Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

October 31, 2008

Is piracy ruining the video game market in Saudi Arabia?

That's the spin coming from the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance at this week's Dubai World Game Expo. But, as GP sister-site GameCulture explains, it is actually game censorship by the Saudi government which pushes gamers into pirating the titles they want.

AAA official Scott Butler claims that Saudi officials aren't doing enough to combat piracy:

In the UAE they are sending pirates to prison a lot, whereas in Saudi Arabia there has never been a judgment like that for any kind of pirate. When they mete out the judgement of imprisonment, that's when the market will finally crack.

But, as GC editor Aaron Ruby points out:

That might be the first time the Saudi legal system was chastised for being too lenient. And therein lies the absurdity of Butler's proposal... Censorship in that country has effectively driven the videogame industry underground. The kingdom's fear of media that challenges its cultural values has created a thriving entertainment black market, of which games are a key segment...

Iran, whose entertainment is also heavily regulated by the state, is also a hotbed of piracy. According to Mehrdad Agah, chariman of Puya Arts Software, 99% of all games sold in Iran are pirated...

It's no coincidence that the countries with the highest piracy rates (Saudi, Iran, China) have some of the most draconian censorship policies on the planet. The true counter to piracy is more freedom, not less.

Bonus: In this fascinating article, a Saudi gamer pens a history of game piracy in the kingdom.

Posted in

Comments

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by Spartan on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 21:43.

Surely this is a joke article. I cant take it seriously no matter how hard I try.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The most difficult pain a man can suffer is to have knowledge of much and power over little" - Herodotus

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The most difficult pain a man can suffer is to have knowledge of much and power over little" - Herodotus

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by Mnementh2230 on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 12:33.

Good article, and I really like their logo.

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by strathmeyer on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 11:05.

Do they let women use computers in Saudi Arabia?

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by Loudspeaker on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 10:58.

Well this is a very interesting theory. One that will get more vaility if piracy decreases in Australia with an R18+ rating release.

"Volume helps to get a point across but sharp teeth are better."

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by ConnorM5 on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 09:22.

"Is piracy ruining the video game market in Saudi Arabia?"

There's a video game market in Saudi Arabia?!

******************** "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedom

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by Anthrax on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 09:08.

Looks like piracy is becoming the gaming industry's boogeyman. Too bad it doesn't actually do nearly as much damage as they think it does, and on the flip side all their consumer-harming defensive measures aren't helping in the slightest.

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by ZippyDSMlee on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 06:49.

Censorship is one issue price,quality of life and enforcement of pirate outfits are others.

I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)

---

http://zippydsm.deviantart.com/

Re: Game Censorship Fuels Game Piracy in Saudi Arabia

Submitted by Jarrod from Aus... on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 06:14.

"It's no coincidence that the countries with the highest piracy rates (Saudi, Iran, China) have some of the most draconian censorship policies on the planet. "

I've never thought about it like that, but that makes a hell of a lot of sense, i'd admit i'd do the same thing if our govt here started acting in this sort of manner

Shout box

Andrew Eisen: Well, I was right. Both Sony and Microsoft's consoles will be out by the year's end and both will be significantly more powerful than the current gen.05/21/2013 - 5:06pm

james_fudge: thnx05/21/2013 - 4:47pm

Zen: Just to let ya know...you called it the "Xbox 260" in the backwards compatibility article lol.05/21/2013 - 4:26pm

Zen: @PHX Awesome, I will hit those up after class tonight. Going back to college finally! :) My kids have had a blast telling ME to do my homework now lol.05/21/2013 - 4:19pm

PHX Corp: @Zen I sent you a friend request on both PSN and XBL, just a heads up05/21/2013 - 4:16pm

Zen: I noticed it with the football players when EA showed off Madden as well.05/21/2013 - 4:11pm

Zen: Is it just me or is call of duty hitting the "uncanny valley" with their nicely modeled faces and dead looking eyes? I found it distracting and seemed actually "less" real to me lol.05/21/2013 - 4:10pm

james_fudge: it sounds like if you have an HD reciever you'll be able to use it with a pass-through cable... not 100 percent sure yet05/21/2013 - 2:41pm

james_fudge: happening now http://majornelson.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-architecture-panel/05/21/2013 - 2:20pm

E. Zachary Knight: Some reading material for Microsoft on its used games blocks. That will hurt the console more than helping. http://ezknight.net/?page_id=20505/21/2013 - 2:18pm

james_fudge: yeah good luck with over the air TV05/21/2013 - 2:12pm

E. Zachary Knight: But what if I want to only watch over the air tv? I don't subscribe to pay tv. I never will. If that is a requirement, then MS wasted 45 minutes telling me how great TV will be.05/21/2013 - 2:08pm

james_fudge: EZK it will depend on your provider, just like HBO Go i'd imagine.05/21/2013 - 2:05pm

PHX Corp: @IanC there's also a chance that those titles might be Xbox one exclusive, but it's too early to tell afaik05/21/2013 - 2:03pm

IanC: @E. Zachary Knight - MS certainly got the checkbook out for EA, so no surprise on how negative they are over the Wii U.05/21/2013 - 1:54pm

MaskedPixelante: So now I have to wonder, how many of EA's games are skipping the PS4 because of their pro-used stance?05/21/2013 - 1:53pm

E. Zachary Knight: On the TV front, does the XBox One require a cable/satellite subscription or will I be able to use my over the air channels?05/21/2013 - 1:48pm

E. Zachary Knight: Also, that name was not one of the options on our poll.05/21/2013 - 1:42pm

E. Zachary Knight: This presentation also shows why EA has been so negative about the Wii U. They have had a massive hardon for the XBox One forever.05/21/2013 - 1:42pm

james_fudge: two female presenters05/21/2013 - 1:40pm

All shouts

<< Return To Top

Forgot your password?
Username :
Password :