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Illinois brings back prohibition ... in videogames photo

Just when you thought your days of enjoying malt liquor in T-rated videogames would never end, along comes Illinois to crush your alcoholic fun. Yes, despite there never really being many instances of this, Illinois has decided to ban any and all references to malt liquor in videogames "marketed to children." This will definitely make America a better place somehow.

The State is introducing a whole range of laws designed to tackle alcohol abuse and drunk driving, of which this is but one. Advertisements and displays of any sort of "alcopop" or malt liquor will not be allowed in any videogame hoping to go on sale in the mid-Western state. Mystifying alcohol and making it look like some sort of forbidden secret will totally not make children all the more curious to try it. 

Billboards within 500 feet of public schools and live performances where the majority of the audience could be children have also been affected by this new law, which went into affect this past week. 

LittleBigPlanet reveals its first speakeasy in 5, 4, 3, 2 ...


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58 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Charlietime's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:38
Charlietime
soon copies of gta4 and bioshock will be sold by the mob.
cooking momma will be banned for useing wine in a recipe.
the world will be imploded.
many sorrows.
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:40
SnakeDude4Life
"I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and ...... I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing".

Illinois, cutting funding to children's hospitals since I got that thing that [expletive] GOLDEN!!!!
-PL-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:44
-PL-
GOBBLESS AMURKA!
Sam Spectre's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:46
Sam Spectre
Too bad Illinois. You elected dumb fuck officials, you get dumb fuck laws.
Usedtabe's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:51
Usedtabe
Hey, isn't this where Obama is from? No surprises then.
mistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:51
mistic
Man where do they get the people that waste their time on this kind of crap? :)

soon they will start forcing Rockstar to create a no-boose-patch for GTA4 and the same for the guys from Bethesda for Fallout3 :-) "GTA4 Illinois Edition: no booze, no violence, no hookers, no drugs, no fun!"
Clockwork's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:52
Clockwork
Yeah. Over here were crazy for our no drinking for underage kids. It's fucking insane. Every year the laws change. Hell, they put up a second curfew for everyone under the age of 18 cannot drive past 11 PM on weekends and 10 PM on weekdays. It's outrageous. Good thing I'm 18 now but goddamn that was an annoying few months.
Sam Spectre's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 18:56
Sam Spectre
@Clockwork: Your state sucks. 12:30 here in MA and I can have a gay marriage. AND I can carry an ounce of weed around and only get a 100$ fine.

Quite the place to live.
ZServ's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:00
ZServ
Indeed, sam. indeed.
Redzie's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:09
Redzie
Illinois, WTF??!!!

You're wasting time and money on this shit?
Clockwork's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:16
Clockwork
Well I'm not about to defend my state. It blows. We have the fucking most corrupted state in the country. Blagojevich is an asshole and refuses to step down from office after he's been arrested and been labeled as the biggest pussy of the US government.

WHY!? WHY WHY WHY!?
dmgi's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:18
dmgi
Fair enough, take away all REAL alcohol advertisements along with that law though.
Veidt's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:18
Veidt
Dammit, why couldn't they just have everywhere in the world do it. And for real. Seriously, this is a waste of taxpayer money. At least get rid of the stuff that causes drunk driving and alcohol poisoning for real and not ban virtual shit with the only instances of it I recall being prominent is Duke Nukem and the Fallout series.
John Johnson's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:19
John Johnson
Wait, not that I play that garbage, but wouldn't this ban WoW? and wouldn't that lead to nerd riots and all sorts of other semi-educated indignance?
godkow's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:21
godkow
Illinois fails me again.
Tron's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:29
Tron
@ Usedtabe

what does that have to do with anything?
ThunderHeartXI's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:39
ThunderHeartXI
CANADA CANADA CANADA.
portal01's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:40
portal01
one this pisses me off that illionois thinks that they could honestly do this. one its going against the first admendmant freedom of speech they cant not limit the developer to having to take out alchol from their games. so i highly doubt that this will affect developers but the frikin pisses me off the illinois think sby doing this they will stop drunkness or drunk driving they are fuckin stupid!
faultymoose's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:51
faultymoose
LOL + /sob in equal measure.
Tet's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:57
Tet
They had to keep such things from children! It's not like there is a rating on games that says alcohol use to warn parents or anything... oh...

Fucking brats will probably be meth heads by 14 anyways.
Rabspat's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 19:57
Rabspat
Wow, I'm ashamed to live here... : (
Redzie's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:04
Redzie
USEDTABE IS RACIST: CONFIRMED!!!



