September 4th, 2008

Thailand – Censorship Strikes Again!

After Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada, Thailand sits very nicely on my "countries to visit" list, but this has nothing to do with computer gaming. My list is simply based on various places I want to visit and, in some cases, bands I want to see live in their home countries. Obviously, it's more than only the two above, but what I want to say is that, if I would be using computer gaming as a criteria for this list, Thailand would surely be pushed aside. Why? Censorship, of course!

While freedom of speech in Thailand was guaranteed in the articles 39, 40, 41 in the 1997 Constitution, censorship can be imposed to preserve national security, maintain public order, preserve the rights of others, protect public morals, and prevent criticism of the royal family and insults to Buddhism, but I don't think any of the above is affected by some looney computer gamer killing a taxi driver.

In the US, for example, another looney guy went on a motorcycle rampage,

ending up underneath a car, with the bike in flames, but he got out of it in one piece...and nothing happened to computer games, of course!

Unfortunately, things are not looking good in Thailand, since according to a report published on CNET's Techology Thailand blog, the Ministry of Culture there decided to ban the following games: Hitman,Hitman:Blood Money,300, Killer Seven and 50 Cent:Bulletproof. :(

The explanation coming from the country's officials says gaming is "obsessive and has an adverse effect on the behavior of children and teens." Really? Come on guys, try to think outside the box! Teach the parents how to educate their kids, don't ban computer games, this will only turn them into black market products, and nothing more!