Just when you thought South Australian attorney general Michael Atkinson's crusade against R18+ video games couldn't get any more kooky, he ups the ante.

A recent report on Channel 10 claimed that the link between violent crime and games is "greater than the effect of smoking on lung cancer", which resulted in over 55,000 heated replies from the public.

And guess what? The group behind the bizarre claim reportedly recieved tens of thousands of dollars in funding from Atkinson.

A GROUP that says video games and violence are like smoking and lung cancer has received tens of thousands of dollars in funding from politician and outspoken R18+ game critic Michael Atkinson.
An expert from the Australian Council on Children and the Media this week told a TV news program the link between violent games and youth violence was stronger than tobacco and cancer.
“It’s much greater than the effect of smoking on lung cancer,” psychologist Dr Wayne Warburton said.

It's the strongest claim yet in the war of words over video game ratings which has heated up after a call for public input on the issue that drew 55,000 submissions.

Mr Atkinson’s spokesman could not say how much the grant was for and declined to provide an estimate, however fellow Labor MP Gay Thompson previously put the figure at up to $33,000.

Miss Razz via news.com.au »