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Wii

For Nintendo, 'Beer' is Too Strong for Wii Owners

by Neal Ronaghan - July 7, 2008, 6:08 pm EDT
Total comments: 47 Source: Las Vegas Sun

Contrasting previous statements about not screening WiiWare content, Nintendo elicited changes in JV Games' upcoming title, including a name change from Frat Party Games – Beer Pong to Frat Party Game

According to the co-founders of JV Games, Nintendo asked them to change the name and some of the content of their upcoming WiiWare title because of one word: "beer." Their game, originally titled Frat Party Games – Beer Pong, was renamed to the more family friendly Frat Party Games – Pong Toss.

This conflicts with some of Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime's statements last year about how "Nintendo will not do any screening of ideas" on WiiWare. JV Games co-founder Vince Valenti recalls how they "had a little discussion with Nintendo and there were some angry parties." The two founders were shocked by Nintendo's reaction. As Valenti puts it, his company's use of the word "beer" was "just like you would hear in any movie or on TV." Co-founder Jag Jaeger said they "wanted to focus on the sport of beer pong, not the alcohol that’s associated with it."

The sport in question is a college drinking game staple and consists of a table with pyramids of cups laid out on each end. These cups are filled with beer and the goal of the game is to throw a ping pong ball into your opponent's cups until they are all gone. Whenever a cup is hit, the opponent has to drink the beer in the cup.

Frat Party Games – Pong Toss still includes almost everything that was in the original build of the game, including using the Wii Remote's motion sensing capabilities to throw the balls, and a crowd that "still says authentic college-ish things like 'Loser,' 'What was that?' and 'I’ve got the munchies.'" The only changes are in the name, the now-empty red plastic cups, and in the new throw power meter, now transformed into a bullet that merely resembles the glass of beer it's replaced.

JV Games hopes to have Frat Party Games – Pong Toss out for WiiWare sometime in July.

Talkback

Gosh darn it though, they have a Wine Tasting game though in Japan!

SheckyJuly 07, 2008

Seems like the most idiotic idea for a game regardless.  You'd have to be drunk to buy it.

If done right, this could as tactile as something like Boom Blox.
But the odds on that aren't good.

NinGurl69 *hugglesJuly 07, 2008

This basic game is already included in Midway's "Game Party" but it was simply "lame ball in cup Wiimote pointer game".

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJuly 07, 2008

This does raise a bit of a question - who monitors M Rated game purchases through Digital Distribution?  If I have my parental controls set to prevent Jr. from playing M rated games, does this also prevent him from buying them (if any were to exist?) even though he can't play them?

I wonder if XBL or PSN would allow the Beer-titled version of the game.  It could be this generation's Mortal Kombat (hahhahaha...)

Quote from: UncleBob

This does raise a bit of a question - who monitors M Rated game purchases through Digital Distribution?  If I have my parental controls set to prevent Jr. from playing M rated games, does this also prevent him from buying them (if any were to exist?) even though he can't play them?

Good... question.

Quote from: MADONNA

This basic game is already included in Midway's "Game Party" but it was simply "lame ball in cup Wiimote pointer game".

Incidentally, hasn't Midway's "Game Party" shipped like 800,000 copies already?

DjunknownJuly 07, 2008

Nintendo falling into old habits of screening 'potentially objectionable' content?

They don't want to be held responsible on the because this game can be sold to people under 21, who by law shouldn't be anywhere near alcoholic content?

They think that some dumb kid will then raid his parents/older sibling's beer and do the real thing?

Quote:

If I have my parental controls set to prevent Jr. from playing M rated games, does this also prevent him from buying them (if any were to exist?) even though he can't play them?

At worst, Jr. could buy it, but not play it, thus wasting money if he/she was trying to this on the down low. This sounds like Nintendo doing parenting in place of the actual parents. Its as if they have the foresight to know that most parent's today are dumb, irresponsible, and can't handle technology. :rolleyes:

Quote:

I wonder if XBL or PSN would allow the Beer-titled version of the game.  It could be this generation's Mortal Kombat (hahhahaha...)

