Ban Demanded On Call of Juarez

By Mike Wheeler

• Game set in town riddled with drug problems
• State legislators believe kids see enough real-life violence
• More than 6000 murders committed over two years

Ubisoft’s Call of Juarez: The Cartel isn’t due for release until mid 2011, but already the title is causing ructions in Mexico.

In a country riddled with drug violence, legislators in the state of Chihuahua –  where the town of Ciudad Juarez is located – are asking Mexico’s Interior Department to ban the game before it even goes on sale

Chihuahua has seen over 6,000 murders over the past two years, most related to drugs and the associated violence the narcotics bring to the area. And as if to prove the point, the city had 72 murders from Thursday to Saturday just last week, including four police officers from three different agencies.

The state legislature was unanimous in its request, and the Federal government has yet to get back to them. Game publisher Ubisoft might wonder about freedom of expression etc, but those types of freedoms are not exactly plentiful in a country where even the state police – in most cases – have to pay for their own uniform and firearms.