Current Events > I think I bought an illegal game...

(+) Yeah! (+)

I went to my local hobby media shop the other day to browse and ended up purchasing The Guy Game on PlayStation 2. I knew it had some kind of controversy, but I didn't look it up fully until I had already bought it and took it home. I thought it would be one of those simple recall games that they stopped producing copies of as soon as the controversy broke out, but I think it's actually illegal to buy, sell, and/or own. But maybe it's one of those "gray areas" where it was only illegal to sell NEW copies and it's ok to buy and trade used. I couldn't find definitive, plain language proof that it's actually classified as an illegal item, just that it was at the center of a lawsuit and it was "banned' which is kind of vague.

To be brief and rule compliant, it was found out after the game was produced that the game features uncensored footage of a minor participating in the game when she shouldn't have. To be fair, she lied on the consent form with the use of a fake ID so it's not like the legal team didn't do all they could with the forms and process they had on location when they were filming all the scenes for the game.

Anyone want to weigh in on this?

creepy and gross

It's legally child pornography and you should destroy it if you actually have it.

Turn yourself in and get on the registry

I illegally purchased and played a game D:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/1/9/AAPV5JAADsEH.jpg

YugiNoob posted...

I illegally purchased and played a game D:

you monster

Why would you make this topic?
Jesus Christ.

Nukazie posted...

you monster

I deserve that :(

A minor participating in the game? What does that mean?

silverpine posted...

creepy and gross

The game or me?

Tyranthraxus posted...

It's legally child pornography and you should destroy it if you actually have it.

That's what I kind of thought, but I wasn't sure about how the law viewed it since they didn't put much effort into recalling already existing copies or put out notices to game shops to NOT sell it OR delist online listings for it. I bought it through normal channels so I expect it to be ok to own. It's not like it was a shady back alley deal, but maybe I'm relying too heavily on the federal government to regulate my ability to purchase legal goods.

R1masher posted...

Turn yourself in and get on the registry

Surely you jest. That's an overreaction, I think.

SableWolfAngel posted...

That's what I kind of thought, but I wasn't sure about how the law viewed it

The law says you get an affirmative defense if you destroy it.

If you don't and a cop searches your house for any reason and finds it you don't get the affirmative defense anymore.

YugiNoob posted...

I illegally purchased and played a game D:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/1/9/AAPV5JAADsEH.jpg

Tisk tisk. That's against the rules!! You need a timeout.

Kakapo posted...

Why would you make this topic?
Jesus Christ.

To insight thoughtful discussion and get some opinions.

Lvaneede posted...

A minor participating in the game? What does that mean?

It means she stood in front f the cameras, got the quiz question she was asked wrong, and had to pay the (in)appropriate penalty for said incorrect answer.

Oh, I heard of this game before, knew it was questionable in some way, but didnt know it involved topless women.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guy_Game

It's true that the 17-year-old girl lied on her consent form, but the publisher was supposed to make a new version of the game that did not contain that 17-year-old girl. The publisher made a DVD movie version of The Guy Game (subtitled Game Over), which is not interactive and does not contain the illegal footage

Anybody interested in The Guy Game is supposed to buy the new DVD-movie, not the original PS2 game with the illegal footage. All merchants were supposed to throw out the original PS2 game, because under the law, it's child pornography. It's not a gray area

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/5/AAatkdAADsEN.jpg

SableWolfAngel posted...

The game or me?

That's what I kind of thought, but I wasn't sure about how the law viewed it since they didn't put much effort into recalling already existing copies or put out notices to game shops to NOT sell it OR delist online listings for it. I bought it through normal channels so I expect it to be ok to own. It's not like it was a shady back alley deal, but maybe I'm relying too heavily on the federal government to regulate my ability to purchase legal goods.

Surely you jest. That's an overreaction, I think.

It's not ok for you to own a game with underage naked girls. Why would you even need to ask this? Its considered underage porn and you can definitely be criminally charged for it..

Tyranthraxus posted...

The law says you get an affirmative defense if you destroy it.

If you don't and a cop searches your house for any reason and finds it you don't get the affirmative defense anymore.

Yeah, they're sending out swat teams and wasting money charging people with possession of child pornography over The Guy Game. The tag I gave you years ago has never once been wrong.

TC, you should throw it in the trash to save yourself from the embarrassment of owning garbage like that, not because of fear of prosecution. Considering they never pulled receipts from gaming stores and rounded up everyone they could track down, don't listen to fear mongers. Just trash it so you don't feel like a scumbag for owning it.

