Iranian authorities ban Battlefield 3 video game for showing invasion of Tehran
The Iranian authorities have officially banned a new video game, Battlefield 3, because of an in-game assault on Tehran.The video game, which was made by the American technology company, Electronic Arts, includes a scene in which a US aircraft launches an assault on Tehran.
It was released at the end of last month and received rave reviews around the world. Battlefield 3 has been seen by the video games community as a strong contender to replicate the success of the highly successful rival Call of Duty video game.
The intelligence division of the Iranian police released the following statement: “All computer stores are prohibited from selling this illegal game [Battlefield 3].”
However, according to reports, the game was never officially available in Iran in the first place. There are no official EA resellers set up in the country - which has meant that all copies which have found there way into Iran in the first place, were pirated copies. Consequently EA does not have to take any action over any sellers illegally stocking its game.
A group of Iranian students have taken to the internet to express their annoyance with the game, saying: “We understand that the story of a videogame is hypothetical ... (but) we believe the game is purposely released at a time when the U.S. is pushing the international community into fearing Iran.” The group has more than 5,00 signatures backing their views. more
No comments