Fears that Thailand’s online gaming shops could be a major hub for swine flu transmission were realised this week, as a computer game shop employee became virus’ 17th Taiwanese victim.
Thai courts have order the closure of online gaming and gambling websites after a 12-year-old boy jumped to his death from a sixth-floor balcony after being banned from gaming by his father.
Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, fully swept up in the hysteria that has followed an allegedly Grand Theft Auto-inspired murder, has officially banned five “dangerous” games, according to a report from CNET. The Technology Thailand blog writes that the following titles are no longer to be sold or distributed under the threat of legal action: Hitman, 300: The Video Game, Killer 7, Hitman: Blood Money and 50 Cent: Bulletproof.
Curiously, Grand Theft Auto titles don’t appear to be on the “banned” list. It cannot, however, be imported or distributed due to its dangerous status.
The Thai government is also spearheading a vague 90-day effort to protect impressionable youth from “dangerous games” and establish regulations for pay-to-play gaming centres that feature such titles.
Thai Ministry of Culture wages war on gaming [CNET via GamePolitics]
In what appears to be the wake of the Thai killing linked to Grand Theft Auto IV, the Thai Ministry of Health has put together a list of the ten most dangerous video games, Cnet Asia reports.
The original press release is in Thai, which I don’t read, but the Cnet Asia reporter seems to be saying the release of the list and the killing are related. Now that Thailand has decided to pull one game from shelves, what’s to stop them from pulling the ten on this list, which includes God of War and 300, the game, not the movie.
Here’s your full list of “dangerous games”.
A taxi driver was killed by an 18-year old with a knife in Thailand over the weekend. Not exactly gaming news, except for the fact the teenager cited Grand Theft Auto as his inspiration. As a result, New Era Interactive Media, the game’s distributor in Thailand, has requested stores remove the title from shelves, and the Thailand Culture Ministry has taken the opportunity to push for stronger classification measures.
Although the person in question was 18, surprisingly, the government identified parents as the important factor in keeping inappropriate games (and other mediums) out of the hands of their children. From the Herald Sun story:
Not sure why we’ve never thought about erotic games from Thailand, but we just haven’t. We’ve been busy. StudioGU’s Angel’s Tale should serve as proof that there is a thriving Thai ero game industry complete with freakazoid eyes. Hit the jump for the game’s trailer. Be warned: It’s cheesy.