We haven't come across an M rated game on Wii Ware yet, but this doesn't set a good precedent. If the big N is getting all huffy puffy over the word Beer, I wouldn't hold my breath for Super Blood Bath:Gibs R Us in the near future.

TheFleeceJuly 07, 2008

It's bad news for the developers and it sucks for anyone excited about this title (anyone????). Strike against Nintendo for dicing their deal and assuming that blue oceaners are minors. If Nintendo only knew that I drink when I play games.

King of TwitchJuly 08, 2008

And company instead of or company.

NinGurl69 *hugglesJuly 08, 2008

The makers of this beer dong game are most likely BIRDMEN.

SixthAngelJuly 08, 2008

I'm not sure if this is Nintendo getting rid of objectional content or trying to keep themselves from being sued for the inevitable problems that come from having a binge drinking game.  It is only a matter a of time until someone drinks too much because of the game and the lawsuits start rolling in.  I don't like forced changes either way though.

Nick DiMolaNick DiMola, Staff AlumnusJuly 08, 2008

You know what's better than a not quite Beer Pong Wii game, real Beer Pong! Now with 100% more drunkenness and fun.

Quote from: Djunknown

We haven't come across an M rated game on Wii Ware yet, but this doesn't set a good precedent. If the big N is getting all huffy puffy over the word Beer, I wouldn't hold my breath for Super Blood Bath:Gibs R Us in the near future.

Nintendo's comments suggest that they'd actually be OK with an M rated game, but after this I'm wondering if there are some hidden caveats.

Ian SaneJuly 08, 2008

Wow, Nintendo.  Way to come across like a bunch of pussies.

Frankly I never understood why alcohol has EVER been censored in games.  I can understand censoring drunkenness to a point... maybe.  But kids are not so dumb that seeing an adult drinking beer in a game is going to give them the idea that drinking as a child is okay.  I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't know what beer was.  If I went to a family function there would be people having a beer or a glass of wine.  They weren't getting sh!tfaced, they were just having a drink.  And like coffee it was explained to me that it was a grown-up drink and that as a kid it was bad for my growth or something like that that was probably vague BS.  But anyway beer was a normal concept and I would not have been corrupted by the Budweiser version of Tapper.

Is my family weird?  Do lots of people never drink alcohol in front of their kids and keep them completely sheltered from it to the point that the farmer in Harvest Moon drinking a beer instead of a "soda" is going to convince their kids to drink?  I've never seen my parents drunk ever but I saw them drink when I was a kid.

Hell you take a kid to a baseball game and there are vendors selling beer everywhere.  OH NO!  Better not take my kid there because they'll find out beer exists before they're 19 or 21 in the United States where PORNSTARS can potentially be too young to drink.

StogiJuly 08, 2008

Dude, I straight up called this game out YEARS AGO. /strokes ego

I don't understand why Nintendo would do such a thing. It's not like kids are going to play this and then go into the fridge and grab dad's fresh cold one (that sounded weird).

Silly season.

DAaaMan64July 08, 2008

HE LIVES

KDR_11kJuly 08, 2008

I think it being a drinking game might have set them off, usually games have characters getting drunk during their story or something but this is a game you play where the real life version requires you to drink beer and it's quite likely that people would replicate that part of the game in real life ( I wouldn't rule out that the game might have instructed people to do so). Especially if the game doesn't simulate the drunkenness.

As for enforcing ratings, no idea but they'll have to figure somethign out, the laws here say you MUST verify that you don't sell a game to a person it's not rated for even if you sell online (how to do that is considered somebody else's problem)

Shift KeyJuly 08, 2008

Quote from: Mr.

You know what's better than a not quite Beer Pong Wii game, real Beer Pong! Now with 100% more drunkenness and fun.

Brought to you by the Alcohol Appreciation Society of NWR. Coming to a keg near you.

EDIT: Because Appreciation makes us sound more cool.

RABicleJuly 08, 2008

Not everyone has a table tennis table to ruin or a large space or outdoor room to play beer pong. I can see the point of this game.

