Brazil Bans Counter-strike, Everquest

January 19, 2008
The government of Brazil has imposed a ban on a pair of well-known PC games.

Judge Carlos Alberto Simoes wrote that first-person shooter Counter-strike and MMORPG Everquest, both released in 1999, needed to be banned because they:
...[Encouraged] the subversion of public order, were an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security.

As reported by AFP, the ban was immediately applied across the country. It's unclear why these two games, both originally released in 1999, were targeted. Each, however, has garnered its share of negative publicity over the years. In addition, local sensitivities may have been inflamed by a particular CS mod:
An adapted version in Brazil permitted players to take on the perspective of either a police officer or a narcotrafficker in Rio de Janeiro's infamously crime-ridden slums.

Kotaku has a bit more, including letters from several Brazilian gamers who provide their take on the situation.

Comments

In a word... wow. I mean, both these games were first released in 1999. Relevance, please?

Uh, no matter when these games were released, it still bodes ill to have video games considered "an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security"

this kind of craziness is easily spread throughout the world, at least, imo.

"An adapted version in Brazil permitted players to take on the perspective of either a police officer or a narcotrafficker in Rio de Janeiro’s infamously crime-ridden slums."

Soooo... basically, all of a sudden "cops and robbers" is suddenly illegal?

Humans. Pathetic.

Nigthwng2000
NW2K Software
Nightwng2000 NW2K Software http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

yes, because we all know that crime isn't real, and it is only in those vidja games

of course players of such evil will attempt to make these terrible crimes real...

Why god? Why did you allow such stupidity to remain alive on this planet?

@Ben
They are still popular, big name games. More so in non-US countries where it seems that they inherit video game tech from about 5 years in the past.

Let me get this straight. An agency called PROCON, which is there to protect consumer rights, is taking away consumer rights to buy things? Were they reading Nineteen Eighty-Four when they named the agency?

Ok, I'll give them the Counter Strike arguement of "promoting violence agianst th law." But why EverQuest? How do you even make that connection? ... Well a sane INTELLIGENT one anyways

well, next they'll be blaming super Mario brothers for encouraging drug use

@nightwng2000

Pretty much, it's a hot button issue because we all know that authorities don't deal as they should with crime in Rio, which is out of control for a long time. So, instead of fighting the druglords from Rio, they want to bury the issue and pretend it's not happening. Except that they are, well, 9 years late. Tipical politician maneuver.

Also, the police and very likely a lot of politicians receive money from druglords in Rio and other places, to leave them alone. They want to take the heat off of them, again by pretending there isn't a war there.

Here, a lot of judges are the worst kind of scum, too.

I'm ashamed to see this. We have enough problems around here, and now some judge wants to "suffocate" an issue which is alive and well known and get some notoriety. And, not unlike in the US, there's the double standard. We recently had a movie called "Tropa de Elite", where a special division of the military police, "BOPE" (Special Operations Battalion), is showed and talk about their methods (using torture and the like to extract information from suspects of involvement with drug dealing. This very unit exists only to deal with the drug dealing, and the movie also shows a lot of how the police is corrupt. This movie was great success around here, and I don't see judges trying to ban it because it touches such a hot button issue, calling out the police and authorities corrupt and complacent with crime. They hit the games, soft target, as always.

i dont mean to be rude about such a serious issue as corruption but how does everquest fit into this?

@cullarn

I have no idea. That's my logic about counter-strike, but EQ apparently isn't even sold here. It may be even selected at random.

It sounds to me like we've got a bunch of far-left idiocy in the case of Everquest. The idea that the ethical decisions that a GAME asks you to make could cause severe psychological trauma is obviously ludicrous, but heaven forbid anybody ever have to chose between right from wrong for themselves (even in a fictional setting)--after all, that's the Judges' job, right? They're the guardians of morality.

As for Counter-Strike it seems like straight-up corruption. The Counter-Strike mod acknowledges the problem of crime in Rio, and they don't want to deal with it. So down comes the banhammer--or in this case, ban-gavel.

Speaking of Ban-Gavel, JT is being rather quiet lately.

What the hell is wrong with these countries?

"…[Encouraged] the subversion of public order, were an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security."

Cross out the word "democratic" and you end up with something a dictator might say. What a shame.

... Ok, so that means that CS:Source and EQ2 are still fine...

I think they need a new sign to warn people when they go near any politial building.

*Caution: Slow Politicians at Play*

@MacBoy

They're in the Arse-End of the western hemisphere.

This is disgusting and the exact reason we should never allow the government any power to control or regulate the dissemination of Free Speech materials.

Pominator said it better than I could.

I can remember the cs_rio map from counterstrike. I only played it a couple times, but it seemed very well done. Very depressing looking buildings, a nice looking beach, and a soccer field.

I think this map is the one I remember:

http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=CSFiles.Detail&id=1902

I found a review of the map that has some screenshots:

http://pixel.valve-erc.com/review.php?ID=171

So, after the ban on video games finishs up down in Brazil, and their problems still rampant, what will they blame and ban next? The awesomely bad music of the 80's? Comic books? Air?!

In other news, Brazil bans pac man for fear of becoming a nation of gluttons.

@Pominator: Why doesn't God strike them down? Becaue He's too busy playing Everquest and CS:Source to bother.

