Beijing bans Electronics Arts’ “Battlefield 4: China Rising” for ‘cultural aggression’

December 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Beijing bans Battlefield 4: China Rising for ‘cultural aggression’

Staff Reporter

2013-12-28

The latest expansion of Battlefield 4, a video game developed by Electronic Arts, has been banned by the Chinese government who have accused the game of threatening its national security and discrediting China’s image in a form of “cultural aggression,” according to tech website ZDNet and Malaysia’s Oriental Daily News.Battlefield 4: China Rising features a war in 2020 triggered by a Chinese admiral who tries to overthrow the Chinese government with Russia’s support. The incident leads to a war between the US and Chinese armies in Shanghai.

China’s Ministry of Culture has banned the game and downloads, demos, patch downloads and media reports about the game within China have been deleted within 24 hours after the ban was issued. The internet search term “ZhanDi 4,” the game’s Chinese translation, has also been censored.

The PLA-sponsored media China Military Online blasted the game’s developer for using a video game to convey a political message against a nation, promote its own values and smear another country’s image and called it is a new form of cultural infiltration and invasion.

Chinese media also criticized the content of the game, saying it creates a hawkish image of the PLA which makes a vain attempt to take over state power. The media also accused the game of using uncivilized language and making inappropriate jokes such as laughing at an inscription on a tombstone.

The extension has not been released in China since it was released in October this year. The Chinese government had already heavily criticized the Battlefield series before announcing the ban. Chinese internet users have reportedly managed to access the game however through peer-to-peer download links.

Filed under Macro Trends

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