Venezeula to ban violent video games?

[Red Commissar]

I have been seeing this news pop up on a lot of different sites. I am wondering if someone may enlighten me about this? It seems a lot of the articles aren't giving the full story and I'm wondering what's going on with this.

[The Vegan Marxist]

I have been seeing this news pop up on a lot of different sites. I am wondering if someone may enlighten me about this? It seems a lot of the articles aren't giving the full story and I'm wondering what's going on with this.

Those are old articles from last year from what I know & was never enforced. The revolutionary state of Venezuela has rather started training a new revolutionary police force to help combat against the growing crimes taking place there, & have also formed up the Peasant Militias to help fight against certain crimes as well. So, from what I can see, no, violent video games are not being banned over there.

In fact, if you go to Venezuela Analysis, which is the most reliable venezuelan news source right now, & search up anything about video games, it doesn't mention video games at all, except for where Bono & a bunch of activists were pissed that Venezuela was a playable character in the game Mercenaries 2 haha.

[khad]

I have been seeing this news pop up on a lot of different sites. I am wondering if someone may enlighten me about this? It seems a lot of the articles aren't giving the full story and I'm wondering what's going on with this.
Mercenaries 2 had the player to carry out terrorist acts against Venezuela. Naturally, it caused a lot of outrage, and that was the focus of the legislative discussion on violent video games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercenaries_2:_World_in_Flames

Following a second, successful coup by Carmona, he chooses Solano as the "civilian leader of a military government". Solano begins a forceful attempt to seize control of the country's oil supply, which is held by a company called Universal Petroleum, who tricked the former government into giving UP full control of Venezuela's oil. Fierce fighting ensues throughout Venezuela between Universal Petroleum's hired mercenaries and the Venezuelan Army (referred to as the VZ in the game) under Solano's control, resulting in a collapse of the country, driving people from their homes and causing widespread property damage. After taking control over Solano's villa, the player establishes his private military company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_military_company) (PMC) and helps the causes of the factions in exchange for money and information on Solano. This includes capturing VZ outposts, "verifying" High Value Targets (or "HVTs" for short), destroying key structures, and doing other work that the faction's forces cannot accomplish.

[Red Commissar]

While Venezeula analysis is a good site, it is inclined towards defending Venezuela's path to socialism and not quite what I'm looking for, particularly since it is geared towards groups like us and probably won't be useful in countering arguments from others.

Most of them are linking to this .pdf document that some newspaper/magazine provided.

http://150.188.8.226/db/bibpgr/edocs/2009/39320.pdf

The second page has the beginning of this "law"


Ley para la prohibicion de videojuegos belicos y juguetes belicos

Capitulo I
Disposicionies fundamentales

Articulo 1. Esta ley tiene por objecto prohibir la fabricacion, importacion, distribucion, compra, venta, alquiler, y uso de videojuegos belicos y juguetas

Articulo 2. La presente Ley es aplicable a todas las personas naturales o juridicas que realien actividades vinculadas con la fabricacion, importacion, distribucion, compra, venta, alquiler, y uso de videojuegos y juguetes en todo el territorio y demas espacios geograficos de la Republica

Articulo 3. A los efectos de la presente Ley se entendera por:

1. Videojuegos belicos: Aquellos videojuegos o programas usables en computadoras personales, sistemas arcade, videoconsolas, dispositivos portatiles o telefonos moviles y cualqueir otro dispositivo electronico o telematico, que contengan informaciones o simbolicen imagages que promuevan o inciten a la violencia o al uso de armas

2. Juguetes belicos: Aquellos objectos o instrumentos que por su forma, imitan cualquier clase de arma a las utilizadas por la Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, las que figuran como armamento de guerra de otras naciones, las de los organos de seguridad ciudadana o cuerpos de seguridad del Estado u otras armas; asl como aquellos que, aun sin promover una situacion de guerra, establecen un medio de juego que estimula la agresividad o la violencia

I typed it up manually from the .pdf (I left out the accent marks, sorry about that), but the last two articles seem to indicate a stance against banning "violent" video games or toys.