I mean, it's not like you play it sober, YOU'RE STILL MEANT TO KEEP UP DRINKING IN THE REAL WORLD!

SladeJuly 08, 2008

Just when you think Nintendo's heavy censorship days are over.

PlugabugzJuly 08, 2008

Thank goodness they haven't attempted to censor S&M.

Dan_FlyhightJuly 08, 2008

Quote from: Shecky

Seems like the most idiotic idea for a game regardless.  You'd have to be drunk to buy it.

EXACTLY!!

Quote from: Ian

Is my family weird?  Do lots of people never drink alcohol in front of their kids and keep them completely sheltered from it to the point that the farmer in Harvest Moon drinking a beer instead of a "soda" is going to convince their kids to drink?  I've never seen my parents drunk ever but I saw them drink when I was a kid.

No, your family is not weird. I had pretty much the same experiences as a kid but I doubt that happens to everyone.

UltimatePartyBearJuly 08, 2008

For a second there, I thought someone at Nintendo thought beer was a four letter word, like "Beer you, beerhole.  That son of a beer was beering in my beer."

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorJuly 08, 2008

People are really crying foul here and that's just silly.  I'm more appalled that a sh*tty beer pong simulation that most likely sucks is getting this much press.

Also, I highly doubt Nintendo did this as a "parenting" maneuver.  It was most likely a cost benefit analysis.  What will effect the company more? Bad press about drinking games on our system, or the sales this game will pull in?  I wouldn't let this out if I were running Nintendo.

Now if it was something like... Hideo Kojima's Beer Pong, then the conversation would probably go a bit differently.

LuigiHannJuly 08, 2008

Nothing stopping you from drinking beers while playing the game anyway.

AVJuly 08, 2008

Don't jump on the hating Nintendo Bandwagon The news media and ESRB  and such had more to do with this change.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,377421,00.html

I saw this coming a long time ago, so no surprised.

Nintendo saw the controversy and acted before it got in trouble and protestors.

So... is censorship a good business decision for Nintendo or a bad one?

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorJuly 08, 2008

Classifying this as censorship and thus trying to put it on the same level in people's minds as say, refusing any conservative viewpoint in a game, is the poor decision.

Wii is their product.  Beer could be a public relations nightmare.  The game most likely sucks.

The decision makes itself.

So it's not about censorship at all! It's about... money. *sigh*

UltimatePartyBearJuly 08, 2008

It was always about money.

Ian SaneJuly 08, 2008

Censorship is a bad decision for Nintendo because the censors never stop.  They're like bullies.  You have to stand your ground.  If you give in once they'll expect to do it the next time and the next time.

Did you know that Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii is not arcade perfect while the PS2 version is and it's not because of the controls?  Apparently their is some white flash that indicates something is taking damage that is intact on the PS2 but removed from the Wii version.  Why?  Because Nintendo let those incredibly stupid seizure bullies get their way.  Nintendo asked them to compromise the Wii version because they were afraid the flash would cause seizures.  Even though every Nintendo system has a big ass warning about seizures which should absolve them from all responsibility.  That's not censorship of objectionable content but it's still someone else bossing around Nintendo.  Nintendo has to be their own company, not some censor's.

Videogames are unjustly under attack and the industry has to have the balls to stand firm.  Stuff like the ESRB giving in over the GTA hot coffee thing for example was a huge mistake.  It showed the watchdogs that they can make stupid unreasonable demands and have them granted.

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorJuly 08, 2008

Well then these guys should be the ones standing up for what they believe!  They should pull their game from WiiWare and release it on PC!  Then they can do whatever they want!  They can even put in drunk girls that flash you every time you score!

EasyCureJuly 08, 2008

Quote from: Ian

Censorship is a bad decision for Nintendo because the censors never stop.  They're like bullies.  You have to stand your ground.  If you give in once they'll expect to do it the next time and the next time.

