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Brain game pulled over 'offense'

news.bbc.co.uk — A video game which uses a term abusive to people with disabilities is being pulled by its manufacturer. MindQuiz, a brain training game for the Nintendo DS handheld console, was released in the UK by French software giant Ubisoft in March 2007. However, poor performance in one section sees the player labelled in an offensive manner.

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  • satanatnmtedu, on 10/11/2007, -1/+107The question is: "What is the word?"
    • Bakkster, on 10/11/2007, -6/+115"With a score like that you must be British!"
    • ursername180, on 10/11/2007, -3/+21Might be this word:

      http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spacker

      Only word I could find which is an offensive term for Cerebral Palsy
      • grubwort, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1It could possibly have called you a Scoper.
        Or Joey Deacon.

        Or Mong the Merciless.
      • leetdood, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1SPACKER DAVE!
    • hjartad, on 10/11/2007, -1/+44http://www.gametechreview.com/blog/218/mind-quiz-is-right.html
      • Lixie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Well, at least you're still "super"....
    • fkr3, on 10/11/2007, -3/+42The word's not important. What's important is that younger generations are praised for being stupid so we don't make them feel bad about it.
      • thesixthdesign, on 10/11/2007, -0/+16If everyone took everything to offense, the world would suck. =P
    • NeuPhate, on 10/11/2007, -1/+28Super Spastic? We can't say that in a news story?
      • RTourn, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3If there was a time to use bad words, now would be it. We should not be more confused after reading the article.
    • kingfoot, on 10/11/2007, -1/+37To simplify for everyone, they are taking offense to "spastic".. well personally I don't get it but I'm over here in America and to be a spaz or spastic, means to tweak out or be generally hyper and twitchy. at least to my group of pals who generally use it almost every day.
    • donatj, on 10/11/2007, -4/+91Man, this whole thing is retarded.
      • somnambualist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7You win.
        I was wondering how far I was going to have to scroll down until someone posted it. Virtually obligaroty.
        • tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -12/+2Um...the word is "spastic", not "retarded".
      • charlescheese, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Right on...right ***** on.
    • stauken, on 10/11/2007, -1/+16The word in question was spastic (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6173353.html).
      One definition of said word (which basically, only someone who had been diagnosed with or dealt with palsy would have even known) [definitions re: dict.org]:
      spastic
      adj 1: relating to or characterized by spasm; "a spastic colon";
      "spastic paralysis is a spastic form of cerebral
      palsy"
      2: suffering from spastic paralysis; "a spastic child"
      3: affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions;
      resembling a spasm; "convulsive motions"; "his body made a
      spasmodic jerk"; "spastic movements" [syn: convulsive, spasmodic]
      n : a person suffering from spastic paralysis

      Another one NOT pertaining to cerebal palsy:
      Spastic Spas"tic, a. [L. spasticus, Gr. ?, fr. ? to draw: cf.
      F. spastique. See Spasm.] (Med.)
      Of or pertaining to spasm; spasmodic; especially, pertaining
      to tonic spasm; tetanic.
      [1913 Webster]

      And just because it's freakin comical, here's the list of 'alternative' words provided by the built in thesaurus:
      88 Moby Thesaurus words for "spastic":
      apoplectic, arthritic, broken, capricious, careening, case,
      cataclysmic, catchy, choppy, consumptive, convulsive, desultory,
      deviative, disastrous, disconnected, discontinuous, dyspeptic,
      eccentric, eclamptic, epileptic, erratic, fidgety, fitful,
      flickering, fluctuating, guttering, halting, herky-jerky,
      heteroclite, immethodical, inconstant, incurable, inpatient,
      intermittent, intermitting, invalid, irregular, jerking, jerky,
      jiggety, jumpy, lurching, nonuniform, orgasmic, outpatient,
      paroxysmal, patchy, patient, rambling, rheumatic, rough, saltatory,
      scrappy, seismic, shut-in, sick person, snatchy, spasmatic,
      spasmic, spasmodic, sporadic, spotty, staggering, sufferer,
      terminal case, the sick, twitchety, twitching, twitchy, uncertain,
      unequal, uneven, unmethodical, unmetrical, unregular, unrhythmical,
      unsettled, unsteady, unsystematic, upheaving, valetudinarian,
      variable, veering, vellicative, wandering, wavering, wobbling,
      wobbly
    • skankyBacon, on 10/11/2007, -0/+33I could see people getting offended...but why can't they even say it for the purposes of journalism? It's not like saying "the game was pulled for the use of the word 'spastic'" is insulting anyone. It's this kind of ultra-sensitivity that is getting out of control. Words are harmless, people. Getting rid of a word (if it were possible) would not get rid of the hate, bigotry, cruelty, etc. behind it.
      • ricree, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4I could see people getting offended over this too. Mostly, though, because in any sufficiently large group of people there is always going to be some idiot who gets offended way too easily and bitches and moans until people give in. Unless I'm missing some sort of horrible slang meaning that no one has mentioned yet, this seems to be a fairly innocuous word.
      • tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4The City of New York outlawed the word "******".
      • gradeahonky, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I think they realize its a retarded story, so they're making it vague in the hopes that people will get interested. They want us to think the game called the little boy a "crippled cum dumpster" or something, because no one gives a damn about calling people spastic. Its one of the few insults we had left!'

