Uzbekistan bans video games over "distorting values" and "threatening stability"

Uzbekistan has banned a long list of computer games deemed to be “distorting values” and “threatening stability”, the media reported on Tuesday. The list of 34 games ranges from ego-shooters to horror or erotic games and has been approved by a government commission, reports the BBC. It also includes global hits like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA), Call of Duty: Black Ops, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat and Doom. The ban makes it illegal to import and distribute the games across the central Asian country. According to Uzbek authorities, the games could be “used to propagate violence, pornography, threaten security and social and political stability”. There is also concern they might disturb “civil peace and inter-ethnic and interreligious harmony”. Another reason given is the potential “distribution of false information about Uzbekistan and the distortion of its historic, cultural and spiritual values.” The ban is a continuation of the government’s efforts to keep young people away from influences that it deems “destructive”. Most of the games are widely popular and readily available in internet cafes across the country or as pirated Russian-language copies on DVD.