A computer game which puts players in the shoes of a military dictator in a tropical paradise has been banned as a threat to national security.
The latest entry in the popular “Tropico” series will not go on sale in Thailand, after censors blocked its sale due to a threat to national “peace and order,” games distributor New Era Thailand said yesterday.
The game from Kalypso Media, now in its fifth iteration, tasks players with managing the affairs of a small kingdom and its inhabitants. Through the course of the game, they may choose between intimidating the masses with strong-armed tactics in the name of stability or allow democracy and self-rule to take root.
Although decisions made in the game can lead to brutal consequences including civilian massacres and violent uprisings, the game maintains a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.
In a reply to New Era Thailand yesterday, the film and video censorship office did not specify what its specific objections were to Tropico 5, according to the Associated Press.
