Venezuela to jail violent-game merchants

National Assembly of Hugo Chavez-led country signs off on bill that would see purveyors of "war" games and toys face up to five years in prison.

A number of states in the US have taken various steps to add restrictions or limit the sale of violent video games. However, thanks largely to the lobbying efforts of the Entertainment Software Association, state legislatures have yet to successfully keep a bill on the law books limiting or penalizing the sale of violent games.

Violent-game merchants may want to get out of Venezuela ASAP.

Venezuela, however, is a different story. The Agence France-Presse reports that the National Assembly of Venezuela approved a law last week that would punish merchants who sell violent games with up to five years in prison. The law, which also outlaws the sale of toy weapons, is reportedly intended to "prevent the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, rental and use of videos, games and war toys of a violent nature."

According to the report, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a vocal opponent of US foreign policy, has promoted the use of more traditional games, such as yo-yos. The AFP reports that President Chavez has previously railed against games and other electronic toys, saying they promote "egoism, individualism, and violence."

The Venezuelan government has previously taken issue with violent games, particularly Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. In 2006, backers of President Chavez decried Electronic Arts and Pandemic's Mercenaries 2, a game set in Venezuela where players take on "a power-hungry tyrant" in control of the country. At the time, it was decried by one legislator as "a justification for imperial aggression."

467 Comments

  • GameShark9000

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 5:22 pm PT

    @wallywallas
    I think things already got out of hand when I read the yo-yo part.

  • GameShark9000

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 5:18 pm PT

    Arresting game merchants that just want to make money and not violence?! I smell a revolutionary war.

  • AuronTsubaki85

    Posted Nov 11, 2009 9:35 am PT

    Um..President Hugo Chavez, this has to be the most stupidest & pointless everyone has ever heard of. There are more important things you need to worry about then brainwashing Venezuela to arrest game merchants for selling Mature rated games on a daily basis

  • S3P4eeever

    Posted Nov 10, 2009 6:52 pm PT

    texas masacre

  • sillycatfish

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 6:33 pm PT

    righteously put Allan x

  • Allan_X

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 1:26 pm PT

    Egoism? Individualism? Just how are those things bad, exactly? Last time I checked, I wasn't joined at the hip with my next-door neighbor. Why should I pretend as though that were the case?

  • joeboosauce

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 11:47 am PT

    @capitalthoughts
    No, I don't think that the former USSR is democratic. I think you need to read things better. Why the hell would you infer that? Because I do not see the USA as a democracy? So then the conclusion is, "gee, then he gotta think USSR and China are democracies." Sorry the world functions beyond simple dichotomies. Yes, the USA has democratic mechanisms but does not mean that it is democratically run. (Need I bring up the stolen election of 2000?) It is rather an oligopoly or plutocracy.

    And no, your wife may not be lying, but may believe what she holds on Chavez and Venezuela. Can she remember the actual impact of the neoliberal policies pushed by the West via the BWIs before 2000??? Before many of the leaders of South America broke the stranglehold of the West on them?

  • joeboosauce

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 11:34 am PT

    @imaidiot
    You are right on some of those programs as far as being more "socialism" oriented BUT they are offered to all citizens, rich or poor. It does not exclude the rich as you state. If they choose not to use this, that is their choice. BUT, what I was saying when I stated that "The US practices socialism for the rich and capitalism for the rest of us" was in regards to big business. The average person in this country pays a larger percentage of their income towards running this society than, yes rich people, but more specifically big business. All corporations in the Fortune 100 have "benefited from industrial policies, meaning, State intervention in their behalf. And twenty of the hundred had been saved from total disaster, that is, collapse, by just State bail-out." Mind you that this well before the Obama bank bailout program. The quote is from a lecture by Noam Chomsky. Read or listen to this as it brings forward info that most people are unaware of. Check it out and then get back to me if you want. Enjoy!:
    http://www.chomsky.info/talks/19960413.htm

  • Gamingclone

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 8:33 am PT

    They do know that Yo-yos were originally weapons? xD

  • slingshot_ylo

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 8:19 am PT

    You can't fight a revolution with yo-yos...or can you?

