Rape Game Ban Starts From October

And so, it begins. As of October 2009, Japan's pseudo-optional game ratings board EOCS (Ethics Organization of Computer Software) will start enforcing their new regulations regarding "rape games", effectively banning yet another form of completely harmless entertainment (some may say "art"). And giving real rapists yet another reason to take it to the streets and school backyards. The ban-hammer fell down hard upon affiliated eroge developers, in the form of a new fax sent out by EOCS, once again bypassing any real discussion or agreement between the parties involved. "Obey or GTFO", in other words.



Hats off to Zepy for continuing to keep us up to date with this aberrant issue, as he relays the horrid details contained in said fax. By order of EOCS, the sale of all rape games - new and old, boxed and downloadable alike - will have to stop on October 1, 2009. Until then...

"The period from 5th June to 31st September will be the changeover period where rape games will still be allowed to a certain extent, and the new restrictions will go full force starting from October. Games released sometime by the end of the year will most likely still be okay as games go through the judging process earlier before the actual release."

The guy who leaked the info over on 2ch said that he tried contacting some game devs in a brave attempt to put up a resistance, "but he contacted 5 companies and they were all talking about quitting the industry". In an earlier comment on this whole mess, the chairman of VisualArts only had one uplifting thing to say:

"I'm going to hang myself"

Not all eroge makers are affected by this ban, though... not yet. Those who chose to be regulated by the government-controlled CSA (Contents Soft Association), instead of EOCS, are likely to be hit by a similar ban-hammer next week, when CSA's new anti-rape game regulations are expected to be released.

Everyone else - not affiliated with either EOCS or CSA - can go about their loli business as usual. Though they still don't have any real chance of getting their games out on big store shelves, without an official seal of approval from either regulator censor.

Pedobear is a sad panda.