History Main / CensorshipBureau

** Which is why ''TheHumanCentipede II (Full Sequence)'' had to be [[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/CVV278459/ cut by over two-and-a-half in the UK]].

** Which is why ''TheHumanCentipede II (Full Sequence)'' is [[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/newsreleases/2011/06/bbfc-rejects-the-human-centipede-ii-full-sequence/ banned in the UK]].

** Basically, if the government doesn't like it, then expect your company to lose a lot of money.

* The Youth Ordinance Bill, presented to the Tokyo City Government was passed and is currently enacted to [[MoralGuardians stop children from purchasing porn]].

** Which is the reason why ''TheHumanCentipede II (Full Sequence)'' is [[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/newsreleases/2011/06/bbfc-rejects-the-human-centipede-ii-full-sequence/ banned in the UK]].

** Which is the reason why ''TheHumanCentipede II (Full Sequence)'' is [[http://www.bbfc.co.uk/BVV278459/ banned in the UK]].

* Nowadays, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) must approve every film and DVD released in the UK. Items not approved may not be legally sold. This created a controversy in 2007 over the "banning" of the video game Manhunt 2. It should be noted that the BBFC nowadays concentrates on age-rating films, and officially declare that the only thing that will get a film banned outright nowadays is rape and torture filmed in an overtly erotic way.

** But gave us a place for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, works of cartoon wackiness that truly were "fun for the whole family".

** Another interesting case was the release of TheWho's Quadrophenia in 1973 in Spain. They censored the liner notes for objectionable lyrics, and deleted "Doctor Jimmy." Ah, but that's not all. The booklet contained pictures illustrating Jimmy's story. On the wall of Jimmy's room, there were [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean shall we say]], [[UnusualEuphemism clothing deficient]] women on the wall of Jimmy's room. These booklets were printed outside the country, so the censors had each [[NippleandDimed offending picture]] properly clothed with a BlackBraAndPanties...''by hand.''

** Sega themselves censored some of the games they released, most notably StreetsOfRage III; they also instituted an MPAA-style rating system on many of their games before the ESRB was formed.
** The irony is, the "Seal of Quality" actually ''was'' meaningful -- Nintendo also blocked truckloads of crap games. After the courts ruled that Nintendo could no longer prohibit independent games, scads came out without the seal -- 99 out of every 100 were [[{{DarthWiki/Ptitlew9bltta3dv6n}} hideous]]. In a further irony, stores started voluntarily refusing to carry unlicensed games due to their bad reputation.

** The irony is, the "Seal of Quality" actually ''was'' meaningful -- Nintendo also blocked truckloads of crap games. After the courts ruled that Nintendo could no longer prohibit insependent games, scads came out without the seal -- 99 out of every 100 was SoBadItsHorrible. "Unlicensed" quickly became a borderline insulting term in the industry.

A self-governing body with a censorship code, most visible (and most likely to receive mention) when that code is so draconian and unreasonable in its restrictions that it cripples an entire artistic medium. It usually comes about due to the pleas of the MoralGuardians and {{Media Watchdog}}s, but sometimes, it will come about due to some other circumstances (e.g. the beliefs of a specific corporation). Regardless, the presence of such a Censorship Bureau will be a bane to the medium and usually result in it not being taken seriously.

* The ComicsCode, as outlined in its own article. The problems this created in plotting led to such, ah, ''gems'' as "Lois Lane, the Fattest Girl in Metropolis!".

* In 1986 Nintendo of America, which saw video games as family entertainment, leaned on third-party publishers to remove all references to religion, drugs, alcohol, and adult situations from their games. Nintendo threatened to withhold the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" and not manufacture the [[CopyProtection patented game cartridges]] for companies that didn't comply. Even when Sega made a name for itself with the Genesis, Nintendo controlled enough of the video game market share to profoundly influence how games were localized for western consumption, most notably religious references being cut but also many other changes. However, Sega's marketing was successful in giving Nintendo a "kiddie" label it's been [[NeverLiveItDown cursed with]] ever since, even after these policies mostly lapsed with the advent of the ESRB (which established an independent rating system allowing games to be targeted appropriately).
** Sega themselves censored some of the games they released, most notably StreetsOfRage III. They also had an MPAA-style rating system on many of their games years before ESRB.

** But gave us a place for Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies, works of cartoon wackiness that truly were "fun for the whole family".
** It also changed over time, both in the actual text of the laws as well as their enforcement, ultimately leading up to the modern MPAA ratings system, which although far better than the Hays Code of old, [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating still has some problems]].

