Fallout 3 Censored for AU, and Everywhere Else Too [Sep 09, 2008, 7:46 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Censors Force Fallout 3 Changes on Edge Online has a surprising revelation
about the news that Fallout 3 was rejected by Australian censors
(story) later to be approved for sale down under after the
editing of some of the game's drug references (story). It turns
out the edited version resubmitted down under will be the version that's
released globally, so everyone will be subject to the Australian standards for
adult games, which is that there are no such things. They quote Bethesda
Softworks' Pete Hines on the topic: "An issue was raised concerning references
to real world, proscribed drugs in the game, and we subsequently removed those
references and replaced them with fictional names. To avoid confusion among
people in different territories, we decided to make those substitutions in all
versions of the game, in all territories. I didn't want people continuing to
assume the version in Australia was some altered version when it's not. There
are no references to real world drugs in any version of Fallout 3."
Bethesda were never pressured into doing anything. Explain to me exactly HOW Australian officials pressured Bethesda into this decision? You can't, can you!?
Bethesda losing potentially millions of dollars (I don't know how well things sell in Australia), or being forced to spend extra money sending out two SKUs (I don't really know the costs here, so I cant give a figure.), isn't pressure?
They are a business, and being threatened with "If you dont, you wont be selling the product here." is about the only kind of pressure you can give a company whose job is to sell a product.
If that's not a good enough explanation for you, then I would ask you to get over being blindly defensive just because you happen to be Australian. No one said you were at fault, just your prudish officials that make the US Govt look like a gang of hookers and porn stars.
Do you have a single fact to back that up?
Examples of fake drug use in media...None of which have been banned in Australia.
RoboCop 2: Nuke
TekWar: Tek
Minority Report: Clarity
Scanner Darkly: Substance D
Brave New World: Soma
Max Payne: Valkyre
Grand Theft Auto: Spank
Formula 51 (aka The 51st State): POS 51
Deus Ex: Zyme
Alien Nation (TV show): Supernova
The Faculty: Scat
Batman Begins: the hallucinogen from the blue flower
Snow Crash: Snow Crash
Fallout: Jet
Equilibrium: Prozium
Naked Lunch: The Black Meat
Dune: the spice Melange
Cowboy Bebop: Red Eye
Starcraft: "Stim Packs"
Underclassman: Bliss
The Matrix: Blue pill
So I think it's fine for Bethesda to use fake names for drugs in Fallout 3.Thus speaks the voice of reason.
This comment was edited on Sep 9, 22:08.
Fallout 3 was originally refused classification by the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, citing among other reason the in-game use of “Morphine” in order to ignore limb pain. According to the Office’s guidelines, “material promoting or encouraging proscribed drug use” is refused classification.
the question is did they really only change fictional drug names? if they had to pull a bunch of other content, i seriously doubt they would say so, it would cause everyone to scream bloody murder and that would be bad for sales - just like not having another market down under
Examples of fake drug use in media...
RoboCop 2: Nuke
TekWar: Tek
Minority Report: Clarity
Scanner Darkly: Substance D
Brave New World: Soma
Max Payne: Valkyre
Grand Theft Auto: Spank
Formula 51 (aka The 51st State): POS 51
Deus Ex: Zyme
Alien Nation (TV show): Supernova
The Faculty: Scat
Batman Begins: the hallucinogen from the blue flower
Snow Crash: Snow Crash
Fallout: Jet
Equilibrium: Prozium
Naked Lunch: The Black Meat
Dune: the spice Melange
Cowboy Bebop: Red Eye
Starcraft: "Stim Packs"
Underclassman: Bliss
The Matrix: Blue pill
So I think it's fine for Bethesda to use fake names for drugs in Fallout 3.
