Video game repression has surged in Thailand following last month's killing of a taxi driver by a 19-year-old man who told police he was re-enacting Grand Theft Auto.
Jesada Chandraprasert (left), who pens Cnet's Technology Thailand blog, reports this morning that five games have been officially banned by the Ministry of Culture:
- Hitman
- 300
- Killer Seven
- Hitman: Blood Money
- Fifty Cent: Bullet Proof
In a story broken by GamePolitics, Thailand stole its list of "dangerous" games from an outdated list offered by Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy during the 2007 holiday season. The five banned games constitute half of the list.
Chandraprasert writes:
To say that Thailand's ministries are conservative is like saying the Pacific Ocean is a puddle. In their efforts to maintain a level of control and conformity... they issue laws and regulations faster than a geek can whip out his credit card at a Pantip going-out-of-business sale. Such is the case with video games and Internet cafes...
Their official press release at the Government's Web site clearly states that they see gaming as "a problem which is obsessive and has an (adverse) effect on the behavior of children and teens...".
Chandraprasert also reports on a recent government and law enforcement conference which was held to discuss the video game issue - with ominous overtones:
The conference, held at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center on August 21, had an audience of over 1,500 people, mostly public officials and the police. The main focus of this conference was to find solutions to unregistered gaming stores (basically an Internet cafe like a setup where people can go in and game all day long on computers, not the traditional arcade) and "dangerous games". Their aim is to eliminate the "dangers" associated with said problem within 90 days of the conference.
Comments
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Jack at Wal-Mart....I got this mental image of Family Guy, where Dick Cheney was a Wal-Mart greeter now.
"The world if full of stupid people....watch out."
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Are you sure he deleted it? Maybe your just paranoid and it didn't get posted for another reason. Or maybe it got deleted because you violated the guidelines for posting here like you do so often. Some people actually follow laws and guidelines, things you choose to ignore to meet your own ends.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
He wants to go after the ESA? Ummm go ahead...
By the way Jack, did you prove yet the gays of the bar are secretly channeling money in a RICO style manuever from the Florida Bar yet? Are all the Judges lacking valid 'we will fight the commies on the beaches...' oaths? Have you "figuratively" turned the Florida Bar into the remains of Hiroshima? Successfully brought Hal Harpin and Dennis McCauley, majority of lawyers and politicians, all media outlets (with the exception of religious twits and Fox), video game companies, and most people with common sense to realize you are bat-sh!t crazy for basically calling your bluffs and acknowledging you are a douche bag? Sued the US Marshalls and the FBI for telling you to buzz off? Proved the Bush Administration has it in for you? That Janet Reno is secretly putting homosexual training videos in schools, and majority of the women back in the Clinton administration were practicing Wicca? Proven that Muslims are all pirates and want to kill the jews?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm the conspiracy grows deeper Jack! Your foes are cunning indeed!
(translation: Quit accusing people of your own incompetentcy. You lost, take it like a man and just shoo. Go.)
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Yeah Jack, if you keep bending and breaking rules and flagrantly abusing the law, you might wind up in front of the Florida Bar.
Oh wait.
M. Carusi
Capitol Gaming
http://capitolgaming.blogspot.com
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Too late....
What was the rebuttal, Jack? Another conspiracy theory or another threat against the "gamers"?
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
And this is what happens when you jump to conclusions without evidence to back it up. You look like an idiot to everyone else.
GJ Thailand
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Come now.. 13 years old? You are giving Thompson to much credit.. I think he is more around the 6 year old mark...
As for the Thai government, well ofcourse they want to control the media, because that helps control the population.. How else will a despotic government operate? It just takes an excuse for them to go into action.. Random kid stabs a random cabbie? Stage it up to involve GTA.. that's a popular game right? Then we can shift blame for societys ills onto digital media and ban the hell out of it. Keep the population stupid and complacient.. imprison or kill subversives.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
I thought Jack's hearing was this week?
Love the "IQ Repression" quip. I bet if he had the stones to post his here, damn near everyone here would beat him.
On topic: do they actually have any evidence these games are "dangerous", or is it business as usual, and they're just scapegoating innocent hobbies?
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Anyone really surprised by this? To be honest, I'm surprised that this didn't go into effect quicker. Thailand is in such a political sh*tstorm right now that the government will do anything to try and deflect the issues. Yeah, all governments do that to an extent but Thailand's is desperate right now.
