Venezuela thinks its Australia

[Bob_Marley]

Looks like Chavez is out to ban violent video games.

The law was based on several studies in the United States and Japan that conclude violent video games increase aggressive tendencies in children, said National Assembly lawmaker Wilmer Iglesias of Fatherland For All, a party allied with President Hugo Chavez. (The assembly has approved the law but it may be altered before being signed by the president.)

...

In addition to video games, toys that include any kind of weapon or that imitate the armed force or state security apparatus would be banned. Toys that don't promote a situation of war, but still "establish a type of game that stimulates aggression and violence" would also fall under the ban.

“We’re not saying that this law pretends to solve the problem of violence but we believe that there are great problems and their solution is complex, cultural and multifaceted, and if that is true we need to attack it from all points of view that can influence it,” Iglesias said.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/venezuela/091120/violent-video-game-ban?page=0,1

While few research studies link the use of aggressively violent video games with real-life violence, the gaming ban charges that violent computer games may contribute to the problems faced in Venezuela surrounding brutal actions and murders. The following countries ban specific violent computer games but do not have a blanket ban: Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Venezuela's ban is unique, in that most countries create rating systems that restrict access to more violent or sexually graphic software.

http://venezuela.suite101.com/article.cfm/video_game_controversy_in_venezuela_war_ban

Sorry RJMC, looks like no Ep. 3 for you

Because of course an outright ban of everything is by far the best solution!

 

[Apocalypse89]

Even if violent videogames actually caused violence, from my knowledge gamers in poorer countries like Venezuela pirate most of their games, so this ban's effect will be approximately jack and shit.

 

[Tyguy]

they say they based it partially on a study done by the US yet WE don't even have a ban.

 

[kazsymonds]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh it thinks it's civilised...

 

[leib10]

This kind of research has been around for years; unfortunately it's pretty solid.

 

[Warped]

its only going to make people more interested in video games i'm afraid. no one uses control groups anymore. take a small % of the population, try it out if it works good job if not you didn't ruin fun time for kids

 

[Sparta]

Good lord, Chavez is absolutely terrible.

 

[Ravioli]

Lol this wont effect anything, when i visited my cousins a few years ago they all bought their games from these underground pirates. It was quite exciting actually, they took me to this one normal looking house in a nice neighboorhood, but inside there were games stocked on shelves and some fat guy sitting behind a desk surfing youtube.

About 1$ for a game, cheap stuff.

 

[Shyam]

Maybe it's going to be like the Prohibition. Probably organised crime based on pirated video games.