[sarcasm/]
Wookiee's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:04
Wookiee
Demoman is upset.

darkwhitehair's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:13
darkwhitehair
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/01/03/youthful-sonic-fan-gets-ban-hedgehogs-overturned


check this out Jimmy...

you all noobs know nothing... after getting drunk in GTA 4... I was raped by my uncle... I BLAME ROCKSTAR!!! and booze... its de debils dwink... *hick*
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:13
The-Excel
Harvest Moon games are noted on the ESRB rating for "Use of Alcohol". I wonder how that's going to tide over with the kids who are into that kind of thing.
Funkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:39
Funkiller
Funkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:42
Funkiller
Ugh, comment fail.

Speaking of fail, fucking Midwest, I hate the flyover states so much...

Apologies if you live there and are educated enough to look at the internet, but seriously, you have to know what I am saying.
RAB's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:48
RAB
i really hope game developers don't take this into consideration when making games. i used to love getting wasted in fable 1 and puking
The Amazing Shenazin's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 20:53
The Amazing Shenazin
thank God Georgia never does retarded shit like this

KNOCK ON WOOD
Spartacus's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 21:02
Spartacus
Harvest Moon, Bioshock, GTA, Fallout 3, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, the list goes on.

And meanwhile, alcohol is all over TV...
twentythoughts's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 21:40
twentythoughts
Ahhh, back to the good old days of people drinking LEMONADE in bars. And also HOT SAUCE.
Cowboy TTop's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 23:31
Cowboy TTop
A few words to describe this in the 21st century, totally unenforceable and stupid.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/03/2009 23:50
Im OK
@Usedtabe

Pointless non sequitur is pointless.
DonHonk's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 00:11
DonHonk
Illinois is the most fucked up state ever. And I live here.

God, I should really leave.
Funkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 01:03
Funkiller
@Don Hook
Hey, at least it isn't Florida (our most fucked-up state). Amirite?
Funkiller's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 01:06
Funkiller
Christ on a crutch, two comment fails in one thread. Where is the Jagermeister?
F Whipple's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 01:38
F Whipple
Ahhhh why is Illinois so stupid? Don't we have much better things to worry about? Such as our inability to elect a proper governor, the fact that chicago politics controls the rest of the state (see problem one), and the inability of the Cubs to win the World Series in 100 years.
Corak's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 02:04
Corak
The prospect of me moving my ass out of Illinois is growing every God damn fucking day.
Wardog13's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 02:43
Wardog13
This is just a distraction from the whole selling Obamas seat thing, so in a way, this is all Obamas fault.
Drach's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 03:34
Drach
I don't understand.. isn't this somehow Unconstitutional? And the last time I was in Chicago, there was booze EVERYWHERE. I remember I think K mart had Liquor. >shrugs< Americans should be allowed to choose what they put into them, and that includes notions of using that bottle of Vodka to let you carry a little more equipment in Fallout, or Drive drunk and get chased and or arrested by the police in GTA, Getting a boost from it in WoW... I don't see how this law will be passed and or enforced? Such a strange land I live in.
Iron Dragon's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 05:03
Iron Dragon
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 05:35
Sharpless
This boggles the mind. This effects a TON of big-name games.
Cubilone's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 07:02
Cubilone
US alcohol phobia always make me laugh! People can go fight wars before they can legally take a sip of beer.
reaper n7's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 07:39
reaper n7
Sieg Heil Illinois!

I'm surprised you can just ban shit like that.
superezekiel's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 08:13
superezekiel
There ARE beer bottles in LittleBigPlanet. But how is this going to help anything when even SpongeBob gets wasted on tv these days?
boomfasa's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 09:09
boomfasa
@ " Illinois has decided to ban any and all references to liquor in videogames"

From what I understand, this is NOT what's happening at all.

They are banning 'alcopop' beverages, or drinks like Smirnoff Ice (barf), from being advertised in any game that is targeted primarily to children.

Game Politics also reports the story this way (and they also cite the new law directly from the IL website, which also designates what a 'alco-pop' drink is if you are still confused).

Here's the link to the actual public act filed in IL : IL Public Act 095-0860

This literally will not affect a single game that I can think of.
gamadaya's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 12:16
gamadaya
@boomfasa

lol, that's what I was thinking. I read it on GP as well. Now, who do I decide to trust? Jim "Holy Fucking Crap it's the End of the World!" Sterling, or GP, which has never steered me wrong? I'll go with Jim.
zockroach's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 12:36
zockroach
if they take all the gyp joints out of prince of persia i'm going to flip out.
Magesx's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 13:24
Magesx
Yeah, I raged at first, but then I actually read the act, unlike most people here, and probably Jim, too. People are blowing this way out of proportion. Liquor references are okay in things //not targeted to children//. And don't act like martyrs, since it affects theater productions and shit like that too.

It's okay to get mad, but be reasonable, people. If you're going to get mad, at least understand what you're getting mad about, so you don't look like an idiot.
falinter's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/04/2009 13:37
falinter
I thought I heard it was only in non-M rated games.
I'm too lazy to look since I am fairly certain its not that big of a deal.
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