Video games and some Governments have never really got along and in Thailand, given the recent military junta that affected the country, another game has become a casualty of politics.
Kalypso Media, publisher of dictator-simulator Tropico confirmed that Thailand’s Board of Film and Video Censors has banned the local release of Tropico 5. Its Asian distributor, New Era Thailand, stated in its announcement that was because ‘some contents of the game are not appropriate for the current situation’.
New Era Thailand’s marketing manager, Nonglak Sahavattanapong went on to say that the film and video censorship office had blocked sales of the game because they were fearful that ‘some of its content might affect peace and order in the country’.
Given the volatile state of the country just a few months ago, it’s understandable that the military would take steps to not give the local populace any insurgency ideas.
Thai fans of Tropico are likely bristling at this news, though previous games had all been released in Thailand without issue. Nonglak had agreed that Tropico 5, released in May, ‘is a good game with positive reviews’ but it is unfortunate that at least for now, the game will not see a release in Thailand. However, if history is any indicator, Tropico 5 may end up becoming one of the most pirated games in the country.
With this move, Thailand joins a long list of countries that have banned games over the years. Late last year, China banned EA’s Battlefield 4, following the allegedly politically insensitive expansion, China Rising. Left 4 Dead 2 was banned in Australia due to gore and violence but was later released with all the blood and gore stripped from the game.
Pakistan had also banned games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter for portraying Pakistanis in a negative light. Singapore recently banned South Park: The Stick of Truth a few months after it has been on the shelf due to certain ‘sensitive’ scenes.
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