        Its just desperate journalism as usual.
    • radu79, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10Wow, and I thought the word was something really bad, such as *****.
      Never heard of the word "spastic" before (English is not my native language).
      • imtigger2, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Oh man... I laugh my ass off every time I hear "*****" Ha! see.. there I go again! best... word... EVER!
    • pianojuggler4, on 10/11/2007, -0/+18"You're a dumbass." Oh sorry, did that offend you? People need to get a grip. I'm so sick of this politically correct bull.
      • Cameleopard, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Excuse me, but that word is offensive to mute burros. Please refrain from using such offensive terms whilst debasing others.
    • TJATL, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5OMG, I'm offended by a word!!!!! I was always raised with, "Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

      How can parents fail to teach their children the simplest things in life? +1 for human breeding test.
      • Blooooo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will hurt forever.
    • skyfire1, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3People that annoy me are naggers.
    • battletrax, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1And i guess games like manhunt and postal 2 aren't offending at all compared to this brain game.
  • terrorpin, on 10/11/2007, -16/+13So was it spaz, spacker or just plain old spastic?
  • Tahiri, on 10/11/2007, -7/+152How retarded
  • Danjamin, on 10/11/2007, -12/+72Well, instead of being upset that they got called a mean name maybe the person should work on not being a retard.
  • UtahApocalyse, on 10/11/2007, -16/+48F*C* this PC crap
    • TheSmiddy, on 10/11/2007, -6/+8hahahaha, good work on censoring your anti-censor post
    • Spizzat2, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Thanks for censoring yourself. I know I would have been offended.
    • crysys, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2Either this is guy is totally *****, clown shoe retarded or a comedy genius. Like most good comedy, it's so close I can't really tell.

      At this point, I am laughing both with you, and at you.
    • tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1**** this PC ****.
    • SCVirus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Well, (assuming you weren't self-censoring for comedic purposes) the women making this complaint lives in Belfast. As such I think with the kind of tense political situation in which she lives its quite reasonable for her to complain about something for not being 'PC'.
  • gwhardyiv, on 10/11/2007, -13/+28That game looks gay anyway.
    • afruff23, on 10/11/2007, -12/+2"Aimed at ages three and above"
      Hey it's perfect for you!
      • gwhardyiv, on 10/11/2007, -1/+11Get mommy to open the big book with all the words in it and ask her to read the definition of "irony" to you.
        • minigamer1896, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Might I also ask you about the alternative meaning for gay? ;)
      • ProvidenceCrow, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I'll cut out the middle man on that:

        Irony: The use of words expressing something other than their literal intention
    • stauken, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7I agree with hardy, but I think it looks 'spastic' gay. I'm going to use that word like 800 times more often now.
    • evilninjax, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0'I meant 'gay' as in 'stupid,' NOT 'homosexual' "
      • sethisastud, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0I want a gay (as in homosexual) DS game...no wait, I already have animal crossing. NM.
  • RedHerringHack, on 10/11/2007, -1/+40It calls em like it sees em.
    • tektalk, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I think it said " you're a moron" and the person who took offense to that line is indeed one.
    • moggq7, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0it must be a whale biologist
  • Kohath, on 10/11/2007, -4/+104There are no offensive words -- just people who decide to take offense at certain words. It's time to stop giving people power based on their decision to take offense at something.
    • kingfoot, on 10/11/2007, -7/+3thank you for finally saying this. too bad its this low in the comments (yeah ok maybe not SO low but still not as high as it should be)
    • StormyAaron, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4< Censored> YEA!
      < /FCC>
      really we need to start using our own brains then letting others think for us.
    • spyrochaete, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1meecrob
    • Yoshi39, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3porch monkey 4 life
  • cgfranco, on 05/23/2008, -8/+27What a retard.
    • cgfranco, on 05/23/2008, -7/+5I'm sorry. What a spastic retard. Better.
  • Kadeem, on 10/11/2007, -24/+12***** LIKE THAT MAKES ME HATE THIS COMMENT SYSTEM
  • sparrowkc, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8I can't decide... I either hope it was something stupid or, I hope it was something horribly offensive. Both would be funny.
  • iloveazngurlzs, on 10/11/2007, -4/+6easily solved by a voice over at that spot, "you have the lowest score, your a special boy/girl now!"
  • Tucker87, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3You really can't hate the comment system. It just gives people a place to speak their mind. PEBKAC as I always say. It's not the system, the Problem Exists Between the Keyboard And Chair.
    • SwabTheDeck, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Sweet, digg down still works.
      • Tucker87, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Whoops meant to be a reply to Kadeem saying "***** LIKE THAT MAKES ME HATE THIS COMMENT SYSTEM"

