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Venezuelan violent game ban advances

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Aug 27, 2009 5:01 pm PT

Bill outlawing sale of objectionable games and toys gets first approval from National Assembly.

El presidente no le gustan videojuegos.

Following in the footsteps of China, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Australia, Venezuela is considering a ban on games it deems excessively violent. This week in Caracas, lawmakers voted in favor of a bill banning the sale of violent games or toys, reports Reuters. The bill was drawn up by legislators who believe getting rid of violent games will help reduce crime in the robbery-plagued country.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly announced that the game-ban bill passed its first vote in the legislative body. It must pass a second vote and be signed into law by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez before it can take effect. However, no time frame has yet been determined for the second National Assembly vote.

This isn't the first time Venezuelan lawmakers have taken aim at games. In 2006, backers of Chavez decried Electronic Arts and Pandemic's Mercenaries 2, which was set in Venezuela and 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."

Ironically, many lawmakers in that "imperial aggressor" have themselves been trying to restrict access to violent games. Recent years have seen failed attempts to ban their sale to minors in a number of US states, from left-leaning California to conservative Oklahoma.

494 Comments

  • moyako

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 7:26 pm PT

    Well, you're wrong, sithknight1. I'm AGAINST that law, but I can't be silent while you're lying... maybe by ignorance. First, that law (as stupid as it is), only bans "violent" games, not all of them (of course, the word "violent" can be interpreted in many ways, from a racing game with realistic crashes to games like Crysis). Second, about Radio Caracas, their authorization to use the radio electric space ENDED, and the State choose not to renew it (not the smartest thing to do, but it was legal). I'm from Venezuela, and I know about this first hand.

  • sithknight1

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:48 pm PT

    Like the forefathers intended. - PART 1 of 3
    ------------------------------------------------------------

    The worst part, and most of you may not know this, is that Venezuela is not banning violent or rated M games only. They're banning ALL VIDEOGAMES. The whole violence thing is just the segway they used to come up with the law. Once the took the law to the Venezuelan Congress where it was approved they made sure to draft it in such an ambiguous way, that at its present form it outlaws pretty much all videogames and makes criminals of those who trade or sell anything pertaining to this industry.

    They're even setting aside government funding to run mandatory campaigns on the media and in the schools where they demonize videogames. (All this while because of lack of funds Caracas' hospitals crumble)

    My friend Emgel Solid who is a member of this forum (You can see his post below) is attempting - along with a brave group of Venezuelan gamers - to convince those politicians who drafted the law to change the wording of the text to make it a regulatory system just like the one in the U.S.

    Unfortunately, none of those politicians are gamers. And when corrupt officials vote on an issue that does not affect them, is pretty easy to make all parties agree if the only affected ones are a group of outcast who nobody gives a rat's ass about. My solidarity goes to all my Venezuelan friends who live under the rule of a tyrant bent on taking Venezuela back to the middle ages.

  • sithknight1

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:47 pm PT

    Like the forefathers intended PART 2 of 3
    ___________


    Something like this would never happen in America. If you live in a country where a guy like Bill Maher can go on live TV every Friday night and call President Bush (back in the day) a retard and he doesn't lose his show his freedom of his life afterwards, you know you're in a place where your basic liberties are untouchable.

    Venezuelan TV network "Radio Caracas" didn't even go as far as Maher dares to go here in America against the president. They just 'dared" to show on TV stuff from the day to day basis Chavez didn't want Venezuelan's to see. Chavez shut the TV station down about 4 years ago. No questions asked.

    Next in line is Venezuelan TV network "Globovision", were they also "dare" to show the kind of stuff that Chavez isn't proud of. The Network's C.E.O private residence enclaved in an exclusive Caracas neighborhood, has already been raided by Venezuelan national guard more than once. And he just has to shut up and take it.

    Can you imagine what would have happened if back in the day George Bush would have ordered the Army to raid Bill Maher's California mansion for calling him a retard on TV? Even the right wingers would have gone. "Mmmmmmm........... I think you've gone too far". Or even better, can you imagine what would happen if Obama ordered the army to raid Rush Limbaugh's home? Glenn Beck's head would explode and Obama would be impeached in a nanosecond!
    But in Venezuela? It's all fair game baby!

  • Beanmachine12

    Posted Sep 3, 2009 9:51 am PT

    Is he completely off his rocker?

  • green_dominator

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 7:22 pm PT

    Things like this makes you think doesn't it??
    It does me, Why would another country ban an American game?? It has nothing to do with violence, the content in Mercenaries is no worse than what you see on the news. The reason any country would ban the game is they have stuff to hide, some of the themes explored in the game ask questions that they would rather not answer or just stay hidden...
    I could be wrong even so Mercenaries 2 sucks anyways.....

  • juancorazon

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 9:25 am PT

    Ignorance is Bliss.

  • Emgel_Solid

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 8:16 am PT

    in the name of the gamers in my country Venezuela i want to thank for all the support of this comunity about that tread against us and i want to say.. WE DONT GONA GIVE UP!!

  • umserbesch321

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 2:02 am PT

    OH BOY-another backdoor attempt by chavez to ire america and its economic capitalist ethos.Im a big f.p.s. gamer for years and the most passive person ull ever meet,its nature not nurture thats responsible for a ny one prediliction to violence.

  • Toysoldier34

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 1:35 am PT

    if you ban games movies tv and music and any other forms of entertainment have to go to. i did a final report on whether video games make people violent and they dont it is specialized instances that are just the same as any other cross section of society. theres been more violence and crime due to sports and sporting events then there has from video games so if you banning them why not throw in the world cup it makes just as much sense by your logic.. idiots

  • gp3tron

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 12:30 am PT

    A Decision made by an Ignorant Goverment, with nothing but pure ignorants and A$$ kissers

  • juancorazon

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 11:09 pm PT

    Videogames are not Toys, and it should never be prohibition we should have the right to choose what we want to play.

  • Sorciere_basic

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 8:34 pm PT

    Another form of censorship and oppression for the enemies of Chavez (his own people)

  • The_Owner

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 8:23 pm PT

    Have any of these idiots bothered to check the statistics, on crime, violence, etc. before video games were around? I bet it's not that different. What percentage of Venezuela's population is even buying video games in the first place?

  • gamer1396

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 7:33 pm PT

    I think people blame video games for everything bad a person does. It's like if a kid is a bully, it's obviously a video game fault. It is probley the little F ers parrents, know what I mean? I'm not saying video games have no part in it, i'm just saying its not there fault completly.

  • ANUBISZER0

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 5:16 pm PT

    I think if people don't have an outlet like violence in video games for example, their rage will come out in other manners, like more crime for example in the world.

  • grunt_destroyer

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 4:06 pm PT

    Why don't they realize that putting effort towards improving their countries economy, minimizing poverty and improving education is the only real fix to high crime rates.... but nooooo they have to travel the beaten road and blame video games.... *sigh*

  • Stevofxx

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 4:01 pm PT

    Their a bunch of idiots. Stoping violent video games with do nothing to stop crime.

  • HumanoMexicano

    Posted Aug 31, 2009 3:58 pm PT

    Funny thing is most of those countries were either Nazi's or Tyrants...also their death/rape/violent percentages are up the ass. Xcept for Japan they learned their lesson a few years ago with teh bomb.

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