Thai authorities ban game which allows players to stage a coup

 
The Thai authorities have banned the government simulation game “Tropico 5,” reasoning that the game is sensitive to public order, according to the Thai Netizen Network
 
Tropico 5 simulates the colonial era to modern times. In the colonial era, players take the role of a president who has a mission to explore new lands and colonize them. The player--the president--can later try to rebel or stage a coup d’état. 
 
According to Wikia.com, a wikipedia-like directory for game fans,  Coups d’état in Tropico are “attempts to overthrow the government by angry soldiers, generals, and SWAT members. When they take place, unhappy military forces will attempt to seize and destroy the palace, which will be protected by military units still loyal to the presidente. If the coup is successful, the game will be lost. It's possible for a president to have risen to power by leading a military coup, boosting their relationship with the Militarists, lowering crime, and providing cheaper military buildings but giving Tropicans low hopes for liberty and democracy.”
 
Moreover, at some levels, the  Constitution in the game allows that "only citizens who are at least rich can participate in elections," and "the state directly runs all legal news sources and can use them to control dissent, causing protests to happen less frequently but making the media provide less liberty."
 
On Monday morning, New Era Thailand, the game’s distributor, posted on its Facebook page that the Ministry of Culture did not allow Tropico 5 to be distributed in the country. 
 
The game, developed by Haemimont Games and published by Kalypso Media, was released on 23 May.
 
According to the 2008 Films and Video Act, games are a kind of video which has to be screened by the authorities before they can be distributed in the Kingdom.  
 
 
 

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