Kotaku
The South American nation famous for its ability to create great soccer players, attractive swimsuit models and land that used to be rainforests has brought the banhammer down upon two of the world's most popular online games. Both Counter-Strike and EverQuest, each now nine-years old, were said to promote "the subversion of public order, were an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security" by the judge enacting the ban.
According to the AFP report on the matter, the prohibition on selling CS and EQ was actually passed in October of 2007, but was only recently enforced by PROCON, the national consumer protection agency. Good work, Brazil. Glad all of your problems are sorted out now that the video game police are tackling the tough issues!
Members of the Kotaku Brazilian Connection wrote in to let us know about the ban. Their letters are after the jump and provide some insight into the local video game market.
From Pinguin:
Since 01/17, Counter Strike and Everquest are banned in Brazil. The decision came from a federal judge, based in the Consumer Rights, saying that it puts in danger the life of buyers. You can see the full decision in this site. (in Brazilian portuguese)The counter strike was banned because, in experts opinion, teachs war strategies.
Everquest was banned because of their quests. The Brazilian judge, claims that, some quests ask for the user do good things and bad things, leading the user to pscicological problems.In Brazil, those games were rated to 18+, by the Justice. In the past, before those rates exist, games like Carmagedon, Grand Theft Auto and Postal were banned too.
But, we still can play Postal 2, Manhunt (the complete version) and all the other games. Everquest isn't even [sold] in Brazil!
From Romulo:
Since 17/01/2008 the games "Counter-Strike" and "EverQuest" are been confiscated in the Brazilian state of Goiás by the PROCON, an organism created to defend consumer rights. The decision is extended trough all brazilian territory, the games were considered "[improper] for consume" and "nocive to the consumer health" offending some articles of the brazilian "consumer defense and protection code", a law that is usually used to protection the consumer against big companies.Here in Brazil a single judge can make a decision that is valid in the whole country, this is the case, but other states are not confiscating the game as they think there may be something wrong with such a decision. The judge also classify CounterStrike and Everquest as being "nefast".
Acording to procon and the judge, Counter-Strike is described as "a game where drug deales sequestram and take to a morro thre UN representatives. Police invades the place and is received with bullets", the text also affirms, without showing names ou researches, that "in the vision of specialists that game teaches war techniches". Thats not counter strike´s but user generated content, CS_rio is a very popular map and played a lot in Brazil.
The reason to justify the ban, "violent games ou that bring violece are capable of forming agressive individuals, its evident is strong power of influence, reforcing agressive atitude on some individuals and social groups.", they go even farther when justifying everquest ban, [everquest] "takes the player to total nonsense and heavy psicologycal conflicts, because the quests he receives may be good or bad."
EA Brazil released a note claiming the content cited is not from counter strike but user generated, and say it´s waiting for a judicial notification to take legal action.
From Hank:
This is kotaku user HANK-SP, from Brazil, reporting that the brazilian state of Goias has banned the games Counter-Strike and the RPG EverQuest. The decision, taken by a court in Goias, is extented to all Brazil. The federal police IS already taking away copies from these games, altough EverQuest is not officially released in Brazil. Procon, brazilian governmental foundation for consumer defense, argued, on its website, that Counter-Strike is a game where "Rio de Janeiro drug dealers kidnapp and take to a slum three UN representants. The police invades the place and is welcomed with bullets. (...) In the vision of experts the game teaches war techniques". As for EverQuest, Procon states that it "takes the gamer to complete moral conflict and 'heavy' psychological conflicts; for the tasks that are given to them could be bad or good. (...) Violent videogames that use violence are capable of forming agressive individuals, making it evident that is strong its influence on psyquism, reinforcing aggressive attitude against certain individuals and social groups". The web site also states that anyone who sees these games being sold, that they should contact Procon for the arrest of the games. All this information has come from UOL, Brazil's biggest web portal, owned by Brazil's biggest newspaper "Folha de Sao Paulo". http://jogos.uol.com.br/pc/ultnot/2008/01/18/ult182u7954.jhtm In another news, UOL reports that EA has already answered that Counter-Strike doesn't have any Rio de Janeiro, any slums, any funk soundtrack, neither UN comissioners. http://jogos.uol.com.br/pc/ultnot/2008/01/18/ult182u7956.jhtm
Thanks for taking the time to write in, guys. Keep us informed of any developments, if you have the time.
Brazil bans popular video games seen to incite violence [AFP/Google]
Comments
Remind me to smash the law when I become world dictator.