While this might be out of populist rage, I think there are more important things to pass into law in Venezuela than this.

At the same time however, this is all relying on whether the original think I linked is even authentic to begin with, but regardless we need to get a handle over what the situation is in regards to video games.

[CartCollector]

If any capitalist gives you flack about this, point out that capitalist nations like Germany and Australia have been censoring video games for years.

[Scary Monster]

One of the guys from my activist group visited Venezuela a while ago, and he says the state has PC Cafes for the kids, when we were talkin about how Chavez greatly increased the literacy level of Venezuela. They were playing Spore or something like that :thumbup1:

[Red Commissar]

If any capitalist gives you flack about this, point out that capitalist nations like Germany and Australia have been censoring video games for years.

I know this, I am just wondering whether or not Venezuela has done this or not. Just because a capitalist does something doesn't absolve a socialist nation of the same deed. If anything I would be expecting a socialist nation to avoid the nonsense that capitalist nations have a tendency to do.

If anything I'd imagine the popular sentiment may have been attributing crime to violent videos games.

[Tatarin]

I've read in Wednesdays number of the global newpaper "Metro" that Venezuela was indeed to ban violent video games, as well as distribution of them. These so-called crimes is apparently punishable by prison for 5 years! But it should be noted that Metro, at least when I read it, is pretty anti-left (unions get bashed for "being in the way of development", this and that protest not benefitting the rich, etc), and also that other newspapers from that day did not mention the ban.

Yes, the banning of video games in unfortunate, but I think this case is another campaign to point out how every tiny problem Venezuela is destroying the country, and it is of course all due to Chavez and his government. That the National Assembly was thrown out the window minutes after the coup of 2002 didn't seem to bother anyone, let alone the entire coup.

I find it strange how Venezuelan culture and thought is immediately linked to western standards when many western nations have had decades of welfare and a relatively high standard of living, while the countries we see now (even if they as of yet could be classified as "real" or "solid" social democratic) have been under one or the other dictator for years on end, serving interests in the west.

For example, many Eastern Asian countries have a pretty tight governance (China, Vietnam, Burma, Sri Lanka) as well as very restricted laws (in some, even seriously considering the role the king in a supposed democracy is punishable by prison) bans, and a high level of corruption, yet they somehow stand outside the criticism of being "undemocratic".

But I agree, Venezuela should not stand outside criticism if this is really happening on a serious scale. Games are games, fun to play, and it has been proven that they do not influence the player to become viciously crazy and violent. I also hope that it isn't turned into an argument of "but that is what the American scientists are saying" vs. what their own scientists find.

[Physicist]

Censorship, bad it is. But big deal we should not make.

[Ligeia]

Those are old articles from last year from what I know & was never enforced.

I know this, I am just wondering whether or not Venezuela has done this or not.
According to various articles from Venezolana de television (state-owned television channel) from the last weeks, it has banned violent video games.

- Cámara venezolana de juguetes se adapta a ley que prohíbe videojuegos bélicos (http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-nacionales/31289)
(The venezuelan Camara of toys will adapt itself to the law which prohibits war-like videogames)
- Entra en vigencia Ley para la Prohibición de Videojuegos y Juguetes Bélicos (http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-ciencia-y-salud/31123)
(Law of Prohibition of war-like videogames and toys is now valid)
- Indepabis vigilará cumplimiento de Ley que prohíbe videojuegos bélicos (http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-nacionales/31288)
(Indepabis will watch over the compliance of the Law which prohibits war-like videogames)
- Prohibida fabricación, importación y distribución de videojuegos y juguetes bélicos (http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-nacionales/26984)
(Prohibited fabrication, importation or distribution of violent/war-like videogames and toys)


(http://www.vtv.gov.ve/noticias-nacionales/31094)

[Tifosi]

Censorship, bad it is. But big deal we should not make.

Video games are magic man, better than most of the stuff on the web that is for sure.

Was there not a thread a while back about video games in a communist world?