Venezuela Bans Violent Games
By Joe Dodson, 3/8/2010 5:10 PMReason #266 why it sucks to live in a repressive dictatorship: you can't even pretend to blow stuff up. This reminder is brought to us by Venezuela, which recently banned all distribution of violent video games.
A Latin American news blog, Lat/Am Daily, translated the Ley Para la Prohibicion de Videojuegos Belicos y Juguetes Belicos (Law for the Prohibition of Violent Video Games and Toys) as printed in the December edition of a magazine called La Gaceta. The law went into effect in Venezuela last Wednesday. Here are the best part, and by best, we mean incredibly lame:
"Article 14. Those who import, manufacture, sell, rent, or distribute violent toys or video games will be punished with 3 to 5 years in prison."
Also, it's worth pointing out that violent toys include any kinds of toys that simulate weapons, or could encourage violent play. So, no plastic swords or toy guns, much less Gears of War or Uncharted 2 - for Venezuelans.
On the bright side, the next time a US politician calls for a violent video game ban, we can rightfully compare them to a Communist dictator.