Tyranthraxus posted...

The law says you get an affirmative defense if you destroy it.

If you don't and a cop searches your house for any reason and finds it you don't get the affirmative defense anymore.

Affirmative defense? I'll admit, I'm not very learned in the legal arts so that's going right over my head.

Lvaneede posted...

Oh, I heard of this game before, knew it was questionable in some way, but didnt know it involved topless women.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guy_Game

Right! I probably saw it on one of those listicles titled something real clickbait-y like "Top 10 BANNED Games" or something eye catching like that and it just sat in my subconscious until I saw it in real life.

xue1 posted...

It's true that the 17-year-old girl lied on her consent form, but the publisher was supposed to make a new version of the game that did not contain that 17-year-old girl. The publisher made a DVD movie version of The Guy Game (subtitled Game Over), which is not interactive and does not contain the illegal footage

Anybody interested in The Guy Game is supposed to buy the new DVD-movie, not the original PS2 game with the illegal footage. All merchants were supposed to throw out the original PS2 game, because under the law, it's child pornography. It's not a gray area

Oh yeah! And copies of the DVD version are even rarer than the game version. I think you'd be hard pressed to find one even if you spent most of your time searching the listings and calling shops. Besides, then you don't get to actually play the quiz questions! It's like You Don't Know Jack mixed with Girls Gone Wild, really. I like the quiz parts since there's a challenge instead of just "insert DVD, watch the girls".

omega_cookie posted...

Yeah, they're sending out swat teams and wasting money charging people with possession of child pornography over The Guy Game.

Did I say they were sending out swat teams for the guy game? lol that's not how this shit works. The cop shows up for something else entirely, finds this game, and then you get charged.

SableWolfAngel posted...

Affirmative defense? I'll admit, I'm not very learned in the legal arts so that's going right over my head.

Affirmative defense is something like self defense which you use to not get convicted of murder or fair use to not get convicted of copyright violation. There's a similar defense for people who accidentally stumble across CP as long as you destroy it.

Xethuminra posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/5/AAatkdAADsEN.jpg

I view it as adding something quirky to my collection more than anything.

RenescoStCewl posted...

It's not ok for you to own a game with underage naked girls. Why would you even need to ask this? Its considered underage porn and you can definitely be criminally charged for it..

That's the teeniest bit hyperbolic. None of the girls get fully naked, just topless. And I wanted to see if anyone else had heard of this or owned a copy without knowing. It's just to start a conversation about how something like this happened under usually tight regulations and how it's a blip in history that is obviously sensational to cover and discuss.

omega_cookie posted...

Yeah, they're sending out swat teams and wasting money charging people with possession of child pornography over The Guy Game. The tag I gave you years ago has never once been wrong.

TC, you should throw it in the trash to save yourself from the embarrassment of owning garbage like that, not because of fear of prosecution. Considering they never pulled receipts from gaming stores and rounded up everyone they could track down, don't listen to fear mongers. Just trash it so you don't feel like a scumbag for owning it.

What Tag is that? I don't remember.

I see your point, but it was a bit expensive and is worth preserving for the history of gaming. I think if you feel like a scumbag for owning it, it's because your main goal was to see something you're not supposed to, but I don't feel that way because my main reason for owning it is because it's somewhat rare and odd. I have plenty of other games that are various types of legally dubious for other, admittedly less risqu, reasons. Like, the Rock Band games could be considered illegal if the music licenses are no longer valid or some crossover fighting games that have been delisted are no longer legal because the IP licenses were revoked. I own Cooking Mama: Cookstar which was kinda dicey for a while because the developer released it without the proper licensing and they knew it when it was time to release it, but that's not as exciting as what we're talking about now even though it has the potential to do a lot more harm in the long run than this.

B7 incoming

Tyranthraxus posted...

Affirmative defense is something like self defense which you use to not get convicted of murder or fair use to not get convicted of copyright violation. There's a similar defense for people who accidentally stumble across CP as long as you destroy it.

That's interesting. I've never heard of that before. I wonder how that works in practice. I have this feeling that it's not as cut and dry as all that.

SableWolfAngel posted...

I view it as adding something quirky to my collection more than anything.