Nice Brazil, very nice, what next, ban other violent video games now? Though, form the sound of it, that'd probably happen.
For all its problems, I'm glad I live in the US. We may be backwards in a few things, but nothing as insanely trivial as this shit.
Thats a loss :/
Wow, so they banned Everquest because it offers moral choices?
I can think of a few games in the past year or two that'd make that judge eat a bullet.
That wont help in anything, and it will increase even more the underground piracy market....
"The counter strike was banned because, in experts opinion, teachs war strategies...."
Cutting carrots in the kitchen teaches me how to use knives... BAN!
So two games are being banned in the cause of democracy.
Of course.
Plus +20 logic points for PROCON.
@Moonshadow101: *cough* Bioshock *cough*
Wow, looks like Night Trap and Doom may be next to get the Brazillian Banhammer....
So this is another case where some idiot can't tell between user content and official content? And choices to do evil in EQ? That is the flimsiest pretense for a ban I have ever heard.
These guys aren't advocates, they're censors.
this is ridiculous: "Here in Brazil a single judge can make a decision that is valid in the whole country". if this is true, wtf. what happens if there is a corrupt judge making an unruly decision?
off topic: broken english hurts my brain >_<
OH COME ON
all those politiciens ... they got nothing to do
don't tell me that geeks sitting in front of a computer playing video games is really dangerous
@Krondonian:
LOL!
This is just sick.
"and land that used to be rainforests" lol :( reminds me that I need to recycle more often...
Federal courts aye? I thought Brazil had a constitution, I guess not...
PS: What does "Nefast" mean?
It's interesting to see that governmental overreach and ignorance knows no national bounds. I'm unfamiliar with the laws of Brazil (and Wikipedia didn't help too much in that aspect) but is there a similar Brazilian law to our First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression? Wiki says that a "founding principle" is free enterprise, which would seem like this ban goes against.
Nevertheless, as a pledge of my solidarity to my Brazilian gamers, I shall tonight play World of Warcraft and COD4, both spiritual successors to the newly banned games. We shall not be broken!
So this is what happens when you let Jack Thompson types run consumer protection agencies, I guess them Brazilian consumers are now protected from the dangers of ambiguous quests or stories that would encourage independent though and counter terrorist scenarios that would allow themselves to take down thugs kidnapping UN diplomats if it was to happen.
WTG Brazil!.
In all honesty tho, this is obscene, disturbing, disappointing and well, it boggles the mind to think that a judiciary would ban stuff like this, or that a society would put up with it.
Wonder what should be blamed for it!.
Wow, seems like the Brazilian government is taking a bit far there and not having a standard rule across the board.
The next thing we will hear is that they banned Pokemon because it encourages cock fighting and that they banned Viva Pinata because it encourages unethical treatment of pinatas.
@EnigmaNemesis: With the issue of conservative-twatface-who-must-not-be-named-or-linked-to, I thought I'd been maxed with ridiculous anti-videogaming. Brazil just raised the bar.
Oh damnit. My country did a party foul.
@Irenicus-the one and only: i wondered the same thing. a quick google of the word brought up "wicked". CS and EQ: "wicked"? LAFF!
@baberg:
Viva La Resistance!
They ban EQ but not maple-story :O?
@Irenicus-the one and only: Not sure what "nefast" was meant to be. There's obviously some broken English in there, which I tried not to touch, so hopefully some of the Portuguese speaking commenters can shed some light.
How can a country famous for bringing us such babes like Adriana Lima, be so shallow?
Oh wait!
Oi what in the hell?
Ok CS I can see but evercrack?
@McWhertor:
Ne´fast
1. Wicked
[www.thefreedictionary.com]
@McWhertor: ˌill-ˈfated adjective
ending in, or bringing, disaster
Example: an ill-fated expedition
"Brazilian Government bans counter-strike" someone had to do it, that game is "teh weaksauce" ;)
Obviously, this is to combat the sudden epidemic of teenages jumping in the streets screaming 'BOOM! HEADSHOT!'
@McWhertor: "Nefast" wich in spanish maybe "nefasto" it means like horrible...
I expect it from China like here:
[www.reuters.com]
But from Brazil, who claims to have "democracy", it is sad!
I lived in Brazil for two years and never saw anyone play everquest, ever. CS though, damn it's like they just took away the soccer ball from the kids, that's a huge game down in Brazil.
Brazil: Where we ban virtual video game guns, but not real ones.
I can understand how someone with the right agenda and coming from the right place could decide Counterstrike should be banned. But Everquest? Why? How?