  • Xaviersx

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 4:58 am PT

    Well how long before the U.N. takes on a softball issue like this?

  • Jack_n_Coke07

    Posted Nov 9, 2009 12:07 am PT

    For a country that constantly has a chance of war breaking out, good call.

  • rtejerof

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 8:02 pm PT

    Ignorance: The people's worst enemy.... I'm venezuelan and I'm ashamed of policies like this... Please, Chavez, our problems aren't the war games or violent games... our problem, is YOU! GET OUT OF HERE.

  • GrayFox_360

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 6:54 pm PT

    Thank God i dont have this crap on my county

  • savetehhaloz

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 6:30 pm PT

    I live in Maracaibo and laws arent enforced. Purchasing original software is unpopular is an entire market based around pirated software; games are expensive and are hand carried into the country. So this law will be an epic fail.

  • skatatay

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 6:03 pm PT

    @ Deano, i agree with you and i live in the U.S lol.

  • chiefenator

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 5:41 pm PT

    i guess that means Chavez is the new villain for MW3

  • darkcomedian

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 4:48 pm PT

    @ WTA2k5
    I agree, that would be terrible.

  • Spartan_418

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 3:55 pm PT

    Well, I guess that means it's time to put down CoD 4 and get my yo-yo out :/

    It seems though that the Venezuelan government is classifying video games as toys, lol. This wouldn't happen if politicians had even basic understandings of what video games are.

  • urban_mongol

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 3:26 pm PT

    haha! this will make conquering venezuela much easier! thank you Hugo Chavez

  • WTA2k5

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 2:50 pm PT

    How dare something promote individualism

  • Chainer323

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 7:34 am PT

    @Thermador446 That's not technically true. I work at walmart and we are closed for only 1 day a year: about 8pm *CST* Xmas eve to about 10pm *CST* Xmas day. were still open on thanksgiving (black friday prep after all). I thought Mercenaries 2 was a great game, nothing more fun then driving your Diplomat Tank around, using 1 shot to pretty much blow up anything and everything lol.
    Also, why do they even sell games in that country still?

  • xerxes5678

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 7:02 am PT

    Lol how a video game company scared the **** out of an entire dictatorship.

    We should make more games about Venezuela (Next location for Battlefield Bad Company 3?)

  • joder666 posted Nov 8, 2009 12:10 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    joder666

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 12:10 am PT (hide)

    I like Hugo but his gone to far with this Sh****. They're just games.
    What he should really do is teach every person whats real, so thy don't end up like the german dude who wants to play Unreal.
    Lol.

  • Thermador446

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:37 pm PT

    #1 Greatest Thing About America: You can go to walmart at 2:00 AM just to buy a video game (except Christmas and Thanksgiving).

  • Thermador446

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:24 pm PT

    Someone should tell Hugo that Mercenaries 2 was a horrible game, and anyone that considered buying it changed their minds after playing the demo. Maybe then he'll let it go.

  • SimulationStim

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:22 pm PT

    "Egoism, individualism, and violence." In that order? Cause we all know individualism and egoism are a hell of a lot more dangerous then violence.

  • Deano

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 9:17 pm PT

    I think it's hillarious people from america think they are able to preach about morality in regards to other countries.you don't even have basic healthcare and people are dying while you spend more on your military than the entire world so you can go invade and kill people in other countries for false reasons. keep up the laughs,chavez is a freakin choir boy compared to the US administration

  • nakasa5

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 9:06 pm PT

    What do you get when the government becomes a nanny state that tries to be involved in every aspect of citizens lives? Policies like this.

  • rasco2005

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 8:42 pm PT

    Wrote a blog on the matter already but I figured it would be worth chiming in anyway. It is easy to be detached from the problems of third world countries or countries under the rule of dictators. It is such a foreign concept to Americans or other "free" countries but it is amazing how video games have a history of surfacing bigotry, fear, and oppressive politics. Anyone remember when Mortal Kombat first hit shelves? And here we are again. As a gamer I am saddened but as a humanist I am outraged that so many have their "rights" become privileges that can be stripped away. We can only hope that the people of Venezuela can find a way to overthrow that monster Chavez.