A self-governing body with a censorship code, most visible (and most likely to receive mention) when that code is so draconian and unreasonable in its restrictions that it cripples an entire artistic medium. It usually comes about due to the pleas of the MoralGuardians and {{Media Watchdog}}s, but sometimes, it will come about due to some other circumstances (e.g. the beliefs of a specific corporation). Regardless, the presence of such a CensorshipBureau will be a bane to the medium and usually result in it not being taken seriously.

* The HaysCode (officially the "Motion Picture Production Code"), adopted in 1933, stifled cinema for decades.
** But gave us a place for Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies, works of cartoon wackiness that truly were 'fun for the whole family'.
** It also changed over time, both in the actual text of the laws as well as their enforcement, ultimately leading up to the modern ratings system.

* In 1986 Nintendo of America, which saw video games as family entertainment, leaned on third-party publishers to remove all references to religion, drugs, alcohol, and adult situations from their games. Nintendo threatened to withhold the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" and not manufacture the [[CopyProtection patented game cartridges]] for companies that didn't comply. Even when Sega made a name for itself with the Genesis, Nintendo controlled enough of the video game market share to profoundly influence how games were localized for western consumption, most notably religious references being cut but also many other changes. However, Sega's marketing was successful in giving Nintendo a "kiddie" label it's been [[NeverLiveItDown cursed]] ever since, even after these policies largely lapsed after the advent of the ESRB, which established an independent rating system allowing games to be targeted appropriately.
** Sega themselves censored some of the games they released, most notably StreetsofRage III.

* England had a CensorshipBureau of sorts for theatre which lasted from the Elizabethan era until the late twentieth century. Some believe that operettas/musical theatre came about, at least in part, as a way of getting around this, since musical performances didn't fall under the CensorshipBureau's jurisdiction. This duty was held by the Lord Chamberlain's office; whilst the title and office still exist, it hasn't been responsible for censorship since 1968.

* The American FCC, since it a) charges large fines for violating the standards for programs in media it has authority over, and b)''refuses to publish a list of those standards''. FCC can't make criminal charges, those fines started at $27,500 and went up to $325,000 after Janet Jackson flashed the audience at the 2004 SuperBowl. The record is $1.2 million, for a {{FOX}} reality show called ''Married by America'' in which someone licked whipped cream off a woman's censored nipples.

** A rather fascinating case of this was the banning of VoltesV in the Filipines due to the central anti-dictatorship conflict, which actually lead to the SuperRobot being seen as a symbol of revolution.

* The American FCC, since it a) charges large fines for violating the standards for programs in media it has authority over, and b)''refuses to publish a list of those standards''. FCC can't make criminal charges, those fines started at $27,500 and went up to $325,000 after Janet Jackson flashed the audience at the 2004 SuperBowl. The record's $1.2 million for a {{FOX}} reality show called ''Married by America'' in which someone licked whipped cream off a woman's censored nipples.

* In 1986, Nintendo of America (which saw video games as children's toys and family entertainment), leaned on third-party publishers to remove all references to religion, drugs, alcohol, and adult situations from their games. Nintendo threatened to withhold the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" (and, more importantly, not manufacture the [[CopyProtection patented game cartridges]]) for companies that didn't comply. Even when Sega made a name for itself with the Genesis, Nintendo controlled enough of the video game market share to profoundly influence how games were localized for western consumption -- resulting in ''FinalFantasy'''s "Holy" spell being renamed "Pearl", the hero of ''{{ActRaiser}}'' ({{God}}) being renamed "The Master", lots and lots of crosses being removed, and many many other changes. This eventually backfired once publishers realized that the "Seal of Quality" didn't mean jack, and they by and large jumped to another company's console (the Playstation) once it became financially feasible to do so, sending Nintendo into a slump from which it has only recently recovered. Nintendo has been [[NeverLiveItDown cursed]] with the "kiddie" label ever since, even though they've largely abandoned attempts at censorship and encouraged publishers to develop "mature" games.
** One of the games most affected by Nintendo's censorship policies was ''ManiacMansion''; one of the game's developers gives the inside story on the changes to the game [[http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/maniac.html here]].
** Another obvious example is the bloody arcade fighting game ''MortalKombat'', where the Super Nintendo version had all its blood replaced by gray ooze (presumably sweat) and the more over-the-top Fatalities being neutered (Kano, for example, changed from ripping your heart out to just... punching you very hard). While being a smash hit on every single other system, sales were abysmal for the SNES version of the game. The patronizing decision to take the blood out of the game alone killed its sales, creating buzz about how the SNES version was the "censored" and "kiddie" version.
* Nintendo's attempts to prove to both the MoralGuardians and the US Government that game developers could be responsible in what content they put in their products (along with their hidden agenda of demonizing Sega and NEC to secure the lion's share of the the under-18 gamer market) helped lead to the creation of the ESRB, a voluntary ratings review board.

