We all love board games but are some of them more controversial than you thought? Here are some examples of games which have banned throughout the years. You might be surprised at some of the names on the list.
Monopoly – BANNED in Cuba
What is so bad about freaking Monopoly that it could be banned in Cuba? Sure, there were times when I sat there with my pathetic row of brown properties and wished that someone would ban this abomination of a game. However, I would need to have moved to Fidel Castro-controlled Cuba for my dreams to come true. The unhinged ex Cuban ruler ordered that every set of the capitalist pig’s ideal game be destroyed.
War on Terror Board Game on Ebay– BANNED from Industry Fairs
War on Terror Board Game on Ebay – can you imagine the deep and bitter disappointment of being banned from a board game industry fair? While your rivals are all in there rolling dice, drinking rum punch and laughing heartily you would be outside pressing your frozen nose against the glass. This is exactly what happened to the makers of War on Terror, although I can’t be 100% sure about the frozen nose bit. This game was released in 2006 and the media screamed, “It’s sick!” It was inspired by the invasion of Iraq and police even turned up to snatch a copy because – and this is true – there was a balaclava in the box. Thankfully, there is a happy ending and the game is now seen as a responsible and intelligent look at the war of terrorism. What about the balaclava though, eh? What about the bloody balaclava?
Public Assistance Game Banned in the US
Public Assistance game banned after this game was released in the 1980s. Why? Well, it probably has something to do with the fact that it invites the players to freeload their way through life mocking people who work for a living. It has since been re-released as Obozo’s America: Why Work for a Living? There is now a Marxist Clown in it too. That’s progress for you.
Dad’s Army – BANNED on eBay
Dad’s Army was a hilariously bad British comedy show from the 70s. The premise behind this gentle rib tickler – and I urge you to sit down before reading this – is that a group of elderly chaps form a Home Guard unit to ward off German attacks. Apparently this show spawned a board game which features ageing soldiers, swastikas and, err, stuff. Anyway, someone found an old copy of it in their house one day and decided to try and sell it so some poor sop on eBay. Thankfully, the people who run eBay saw through this piece of 70s fluff for what it was; despicable Nazi memorabilia. They sent the seller an email telling him to desist and refrain from selling his horribly depraved Nazi merchandise on their lovely site. Quite right too.
Backgammon – BANNED in France and the UK
You’ve played backgammon, right? So you already know that it’s is a disgusting and frankly perverse game. What’s that? You had never noticed this aspect of backgammon before now? Well, it didn’t escape the attention of the French and the Brits. Our old friend Louis IX banned it in the mid 13th century, while fun loving Brits quite possibly still have to go abroad to get a game even now.
Mahjong – BANNED in China
The popular Chinese game of Mahjong was banned in – where else? – China in 1949. The Communist government quite rightly saw the danger in people having some fun with a bunch of small tiles. It wasn’t until 1985 that it was made legal again.