That's the teeniest bit hyperbolic. None of the girls get fully naked, just topless. And I wanted to see if anyone else had heard of this or owned a copy without knowing. It's just to start a conversation about how something like this happened under usually tight regulations and how it's a blip in history that is obviously sensational to cover and discuss.

What Tag is that? I don't remember.

I see your point, but it was a bit expensive and is worth preserving for the history of gaming. I think if you feel like a scumbag for owning it, it's because your main goal was to see something you're not supposed to, but I don't feel that way because my main reason for owning it is because it's somewhat rare and odd. I have plenty of other games that are various types of legally dubious for other, admittedly less risqu, reasons. Like, the Rock Band games could be considered illegal if the music licenses are no longer valid or some crossover fighting games that have been delisted are no longer legal because the IP licenses were revoked. I own Cooking Mama: Cookstar which was kinda dicey for a while because the developer released it without the proper licensing and they knew it when it was time to release it, but that's not as exciting as what we're talking about now even though it has the potential to do a lot more harm in the long run than this.

If it's not a big deal then call the cops and tell them you have video of and underage girl topless and see what they say. I'm starting to think you made this topic because you thought It would make you look cool to own a game with underage nudity. Its really weird and creepy.

Wtf is even the gameplay of this game? Is it just "Girls Gone Wild" on Xbox

RenescoStCewl posted...

If it's not a big deal then call the cops and tell them you have video of and underage girl topless and see what they say. I'm starting to think you made this topic because you thought It would make you look cool to own a game with underage nudity. Its really weird and creepy.

Obviously I'm not going to do that. And I didn't make this topic to look "cool" or whatever. I made it because I thought it was interesting to discuss. It's an anomaly in an otherwise normal and well supervised process which deserves some type of discussion. Lots of YouTubers have video discussions on this very topic and they don't get all judgey and freaked out about it. They do a sort of history lesson, retrospective, some personal opinions, then a wrap-up just like any video. They even show footage of the game and footage of them owning a copy, if applicable. It's not like I'm the only one that wants to get my thoughts out there on the subject. Would you call them a creep for talking about it? I hope not.

Yeah you might wanna get rid of it.

There is a later revision on PC that removed that participant, but you don't wanna play with fire like that

TBH I'm surprised the ESRB didn't slap an AO rating on that game and have it banned.

SableWolfAngel posted...

Surely you jest. That's an overreaction, I think.

He's not joking. Im pretty sure we all have to go get registered for even coming into this topic. I wasn't really making my family proud to begin with, but you really fucked me over with this. Id cut you off for it, but I have a feeling it's gonna be hard to make nee friends with anyone not also on the list from here on out. So, we're now best friends instead.

Smashingpmkns posted...

Wtf is even the gameplay of this game? Is it just "Girls Gone Wild" on Xbox

It's a quiz party game. In Round 1, you answer the same question the girls are given. If you get it right, you get some money (akin to a score) and if you get it wrong, you lose money (lowering your score). Then, you have to guess if the girl got it right or wrong. If you guess correctly, you get bonus money and fill up a bonus meter. If you don't, you don't get the bonus money. In Round 2, you do the same first part, but you know for a fact that the girl got the question wrong. The twist is you have to guess what WRONG answer the girl gave to get the bonus. There are some other things like weird rules the President (the person with the highest score) sets for each round (like no one but the President can sit or you can't address anyone by name) and anyone who violates the current rule in effect suffers a "Penalty", though the game isn't specific about what that penalty is. Since it's an adult party game, I think you're just supposed to drink or something. That's the basics of the gameplay, at least how I understood it.

Lol @ people being serious about getting anyone involved tho. Just destroy it and move on with your life. Literally no one benefits from wasting their time on this.

Also, this topic is harmless. It's interesting that the game is still being cycled around. It would be wven more fucked ip to get that store into hot water if someone did wanna take it serious. They obviously had no idea. I only found out like a year ago myself. And that's cause I watch youtube obsessively. If I seen it at a store, Id just take it up to the owner and tell them. Then let them do whatever. I imagine 99% of people would immediately throw it in the air and shoot it with a rocket launcher

The Guy Game? Some of the girls were confirmed to be under 18.

MrMallard posted...

Yeah you might wanna get rid of it.

There is a later revision on PC that removed that participant, but you don't wanna play with fire like that

Oh, really? I thought only the DVD had the error fixed. I'm pretty sure the original releases on PC, Xbox, and PS2 all contain the same erroneous content, unless they figured out a way to patch it out back then.

Cheater87 posted...