* The American FCC, since it a) charges large fines for violating the standards for programs in media it has authority over, and b)''refuses to publish a list of those standards''.
** It should be noted that the FCC can't make criminal charges, but can levy fines. The standard "indecency" fine was $27,500, but went up to $325,000 after Janet Jackson flashed the audience at the 2004 SuperBowl. The record's $1.2 million for a {{FOX}} reality show called ''Married by America'' in which someone licked whipped cream off someone else's nipples.

** A strange case with TheSimpsons [[TheMovie Movie]] and the BBFC. On the list of things that made the film a PG was use of the WORD "penis", but not the DEPICTION thereof!

* While relatively short-lived compared to the other examples, Bernie Stolar's policies at SCEA (1995-1996) and Sega of America (1996-1999) were stifling, to say the least. At Sony, he wouldn't allow predominantly two-dimensional games, {{RPG}}s, or anything "too Japanese" to be released in the United States. His logic behind this was that the "system's capabilities needed to be showcased" and that "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn nobody buys]] {{RPG}}s''/''[[WidgetSeries overly Japanese games]]". He only stayed at Sony for a little over a year before being fired. Sega of America (in one of many horrible moves during the Saturn period) hired him. He started a "five-star game" system, which basically translated to the same thing without explicitly being said as such. It's generally accepted that Sony continues to discourage 2-D games; even when the games are allowed, they force the publishers to package them together and to lower the price beyond what the publisher may be willing to accept.
** The anti-2D practice was rumored to have been subverted by Capcom in the early years of the [=PlayStation=]: allegedly, when they approached Sony with the very first ''ResidentEvil'' game, they said that they would only publish the game if Sony allowed them to publish 2D games (like, say, a new ''Mega Man'' game) on the system as well.

* German TV station RTL2 in regards to ''any'' Anime. Nuff said.

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<<|CensorshipTropes|>>

* In 1986, Nintendo of America (which saw video games as children's toys and family entertainment), leaned on third-party publishers to remove all references to religion, drugs, alcohol, and adult situations from their games. Nintendo threatened to withhold the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" (and, more importantly, not manufacture the [[CopyProtection patented game cartridges]]) for companies that didn't comply. Even when Sega made a name for itself with the Genesis, Nintendo controlled enough of the video game market share to profoundly influence how games were localized for western consumption -- resulting in ''FinalFantasy'''s "Holy" spell being renamed "Pearl", the hero of ''{{ActRaiser}}'' ({{God}}) being renamed "The Master", lots and lots of crosses being removed, and many many other changes. This eventually backfired once publishers realized that the "Seal of Quality" didn't mean jack, and they by and large jumped to another company's console (the Playstation) once it became financially feasible to do so, sending Nintendo into a slump from which it has only recently recovered. Nintendo has been cursed with the "kiddie" label ever since, even though they've largely abandoned attempts at censorship and encouraged publishers to develop "mature" games.

**The anti-2D practice was rumored to have been subverted by Capcom in the early years of the [=PlayStation=]: allegedly, when they approached Sony with the very first ''ResidentEvil'' game, they said that they would only publish the game if Sony allowed them to publish 2D games (like, say, a new ''MegaMan'' game) on the system as well.

**But gave us a place for Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies, works of cartoon wackieness that truly were 'fun for the whole family'.

** One of the games most affected by Nintendo's censorship policies was ''Maniac Mansion''; one of the game's developers gives the inside story on the changes to the game [[http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/maniac.html here]].

**Another interesting case was the release of [[TheWho the Who's]] Quadrophenia in 1973 in Spain. They censored the liner notes for objectionable lyrics, and deleted "Doctor Jimmy." Ah, but that's not all. The booklet contained pictures illustrating Jimmy's story. On the wall of Jimmy's room, there were [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean shall we say]], [[UnusualEuphemism clothing deficient]] women on the wall of Jimmy's room. These booklets were printed outside the country, so the censors had each [[NippleandDimed offending picture]] properly clothed with a BlackBraAndPanties...''by hand.''