  • treydawg1

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 7:00 pm PT

    @Dark_Lord777

    oboma doesnt have anything against violent video games. he isnt jack tompson or joe lieberman.

  • boarwar

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 6:52 pm PT

    life without MW2.....whats the point?

  • ascalon94

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 6:07 pm PT

    yo-yo s arent technically a game more like a toy haha jking

  • chano7

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 5:10 pm PT

    A person worried for the type of person can be their nation Quit Video Games it´snot a Pananea bottle but certenly a lot of people can´t play video games in a the true form it´s fun end of the story; they after grow whitout feelings and do all they want because think it´s easy to do or terminate leaving studies and a normal life for an Artificial Live

  • fireflywang

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    LOL. Translation: Big bad game company made me cry. NO ONE PLAYS GAMES! play pog and marbles.

  • ttam01

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 3:34 pm PT

    @ff_fan2004

    i agree

  • yodoman97 posted Nov 7, 2009 2:39 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    yodoman97

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 2:39 pm PT (hide)

    Xbox is better than Ps3. Ps3 is bad.

  • FF_fan2004

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 2:37 pm PT

    At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what country, politicians should butt out of the video game industry. FULL STOP.

  • wonzan

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 1:57 pm PT

    edflinkinp is right. The laws are not really enforced much in Venezuela. Besides, the extremely hot women there more than make up for the lack of violent games!

  • TurboGraphix

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 1:55 pm PT

    LOL, Chavez. . You are an idiot. Worry about your country rather video games.

  • hman1111

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    Thank God I don't live in Venezuela.

  • Trinitarian

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 12:08 pm PT

    Uhh, yeah, every thing thats wrong in the world today is because of video games right? Looks like world leaders are always looking for a scape goat. Gamers are some of the most unthreating type of people in the world, they are too busy living it up in a poly-world to present any real threat. So, games are a scape goat or just some good political stage where one can stand on and voice their self righteous ignition on those bad people who play games lol. In the mean time they'll go back behind close doors and watch movies that stimulate murders and sexual scenes way beyond any game can dream of doing. Great job hypocritical world!

  • Dark_Lord777 posted Nov 7, 2009 11:57 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Dark_Lord777

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 11:57 am PT (hide)

    obama will do it next

  • edflinkinp

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 11:10 am PT

    The only brightside on this is that nobody pays very much attention to laws here, so don't worry we'll get our hands in "violent games" anyway. The only problem is that they put people in jail "just because" without any actual felony or evidence on most cases. Well, not supporting the President is enough for them to put you behind bars actually.

  • DFen

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:44 am PT

    o well, they should fly over to a different country if they wanna play any violent game they want lol

  • Arkady_Husky

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:44 am PT

    What's the point of having a socialist utopia if you can't oppress the living cack out of your populace?
    9/10 commie thugs agree: yo-yos are more stimulating than videogames.

  • JAVIERALVAREZ

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:36 am PT

    OK, live in venezuela especificly in Valencia and I just want to say that it doesn't bother me that my country was chosen for pandemic studios to recreate mercenaries 2, it just a game, I mean you don't see the Germans getting pissed for every WWII game. What do bother me is the people who think they have something to say in this hole political-Cultural conflict when they have not. You have to be in this situation or at least get well informed to understand how bad is around here right now, a state of deception where every one of your rights are no longer garantized and of course the corruption in the goverment that takes the integrity of the nation away. I love my country and for that reason I must say that Chavez is one CRAZY BASTARD. the only question is when all the people is going to realize the truth.

  • Kittyvenom87

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 10:26 am PT

    I always thought it would be cool to have a game in were i live Get to drive a tank through your home town who dosen't wanna do dat (In the Game)

  • edflinkinp

    Posted Nov 7, 2009 9:57 am PT

    @Sins-of-Mosin: You are such an unsensitive person, and I feel deeply offended by your comments. You talk about our gov't taking over like it was a simple thing. If we are so dumb then why don't you come join us? You seem to be pretty good at it as well.

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