ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

March 21, 2011 -

According to an IGN report, the North American boxart proposed by publisher Deep Silver has been censored by the ESRB. The rejection was due to a zombie / corpse hanging from a palm tree that represented the "I" in "Island." The approved box art simply uses a standing zombie as the "I" and removes the noose / hanging scene from the equation.

The in-game logo will remain unchanged and the boxart and in-game logo for Dead Island in Europe will remain unchanged, according to the IGN report. Dead Island is currently scheduled for release for an undetermined date in 2011.

Thanks to Andrew Eisen for the tip.

Source: IGN

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Comments

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by CyberSkull on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 22:54.

I prefer the hanging one, but I can see how such a strange fruit could be construed as racist and why the ESRB voted it down.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by josh111888 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 12:31.

The most likely explanation for a person to be hanging from a tree is suicide, which is common for any zombie story. Does anyone know if the ESRB has a rule against showing death, suicides, or anything not rated E on the front cover? I vaguely remember a problem with the Left 4 Dead 2 cover art where they originally had the non-extended fingers cut off instead of folded.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Andrew Eisen on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 13:05.

"Does anyone know if the ESRB has a rule against showing death, suicides, or anything not rated E on the front cover?"

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/principles_guidelines.jsp

Repeated blows or gun shots inflicted upon people/creatures, violent blows to the head, guns/weapons pointed at head, impaling, exploding body parts, guns/weapons pointed toward reader/audience, depictions of fatal injuries and/or suicide, strangulation/choking, inflicting wounds with swords/knives, kicks to the groin

Andrew Eisen

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by josh111888 on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 11:45.

Thank you.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by nightwng2000 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 08:14.

They've taken all the fun out of killing zombies anyway. It used to be that you only could kill one by shooting it in the head. Now you can take 'em down using any kind of kill shot.

All lynching does is keep 'em off the ground. Eventually the rope will rot away and the zombie is freed.

Oh, and I represent all the criminals, who were all innocent of course, who were hung for their crimes over the centuries. We find the symbolism of hang a "bad guy" offensive and insensitive and it must stop being glorified!

And beheadings too! Do you know how many of my fellow brothers had their heads chopped off by various execution devices over the centuries, nay, THOUSANDS of year?! You insensitive, evil, evil gamers!

Oh, and dismemberment too! Do you know how many of us "bad guys" were pulled apart by horses as punishment for crimes? Or how many rebels were dismembered and spread across kingdoms as a "message" to others to not stand up to the tyrannants... er, kings of the lands we opposed? Horrible, horrible gamers!

Oh, and all your flamethrowers and flaming arrows and torches used to burn those poor, defenseless pixels! Do you know how many of my poor, lost souls were burned at the stake?!

Oh the inhumanity! :: Whimpers and runs off, whacking Zippy in the head for good measure! ::

Nightwng2000

NW2K Software

http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000

Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Nightwng2000 NW2K Software http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Rodrigo Ybáñez ... on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 11:15.

:: Whimpers and runs off, whacking Zippy in the head for good measure! ::

Lol, then you all complain about how he is.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by DorthLous on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 16:08.

Yeah, but at this point, it can help him just as much as it can potentially harm him.

(Btw, I mostly enjoy his posts, so this post is still in on the joke, not serious, before anyone asks.)

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Thomas P. on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 05:52.

I like the second boxart better anyway.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Shahab on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 02:35.

Stupid. Oh no, they are lynching that zombie! Better call the NAADP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Dead People.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Andrew Eisen on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 22:26.

I propose a reversible cover!

Andrew Eisen

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Kincyr on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 21:57.

personally, I like the zombie one. while the hanging corpse could signify an element of despair, I can see how someone who has no info on the game could see it as a lynching. (as I was writing this, I immediately recalled an instance of a hanging early on in System Shock 2, but the context of suicide by despair was very clear)

岩「if Phyllis Schlafly wants to undo Women's Rights, she should lead by example and get back in the kitchen」

岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Father Time on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 23:15.

You can't tell the race of the person being hanged, and nothing in title alludes to race at all. OS I think that's a bit of a stretch.

----------------------------------------------------

Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

---------------------------------------------------- Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by DorthLous on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 07:41.

I love how you immediately jumped from lynching to race. You know lynching is the act of hanging someone to die and has been performed by plenty of communities toward plenty of others for various reasons, right?

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Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm

Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm

Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm

Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm

Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm

Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm

Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm

Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm

ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm

MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm

Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm

MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am

Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am

quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm

Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm

Papa Midnight: That was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm

Matthew Wilson: http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm

james_fudge: I think Evan killed it. He's a great guy and super smart.10/17/2014 - 6:38pm

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