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

[NWR_Neal]

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 Games – Pong Toss.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=16287

 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 http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2007/06/27/reggie-on-his-big-plans-for-a-little-nintendo-wiiware.aspx">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.

[Kairon]

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

[Shecky]

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

[NWR_Neal]

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

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

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

[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?

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

[Kairon]

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.

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?

[Djunknown]

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?

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.

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.

[TheFleece]

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 Twitch]

And company instead of or company.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

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

[SixthAngel]

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 DiMola]

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

[Kairon]

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 Sane]

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.

[Stogi]

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.

[DAaaMan64]

HE LIVES

[KDR_11k]

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 Key]

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.

[RABicle]

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!

[Slade]

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

[Plugabugz]

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

[Dan_Flyhight]

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

EXACTLY!!

[NWR_Neal]

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.

[UltimatePartyBear]

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."