that "is not representative of the overall gameplay experience".
The game "includes a plot involving a mission carried out by a Russian villain who wants to trigger a global war", the company says.
"In order to defeat him, the player infiltrates his inner circle. The scene is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism."
Players are not forced to take part in the scene. Activision says a warning about "disturbing elements" is shown before the scene and players can skip it if they choose.
In its report, the Classifications Board mentioned the airport scene but noted that elsewhere in the game killing civilians incurred a penalty.
Zombie shooter game Left 4 Dead 2 was recently refused classification for excessive gore.
Left 4 Dead 2 to be left off Aussie shelves
It was later given an MA15+ rating after the publisher removed blood effects and made bodies disappear from the screen.
The Australian games industry has been calling for an R18+ rating to cater for adult gamers.
Classifications laws cannot change without unanimous support from state and territory attorneys-general.
South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has repeatedly opposed the idea.
And we're not strange, the people we vote are. (Ok maybe thatess that does make us a bit strange) 