@J-Fro:
Of course silly, guns don't kill people, virtual game guns do!
@McWhertor: I was afraid my question would make me look stupid, I guess I got lucky this time :) Ty for your reply.
@seiryuu: @tocatl: Thanks for the info :)
9 years late, Brazil. whatcha gonna ban next? Starcraft?
Here is my 5 minute effort, done for my blog:
[fotos.sapo.pt]
Sadly, you would have to be portuguese to "get it"... ^_^
ONLY IN BRAZIL
Such ridiculous. People from Brazil should feel stupid at this moment.
The country famous by the abusive taxes and corrupt politicians and carnival.
I think games such as educational games will be banned too soon, because they will teach how to think and that is dangerous for such government that STEAL money from POOR people to put on ASS, or better, inside underwear.
While this Brazil has killing numbers like countries on civil war.... Thanks Brazilian government to be so S T U P I D!
Well... Let's get things straight here!
I'm a gamer from Brazil who happens to visit Kotaku quite often but didn't decided to write anything here until now...
First, lots of people here play CS! Not my type of game, but it's very popular here cos' most people can't buy those modern FPS shooters unlike me!
Second, I'm not familiar with Everquest but I can say that I don't know a single person who plays it here in Brazil!
Anyway sorry for my broken english! If someone has any questions please ask me, and if I know I would be glad to answer them!
People are taking it sort of out of context, I'm from brazil btw.
This is just politics .. NO measure will ever be taken to enforce this, they have bigger issues to deal with .. this is just to win votes from neurotical mothers. Same as what has been happening in many states of USA, Germany and others..
Just another comment, but IF Brazilian police cannot take care of illegal copies how will the arrest people playing CS? ROFLMAO
"PROCON, an organism created to defend consumer rights"
Sounds like a B-grade sci-fi film. It would be about...
a genetically engineered supersoldier designed to fight for the consumer. However, recent orders have led him to repress the very people he swore to protect.
After a successful raid on a Counter Strike den, PROCON is hit with a crisis of conscience: why is he striking down 12 year olds? Why is he restricting consumer choice when he is an arm of consumer advocacy? As he learned during the brief altercation, these children had gleaned nothing of military tactics from Counter Strike. His superiors, not these children, were becoming a threat to democracy.
I'd watch it.
@Irenicus-the one and only: You are not a stupid person for asking about an unknown word, so its ok, also the word nefast,nefasto maybe be a very old word, cause portuguese,spanish,italian came from the ancient "romance languages" thats why those 3 languages have very similar words ;)...
and in other news, jack thomspon and crazed brazilian scientists perfect mind control device.
Kotaku, I'm from Brazil and live in Sao Paulo. Despite being hedious news that Counter Strike and EverQuest were banned I have to say, and be truth to my country, that it's not going to really happen anything with the situation of both games here.
Look, the judge decision is completely unconstitutional. My brother is a federal prosecutor (but can't mess with this part of the law) and I can assure you that only takes a not-so-dumb judge or prosecutor to read this news and take some action.
There are dumb judges everywhere in the world, Brazil is not an exception. I'm just glad we don't have ministers bitching about lesbian alien sex in Mass Effect.
:)
@EnigmaNemesis:
"But from Brazil, who claims to have "democracy", it is sad!"
Way to disrespect a whole nation :3
Brazil's president was elected regardless of not having the vote of the 20% "richest" population..
If there's anything wrong with the brazilian politics it's the people "pessimistic" point of view towards it and not lack of democracy or how the system works.
Regarding the subject, we have 3 powers, one created this and some other will rule it out, just like in any democractic nation.
Why is a single judge able to enact national policy like this? Wouldn't that be a bit "undemocratic"?
@tocatl: Yeah, and you are right, better to ask then be ignorant I guess :P Also, I am very fascinated with history and also find it interesting to learn where words have their origin. A subject I welcome you to bring up again whenever the opportunity makes itself :)
Now something completly off-topic, I own a lot of stockbonds etc in Brazil and I heard that Brazil may have discovered a great source of Oil off the coast or something, anyone know if this is true? And if it is a great find? I love to know :)
I'm from Portugal, but I've gone to Brazil a few times. I don't think this is going to change much except the cyber café plays. Because if you have a computer at home, you can simply download the game and play it on an owned server. The game might be out of the stores, but most games that circulate around the country are copied, and I've seen ALOT of pirating when I was there. Trust me, this won't change things much for the people with PCs at home.