Steve Irons MP
Liberal MP Steve Irons wants a board game that he says encourages alcohol abuse banned from sale in Australia. The game in question, Pass-out, has players travel around the game board taking drinks and reciting tongue twisters. It’s been around in board game form since at least 1962.
But Irons says ‘In a society now that’s trying to reduce binge drinking, here we have companies still selling games that encourage drinking to the extent that we pass out, which is just crazy.’
According to ABC News, Irons can’t understand why a board game called ‘Pass-Out’ is sold here without any classification.
He believes the board game is a submittable publication (written or pictorial matter that may be unsuitable for a minor to see or read, likely to classified RC or is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult) and the Australian Classification Board has the authority to classify it. Anyone know of a board game that doesn’t include video or computer game elements being classified?
He’s also challenged the Government to restrict the game from being advertised. I guess that’s the next best thing in Mr Irons’ book.
Personally, I think he might want to take a look at the real issue of minors obtaining alcohol before he tries to stop adults from participating in drinking games.
In the meantime lets do a shot every time an MP thinks banning something is a solution to a problem.
Via Melon Farmers.
Now for some actual video game news:
EFA says an adult classification for games is still stonewalled. Geordie Guy writes:
Not only is Mr Atkinson unrelenting in his position to cement Australia’s status as the only developed nation not to have an adult categorisation for computer games, he is still displaying woeful deliberate ignorance of the key issues involved.
18 comments
Cameron says:
Mar 17, 2009
WTF? What does that mean for twister, the game that you play in the nude AND under the influence.
Twister is just an modern interpretation of the Karma Sutra… isn’t it?
Mike says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Cameron
Lol. I have no idea what it means for Twister, but there is no doubting it encourages nudity and may cause injury. Heck, Operation is probably to blame for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayant_Patel
Sam Clifford says:
Mar 17, 2009
He’s just given them some pretty good publicity, hasn’t he? I suspect stimulus cash might be spent on “Pass out” and enough alcopop-tax free booze.
Frank Filippone says:
Mar 17, 2009
Surely someone will attempt to ban this game:
“Chopper Read The Board Game”
http://www.gamesparadise.com.au/product_view.asp?cparent=3&cid=26&pid=1334
Mike says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Sam Clifford:
Streisand effect, again.
@Frank:
Oh boy. Thanks for the link. I suspect the likes of ACL or the newer ‘Pro-Family Perspectives’ group might have something to say.
Frank Filippone says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Mike
I wonder if the web page itself describing the game could be considered MA15+ commercially hosted content?
It refers to prostitution, violence and drugs. Surely these would be “Adult Themes”?
Mike says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Frank
I doubt it, but there’s only one sure way to find out. Submit it and your reasons for believing it should be restricted to ACMA.
fiona patten says:
Mar 17, 2009
I have just a fairly good look at the Classification Board’s database and cannot find a board game there. I checked for a few of the games that I have seen in adult shops and none of them have been classified or recalled for classification.
Although Grass the card game was given a category 1 (can only be sold to adults and banned in QLD) classification in 1986. A few packs of playing cards were classified back then too. But is was nearly FOC to classify then. Now to classify a game it would cost minimum $1,000 The most recent I can find is the Bendigo Police having 6 playing cards classified in 2001.
http://www.classification.gov.au/special.html?n=46&p=156&sTitle=cards&sMature=1&sMediaPublications=1&sDateFromM=1&sDateFromY=1970&sDateToM=3&sDateToY=2009&record=173742
Mike says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Fiona
Interesting re the playing cards. I was also unable to find any board games in the classification database, except for those that are DVD/video board games.
G Thompson says:
Mar 17, 2009
Oh no.. We will now need to ban bottles, since we all know what happens when the spinning bottle points to YOU!!!!
On a similar spin ~s~ If a Politician is “likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult” can we get them banned ?????
Bob Bain says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Mike “Interesting re the playing cards”
http://www.aussieplayground.com.au/shop/category16_1.htm
$12.95 a pack including GST
That’s $1.17 to help pay Senator Conroy for each deck of cards sold.
I do not believe this is a prohibited link. They are only playing cards !
Glenn says:
Mar 17, 2009
G Thompson: “Oh no.. We will now need to ban bottles, since we all know what happens when the spinning bottle points to YOU!!!!
Actually, that sort of game is already banned.
So basically, Australians are not allow to play Spin the Bottle anymore, even if the participants are adults.
It is quite ridiculous to know that this board game is exempt from other countries including the UK and NZ, but not here.
Mike says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Glenn
I’d like to know the contents of that one. I’ll see if I can find out more. My first thoughts are that an interactive spin the bottle DVD game wouldn’t contain anything overly sexual, at least nothing more than an X rating. Then I read it was classified as a computer game. That explains it. Urgh.
Meanwhile…
Conservative Christian site decries Game of Life’s ‘gay agenda’
Uber-conservative Christian site WorldNetDaily recently published a hard-hitting investigative report into Hasbro’s downloadable PC title The Game of Life, an adaptation of a board game created by Milton Bradley in 1860. Their qualm with the game stems from the fact that it allows players to have same-sex marriages.
G Thompson says:
Mar 17, 2009
@Glenn
Well in that case I will be a rebel twice over and buy this from Amazon… Muwahahahahahahah
And I have seen this in Aussie stores somewhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Bottle-Adult-Drinking-Game/dp/B001PB55AS
blind_dead_mcjones says:
Mar 17, 2009
you know, each time i read something like this, the more i want to live somewhere where there are no people at all.
Paul says:
Mar 19, 2009
“..or is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult” the cheeky fucker is trying to make out that anyone that has a drink is an unreasonable adult? even when in moderation?
any drug is bad if it is taken to excess, yes, but not when taken in moderation. (the exception being religious faith which is just as bad in moderation as in excess) =_=
Nathan Jones says:
Mar 20, 2009
“In the meantime lets do a shot every time an MP thinks banning something is a solution to a problem.”
Now that’s something I can drink to!
AyameTan says:
Feb 12, 2011
The phrase ‘Informed Consent’ means nothing to these Purtitan fascists.