In a country where a government has a great deal of power, *anything* can be blamed for violence and banned. It was surprising the gun wasn’t blamed in Brazil, but once again this is a sober reminder that the government will control whatever they like, it can happen here, and it can happen to our guns.
WIRE:12/17/1999 19:58:00 ET
Brazil bans 6 video games, links one with shooting
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s Justice Ministry has banned six computer games it considers violent, including one that it said could have motivated a medical student to go on a deadly shooting rampage in a movie theater last month.
A ministry spokeswoman said Friday police were ordered to withdraw all the copies of games Doom, Mortal Kombat, Requiem, Blood, Postal and Duke Nukem from the stores. Vendors who disobey will be fined 20,000 reais ($11,000) per day.

The ministry also said in its regulation it would rule on the fate of other “violent” games in 120 days.

“The games are considered violent and affecting people who play them, particularly children,” the spokeswoman said.

“As for Duke Nukem, the ministry regulation says its virtual world may have motivated Mateus da Costa Meira to stage the cinema shooting on Nov. 3 in Sao Paulo,” she said.

Police say they have reasons to believe that Meira, 24, a computer devotee, may have copied a scene from the popular game when he killed three people and left eight wounded in the theater of a posh shopping mall in Brazil’s biggest city.

Police suspected Meira, who kept three computers and scores of computer disks at his apartment, had followed the game step by step, including his choice of weapons and shooting position.

However, this is only a version of the prosecution, which also stated that Meira had traces of cocaine in his blood and had in the past been treated for stress-related problems.

The three-dimensional game, where the player has to exterminate aliens invading Los Angeles streets, normally carries “violence” and “adult language” warning labels.

Meira entered the theater where a film was being screened and sprayed the movie-goers with 50 rounds from an automatic handgun. Guards overpowered him as he stopped to reload. Two people died on the spot and one died later in a hospital.

It is not the first time Brazil banned popular computer games for excessive violence. Some time ago, it prohibited sales of “Armageddon” car race game, where players rack up points by running over pedestrians rather than setting speed records.

Decisions on banning certain entertainment products may only be approved by parliaments in most other democracies.

Most of the games banned this week date back to several years ago and have been played by millions around the world, particularly martial arts championship Mortal Kombat, which inspired many sequels and several movies.

Only one game, Postal, has a life-like environment and converts the player into a stressed-out clerk who kills his office colleagues. Other games have aliens, monsters and evil wizards as enemies who, indeed, leave very graphic pools of blood and heaps of brain on the floor after being killed.

Duke Nukem and Doom have been designed by 3D Realms Co., Blood was made by GT Interactive Software Corp , Mortal Kombat was produced by Midway Games Inc , and Postal — by Ripcord.

Reuters/Variety