A wide range of video games have been banned in Uzbekistan, with the country’s government making it illegal for the games to be sold, imported or played as a result of them “threatening security and social and political stability.”
The list of 38 games is filled with the usual suspects such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, though also includes curious additions such as the 2010 flop Naughty Bear and the harmless The Sims 4. The list, which for some reason features games that releases as far back as the mid-’90s such as Carmageddon and Phantasmagoria, largely focuses upon titles that include violent or sexual imagery. Authorities said that the games could be used to ” propagate violence [and] pornography,” with the list also including the likes of adult games BoneTown and 3D Sex Villa 2 (why didn’t anybody tell me that there was a sequel?!)
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According to the BBC, the ban is “a continuation of the government’s efforts to keep young people away from influences that it deems ‘destructive’,” with it reportedly being enforced to prevent the “distribution of false information about Uzbekistan and the distortion of its historic, cultural and spiritual values.”
The list of games appears to have been drawn at random, as while they do all feature scenes that contain sexual / violent imagery, many of them are far from new releases. One of the games featured on the list doesn’t even exist, as Left 4 Dead 3 hasn’t even been announced by the series’ creators Valve.
Check out the full list of banned games below:
- Postal 2
- Phantasmagoria
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Carmageddon
- Mass Effect
- Dead Space
- Naughty Bear
- Mafia II
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
- Castlevania: Lord of Shadow
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Dead Rising
- Manhunt
- Manhunt II
- Mortal Kombat X
- Left 4 Dead 1, 2, 3
- Doom 3, 4
- Hitman
- Resident Evil 4
- SOMA
- Silent Hill
- Until Dawn
- Hatred
- Dying Light
- Dead By Daylight
- Prototype
- The Punisher
- BoneTown
- Lula 3D
- 3D Sex Villa 2
- The Sims 3, 4
- Shadow Warrior
Though many of the games are far from relevant in the US, they are reportedly popular in Uzbekistan are have been available to play in internet cafes or on pirated DVDs.
10 Banned Video Games (and the Crazy Reasons Why):
10 Banned Video Games (and the Crazy Reasons Why)
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BANNED: Mass Effect
Where: Singapore
Why: The original Mass Effect was banned in Singapore because of a "lesbian sex scene" between a female and an androgynous alien. Its sequels were also banned in the United Arab Emirates because of the homosexual relationships the player can have in the games.
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BANNED: EA Sports MMA
Where: Denmark
Why: EA's mixed martial arts simulation game wasn't banned because of the gratuitous kicking of heads featured in the game, but rather because of a law in the country that prohibits the marketing of energy drinks, something which featured quite heavily in the title.
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BANNED: Saints Row 4
Where: Australia
Why: Australia is incredibly conservative when it comes to video games, and this was made clear recently when it was revealed that the upcoming Saints Row 4 would be banned in the country, as it featured a weapon called an 'alien anal probe' that apparently promotes sexual violence.
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BANNED: Injustice: Gods Among Us
Where: United Arab Emirates
Why: The DC Comics fighter was banned by the UAE because its title features the word "God." The game was repacked with the title Injustice: The Mighty Among Us, but as the on-disc content remained the same, the ban was not lifted.
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BANNED: Pokémon Trading Card Game
Where: Saudi Arabia
Why: The Pokemon Trading Card Game was banned in Saudi Arabia because the cards apparently supported Zionism. According to the mufti, the highest religious authority in the state, the cards have symbols that include "the star of David, which everyone knows is connected to international Zionism and is Israel's national emblem."
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BANNED: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Where: Pakistan
Why: Black Ops II was banned in Pakistan because of its supposed negative portrayal of Pakistanis, but that's not the surprising part - the surprising part is the incredibly harsh punishment for selling the game. If a retailer is found to be selling the hugely popular FPS, they face community service or, even worse, a jail sentence. Yikes.
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BANNED: ALL video games that feature shooting
Where: Venezuela
Why: Venezuela is the first country to outright ban all violent video games, with the country's president Hugo Chavez telling citizens that there were some games that required players to kill him, calling all video game consoles, specifically the Nintendo DS and PlayStation, "poison." Fun guy.
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BANNED: Command & Conquer: Generals
Where: China
Why: China is strict when it comes to video games, with many developers editing content in their games to meet the country's demands.
However, China's banning of Command & Conquer: Generals for portraying the country in a "negative light" was more than a little confusing, as the game actually saw the player fight alongside China, who were portrayed as one of the world's superpowers.
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BANNED: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Where: Indonesia
Why: Forget about all the blood and violence, San Andreas caused an uproar when it was released after a hacker discovered a sex mini-game titled 'Hot Coffee', which allowed players to take control of protagonist CJ while he did the no pants dance with his girlfriend. Although this mini-game wasn't accessible without a hack, it still led to San Andreas being banned in Indonesia, along with receiving an 'Adults Only' rating in the US.
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BANNED: Homefront
Where: South Korea
Why: South Korea and North Korea have had a tumultous relationship to say the least, so South Korea decided that it would be for the best to ban Homefront, a game which pits the player as members of a resistance movement fighting against a North Korean military occupation of the US. Considering North Korea's historically short fuse, this was probably a wise decision.
