Video Games that Were Banned in Other Countries

Over the past 20 years there have been many parents in the U.S. who have complained about video games being too violent and having too much of an influence on their children. So far, the U.S. has never banned a video game. Not all countries are as fortunate. Many video games have been banned in other countries.

Australia
Australia is the country that has banned the most video games. The reason for the ban of so many video games is because only movies are allowed to have a rating higher than MA15+. Any video game that is R18+ is either banned in Australia or has to be edited. There is much debate about this in Australia because video games are not popular among children and teens there. The average video game user is about 30 there. Some of the games that have been banned in Australia include 7 Sins for sexual references, Blitz: The League, NARC, Risen and CrimCraft for drug use, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude and Singles: Flirt Up Your Life for nudity, Postal 2 for gross content and Reservoir Dogs and Shellshock 2: Blood Trials for violence.

There have also been games that were originally banned, but edited versions specifically for Australia were later released. These include 50 Cent: Bulletproof, BMX XXX, Dark Sector and Left 4 Dead 2. On the flip side of that there have also been games that were originally allowed because of a MA15+ rating but were later appealed and banned. These include The Getaway, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Manhunt and Voyeur.

China
The Republic of China is one of the most strict when it comes to censorship. However, censoring in China is not usually due to morals but political issues. For example, there are two that have been banned for how the Chinese army is perceived. Command & Conquer Generals was banned because it "smears the image of China and the Chinese army," and there is a campaign where the Three Gorges Dam and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre are destroyed. I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike was also banned for "intentionally blackening China and the Chinese army's name."

Other video games have been banned in there for how other countries are perceived. Football Manager 2005 was originally banned for recognizing Tibet as an independent country (there was later an edited version). Another game, Hearts of Iron, was banned for recognizing Tibet, Sinkiang and Manchuria as independent countries, and for portraying Taiwan as being under the control of the Japanese.

Video Games Banned in Germany
There are mainly two reasons for video games to be banned in Germany. First, for racist propaganda pieces: any game where the object is to kill Nazis, that include Nazi flags or any depiction of Adolf Hitler. Some games banned for this reason include Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, KZ Manager, Mortyr, Wolfenstein 3D and The Darkness Uncut.

The second reason for banning video games in Germany is for high impact violence, high levels of gore or cruelty. Video games that were banned in Germany for these reasons include Soldier of Fortune: Payback, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Manhunt, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Condemned 2, Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2.

Video Games Banned in Malaysia
Most of the banned games in Malaysia are due to being against Muslim beliefs. Anything with high impact, scary, violent, cruel or sexual content could be susceptible to a ban, tpp. In 2008, Mohamed Idris, the head of Malaysian consumer rights organization, called for a ban on the Grand Theft Auto series and similar games. The Manhunt series was also opposed by Idris, and Jabatan Agama Islam banned Dante's Inferno for content against Muslim law.

Video Games Banned in Mexico
There are no video games that have been banned in the entire country of Mexico, just the state of Chihuahua. Chihuahua banned Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 because the Mexican rebels are the antagonist in the game, and because there was stereotyping toward the cities of Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez.

Video Games Banned in Saudi Arabia
There are many titles that are banned in Saudi Arabia, though the government does not enforce the banning very often except with Pokemon. The list of banned games due to violence includes God of War II, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Godfather, Assassin's Creed, Dante's Inferno and the Grand Theft Auto series. Also banned from Saudia Arabia is the Pokemon series for promoting Zionism and gambling, Heavy Rain for nudity and Megami Tensei for referencing the Judeo-Christian religions.

Banned Video Games in Thailand
Thailand has a ban on all sexual content including Japanese "hentai" (pornographic) games and pornographic movies. The Grand Theft Auto series was banned in 2008 after a young man killed a taxi-driver and claimed it was due to playing Grand Theft Auto.