A list of 34 games is now banned in Uzbekistan, including titles such as Mass Effect, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Import and distribution of the listed games are now illegal in the country.
A total of 34 video games have been banned outright in Uzbekistan, effectively rendering import and distribution of the titles illegal in the country. The list is odd, to say the least, with individual games from major franchises being banned, but leaving their sequels and the like untouched.
Although video game bans were a growing issue in the past, the practice is largely reduced nowadays, with countries such as Germany and Australia, well known for their banning and censoring of violent video games, rarely getting in the way of newer games anymore.
Reported by the BBC, the reasoning given for the ban by the Uzbekistan authorities is that these games could be «used to propagate violence, pornography, threaten security and social and political stability, » along with the possibility of upsetting «civil peace and inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony.»
Moreover, the authorities said the games may be used for the «distribution of false information about Uzbekistan and the distortion of its historic, cultural and spiritual values.»
Among the banned games, there is the 1995 point-and-click title Phantasmagoria, as well as 1997’s Carmageddon. Mass Effect and Dead Space have also received the same ruling, although their sequels aren’t on the list. In addition, from the entire Call of Duty series, only Call of Duty: Black Ops has been ruled out, with the same occurring to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
The complete document is available to read here, with the 34 banned games listed as is, below:
Keep in mind that the inclusion of Left 4 Dead 3 is probably a mistake, and hopefully not part of a grand Valve ARG for revealing the game by getting it banned before a possible release.
Source: BBC | Image: Left 4 Dead 2 (Steam)
