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NEWS

Venezuela Considers 'All-Out' Violent Game Ban

Edge Staff's picture

By Edge Staff

October 5, 2009

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Venezuela's National Assembly is "on track to prohibit violent games and toys," reports The Associated Press.

Initially approved in September, the proposed legislation is expected to face a final vote within weeks.

Venezuela's violent crime rate is such that the government of President Hugo Chavez stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005, but Justice Ministry figures published last year claim an average rate of 152 homicides a week, or 7,900 for the year. But critics of the bill have dismissed what they call a PR stunt designed to appease anxious parents. 

Vocal supporters, politicians and anti-game activists, however, draw attention to games like Counter-Strike, Grand Theft Auto IV and coin-op Silent Scope 2: Dark Silhouette, all hugely popular with middle-class teenagers.

When the bill was introduced to the partisan legislature, it's said, lawmakers watched images of car-jackings and beatings from Rockstar's game. "That's what our children are learning from these games, and it cannot continue," said congressman Jose Albornoz.

If passed, the bill would effectively outlaw the "manufacture, importation, distribution, sales and use of violent videogames and bellicose toys." It would give the country's consumer-protection agency freedom to decide what should be prohibited, and to impose fines of up to $128,000. It would also force the media to "implement permanent campaigns" to warn about violent games, and threaten the closure of internet cafes, arcades and retailers.

But this, say critics, will only fuel the country's rampant piracy trade and overwhelm those charged with enforcing it. Currently preoccupied with food price regulations and double-digit inflation, the 163 consumer-protection inspectors would be hard pushed.

"It's a facade that allows them to say they are doing something to lower the crime rate," says opposing lawmaker Tomas Sanchez, "while hiding the fact that existing policies have failed."

Danonino's picture
On October 5th Danonino said:

First, being a psychologist, gamer, and president of a new game development company, doesn't make necessarily an opinion true. Hitler had more titles and his ideas are at least questionable.

Second, about the "no proof that games influences human beings into being violent". That kind of proof, is very difficult to achieve because we are not talking about something physical, but mental, and there is not a definitive consensus about how the human mind works.

That said, I personally think these laws are garbage, and censorship not only solves nothing but makes things worse. But before throwing an emotional counter argument, I prefer to wait more scientific research in this area.

rahvii's picture
On October 5th rahvii said:

Currently there's a group of gamers (over here, venezuela) trying to fight this law. It's not an easy job but at least there's has been reconigtion of our opinions and that the fist law project was put out recklessly.

We hope to achieve at least a regulation but not an "all out" ban. Of course we know we have the truth in our hands and that there's no proof that games influences human beings into being violent. We will have that advantage as long as all this doesn't get mixed up into the always present polical problems of the country.

drbrandondavis's picture
On October 5th drbrandondavis said:

As a psychologist, gamer, and president of a new game development company I resent any political incursion into my industry. Venezuela--give me a break! A banana republic that is run by guns, wants to outlaw games that have pretend guns. Politcians in this country are no different. The same jackasses that vote to carry handguns into bars, are the same idiots that want to put restrictions on video games. Maybe a good AAA game based on the psychopathology of politicians is what is needed. It wouldn't be hard to find the everyday models for such a game!