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Singapore bans Mass Effect

Alleged girl-on-girl action causes government to put a stop to the title's release in the region.

Microsoft and BioWare's sci-fi action role-playing game Mass Effect is due to be released on November 20 in North America and November 23 in Europe. There will be one country that won't be playing the highly anticipated title, though--Singapore.

Reuters is reporting that the Microsoft game has been banned by Singapore's Media Development Authority, according to local paper The Straits Times. The ban is due to a love scene that can occur between a female human--if the player has chosen a female main character--and an alien "woman." The gender of the alien in question is actually not quite that simple; while female in appearance, the designation has little significance for the species in question--the Asari--as it has only one gender.

Other recent games have also been banned in the country, including God of War 2 (for nudity) and The Darkness (for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives).

432 Comments

  • mikeydumbo

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 8:47 am GMT

    ok i think its time for some general clarification.

    singapore is not third world. singapore doesn't ban chewing gum. it bans selling gum. singapore doesn't jail you for spitting. it fines you for spitting. singapore's "legal prostitutes"? to "isolate the damage". before you talk about singapore's prostitutes, maybe count the number in your country too. during that time, there was no rating system for games. now there is. mass effect is not banned anymore and is under M18. mass effect was not banned because we're afraid of lesbians. it cos we're afraid of people being offended by it(personally, i think government is too paranoid). and well, it was unbanned. michael fay spray painted other people's cars, who probably wouldn't want their cars spray painted (its fine if you spray paint your own car, as long as you don't insult anyone). long hair was unbanned over 30 years ago. singapore is not in china. how far away? further than from one end of canada to the other.
    singapore is not a muslim country. singapore is not communist. we're the REPUBLIC of singapore
    hung people don't suffocate to death. they die instantly cos their neck is broken. its far less inhumane than being stabbed to death by a random guy. after you've been raped. repeatedly. in prison.
    singaporeans are not oblivious to the strict laws. we prefer it to the fear of being [insert any crime you see everyday in your country that involves a gun] everytime we leave the home after 6pm.
    technically its girl on girl. asexuals are considered female.
    this problem is over. please stop. its been months after it was corrected. PS. i'm not sure which is worse. implementing caning to reduce crime (which i think is more inhumane, IMHO), or sit there and watch someone getting [whatever crime you can think off], knowing that can happen to you anytime in the future.

  • izzy_stradlin

    Posted May 2, 2008 5:55 am GMT

    For those of you that comment without actually understanding, singapore is not a communist country, singapore is not poor(one of the richest countries in the world), it is the government not the people (its just like stay at home moms who think they speak for everyone, even though no one supports there oppinions), and even though the game is banned it is still in all the stores.

    And as a final note it is actually easier to get games here than in the states cause no store ask for i.d.

  • MobstarRaven

    Posted Mar 8, 2008 8:22 pm GMT

    Lived there for a few years. Blame the singapore government not the country or the people. Democracy is a facade over there, the government practices totalitarianism and doesn't respect civil liberty. It's just sad to see that singaporans are not doing anything about it with their subservience. Heck majority don't even realize. HATE that singapore government.

  • BlueFlameBat

    Posted Feb 22, 2008 4:40 pm GMT

    Homophobes.

  • Dark_Lord777

    Posted Feb 10, 2008 1:01 am GMT

    Wow, next China will ban rice!!!!!!

  • HellJumper

    Posted Jan 21, 2008 1:49 pm GMT

    LOL!

  • grouse4641

    Posted Jan 14, 2008 7:40 am GMT

    That does not surprise me... like cabooservb117 said they are a communist country.

  • cabooservb117

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 6:45 pm GMT

    Well u gotta admit they are a communist country

  • pigsybum

    Posted Dec 17, 2007 6:15 am GMT

    singaporean here, banned games doesn't stops us, we can always import them. ^^ same goes for titles like GTA for ps3.

  • trystkl1826

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 1:25 pm GMT

    Wow. So there are no lesbians in Singapore. LOL

  • ChaotikZero1

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 10:11 pm GMT

    Singapore is actually a variety of different races and cultures put into one country... So I dont think religion and culture is to blame...

  • danthegamer32

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 1:21 pm GMT

    Damn, sucks to be Singaporian, or whatever they're called. Missin out on a huge game like that just because of ONE sex scene that even the BBFC has let pass as '12' material. Lol!

  • Fender_splinter

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 12:34 pm GMT

    damn rascists! ban the game 'cause of her skin color!

  • sickside6

    Posted Nov 18, 2007 11:17 pm GMT

    Well they are going to miss out on a really good game

  • titust755

    Posted Nov 18, 2007 2:10 pm GMT

    thats just to bad...lol

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Nov 17, 2007 4:41 pm GMT

    well that's too bad for them, should be a great game

  • chickenoverlord

    Posted Nov 17, 2007 6:30 am GMT

    I'm sure i heard something about some1 complaining about alien-human girl on girl ages ago...
    oh well whatever.... "The Straits Times"... of course they'd object

  • 7guns

    Posted Nov 17, 2007 5:05 am GMT

    The decession was stupid and it does nothing other than humiliating themselves, and just so u know know - things like these are just for show, I mean that they want to show that they care about their culture and religeon.They also know this never works and one way or another the game will make its way into the market. So u see , they have no strong ground to hold. But we can give it a rest now since the ban is lifted. PS:-http://www.gameaxis.com/home/?blog=1887

  • icecoldkilla78

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 5:09 pm GMT

    they can always buy it on ebay

  • Iffy350

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 2:27 pm GMT

    Its not fair. Gamespot deleted my post! How come someone can post "Bewbs" and waste a post where as someone with a real opinion gets there post bumped onto the nonexistent page 10.

