Board games are a staple in many households, with some even collecting them. But while they’re usually a means of entertainment while hosting parties or spending time with the family, there are some controversial banned board games that you might not have heard about. From knock-offs of popular board games to highly criticized ideas, these are the most controversial banned board games ever.
5. The Sinking of the Titanic
As the name suggests, this is definitely not one of those games that should have been released to the public. The Sinking of the Titanic is exactly what you might think. The game from Milton Bradley sends players across the board, rescuing passengers from the Titanic‘s staterooms, escorting them to lifeboats before the ship goes down, in which players then have to hunt for food and fresh water.
The game received a lot of criticism, rightly so, when released in 1975. The company released a sister version afterwards, changing the name to Abandon Ship, set in the Pacific Ocean.
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4. Hart an der Grenze
Published in 2006, one of the most controversial banned board games is Hart an der Grenze, or Right at the Border. The game revolves around smuggling goods across the border, as the name suggests.
One player will take on the role of the border Sheriff, trying to catch the other players in the act of smuggling, where there is a lot of bluffing, making it a hilarious game for many friends. However, the game is banned in Brazil, as authorities argued that the game encouraged children to defy authority.
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3. Public Assistance
Next on the list of the most controversial banned board games ever is Public Assistance, with a catchy tagline, ‘Why Bother Working for a Living?’. As you can probably tell, the game is a satire on the American welfare state, resulting in the game being pulled from store shelves.
The game is a Monopoly-style game that pits working people against ‘able-bodied welfare recipients’ to see who can get the most money after taxes. There was a lot of criticism for the game, rightly so, even from the Secretary of Health and Human Services at the time.
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2. War on Terror
War on Terror is another satirical board game inspired by the Iraq invasion. The political strategy game saw players controlling an empire. Players had to liberate countries to develop towns and cities.
The game was banned quickly due to its terrorism aspect, where players funded terrorist groups to attack their opponents, which is an extremely sensitive subject. But it was also published in 2006, very soon after the London bombings of 2005.
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1. Gay Monopoly
Not only was this game banned simply for copyright laws since it knocked off Monopoly, but it was incredibly offensive. Fire Island Games released this “Celebration of Gay Life” in 1983 to celebrate the new gay rights movement. Like many spin-offs, this one kept the core theme of real estate mechanics.
But what made this game so wrong is that they changed the basic theme to match pretty offensive and bizarre stereotypes. For instance, the starting tokens were a jeep, a teddy bear, a blow dryer, a leather cap, handcuffs, and a stiletto heel. And instead of buying houses and hotels, players purchased bathhouses and bars.
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