Australian ratings board working to completely ban DayZ for promoting cannabis

The Australian Classification Board (ACB) is working to have all versions of DayZ banned in the country for promoting cannabis use.

Easier this week, we reported that the ACB had refused to sanction a physical release of the title, despite the fact a digital version of the survival shooter had previously been approved for sale on multiple occasions. 

According to Kotaku Australia, the ACB is now attempting to have the game pulled from sale entirely, which could mean an unceremonious end to the planned physical edition due to be published by Five Star Games, and the digital version that's been out in the wild for years. 

Explaining its reasoning in a report obtained by Kotaku, the ACB claimed the game will be banned for featuring "illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards."

"Through general gameplay, the player is able to collect and use a variety of equipment, supplies and weaponry," it reads. "One of the options to restore the player's health is a marijuana joint, labeled 'cannabis', which is denoted by a cannabis bud in the player's inventory."

Other games like Fallout 3 and We Happy Few have been (initially) banned in Australia for the same reason, and while games in the country are allowed to feature drug use, they must not imply narcotics can be used for restorative or beneficial purposes. 

Of course, developer Bohemia Interactive could amend the way drugs are presented and used in-game, although as some players have already pointed out, the cannabis in DayZ isn't actually a consumable item yet -- suggesting the ACB is blowing smoke over a feature that hasn't even been implemented.

"If the use of cannabis within the context of this game did not act as an incentive or reward, its impact could therefore be accommodated within the R18+ classification," added the ACB, suggesting there could be hope for DayZ.

"The use of drugs (marijuana) as an incentive or reward during the gameplay exceeds what can be accommodated within the R18+ classification and therefore must be Refused Classification."