TBH I'm surprised the ESRB didn't slap an AO rating on that game and have it banned.

That's a very good point! They did that for that one Grand Theft Auto game for the Hot Coffee scene, right? And that was arguably less problematic than this. Rockstar had to re-release that game with that content entirely removed from the game's files to get the M rating restored, right? I guess that was more of an informal complaint thing rather than a full blown legal battle and even an AO rating doesn't cover the unfortunate error this game has. Unless you're saying a reclassification would effectively ban it from even second hand stores since most of them refuse to stock AO games in the first place. But unless the staff knew about the reclassification (since it wouldn't be printed on the box), it would be totally effective.

Lost_All_Senses posted...

He's not joking. Im pretty sure we all have to go get registered for even coming into this topic. I wasn't really making my family proud to begin with, but you really fucked me over with this. Id cut you off for it, but I have a feeling it's gonna be hard to make nee friends with anyone not also on the list from here on out. So, we're now best friends instead.

He's not?? Bleck. Looks like I dunked on you by mistake! But what a serendipitous set of circumstances because now we can be besties and share in our pariah status! Let's go get a smoothie or something!

Tyranthraxus posted...

Did I say they were sending out swat teams for the guy game? lol that's not how this shit works. The cop shows up for something else entirely, finds this game, and then you get charged.

No? Search warrants are specific on what is being sought. Also you think some random cop knows what this shitty PS2 game is?

FortuneCookie posted...

The Guy Game? Some of the girls were confirmed to be under 18.

You mean there were multiple underage girls? That's even worse.

FortuneCookie posted...

The Guy Game? Some of the girls were confirmed to be under 18.

Technically, only one girl was, not multiple. They did their best by checking IDs and having the participants sign a legal waiver, but they couldn't predict a fake ID. I don't think they had those scanners back then and even if they did, some fakes are made with properly encoded data so that's not a fool proof way of checking a fake. She knowingly got a fake ID to drink underage and knowingly signed a form releasing rights to the footage they took of her, even though she claimed later she didn't know what the footage would be used for which is a flimsy defense if you ask me. You can logically infer it'd be used for some kind of media, like a DVD or game or magazine or pay per view or SOMETHING. She made a stupid mistake and learned from it, which is fine. But I don't think the production team did anything inherently wrong during filming. How they handled it afterward is another story, although.

SableWolfAngel posted...

It's a quiz party game. In Round 1, you answer the same question the girls are given. If you get it right, you get some money (akin to a score) and if you get it wrong, you lose money (lowering your score). Then, you have to guess if the girl got it right or wrong. If you guess correctly, you get bonus money and fill up a bonus meter. If you don't, you don't get the bonus money. In Round 2, you do the same first part, but you know for a fact that the girl got the question wrong. The twist is you have to guess what WRONG answer the girl gave to get the bonus. There are some other things like weird rules the President (the person with the highest score) sets for each round (like no one but the President can sit or you can't address anyone by name) and anyone who violates the current rule in effect suffers a "Penalty", though the game isn't specific about what that penalty is. Since it's an adult party game, I think you're just supposed to drink or something. That's the basics of the gameplay, at least how I understood it.

To add to this, the footage of the girls starts off completely censored until you hit a certain point level. Then the censors are taken away but the nudity is pixelated. You have to reach max points in an episode to unlock full nudity. There are 20 episodes and you have to do this for each one.

I bought this game the week it came out. I still have a save file on a memory card somewhere with every episode unlocked, although I sold the game a long time ago.

SableWolfAngel posted...

Technically, only one girl was, not multiple. They did their best by checking IDs and having the participants sign a legal waiver, but they couldn't predict a fake ID. I don't think they had those scanners back then and even if they did, some fakes are made with properly encoded data so that's not a fool proof way of checking a fake. She knowingly got a fake ID to drink underage and knowingly signed a form releasing rights to the footage they took of her, even though she claimed later she didn't know what the footage would be used for which is a flimsy defense if you ask me. You can logically infer it'd be used for some kind of media, like a DVD or game or magazine or pay per view or SOMETHING. She made a stupid mistake and learned from it, which is fine. But I don't think the production team did anything inherently wrong during filming. How they handled it afterward is another story, although.

I'd have greater sympathy for the game's producers had they not gotten women and girls to take their tops off under false pretenses. They said they were filming a game show, not a video game.

