Last month, Compulsion Games’ slightly controversial multiplatform game We Happy Few got slapped with a ban for distribution in Australia. According to the Australian Classification Board, We Happy Few was banned as a product for release in Australia because of the way drugs are portrayed in the game. So, what’s going on right now with the We Happy Few Australia ban?
We Happy Few’s narrative designer Alex Epstein explained that they are hoping to convince the ratings board that they are not attempting to glorify drug use.
“I think we hope to convince them that the game is not very positive on the subject of drugs, or that you know, this is a fictional drug,” Epstein stated. “This is a drug that is prescribed by very nice doctor with jaunty hats and everything, so the game is not in favor of illegal drugs. In fact, it’s illegal to not take the drugs, so hopefully [the Classification Board] will change their minds.”
“It’s counterculture at its height and it gets to the idea of that,” Epstein continued. “It’s like a ticket. All drugs especially are kind of new and people are experiencing on a mass wave. I think it’s kind of a stretch because it’s clearly a dystopia, right? We’re not in the business of making propaganda. So you can interpret that however you like. If you start start up the game, you have a choice of remember or forget. And forgetting isn’t entirely legitimate.”
I have played We Happy Few for quite a bit on Steam Early Access and it did have its creepy moments. The game is going to launch on PlayStaton 4, Xbox One and PC platforms on August 10, 2018.
Any thoughts on this issue? Let us know in the comments below.
[Source: Polygon]
