Try Your Hand at Banning Content Down Under
Try Your Hand at Banning Content Down Under
January 4, 2010
A new downloadable game lets players assume the role of Australian politicians and bring the ban hammer down on videogames and websites.
Ban This Game features likenesses of South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson and Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband and Communication, who is the man championing ISP filtering for Australia. Gameplay consists of images of games and websites crossing a red line. Players must click on an image three times to ban it once it passes over said line. Windows and Mac versions are available.
The game is the work of game developer Conor O’Kane. The embedded video shows the game in action. A Facebook Fan Page for the game has been set up as well.
Thanks Ryan and Michael!
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Posted 09/02/10 at 01:48pm
mogbert: Dang, I guess I'm late to the party, I came here to see if you already had the GS/MOH story.
mogbert: Dang, I guess I'm late to the party, I came here to see if you already had the GS/MOH story.
Posted 09/02/10 at 01:40pm
Andrew Eisen: GS trying to be considerate or did the bases ask that the stores not carry the title?
Andrew Eisen: GS trying to be considerate or did the bases ask that the stores not carry the title?
Posted 09/02/10 at 01:37pm
E. Zachary Knight: PHX, you beat me to the draw.
E. Zachary Knight: PHX, you beat me to the draw.
Posted 09/02/10 at 11:41am
mdo7: http://kotaku.com/5628432/sheriffs-deputy-accused-of-choking-wife-over-ps3-argument
mdo7: http://kotaku.com/5628432/sheriffs-deputy-accused-of-choking-wife-over-ps3-argument
Posted 09/01/10 at 11:40pm
ZippyDSMlee: Got an Ipod touch need a MP3 app with seeking ability...
ZippyDSMlee: Got an Ipod touch need a MP3 app with seeking ability...
Posted 08/30/10 at 03:44pm
JDKJ: AE: Thanks. That cured my head-scratching. They're actually making money the good, ol'-fashioned, American way: stealing it.
JDKJ: AE: Thanks. That cured my head-scratching. They're actually making money the good, ol'-fashioned, American way: stealing it.
Posted 08/30/10 at 10:41am
E. Zachary Knight: A Trademark/Media lawyer reviews the DigiPen IP ownership issue and proposes a change to their ownership policies. Good read.
E. Zachary Knight: A Trademark/Media lawyer reviews the DigiPen IP ownership issue and proposes a change to their ownership policies. Good read.
Posted 08/30/10 at 10:13am
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Doesn't appear that it did refuse the ad revenue. "Stingray Sushi says that it already paid for the ad and that a refund is not an option."
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Doesn't appear that it did refuse the ad revenue. "Stingray Sushi says that it already paid for the ad and that a refund is not an option."
Posted 08/30/10 at 09:20am
PHX Corp: Sensitive files For the Sony PlayStation 3 have been stolen by hackers
PHX Corp: Sensitive files For the Sony PlayStation 3 have been stolen by hackers
Posted 08/29/10 at 03:55pm
JDKJ: What leaves me scratching my head is why any municipality or authority would be interested in refusing advertising revenues while crying that they're flat-ass broke, raising fares, and reducing services. Go figure.
JDKJ: What leaves me scratching my head is why any municipality or authority would be interested in refusing advertising revenues while crying that they're flat-ass broke, raising fares, and reducing services. Go figure.
Posted 08/28/10 at 02:38pm
Andrew Eisen: Agreed. If aiming guns in a mildly threatening manner and short skirts are not okay, fine. But you have to be consistent. I've seen too many underwear ads and action movie posters with characters in the same pose not to call BS on this decision.
Andrew Eisen: Agreed. If aiming guns in a mildly threatening manner and short skirts are not okay, fine. But you have to be consistent. I've seen too many underwear ads and action movie posters with characters in the same pose not to call BS on this decision.
Posted 08/28/10 at 02:10pm
Mad_Scientist: "violent" and "obscene"... because the character has guns and a short skirt? Guess they've been taking lessons in double standards from the Chicago Transit Authority.
Mad_Scientist: "violent" and "obscene"... because the character has guns and a short skirt? Guess they've been taking lessons in double standards from the Chicago Transit Authority.
Posted 08/28/10 at 02:09pm
Mad_Scientist: Phoenix Public Transportation Department bans an ad for a restaurant that features an anime-style character, claiming it's "viol
Mad_Scientist: Phoenix Public Transportation Department bans an ad for a restaurant that features an anime-style character, claiming it's "viol
Posted 08/27/10 at 12:52am
Dante: @gellymatos thats just your avarage yellow press article.
Dante: @gellymatos thats just your avarage yellow press article.
Posted 08/26/10 at 10:19pm
gellymatos: @Dante: Last I checked, you don't do any of what is decribed by the article in the game.
gellymatos: @Dante: Last I checked, you don't do any of what is decribed by the article in the game.
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Comments
To be accurate a player would have to try to ban absolutely everything they see. It's the only way to be sure., apparently.
sounds about right, esp. considering this drawing (not IMG-linked due to language) made by Australian webcomic Bigger Than Cheeses author Desmond Seah several years back.
aptly titled "Outlining the [Australian] government's internet censorship plans"
岩「…Where do masochists go when they die?」
Unless I'm mixing up the country, hasn't Austrailia banned websites critical of ISP filtering in the past?
Also, I presume this game is unrated and hence technically banned in Austrailia...
I don't think they actually banned them (yet) but a list of proposed sites for the block list was leaked a few months ago did include several anti-Great Barrier Firewall sites.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Looks tough. Nice to see the effort, though. Hope that sumbitch Atkinson gets kicked out, one way or another.
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Game on, brothers and sisters.
I dare say that's the point of it. No matter how hard you try, it's impossible to censor everything
That's the point really, what ends up getting through and what ends up getting banned is almost as random as playing that game...
eg. Alien vs Predator backdown vs Left 4 Dead II water down. There's no logic to why zombies who look vaguely human being dismembered is more disturbing (and bannable) than aliens or predators doing the same to marines...
There is a distinct logic to almost every decision. The problem lies in faulty, unsubstantiated reasoning behind them combined with an inconsistent application of these standards.
Great game idea.
Maybe I will let the Violent Videogames and Hentai/Porn slide and try to ban anything related to the Australian Govenment like Centrelink and Medicare or any Political site that was made to support an election topic instead. I will even ban websites related to Family groups who want to block Porn on the internet.
That will show them what it feels like to have something important to you being banned because someone else hates something you like.