        ...stupid comment system.
  • Pikachelsea, on 10/11/2007, -1/+49I'm offended by people who are offended by simple words. Get over yourself; the world isn't going to change to suit your over-sensitivity.
  • blacklilyninja, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1oh well... it happens
  • ProtossX, on 10/11/2007, -17/+6Is it possible to kill retards like this who can't handle a few stupid insults in a video game seriously bitch you dont like it DONT PLAY IT ***** RETARD AND GO WATCH A DISNEY MOVIE

    I swear i mean what the hell omg your so dumb you failed plz kill urself its a video game jees you are stupid you did fail it now shutup an stop bitching about the insults the game told about you

    ***** man how do ppl like this exist
    • skago, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0If I was your parents, I would regret everyday that I had unprotected sex because you were the end result of it.
      • ProtossX, on 10/11/2007, -4/+0and if i was u i would kill myself GG n00b now go push your mentally retarded mom down the stairs like brain game told you to increasing the IQ of the world one tard at a time
  • nonconformist, on 10/11/2007, -0/+23For a second there I thought I was reading youtube comments.
  • spawesume, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5If the word was retarded the game would've gotten way more sales from the publicity. I mean spastic? How mildly offensive.
  • johnmcgowan, on 10/11/2007, -8/+2that's retarded.

    and queer.
    • waterboy4453, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0dugg for Clerks TV show reference.
  • kmb1794, on 10/11/2007, -0/+23I don't think it's fair to refer to "people with disabilities" as being abused by the word "spaz". The reason is that by saying people feel abuse you are saying just because they are disabled they would be offended. To me that's more offensive.
    They should have just said it offends some people. Apparently it doesn't just offend the disabled people. Plus I don't think blind people are generally offended by the term spaz. And I don't think they should be offended because of "disabled" associative comraderie that this article suggests.

    Disabled people aren't like a team.
    • crysys, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Is that because they would suck at sports?

      Hell is going to be interesting.
  • Scheissen, on 10/11/2007, -6/+3Of course it happens in fascist britain.
  • psyk0ninja, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1im wholeheartedly against this ***** censorship. and i liked kmb1794's comment. no, they arent a team.
  • stauken, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I just actually read through the definitions that I copied/pasted for spastic -- I'm now offended by the use of the word spastic not followed by the use of the word colon. I know someone would make a federal case out of it eventually (Or whatever the hell a big crime case is called in Britain/UK) but come on, at least the Cerebral palsy lady would be fine. "You can't answer 1 + 2 = 3" (That was an actual question I saw in a screenshot :) "So I'm calling you a spastic colon. Have fun!"
  • Piggycow, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4You know how sad it is to say a WORD was very hurtful. You must have the lowest self esteem possible to be angered over a game calling you "retarted".
  • otaking, on 10/11/2007, -3/+16Disabled people can play games? Who let this happen!? :o
  • Sharky35, on 10/11/2007, -8/+3Ohhh, A game for diggers.
    • tektalk, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1On behalf of my fellow diggers, you deserve this reply:
      *****... You. Now you also must be new here and may or may not have noticed the comment system we have. It's where we bury lame or retarded comments and digg witty comments. As you may have noticed, your comment has been buried (meaning it's lame or retarded in case you haven't picked up the clue); you can change that by being less retarded than you are at the current moment or you can leave digg forever because it's not the site for you.
  • mustafya, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6I hate to tell them but the term retarded is still legitimately used in the medical field in a nonoffensive manner. My wife is a psychologist and a member of the APA and it is a sanctioned term by them.
  • keeton67, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1Maybe I'm retarded but I don't believe there are very many "mentally challenged "(is that better) people playing that particular game to begin with. Also since they are living of the government tit I don't really care if their offended by the word they should be glad that they live in a society that cares for them enough that they are be able to worry about being offended by a word.
  • SenatorLampoon, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5I'd be offened too if I were playing a video game and it called me a stupid bitch, because I'm not a stupid bitch. I'm a goofy bastard.