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
RoboCop 2: Nuke
TekWar: Tek
Minority Report: Clarity
Scanner Darkly: Substance D
Brave New World: Soma
Max Payne: Valkyre
Grand Theft Auto: Spank
Formula 51 (aka The 51st State): POS 51
Deus Ex: Zyme
Alien Nation (TV show): Supernova
The Faculty: Scat
Batman Begins: the hallucinogen from the blue flower
Snow Crash: Snow Crash
Fallout: Jet
Equilibrium: Prozium
Naked Lunch: The Black Meat
Dune: the spice Melange
Cowboy Bebop: Red Eye
Starcraft: "Stim Packs"
Underclassman: Bliss
The Matrix: Blue pill
So I think it's fine for Bethesda to use fake names for drugs in Fallout 3.
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
"...and now with sports. The Cointen Spinky Whompers flumped the Floing Boing Welfencloppers, 70-fluff to 40-flabe. At the tone, the time will be 26 railroad."
Boo Hiss!
Really now.... this is some serious over-reacting by people.
On Blues? Never!
A decision they were pressured into by prudish Australian officials. While this specific change boggles the mind, since the originals used fictional names as well, in principal it's bullshit on the part of both Australia and Bethesda.Bethesda were never pressured into doing anything. Explain to me exactly HOW Australian officials pressured Bethesda into this decision? You can't, can you!?
In my opinion, just don't sell the game in Australia, or any other game for that matter. It won't be that big of a loss, really.
They had the option to NOT sell it in Australia. But Bethesda realise there is a profit to be made. On top of that rather than produce two slightly different products (changing the name of a drug), they decided to cut corners and produce ONE! Sorry .... but this was a decision made by Bethesda .... and not by anyone else.
As for your second comment, I'll ignore that is frankly it's just sour grapes.
EDIT:
Oh BTW ... if you still think it's "Australia's fault", feel free to send your disapproval to:
Hon. Michael Atkinson
South Australian Attorney-General, Member for Croydon
http://www.sa.alp.org.au/people/sa/atkinson_michael.php
He is the ONE person in Australia that is holding up an R18+ rating. In Australia, to change the rating system you need a unanimous vote of each state Attorney-General ... and he's the one stopping it. So if you REALLY want to blame anyone, send it his way.
But I still maintain it's Bethesda's decision.
This comment was edited on Sep 9, 21:50.
"I predict that in the near future right wingers will use drug hysteria to create an international police apparatus."
Tom the Priest from Drugstore Cowboy
Tom the Priest from Drugstore Cowboy
Strategy publishers would've needed to produce versions of the same guide. Bethesda would also need to create multiple flavors of the same patch. I'm sure they figured this would be cost prohibitive for everyone.
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
"...and now with sports. The Cointen Spinky Whompers flumped the Floing Boing Welfencloppers, 70-fluff to 40-flabe. At the tone, the time will be 26 railroad."
And for the rest of you ... this is not the fault of anyone in Australia. This was a business decision made by Bethesda. It was not a decision made by ANYONE in Australia.
A decision they were pressured into by prudish Australian officials. While this specific change boggles the mind, since the originals used fictional names as well, in principal it's bullshit on the part of both Australia and Bethesda.
In my opinion, just don't sell the game in Australia, or any other game for that matter. It won't be that big of a loss, really.
Do you have a single fact to back that up?
I don't know if I should cut Bethesda slack because they're doing something that helps fictional immersion (not using branded, trade, or real-world names), or rake them over the coals because they were using the names in the first place.
Fuck Australia.Yes theyarecomingforyou. It's clear from all your anti-Australian posts that you have a fundamental and irrational hatred of all things Australian. You've been parading your hatred ever since I've first noticed your posts. Well ..... all I can say now is SUCK IT UP BABY!! You are so retarded it almost hurts my brain just reading your posts.
And for the rest of you ... this is not the fault of anyone in Australia. This was a business decision made by Bethesda. It was not a decision made by ANYONE in Australia.
This comment was edited on Sep 9, 22:26.
It's not so much the point that the content which is being altered to meet the Australian standards (or any censorship standards) as it is to the overall integrity of the software industry. If devs start taking cue from what should be right or wrong based on what the Aussies or any other Country thinks is too taboo than we all lose.