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

No? Search warrants are specific on what is being sought. Also you think some random cop knows what this shitty PS2 game is?

That is what I was thinking.

Still TC should get rid of it, but as someone that has been around gaming since pre-PS2 Era I have never heard of it, and would have had no idea. Assuming some boomer cop would know about it is a big leap.

SergeantGander posted...

Still TC should get rid of it

True, I was only speaking to how funny the idea of a cop seeing it and hauling TC off to jail seemed

bigtiggie23 posted...

To add to this, the footage of the girls starts off completely censored until you hit a certain point level. Then the censors are taken away but the nudity is pixelated. You have to reach max points in an episode to unlock full nudity. There are 20 episodes and you have to do this for each one.

I bought this game the week it came out. I still have a save file on a memory card somewhere with every episode unlocked, although I sold the game a long time ago.

That's some dedication! I don't think I'll end up doing that and will just stash it away in my collection. Though, I'm really curious about the quiz questions. I love trivia games! This is a tough one...

FortuneCookie posted...

I'd have greater sympathy for the game's producers had they not gotten women and girls to take their tops off under false pretenses. They said they were filming a game show, not a video game.

Maybe, but maybe they thought it was easier for the girls to grasp at the time. And either way, it's still video of them taking off their tops for some form of entertainment intended for public or private consumption. It's kind of a semantic argument.

eh she was 17 apparently.

i get that it qualifies and it's weird, especially for an older dude, but come on... hardly "child" porn. The second you turn 18 you can spread eagle on camera for pesos and i bet most people on this board eat (ha) that up; she was barely months away

but you should still get rid of it. cause the law doesn't care that she was months away from being able to get boned in the tuchus on camera.

Nah you're good

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

True, I was only speaking to how funny the idea of a cop seeing it and hauling TC off to jail seemed

That ain't funny!! Going to jail would be so annoying. The food tastes terrible and I'd be so bored. Fuck that!

xGhostchantx posted...

eh she was 17 apparently.

i get that it qualifies and it's weird, especially for an older dude, but come on... hardly "child" porn. The second you turn 18 you can spread eagle on camera for pesos and i bet most people on this board eat (ha) that up; she was barely months away

but you should still get rid of it. cause the law doesn't care that she was months away from being able to get boned in the tuchus on camera.

I'm glad you said it! It's not like she was 14 or something. She was so close to the line that it feels more like a technicality than anything.

You're so right! Once that clock turns to midnight, anything goes! I've even heard of videos where they show the girl's ID during filming for that very purpose so it's definitely a thing.

Is that how you spell that?? I thought it was spelled "tuckus"... Boy was I wrong!

AtelierGaming86 posted...

Nah you're good

You sure?

SableWolfAngel posted...

Is that how you spell that?? I thought it was spelled "tuckus"... Boy was I wrong!

yeah it's Yiddish for butt. Yiddish is a Germanic language written in Hebrew, but has a sizeable Hebrew vocabulary. Being a Germanic language, the -ch- sounds like the -ch in nacht. It's from Hebrew tkhat. Think of it like what happened between English and French, but make it German and Hebrew.

xGhostchantx posted...

yeah it's Yiddish for butt. Yiddish is a Germanic language written in Hebrew, but has a sizeable Hebrew vocabulary. Being a Germanic language, the -ch- sounds like the -ch in nacht. It's from Hebrew tkhat. Think of it like what happened between English and French, but make it German and Hebrew.

Such eloquent explanation!! It's always nice to learn something new. And from such an unlikely place! See guys? This discussion facilitated education!

SableWolfAngel posted...

That's some dedication! I don't think I'll end up doing that and will just stash it away in my collection. Though, I'm really curious about the quiz questions. I love trivia games! This is a tough one...

Oh the things we do when we were young and alone. It went beyond mere dedication. I went through each episode 3 times. Once to mark down all the correct responses, a second time to give all correct responses to unlock the episodes, then a third time so I could see what I unlocked.

I think they patched her out of later versions of the game?

bigtiggie23 posted...

Oh the things we do when we were young and alone. It went beyond mere dedication. I went through each episode 3 times. Once to mark down all the correct responses, a second time to give all correct responses to unlock the episodes, then a third time so I could see what I unlocked.

Wait, you only did it because you were lonely? Oh... I didn't mean to make light of your reasoning. But still, I count it as dedication all the same. Maybe I can find a guide so I don't have to play through that many times to get a perfect file. That would also be nice to have!