Saudi Arabia says it’s banning a long list of popular video games after allegations surfaced that two children killed themselves after being encouraged to do so in an online game.
Video games often get a bad rap for negatively influencing children. In most violent incidents that involve children, someone inevitably calls for a ban on violent video games, although most of the games that end up getting mentioned are not intended for children under a certain age. Though video games have age ratings systems similar to that of movies, studies show most parents ignore those ratings and do not take them seriously.
Saudi General Commission for Audio-Visual Media said Monday it was banning 47 games, including Grand Theft Auto V, Assassins Creed 2 and Witcher, for unspecified violations of rules and regulations.
The ban was in response to the deaths of a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy who reportedly killed themselves after playing the so-called “Blue Whale” social media game, though the agency did not say what the connection was.
Blocked Games List
No. Game name
1 Agents of Mayhem
2 Assassins Creed 2
3 Attack on titan 2
4 Bayonetta 2
5 Clash of the Titans
6 Dante’s Inferno
7 Dead Rising 3 Apocalypse Edition
8 Deadpool
9 Deception IV : The Nightmare Princess
10 Deus Ex Mankind Divided
11 Devils Third
12 DmC – Definitive edition
13 Dragon Age: Inquisition
14 Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
15 Draw to Death
16 Final Fantasy Dissidia
17 Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2
18 God of War 1
19 God of War 2
20 God of War 3
21 Grand Theft Auto V
22 Heavy Rain
23 Hitman: Absolution (2012)
24 Life is Strange
25 Mafia 2
26 Mafia 3
27 Metro Redux
28 Okami
29 One Piece Burning Blood
30 Past Cure
31 Prison Architect
32 Resident Evil 5
33 Resident Evil 6
34 Saints Row IV
35 SplatterHouse
36 Street Fighter V
37 Street Fighter 30th Anniversary
38 The Order 1886
39 The Saboteur
40 The Witcher 3
41 The Nonary Game
42 Thief
43 Vampyr
44 Watch Dogs
45 Wolfenstein 2
46 Wolfenstein: The New Order
47 YO-KAI WATCH