And leave poor Jackie boy alone. Since he destroyed his own career and life he's got nothing better to do than troll internet forums. He's like a 13 year old boy staying home for the summer...with the intellectual maturity to match it.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Whoo! Fifty Cent was banned!
I could enjoy this more if it were banned because it was terrible, not just because it was violent, though...
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Don't you mean turned?
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Jack (if your the jack ass himself or a fake), This is a government who has a much bigger problems than video games, example: prostitution, black market. IQ repression? People here make much more understandable and smarter claims than you. All I can say about your last comment, you wank off to every killing with GTA mentioned.....
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
And yes, this is where the irony begins..
You don't actually KILL people in any GTA game when stealing their cars.
Much less with a Knife, considering there has yet to be a bladed weapon in ANY GTA game released so far.
Whoaaaa, didn't think of that one, did you Jackieboy?
Thailand Government - Your case is busted.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Knife, Chain saw, Katana.
All have made an appearance in a GTA game.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Still not used when carjacking
JT is an idiot
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Your point?
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Also, I believe in GTA San Andreas, if you had a gun equipped when car jacking somebody, on occasion your character would shoot them before pulling them out of the car. Ultimately though, it's still not stabbing.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Umm, no? The only time you shot someone to where you could take their vehicle was if you shot them through the windshield first, then they'd fall out.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Actually, there've been several knives and the sort in GTA games, but that doesn't still mean that Jack Thompson isn't a moron, cause he is.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Um, Jes? There's a knife in GTA IV. Just thought you might want to amend that.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Pixplz.
'Cause I've completed the game and have yet to see one.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas...
...There was a mission called "Amphibious Assault" where you lost all of your weapons and had to use a knife. Later on you got to have a katana fight with a Chinese slave driver.
-Remember kids, personal responsibility is for losers! For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007) Just to name a few...
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Umm... Dardan attacks you with one about 3 missions into the game, you have to disarm him and use it against him, if you dont get one then, you can buy one from little jacob later.
But that's beside the point, the point is, you never use one during a robbery in-game, and it's extremely impractical to use one in a fight in-game, which makes Thailand's point utterly full of BS
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
All of those games are freakin' DATED, half of 'em aren't even all that great....
Talk about a waste of time and legislation.....
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Hold on, hold on. Killer 7? The Gamecube game? I swear, we should be happy that we have people who don't know anything about Video Games in charge of trying to ban them. I've got three words for you. "Solder Of Fortune" That game had some of the most violent hit-models ever, and did it ever get mentioned? You could shoot a guy in the head with a shotgun, and leave half a bloody skull. Anywho...They can't ban violet games, because once they do, and violence still rises, what will they blame then? They need to keep it around so it's a handy target.
If you cannot best a man in argument, all is not lost. You can still call him vile names.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
No when the violence rises they'll say games still need to be banned so that it doesn't get worse or some other crappy excuse. On a light note I hope those bastard are forced to retire or die from 'lead poisoning'.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Wait. A kid kills a cabbie reinacting GTA and GTA is not one of the banned games? How does that work?
E. Zachary Knight
http://www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/okceca
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1325674091
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
GTA was banned 3 days after the incident. This is a secondary list.
It's wierd though. Government and fast are not usually inclusive.
You would think that they would have bigger concerns than banning games, like trying to figure out the issue of the protestors in the PM's office.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Yes, it was almost like they planned it. And wasn't having the cab drivers killer happily pose for some 're-enactment' photos a little suspicious?
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Actually, that's done all the time over here, not just with this case.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
That's politics for you...
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Gift: Thai Foreign Minister has resigned moments ago. I think it will come to a head soon, peacefully with luck.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Yes, I'm hoping matters resolve themselves quietly, especially as my friend lives in Bankok. :(
Gift.
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Why 300? What do they have against Spartans?
THIS IS MADNESS!!!
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
THIS IS THAILAND!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Remember kids, personal responsibility is for losers! For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007) Just to name a few...
Re: Thai Government Turns Against Video Games
Well Thailand has bigger problems than games right now. The Thai government certainly has bigger problems, and this smells of fiddling while Rome burns. Personally, I hope it doesn't turn nasty, not least because I've a friend there and I'm visiting the country soon.
Gift.