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Censorship of games is a sensitive topic that every gaming studio has to deal with. Developers try to portray their thoughts that are best suited for the market, but sometimes things don’t go as well as they expect.
Throughout the years, plenty of titles have been banned by many countries due to a variety of reasons ranging from excessive violence to political defamation. Many games have been removed from store shelves as they are considered too taboo for the community.
Here's a look at five prominent examples of games that were deemed too extreme and were banned.
5 popular games that got banned and why
There is a very fine line between what is acceptable and what is "too far" in the gaming community. As games are mainly directed toward children and teenagers, games that feature too much violence or unsavory themes are banned by governments and other ruling bodies.
5) Postal 2
Postal 2 is the second installment of Running with Scissors’ notoriously acclaimed Postal series. Released in 2003, the game is a sequel to Postal and grabbed a lot of attention from the gaming community due to its high levels of black comedy and violence.
Players take on the role of a “Postal Dude,” who is involved in causing mayhem in his neighborhoods and carrying out mundane tasks throughout the week. The game's violent gameplay and dark humor gave rise to multiple controversies, and the developers faced a lot of backlash.
Postal 2 was eventually banned in many countries, including Malaysia, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. The game was cited for gross and abhorrent content, which included factors like homophobia and animal cruelty.
4) Bully
Bully is an action-adventure offering from Rockstar Games that raised quite a few eyebrows when it was first released in 2006. Playing in third-person, users will take on the role of a juvenile student named James “Jimmy” Hopkins, who was enrolled in the Bullworth Academy for a year.
Players can explore the open world on skateboards, go-karts, motor scooters, or by foot and must carry out different tasks to rise through the ranks of the school system in an attempt to stop bullying. Though Bully received a lot of praise from the gaming community, controversies gained traction due to its violence and suggestive content.
In the southernmost province of Brazil, the government of Rio Grande do Sul considered the game to be potentially harmful to teenagers as the game featured a school setting. Shortly after its release, they banned the game and announced a penalty of 1000 Brazilian reals for anybody owning or trading the game.
3) Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar Games’ flagship Grand Theft Auto series has always been at the center of many controversies. Many feel that the franchise glorified criminal activity and violence, which was one of the major reasons for the backlash.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took the most hits as it has been banned or censored from many countries due to its excessive nudity and modded mini-games. GTA titles generally put players in the shoes of a protagonist that is involved in criminal activities like bank heists, kidnapping, drugs, murder and car theft.
Many governments deem these video games as too violent for teenagers leading to increased aggression and crime rates. Countries like Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, and many others have either censored or outright banned some parts of the Grand Theft Auto series.
2) Manhunt 2
Manhunt 2 is another stealth video game by Rockstar Games that has faced backlash from several countries. The game is a sequel to the already banned game, Manhunt, which was released in 2003.
The game is set in the fictional city of Cottonmouth, where players take on the role of Daniel Lamb, a mentally disturbed person suffering from acute amnesia. He and his guide, Leo Kasper, a sociopathic assassin, go on an adventure in order to uncover Daniel’s identity.
Manhunt 2 offers a wide variety of melee weapons ranging from broken glass to baseball bats that can be used to eliminate enemies. Many governments banned the game immediately due to its excessive violence and portrayal of killing as a fun exercise.
The UK government refused to classify the game, and Rockstar had to incorporate some graphical filters in order to release it in the country. The game still got banned in countries like Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, and many others.
1) Mortal Kombat
The Mortal Kombat series has had a strong bond with violence since Midway Games released its first installment in 1992. The game has become a huge hit all over the world, encouraging developers to come up with more sequels.
The main concept of Mortal Kombat games revolves around plenty of fantasy characters that duel against each other with their special combat skills. Though the game is well appreciated in the gaming community due to its excellent combat mechanics, many governments were taken aback by the over-the-top violence in the game.
Mortal Kombat II was first banned in Germany as it was considered harmful for teenagers and was followed by the ban of many other Mortal Kombat titles as well.
