Counter-Strike, EverQuest banned in Brazil

[Harovan]

Counter-Strike, EverQuest banned in Brazil

Judge rules games "harmful to consumers' health"

Counter-Strike and EverQuest have been banned in Brazil after a judge ruled them "harmful to consumers' health".

As reported by AFP the judge, Carlos Alberto Simoes, made his ruling in October 2007 - but the ban is only coming into effect now.

Simoes stated the games encouraged "the subversion of public order". He also ruled they were "an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security".

Counter-Strike and EverQuest were first released in 1999. One modded map for the former game saw players taking on the role of either a police officer or drug dealer in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

According to Brazilian readers of Kotaku, the game has been accused of teaching players war strategies.

It's alleged EverQuest is harmful because players are asked to accept both "good" and "bad" quests, the psychological burden of which is said to cause problems. The game was never officially released in Brazil.

I'm not a friend of bannings overall. I could have a faint understanding for it concerning Counterstrike, although even that I would rate as overreaction. But EverQuest? What's next, World of Warcraft?

[snoopy369]

Hilarious... next they'll ban romance novels, right?

[DrSpike]

Wow, sucks to be a CS/EQ fan in Brazil.

I bet the ban wont really bite though.

[Harovan]

I'm not sure about Counterstrike (don't play it, although my son does), but EQ can be bought and fully expanded through the internet not lifting your ass from the chair. So as long as they only ban sales (they never officially sold EQ anyway) and don't outlaw and persecute possession, players will be fine.

The sad part is, our (German) dumbass politicians also discuss the banning of "killer games" every time an adolescent does something stupid.

[DrSpike]

It's not just Germany - the same people that used to blame film violence for actual violence now blame games.

[thesilentone]

People have been using scapegoats to self-aggrandise since well, the word scapegoat arose.

[Straybow]

Ron White has a routine where he talks about how everyone's upset about shooter games because it gives kids bad ideas and a way to practice their evil plans.

Then he talks about a shoot-out between cops and bankrobbers where something like 2000 rounds were fired and nobody got hurt. "They had body armor" Well, then, shoot them in the f***ing face!

He suggested issuing rolls of quarters so the cops can learn from arcade games, since it makes these kids sharpshooters.

[Main_Brain]

This one: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Em6NipRZPtI ?