Wow, talk about real world lag.

The reason for banning Everquest, according to Brazilian gamers who have written to Kotaku, is one of the most absurd things I've ever heard. Banning a game because it has moral choices, and the character can perform good or bad actions? Well, I guess they need ban a lot more than Everquest now. Ban every Western-style RPG ever made.

Third world does it best.

This is insane, inane and reeks of corruption harder than a celeron would smell of burnt plastic after a round of COD4. Or Bioshock. Or pretty much anything new for that matter. I wonder how they would welcome Dungeon Keeper and Overlord.

hope they didnt plan on playing deus ex

@ Cullarn,

Don't frighten me like that.

Please.

Not Deus Ex. Never. I'll smugle copies in Brazil if I must.

Those morons in Brazil bitch about everything. Don't get me started on that Simpsons ep where they go to Rio.

From reading comments on Kotaku, apparently judges in Brazil have a lot of power to make sweeping decisions that effect the entire country like this, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened. But I guess there's a fair chance the guy's decision will be overturned in a few days or just ignored.

1999? Talk about too little too fucking late.

*turns around when he hears a desparate plea, andlaughs at his /b/rotha's pain* Oh now this is entertaining. *motions cullarn to continue*

@illspirit

EQ and CS are clearly double-plus-ungood for citizens of Oceania.

[...] Brazil bans Everquest and Counterstrike. Took them what, 9 years? Counterstrike and Everquest were banned in Brazil. According to the 17th Federal Jurisdiction of the Judiciary Seccion of Minas Gerais State veredict, both games are too violent and do not respect the Consumer Defense Code. In the Minas Gerais Justice interpretation, both games go against the definition that forbids sales of products dangerous to public health. In both games, users are exposed to violence situations. [...]

....games from 1999? Wow, uhhh... gee, banning 9-year-old games, that's REALLY smart...

@Koku
"well, next they’ll be blaming super Mario brothers for encouraging drug use"

It can be said that they were the perfect market boost for psychedelic mushrooms :P

Which Counterstrike GP?

I'm all for this ban. Maybe the people still playing them will realize there's other games!

I mean, geez...

This is from the link about the Koku.

"The counter strike was banned because, in experts opinion, teachs war strategies."

So??? If that if your countries concern to ban anything that promotes war strategies, what about Chess, or Army toys????

You gonna ban them too????

the fallout series will also be banned as well as thief series

So in Brazil, judges have the power to make a large, sweeping influence in the country's laws? Watch out Final Fantasy XII, you might be next on the ban list.

[...] Source: Brazil Bans Counter-strike, Everquest Bookmark it: [...]

koku Says:

January 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
well, next they’ll be blaming super Mario brothers for encouraging drug use

After playing super mare-e-o brothers i popped mushrooms in hopes of getting "big" but instead i just ODed ...and died for totally diferent reasons,ill just say it had something to do with not using protection with hookers,thats right! one stabbed me)

Good morning, i am brazilian and came here to say that CS: Source and Condition Zero are prohibited as well
but i don't know about everquest 2
and we don't have a clue if they are going to shutdown the servers... i hope not :(
bye

@Tulio

"Good morning, i am brazilian and came here to say that CS: Source and Condition Zero are prohibited as well"

Thanks for the info, this is what I wanted to know. Can't you just simply get around the ban if you own your own gaming rig?

for now looks like the only thing that was prohibited is the commercialization of the game, so no servers were closed, everyone is still playing here
but they are mulcting and closing lan house that denies to uninstall CS from their computers

[...] ?????????. ? ???????? ????????? Counter-Strike ? Everquest. [...]

"Up next is that darn Grand Theft Auto 3 game. I've been hearing some naughty stuff about THAT one..."

C'mon, Judge Simoes, if you want to get all bitchy about video games, have the sense to take a shot at one that hasn't been around for an age and a half.

And my apologies, Tulio, but it looked like you said they were mulching and closing the LAN houses to me, which popped this conversation in my head:

"So, you STILL won't uninstall CounterStrike off your computers?"

"No! I'm putting my foot down on this one."

"Fine, be that way. HIT IT, MANUEL!"

*large crane picks up shop, and drops it in the world's largest wood-chipper*

"GAHHH! You bastards! What've you done? I'll have your jobs for this, you..."

"Well, if you're gonna get huffy about it..."

*walks over, and hammers a "Closed" sign into the rubble*

How progressive, to ban games that were programmed in the 1900's. With this, and the rapid way they are clear-cutting the rainforest, they might almost catch up to the 21st century within the next 20 years!

What a great way to encourage software piracy throughout your nation. Maybe the judge is getting kickbacks from organized crime that sells copied games on the black market? How's Brazil's economy lately, is inflation still out of control? Always follow the money...

"for now looks like the only thing that was prohibited is the commercialization of the game, so no servers were closed, everyone is still playing here
but they are mulcting and closing lan house that denies to uninstall CS from their computers"

That is most certainly good news. We need to find an official news scource so that GP can update this story with valid information.

...Still sucks though.

.... This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. I mean, I can think of almost semi-reasonable arguments to ban cs:s, but EQ? I think that the judge was only trying to remedy the countries EQ addiction problem, cause thats the only sane reason to ban EQ that i can think of.
 
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