It’s not unusual for a country to ban a video game or two, especially if they deem the game to portray them in a bad light. China, for example, are well known for this, while Australia and Germany can also be particularly sensitive. However, Uzbekistan has taken banning video games to a new level by announcing that 34 video games are now banned from being played in the country.
Uzbekistan’s reasoning for banning the 34 video games is because they feel that the games in question may be “used to propagate violence, pornography, threaten security and social and political stability.” The Uzbekistan government also feel that the games could disturb “civil peace and inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony” within the country.
Amongst the games to be banned are Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Fallout: New Vegas and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. What’s striking about the list of banned games though is that only one or two games in a franchise have typically been banned. For example, whilst San Andreas is a no-no in Uzbekistan now, the list makes no reference to Grand Theft Auto IV or V.
One game that has been banned that may come as a surprise to some gamers is The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, although it is likely the Uzbekistan authorities have banned it due to it allowing players to enter same-sex relationships, which is frowned upon in the country.
However, the most interesting game to have been banned in Uzbekistan is Left 4 Dead 3. Of course, Left 4 Dead 3 hasn’t been announced yet, and we don’t even know if it exists. Unfortunately, instead of Uzbekistan knowing something we don’t, it seems likely to just have been a mistake as “Until Down” (presumably Until Dawn) and “Kane and Leanch 2: Dog Days (Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days) are also banned.
You can view the full list of banned games in Uzbekistan here.