Sure, that's a big IF but who would have thought this was going to happen?
Sure, that's a big IF but who would have thought this was going to happen?
This is a bit confusing. In previous articles about the issue, they made it sound like they were removing all drug use from the Australian version. I figured they would replace them with potions or magical beans.
Now they say they'll just be fictional drugs... which is exactly in keeping with the previous two games in the series. That wouldn't bother me; if you're huffing jet rather then crystal meth. In fact it would make it feel more like fallout.
But somehow I suspect they're hiding what they really had to do to censor it. Such as taking out the chance of addiction, or the harmful side effects. At least to me it seems that game characters taking dangerous and addictive fictional drugs is little different then them taking real world drugs with the same effects.
Now they say they'll just be fictional drugs... which is exactly in keeping with the previous two games in the series. That wouldn't bother me; if you're huffing jet rather then crystal meth. In fact it would make it feel more like fallout.
But somehow I suspect they're hiding what they really had to do to censor it. Such as taking out the chance of addiction, or the harmful side effects. At least to me it seems that game characters taking dangerous and addictive fictional drugs is little different then them taking real world drugs with the same effects.
"Fuck Australia."
Or perhaps fuck Australia's ratings and classifications board?
Anyway, the original games did not feature real world drugs, they had fictional drug names like Mentats.
I'm not really sure why they decided to go with crack or whatever, but this censored version is closer to original fallout canon.
Or perhaps fuck Australia's ratings and classifications board?
Anyway, the original games did not feature real world drugs, they had fictional drug names like Mentats.
I'm not really sure why they decided to go with crack or whatever, but this censored version is closer to original fallout canon.
Edit: re-read article...
"An issue was raised concerning references to real world, proscribed drugs in the game, and we subsequently removed those references and replaced them with fictional names."
I didn't catch that at first. So the quick answer is yes drug use is in but under fake names. This sounds like a good move to me. In a PA world today's drugs probably wouldn't exist.
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
This comment was edited on Sep 9, 21:08.
"An issue was raised concerning references to real world, proscribed drugs in the game, and we subsequently removed those references and replaced them with fictional names."
I didn't catch that at first. So the quick answer is yes drug use is in but under fake names. This sounds like a good move to me. In a PA world today's drugs probably wouldn't exist.
-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
DRM needs to die... now
This comment was edited on Sep 9, 21:08.
"...and now with sports. The Cointen Spinky Whompers flumped the Floing Boing Welfencloppers, 70-fluff to 40-flabe. At the tone, the time will be 26 railroad."
If it's not called "Jet" and "Mentats" I'll be upset. But yeah, this doesn't sound like a big deal otherwise.
Steam + PSN: PHJF
Really now.... this is some serious over-reacting by people. The altered version, according to what he actually says is that the drugs in the game now use fictional names instead of real world names.
Did Fallout 1 or 2 use real world names for drugs? No.
OMG THEY'RE DUMBING DOWN THE GAME! THEY'RE NOT MAKING IT LIKE THE ORIGINAL!! ... Oh wait....
Idiots. The original 2 games didn't suffer for having this exact same level of "censorship". Why are people assuming this one will?
Did Fallout 1 or 2 use real world names for drugs? No.
OMG THEY'RE DUMBING DOWN THE GAME! THEY'RE NOT MAKING IT LIKE THE ORIGINAL!! ... Oh wait....
Idiots. The original 2 games didn't suffer for having this exact same level of "censorship". Why are people assuming this one will?
BRB, writing a 9 page melodramatic essay on why teh PC gamingz is dieing because of games like Fallout 3!
...wait it's a couple of item names? I am overcome with a newfound sense of apathy!
Hot damn, that must make me some American Idol, reality tv, console loving, dumbed down game worshipping commie, if previous threads are any experience!
...wait it's a couple of item names? I am overcome with a newfound sense of apathy!
Hot damn, that must make me some American Idol, reality tv, console loving, dumbed down game worshipping commie, if previous threads are any experience!
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