BBFC Rates Fallout 3 an 18 with No Edits
BBFC Rates Fallout 3 an 18 with No Edits
September 5, 2008
Fallout 3 has been cleared for sale in the U.K. with no content edits required.
That's the word from the British Board of Film Classification, which yesterday stamped the much-anticipated Bethesda title with an 18 rating, meaning that it can legally be sold to those of that age and older.
Curiously, a "consumer advice" note posted with the rating decision does not mention the drug use which got Fallout 3 banned in Australia earlier this year. The only reference to content is "Contains very strong bloody violence and gore."
The BBFC, currently embroiled in a power struggle for control of U.K. game ratings, is best known to gamers for the outright ban it placed on Manhunt 2 last year. That decision was later overturned by Britain's High Court.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:44pm
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:42pm
Andrew Eisen: Note to JT, it is not illegal to sell kids a ticket to R-rated movies.
Andrew Eisen: Note to JT, it is not illegal to sell kids a ticket to R-rated movies.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:39pm
Cheater87: Jack said we would be better with no rating sytem.
Cheater87: Jack said we would be better with no rating sytem.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:35pm
Alareth: So what was the introduction used for Jack?
Alareth: So what was the introduction used for Jack?
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:31pm
JDKJ: Heard one, you've heard 'em all. He repeats the same act, with the same half-truths, over and over.
JDKJ: Heard one, you've heard 'em all. He repeats the same act, with the same half-truths, over and over.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:31pm
Andrew Eisen: Using a credit card as age verification is not illegal. Hope Mark called him on that and his made up statistics.
Andrew Eisen: Using a credit card as age verification is not illegal. Hope Mark called him on that and his made up statistics.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:30pm
Alareth: Jack is special, his mommy always told him so.
Alareth: Jack is special, his mommy always told him so.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:29pm
Andrew Eisen: JT lied about that APA causation thing again. Wonder if Mark called him on it.
Andrew Eisen: JT lied about that APA causation thing again. Wonder if Mark called him on it.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:04pm
Andrew Eisen: Follow the JT/Methenitis debate on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtdebate
Andrew Eisen: Follow the JT/Methenitis debate on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtdebate
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
The ban was not overturned by the British High Court. The only part the courts played was when the BBFC applied for a judicial review of the original report the VAC submitted. The High Court ruled that the report did not correctly address the criteria in the video records act and required the VAC to re-review its finding. The VAC then filed a second report that did address the video recordings act upon which the BBFC were required to issue the classification which they did.
At no point did the High Court overturn anything besides he VAC's original report.
Ya... and without the court to to go to the ban would never be lifted so thus in tuth the high court did overturn it becuse the bbfc didnt want to take it to full court.
At least try and addmit the process is bit suspect.. you brits can't be preft in everything! ^_~
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
Actually Zipster, it was the VAC that didn't want to take it to the High Court, not the BBFC. The BBFC wanted a judicial review, hence the case being taken to a Judge. End of, really. Nothing suspect IMHO.
Aww, I'm 17!
Thank GOD for amazon! (special edition baby!)
I would have thought that the BBFC would have leaped at the chance to ban the game, unless the realized that banning something that is popular is a bad move.
The BBFC have been rating games since the 1980s and only twice have they refused classification, and that was only becuase of pressure from the media, something neither the ESRB or PEGI is immune to. What makes you assume they'd jump at the chance? They're not nearly as dranconian as US posters who have probably never even visited the UK make out. In fact, they're very liberal, leading to a '12' rating for Mass Effect, when everybody else rated it 16+.
A comment like that only goes to show you havn't got the first clue about the BBFC or how they function
????
Do you have any knowledge of the way in which games are rated in the UK?
You mean like the ESRB jumped at the chance to rerate Oblivion 18 after mods were found or GTA to AO after Hot Coffee? What did the BBFC do? Nothing. Why? Because they didn't bow to the pressure and lies spread by papers and news stations over Oblivion (it being mods not actual content) and also even IF GTA *HAD* been released with the sex it in, it STILL would have gotten an 18 rating because we aren't all squeamish about sex this side of the pond.
Now go away and do some research on the BBFC and then come back.
If it did contain real sex then it would have been given a 18R rating meaning it could only be sold in 150 out of 325,000 retail outlets in the whole UK.
Otherwise known as 'sex shops'. (Bit more than 150 though.)
If by "real sex" you mean humping of cartoon characters that didn't even show genitals... no, it would have got an 18 cert still.
18R is only restricted to hardcore pornography. And 150 sex stores? Get real, Anne Summers is a licenced store thats allowed to sell R18 material and there is at least 150 of them in the UK alone.
I stand corrected on that, I did some further checking and although I can't find up to date stats, 120 stores was the figure for 2001. I could have sworn I seen R18 dvd's last time I was Anne Summers but it must have been plain ordinary 18 dvds.
Its just seems like such a low number when you consider the crazy volume of R18 material thats avalible (for example check out the recent BBFC classification decisions DVD section, there are on average two or three new R18 movies a day.)
Anyways, sorry for the mistake on my part.
If people had actually paid attention to the BBFC *before* Manhunt 2, they'd realise this behaviour is par for the course. Them not mentioning the drug references is nothing special - they would have played the game and therefore realised all such references were both allegorical and contextual.
Because the BBFC aren't silly.
I think this may be the biggest non story i have read unless it's a preamble to a ban coming in australia.
Basically this story says Fallout 3 gets an 18 certificate as expected. I don't recall hearing for a ban being called either.
Dennis:
You summary of the events of Manhunt 2 only succeed in furthering the miscomprehension of the work that the BBFC does in an almost tabloid-esque fashion. Can we stick to the facts please?
Can it be that everyone has run out of verbal napalm for these stories? A little of my faith in humanity has been restored! :P
Gift.
Good play BBFC!
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
well, for once they have done something right
If by "for once" you mewan "the countless times outside observers fail to notice all the other BBFC 18-rated games" then, yes, i'd agree.
So much fail in this comment. No seriously, all of you US posters who had never heard of the BBFC until the Manhunt thing just really have no clue about things on this side of the pond.
Curiously, the only story in this story is the "curiously" paragraph that compares it to Australia. .
I'm not really surprised. besides here in the UK violence is considered bad. Whereas bad language and nudity, no problem! But someone said that makes us Liberal? No, it just means we're not bible bashing idiots!
Looks like I'll be importing from the UK again. Eat shit Atkinson.
In the original fallout 1/2 you could murder children while on drugs and that made it to the USA fine. Didn't turn anyone I know into a child killing jet addictSmile. Though I think the children had to be removed from the European version.
------------------------------------------------
Madhu
www.legalx.net