Did you know that Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii is not arcade perfect while the PS2 version is and it's not because of the controls?  Apparently their is some white flash that indicates something is taking damage that is intact on the PS2 but removed from the Wii version.  Why?  Because Nintendo let those incredibly stupid seizure bullies get their way.  Nintendo asked them to compromise the Wii version because they were afraid the flash would cause seizures.  Even though every Nintendo system has a big ass warning about seizures which should absolve them from all responsibility.  That's not censorship of objectionable content but it's still someone else bossing around Nintendo.  Nintendo has to be their own company, not some censor's.

Videogames are unjustly under attack and the industry has to have the balls to stand firm.  Stuff like the ESRB giving in over the GTA hot coffee thing for example was a huge mistake.  It showed the watchdogs that they can make stupid unreasonable demands and have them granted.

we all saw that episode of southpark Ian, no need for all the words

Quote from: Pale

Well then these guys should be the ones standing up for what they believe!  They should pull their game from WiiWare and release it on PC!  Then they can do whatever they want!  They can even put in drunk girls that flash you every time you score!

I played the Guy Game! ... uh... yeah... it had... one good, no GREAT, minigame?

Quote from: Kairon

Quote from: Pale

Well then these guys should be the ones standing up for what they believe!  They should pull their game from WiiWare and release it on PC!  Then they can do whatever they want!  They can even put in drunk girls that flash you every time you score!

I played the Guy Game! ... uh... yeah... it had... one good, no GREAT, minigame?

I still remember the one time my brother and his friend played the game for hours and then as they were closing in on unlocking full views of breasts, the power went out.
It didn't save.

DAaaMan64July 08, 2008

LOL what a waste of time. Plenty of free breasts and much much more online.

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorJuly 08, 2008

I think you all missed my sarcastic point.  =P

CericJuly 08, 2008

NOA Strikes again.  Going back to there restrictive ways.  Remember,

Espresso Is NOT For Kids!

This could be next.

AVJuly 08, 2008

We should lower the drinking age in America to 13 and have MORE censorship, That way EVERYBODY WINS.

Seriously though its not like this game is actually worthy of being upset over. If they took out blood from The Conduit or something than I would be upset. So no more beer in a game I had no intentions in buying and laughed at the idea it existed. Bfffffffff
I understand standing up to principles but you got to pick the right battles

RABicleJuly 08, 2008

Quote from: Pale

Now if it was something like... Hideo Kojima's Beer Pong, then the conversation would probably go a bit differently.

Hideo Kojima presents a Hideo Kojima game. Written and directed by Hideo Kojima at Kojima productions. Hideo Kojima's Beer Pong, as endorsed and played by Kojima productions writer and directer Hideo Kojima.

NinGurl69 *hugglesAugust 20, 2009

Hey guys, this isn't censorship, it's simply Nintendo's guidelines as a publisher that controls all of WuuWare.

BlackNMild2k1August 20, 2009

I'm extremely late to this conversation, but with all the news reports about viruses & sickness being spread thanks to Beer Pong, would playing it in videogame mode help stop the unnecessary spread of floor dirt flu and herpes simplex sloppy seconds?

It could be the preferred way to play in dorms & frat houses across the nations campuses.

NinGurl69 *hugglesAugust 20, 2009

I don't think there's a light way to play.  It's "Give each other SWINE Flu or Bust," all-or-nothing.

EasyCureAugust 20, 2009

Quote from: NinGurl69

I don't think there's a light way to play.  It's "Give each other SWINE Flu or Bust," all-or-nothing.

Yeah, ya p*ssy!

StogiAugust 20, 2009

You could play using water instead of beer. So when someone makes a cup you drink from your bottle, instead of the cup.

that Baby guyAugust 21, 2009

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

I'm extremely late to this conversation, but with all the news reports about viruses & sickness being spread thanks to Beer Pong, would playing it in videogame mode help stop the unnecessary spread of floor dirt flu and herpes simplex sloppy seconds?

It could be the preferred way to play in dorms & frat houses across the nations campuses.

From what I heard, most of this story turned out to be a gross exaggeration of what the study actually said.  I don't recall the details, though.

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