  • berkner_ram77

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 12:01 pm GMT

    If people want the game let them have, Singapore shouldn't be able to tell their people what THEY want.

  • Vyce3

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 9:36 am GMT

    How can you ''do it'' with a race that has only one gender anyway?!?

  • thekey

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 9:16 am GMT

    Singapore is one strange country.

  • cdodder

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 8:47 am GMT

    Considering that an alien is NOT human, there is a strong possibility that it would not be male OR female at all. So what is wrong with human on alien.So typical of humans to think they are the only things in this universe.

  • oli_kester

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 8:31 am GMT

    this isn't 50 years ago, Singapore

  • prioritymail

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 7:05 am GMT

    geez, Singapore, get over it, Im sure there are plenty of non-virtual obscenity that can keep you busy.

  • Da1ShrpSh0trGrl

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 6:48 am GMT

    Their lost. I bet their gamers must be pissed.

  • phazer

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 6:48 am GMT

    Anyway, people can stop talking about Singapore banning it because: http://www.gameaxis.com/home/?blog=1887
    http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_177468.html

  • robx360

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 6:29 am GMT

    All the banned games have been accpted by the MPA. MPA means Male Population of America. This is rediculous in my opinion. If you want the full story here is the link. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071116/ap_on_hi_te/singapore_game_banned

  • ZJohnnyZ

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 5:46 am GMT

    My three cents: I found out today that the KKK also bans the game for girl on girl action. News is pouring in from all other ignorant and intolerable organizations including the Islamic extremist in the Middle East! In my own home personally I would love to see some girl on girl action, surprised they don’t ban the internet on which I view this type of material all the time! Don’t you just hate it when they make a game for us adults that we can play instead of more Tella Tubbies Love Island - I love those games they are so fun to play at my age.

    ----
    War, war never changes...(Fallout)

  • weow

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 5:00 am GMT

    My two cents:
    I'm a singaporean, and yes, to ban the game for having some same-gender action may seem a bit hard-handed. However, there has been a lot of hoo-ha going on lately about the law against gays. Specifically, there has been *strong* support both for and against the repealing of the law, so I'm guessing that this ban is a knee-jerk reaction. Besides, knowing the resourcefulness of the gaming community here, some people would be playing it no matter what happens when it is available.
    Also, please note that Singapore isn't like a third-world country. We're Asian, so we do have a convervative attitude. I'll say it's quite highly developed; after all, we did host the Grand Finals of the World Cyber Games in 2005. And chewing gum is actually not illegal, but importing it is.

  • livinglegend305

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 4:20 am GMT

    haha

  • GeneralEz

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 3:18 am GMT

    ..god of war and the darkness too!..that's too bad for singaporean..

  • ThePatinator

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 2:00 am GMT

    umm... right.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 1:51 am GMT

    Wait.. how does Singapore know those aliens are females.. I mean.. did they ask the developers to send in a naked sketch of em or somethin..?

  • Azhar85

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 1:25 am GMT

    nahh...i'll sure gamers will buy an import game even they are banned in their country....

  • gandalf_storm

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 12:50 am GMT

    for goodness sake, in a 12 rated game, how bad can the content be for a love scene.

    It`s friday, and im waiting on assasins creed, im bored, im sorry

  • MMGrail

    Posted Nov 16, 2007 12:42 am GMT

    What a bunch of n00 bs! Come on.. I mean can't a guy have a little fun with his games?

  • REflexHalo3

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 11:35 pm GMT

    that sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
    i effing live in Singapore

  • fr33_loader

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 9:53 pm GMT

    YukoAsho
    fr33_loader - Yes, let's crush all ideas of civil liberty and become savages. That'll show 'em. Need I remind you that America has the largest prison population (a full 1% of the total population is in prison), and that America is the only civilized nation that practices the death penalty. Our problems run much deeper than our punishments, and behaving like animals the way Singapore does is unlikely to solve them.
    =============================
    And whose liberty are we crushing, mine or the criminals? I dont know how true your insinuation that 1% of total population is incarcerated but that means our crime rate is way high. If this would help make it a safer country, I'm up for it. There is another world outside US and too bad you dont know anything about it. How can you say US civilized especially with people like you calling other people "behaving like animals" just because they are culturally different from you. You are a disgrace to our "civilized" country.

  • Merl57

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 9:34 pm GMT

    ironic how a government values population control and manipulation and values that as less of a threat than simulated naked people via a digital representation in a video game. Very upside down. Looks like the US is heading in this direction too, what can you do, Look at Take Two's games, and the Witcher senorship.

  • hackR2

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 9:29 pm GMT

    Well i have to say that is quite strange, what is even stranger I stil find that governments are looking at such non-impotrnat issues, take for example abortion, now do you really care if somebody gets an abortion, i think it is sick, but I still think it should be used on extreme cases. But while we are arguing about conservative issues which have ntohing to do with the important issues of today, like global warming, starvation and hunger, torture, trafficking, and etc.. We forget what's important, maybe Plato was right in his idea of the Republic. I have to say that this world is just quite sad.

  • phazer

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 9:18 pm GMT

    @YukoAsho: I fail to see how my "civil liberties" are being compromised by such laws, unless I'm a drug trafficker or murderer. As gfunk01 mentioned, capital punishment is hardly considered savage.

  • ocdog45

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 9:11 pm GMT

    i herd there is some weird stuff in this game

  • gfunk01

    Posted Nov 15, 2007 8:58 pm GMT

    that is the biggest load of drek I have heard. you are propagating an ideal that is very ignorant and even ethnocentric with false information. calling people savages because of different laws serves no purpose other than to demonstrate a lack of intellect. It is the equivalent of calling people "fascists" these days. Also, other countries, like Japan, use the death penalty. Your idea of civil liberties is very biased and skewed.

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