Venezuela claims Mercenaries 2 is American government propaganda
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for the PS3, a sequel to the first Mercenaries title, from Pandemic Studios, is causing a stir among the Venezuelan government. Certain lawmakers in Venezuela, according to the Associated Press, are furiously opposed to the game and it’s portrayel of their government.
In the game, players drop into Venezuela to help settle an oil dispute, take on “a power hungry tyrant,” and have a blast (literally) as they plow through blowing things up. Though Mercenaries 2 is based on a fictional scenario, the plot is “realistic enough to believe that it could actually happen,” a Pandemic rep told the AP.
Supporters of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of American policy, are not amused. “[Mercenaries 2] sends a message to Americans: You have a danger next door, here in Latin America, and action must be taken,” said lawmaker Gabriela Ramirez. “It’s a justification for an imperialist aggression.” Ramirez also said that Mercenaries 2 could be banned from the country by laws intended to protect children from violent games.
Apparently these people in Venezuala have never heard the opposition by Senators and government officials here in America, opposing any kind of violence or sexuality in video games and fighting tooth & nail to get Mature-rated games or games with any adult-oriented or “bad” content banned from the hands of minors. I’m pretty sure our government wouldn’t support a game such as Mercenaries 2 either. But that’s besides the point . . . .
Chavez isn’t actually in Mercenaries 2, but those loyal to him believe the game intends to mar his image and that of the country by portraying it as a war-torn battlezone mired in chaos.
“I think the US government knows how to prepare campaigns of psychological terror so they can make things happen later,” said Venezuelan congressman Ismael Garcia.
This isn’t the first time game designers’ pursuit of realistic situations has angered a foreign government. Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon 2 was called “propaganda” by a government-run newspaper in North Korea. “This may be just a game to them now,” the article read, “but a war will not be a game for them later. In war, they will only face miserable defeat and gruesome deaths.” Ubisoft’s development went on as planned, and North Korea eventually banned the game in their country (for obvious reasons . . .).
