Ubisoft pulls MindQuiz for offensive language
Ubisoft has pulled MindQuiz for its use of an "offending word" to people with disabilities. The BBC story never goes into what the word is, but apparently it was bad enough for Ubisoft to pull the Brain Age rip-off and spare not only the disabled, but the rest of gamedom from its offensive language and gameplay. The game was released in March of 2007 on the DS, but has been out on the PSP since October. Apparently the offensive term only shows up in the DS version.
The issue came to light after a woman who has two family members with cerebral palsy was playing the game and became offended, contacted a BBC radio show, and the ball got rolling from there. An Ubisoft spokesman said, "As soon as we were made aware of the issue we stopped distribution of the product and are now working with retailers to pull the game off the market." Looks like a word slipped by QA. We have no idea what the word is, but that's two British gaming scandals that took months to get themselves rolling. The fact that the issue didn't show up in the states makes us wonder if this is one of the Elebits to Eledees issues where the offending word is very region specific.
Update: Thanks to Darry for the image and clearing up the curiosity.
The issue came to light after a woman who has two family members with cerebral palsy was playing the game and became offended, contacted a BBC radio show, and the ball got rolling from there. An Ubisoft spokesman said, "As soon as we were made aware of the issue we stopped distribution of the product and are now working with retailers to pull the game off the market." Looks like a word slipped by QA. We have no idea what the word is, but that's two British gaming scandals that took months to get themselves rolling. The fact that the issue didn't show up in the states makes us wonder if this is one of the Elebits to Eledees issues where the offending word is very region specific.
Update: Thanks to Darry for the image and clearing up the curiosity.




















(Page 1) Reader Comments
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extras ftw!
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is a retard anyways.
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Retard: to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment
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I'm offended by your use of the word 'up!'
On a more serious note, people get offended by the stupidest stuff.
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Here in India, those with CP are actually called Spastics. I have a calendar sponsored by the "Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu." No, there's no Spastic-of-the-month centerfold...
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Its sorta like the Rockstar AO marketing scheme.
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I know I'd buy it! :D
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And Thought Shower is similar to Golden Shower.
And Golden Shower the same as Water Sports.
Is Brainstorm similar to Water Sports?
If you answered true, then you're thinking with the power of Wii.
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Anyway an insult is an insult I guess but I dont think the game creators had people with mental disabilities in mind when they put that in the game.Is like when you say retard in the internet you dont really meant people with mental disabilities you just want to call someone stupid.
They should watch what they put in that sort of games,You never know who are you going to offend.They should change the text to "Its official,You Suck" instead.
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They can't. Stealing Shao Khan's catchphrase is forbidden.
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No, I'm serious. The last thing this industry needs - not just right now but ever - is self-censorship. If it gives in to all of this PC 'can't be violent or provocative or anything' thinking and does it to itself, we as a community lose, and the potential of video games becoming formally recognised as an art form is more or less permanently curtailed.
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This incident barely makes a blip on the radar when it comes to things that are -actually- offensive. The hypersensitive individuals who constantly claim offenses should be called out for their continual cries of wolf. But it seems like the vocal minority always overpowers the silent majority, all in the name of political correctness.
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I really don't see what's so offensive...
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For you people citing "Special interest groups" responsible for this "censorship", try to imagine yourself as a minority. They are fighting to maintain some dignity and respect in a society that basically shuns and marginalizes them.
If videogames want to be taken seriously as art they should demonstrate a sensitivity to the issues facing society at large, not just the 18-30 able-bodied white male demographic.
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it's pretty much the same as if it said "0% - Extremely Retarded"
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I wish people would go into more detail about what they mean by "offended". I've never been able to empathize with the sensitivity many people have to some labels. I suspect there are many like me. Are American white males simply born into a different world than everyone else? I can't think of one word someone could use that would make me angry on principal on my own behalf. I've been taught all my life to pay attention to thesse things, but to be totally honest, I really don't understand why.
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"Imagine if the word was printed on the side of a cereal box or some other household product"
When I was a kid in th Uk w there was actually a genuine charity called "the spastics society", but over the years, somehow the term became offensive, so they changed their name.
It is similar to the use of the word "gay" which did not originally mean what it means today. I am not saying "gay" is necessarily an offensive word, just that the meaning has changed over time.
Now however, we also see the word "gay" used as a derogatory term, so maybe their will come a time when, just like the word "spastic", the word "gay" will become purely an offensive word, and gay and lesbian support groups will drop the term like the spastic society did.
I know I am going on a bit, but my point really is that language and it's useage changes very rapidly over relativley short periods of time, so it oftem surprises me just how offended people can get over what they percieve as inappropriate language.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming#Political_Correctness
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