Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Venezuelan considers violent videogame ban

According to Mexico’s Citizens Council for Public Safety, Ciudad Juarez is the most dangerous city in the Americas followed by Caracas, New Orleans, and Tijuana.

Regarding Venezuela, some steps have been taken to combat the increasingly rampant crime that has hit large cities like the capital. Actions like reforming the Venezuelan police are necessary and should hopefully alleviate urban violence. Yet there are other moves which are purely cosmetic and unrealistic. The bill to ban the sale of violent videogames is one of them:
Venezuelan lawmakers are moving to outlaw the sale of violent videogames and toys in an attempt to fight rampant crime in the country.

A bill to ban sales of violent games passed its first hurdle in the National Assembly on Tuesday evening, the legislative chamber said in a statement issued on Wednesday…

Opponents of President Hugo Chavez say 100,000 people have been murdered since he assumed office in February 1999. The government says its opponents and Venezuela's private media exaggerate the problem…

Some countries ban violent videogames and many restrict their sale to children. Although few studies have shown that such games cause aggressive tendencies, they have often been the subject of controversy.
Image- The Age (“Still from Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.”)
Online Sources- El Tiempo, Reuters, LAHT

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Chavez administration may get one thing right. All governments should ban violent video games and movies. If we wish to promote peace and non-violence in society, the messages should be peaceful.

And I will not bore you with my view on the egregiously puerile advertising prevalent in all the Americas!

Love your blog.