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?!)
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):