SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The UK's Video Standards Council Rating Board has refused to issue a UK Certificate of Classification (archive) for the JRPG game Omega Labyrinth Z, due to it "clearly [promoting] the sexualisation of children". The publisher's appeal of the decision was rejected. This is the first game to be banned in the UK since Manhunt 2, which was initially refused classification by the British Board of Film Classification, but eventually classified "18" after censorship, a second refusal, and an appeal.:
The game is explicit in its setting within a "school" environment and the majority of the characters are young girls - one child is referred to as being a "first year" student and is seen holding a teddy bear. The game clearly promotes the sexualisation of children via the sexual interaction between the game player and the female characters. The style of the game is such that it will attract an audience below the age of 18.
There is a serious danger that impressionable people, i.e. children and young people viewing the game would conclude that the sexual activity represented normal sexual behaviour. There is a constant theme of sexual innuendo and activity throughout the game that suggests behaviour likely to normalise sexual activity towards children. As a means of reward gained by successfully navigating the game, the player has the means to sexually stimulate the female characters by using either a hand held remote device or touch screen software.
The VSC Rating Board believes this content in a game, which would have strong appeal to non-adult players, is an issue which would be unacceptable to the majority of UK consumers and, more importantly, has the potential to be significantly harmful in terms of the social and moral development of younger people in particular.
Omega Labyrinth Z was released in Japan on July 6, 2017 for the PlayStation Vita and PS4 platforms, and will be released in North America and Europe in early 2018. The game was also refused classification in Australia and Germany, and will not be released in New Zealand or Ireland.
The UK's Digital Economy Act 2010 shifted responsibility for classifying most video games from the British Board of Film Classification to the Video Standards Council.
In unrelated news, Luigi may or may not have a penis.
Also at BBC, Gamasutra, and Kotaku.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Sunday March 18 2018, @10:08AM
During the early days of the Dot-Com Boom, I read in the San Francisco Chronicle that child pornography had just been outlawed in Japan.
To be clear: up until then it was legal.
That it was outlawed was the result of a public outcry among people in other countries that resulted from Japanese CP being readily available on the World Wide Web.
Portland's Paris Adult Theater used to show Hentai late Sunday nights. While I patronized the Paris for its live-action fare, I stuck around for the Hentai a couple times.
That stuff is twisted.
I once read at the Green Site that some guy got arrested for CP Possession when he tried to cross the border into Canada because he had some Manga in his luggage. The USA's CP laws - at least at one time - require the C's in CP to be real children. Thus - at least at one time - "Creative Works" are legal if they are "Created" by shopping adult models so that they look like C's.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]