Authorities ban videogame for allegedly offending Chinese sovereignty
Shanghai (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The mainland has banned British computer game Football Manager 2005, saying it has violated Chinese law by referring to Hong Kong, Taiwan and other regions as separate countries.
A statement on the Culture Ministry's website said the game contained "content harmful to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity ... [that] seriously violates Chinese law and has been strongly protested by our nation's gamers."
The game launched on November 5 is not sold in China and has no Chinese language version.
But government departments have been ordered to search for the game online and in computer software markets, cyber cafes and news stands which sell pirated software and to seize any copies found, the statement said.
Outlets providing the game can be fined up to about US $ 500 and have their licences pulled. Internet service providers that fail to prevent subscribers from downloading the game could be fined up to US $ 200 and lose their licences.
There was no immediate comment from game developers, Sports Interactive or publisher Sega Europe. They said the game was their biggest seller ever.
In Hong Kong, the game was not yet available on the shelves of major toy and game retailers. It was not yet known whether these shops would offer it or not, a spokesman said.
The Culture Ministry said the game also contained references to Tibet which Chinese troops occupied in 1951 and Macau, a former Portuguese colony handed over to China in 1999.
China this week banned a Nike television commercial showing LeBron James, an American NBA basketball player. James is depicted in the commercial defeating a kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons in a mock video game.
The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television said the advertisement violated national dignity and was disrespectful and blasphemous towards Chinese culture.
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12/12/2004
