March 9, 2007 -
Municipal governments often court film production companies, even when the subject matter contains scenes of violence.But violent video games staged in realistic settings are increasingly drawing the wrath of local officials. Yesterday, the mayor of Juarez, Mexico took exception to his city's depiction in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, new for the Xbox 360. PC, PSP and PS3 versions are planned for release later this year.
As reported by the El Paso Times, Mayor Héctor Murguía Lardizábal (left) called upon federal authorities to stop children and teens from playing the game. He said that video games create violence and that GRAW2 is not so much a game as a crime against the intellectual capacity of Juarez residents:
Violent video games instill values which are upside down, and these actions are despicable because they attempt to divide the good will of the residents of American and Mexican cities.
In the game, an elite force of U.S. commandos battle a Mexican rebel organization. Much of the game takes place in Juarez, as well as at the border and in El Paso, Texas.
Said Jamie Borasi, a spokesman for publisher Ubisoft:
The El Paso location was a natural evolution from the original 'GRAW' which came out last March. The story is fictional. The first game took place in Mexico City, and the second game sees a resurgence of rebel forces approaching the Mexican-American border between Juárez and El Paso.
GamePolitics readers will recall that in 2006 Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman took exception to his town's depiction in Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas.
Comments
Juarez is a Demilitarized zone, more or less. This mans attack on video games is just a cover for his inability to do anything other then rob the city blind and then blame america cause Juarez is a cesspool.
Pathetic is the only word that truly suits him
On another note, I'd love to see a whole line of games where america is the rat-bastard. not so much as a "HOW DO YOU LIKE IT!?" as...
Well for crying out loud, we have thousands of people who's attitude is "plant our boot in the enemy's ass... that's the american way!"... lets rile them up!
So Mr. Mayor, I think you have bigger concerns than your 'image' in a game or the possibility that these games MIGHT cause violence.
I'll admit Clancy has a bit of a superiority complex vis a vis the US vs 3rd world countries, but then again, if you were a rebel, would you be operating out of a pristine hotel, or a slum where you could hide amongst the dregs of society?
In the ghet-toooooooooooe...
Not all of his bad-guys are corporate-financed mercs. And even they need somewhere to hide. ;)
...one day we will lose our O-Zone because of all the hot air the politicians lose from the mindless ramblings they make.
Just… the depiction of non-americans is just… wow… and I love Dave Chappelle, and Margaret Cho, with the best of them. But between idiotic guards bantering at eachother with fake Russian accents, to all of mexico being depicted as one big ghetto, it’s kind of a case of “who do these people think they are? (or at least, ‘couldn’t you guys at least perform the most rudimentary of research?)
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the Tom Clancy game line, but as an American, my brow is set to ‘insta-furrow’ while playing them, and I can only wonder what the people of mexico, Republic of China, Japan, Russia, Georgia, so on and so forth, would respond to these crude depictions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ju%C3%A1rez_Cartel
The Juarez Cartel was also featured in the 2001 film "Traffic". seems like GRAW2 isn't exactly setting precedent when it comes to exposing the city of Juarez's problems.
-Wikipedia entry on the city of Juarez
Juarez is notorious for the disappearance and murder or rape of women. I remember hearing about it a few years back, and sure enough it was the same Juarez. I do applaud the mayor for standing up and defending his city, but he doesn't seem to notice how crime-riddled Juarez is. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in some of the corruption as well, because a lot of that stuff trickles down from the top.
The FICTIONAL plot (hello reality vs. fiction confusion, Senor Mayor) is a mission to prevent a great disaster in Mexico and the US. Why is that bad? People who cannot tell fiction from realidad are mentally ill.
I do understand his concern over the location of the game, but I think that if it will damage anyone it will be people outside of Mexico. If it does damage them it will only tarnish their image of Mexico. Not that illegal immigrants and drug trafficking don't already.
meh edit function. ect ect.
Okay, I don't think i need to go on with that. They have nothing to fear, its not like a rouge group could really ever disrupt the Mexican government.... Anyways, work of fiction, ect,ect,ect.
... same old story. This is the least of your problems if you think it will tarnish the local image.
Oh yeah, I'm sure widespread poverty and drug cartels have NOTHING to do with the violence in his country. Nope, it has to be those goldurned video games.
Somebody slap this person, please.
'nuff said.
nightwng2000
NW2K Software