Counter Strike and EverQuest Banned in Brazil

It is really strange to hear such a piece of news, having in mind that we are talking here about some pretty old games (indeed, still very popular) - both of them are about NINE years old! Well, it seems that it's never too late to go on a banning spree in Brazil.

According to AFP, this ruling was made in October 2007 (when both the games were still 9 year old!), but the ban is coming into effect only now. The judge, Carlos Alberto Simoes, ruled that the games encouraged "the subversion of public order, were an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security." It took him some time to realize that!

This decision is extended through all the Brazilian territory and, according to the judge, Couter Strike and EverQuest teach their players war strategies and stuff like that. Like you'd have time for strategy when you're the only counter left and all the terrorists' snipers are looking for you... Pretty wicked, if you ask me.

Probably one of the reasons the Half Life-based CS was banned is the existence of a very popular user created map, CS_Rio, which re-creates (as much as Counter Strike can recreate it) some infamous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. EQ is a true mystery, but I am sure the judge had some solid reasons for the ban, just like it was with Counter Strike.

This games, described by some psychologists addictive like drugs, are turning into a little industry for those who want and are able to turn "professional". But this is old news and, even though I'm not a psychologist, I can say that not only Counter Strike or EverQuest are addictive. Just one random title that proves most of the good games are "like drugs": World of Warcraft. Hopefully they won't ban them all, in the end.