    (Notice the proper use of the subjunctive mood.)
  • PiKo85, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2This full grown woman still calls her father "daddy" grow the ***** up your not 4 anymore.
  • crysys, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Like most posters here, I assumed the game must call you a retard; what a letdown. The only screenshot of this shows someone at 0%. My question is, what it the highest score you can get and still be called spastic in the game?

    We know this woman is a *****, but how brain dead is she?
  • ElGuano, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I feel cheated, having read the entire article, which did not 1) report on the word in question, and 2) didn't at least report the phrase with the word redacted. It's like reading a story about Isiah Washington getting fired for "saying something bad."
    • chewchoi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1LOL. I had to do some digging (pun not intended) and even then all I unearthed was that naughty Isaiah Washington used "the F word". Oooo, better not use the word for fear of reporting the facts. Of course, in Britain, the "F word" is *****, not fag.

      Same goes with the this lame-o story. "Woman gets offended over a the use of a 'bad word'. Woman says 'I can't believe they used a bad word that I don't like.' In other news, someone got hurt when something unfortunate happened somewhere"
  • nicknottaken, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Its dumb ass ***** like this that makes me ashamed to call myself British. You can have games where you hack people up, run street gangs, sell drugs, rob houses, run people over, ***** prostitutes, but god forbid you call someone a spaz for not getting a decent score on some lame ass brain draining game. How sad.
  • LiberalsSuckAss, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14I wonder if the cartridge was "***** brown", too?
  • accessviolation, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2For those people who can't be troubled to read down to the third reply to the FIRST POST: the word is "spastic" you *retards*
  • mrhuhk, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1A spastic President in 2084!
  • thuugo, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0Ok she didn't like being called a retard. Who would? I applaud her.
  • brindon, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1At the bottom of the article is a teaser to another "From first Fag of the day to marital status..."
  • Armor1901, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2QUOTE:
    kmb1794:

    "Disabled people aren't like a team"

    Special Olympics FTW!
  • insomniac8400, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Everyone offended by the term spastic is retarded.
  • techmaster7b, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3This woman is retarted.
  • rainergamer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3game censorship strikes again
  • samfishercell, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3And the BBC skimps on what I like to call "good journalism", less they offend anyone.

    PAH!
  • winzippy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Big hugs for everyone. Extra big hugs for the retards.
  • saga, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1What is up with England and the word Spaz? It's like the North American equivalent to an N-bomb.

    Are there that many retarded kids running around England that this is worth getting so upset about? If so they should consider switching pesticides and maybe mix in a few Geiger counters.
    • neiltc13, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1"The problem emerged after a Belfast woman contacted BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show."

      Where does England come into this? The issue took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland which, along with England, Scotland and Wales is part of the United Kingdom.

      Please, go back to school and learn geography.
  • ibeetle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I do not know why this is so upsetting. At least it didn't say Belgium.
  • Audiophile27, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1maybe we should call terminally ill people Survival Imparied for instance
  • Shakermaker, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2My daughter is disabled and I HATE when people say "retarded". Anyone who takes issue with this obviously doesn't have a family member with a disability.
    • TygerrTygerr, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1But it is a medical term, psychology I think(?) and should continue to be used as such. People with a low IQ are classed as retarded which I'm assuming is what the game said. The fact that people use it as an insult is an entirely different matter, just like when authority is labelled a Nazi which does not mean that Nazi becomes an offensive word. Being retarded is not connected with being disabled, so really you should just write off people who use it as childish lunkheads like most of us would.

      Easier said than done, of course. I do sympathise.
    • Elric77, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1And come on, when someone calls someone a Retard, they aren't comparing them to someone with a disability. They are comparing them to someone that's RETARDED. *****, it's not the 70's anymore. I'm 30 and have lived my life having heard NOBODY refer to someone disabled as being a Retard. I'm not ignorant, I know it was done, but man, grow up. If a guy jumps off a balcony without looking into a pool, and finds there to be no water, he's not handicapped, he's a ***** RETARD.

      (I'm aware that not having heard someone called that might seem rare to some, but I also don't live in the US)
  • zaprowsdower, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1This be an retarded
  • Bungleboss, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0See also "Joey Deacon & Blue Peter"
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