Gamertell

That didn’t last long. Almost as quickly as Singapore banned the videogame Mass Effect, the Media Development Authorities did a complete turn around after the Board of Film Censors gave it a M18 rating and placed the game on the shelves.

Did the homophobic city-state learn to understand and accept members of gay community or was it the outcry of the gaming community that changed their mind?

Well, that and the fact players male characters can not have any intimate relationships with other male characters in the game, only the females can have seduce both sexes apparently. Not sure how this makes the game any better or less of a threat in Singapore, but as long as the authorities are happy gamers in Singapore will get to play Mass Effect. I’m sure what it boils down to is that the boards grew uncomfortable with the fans of the gaming community expressing their disappointment and anger.

Had the ban remained, Singapore would have been the only country to have banned the game. But upon MDA’s reconsideration of Mass Effect and BFC’s closer look at the game, they found that the sex scene is only triggered if the player selects the correct series of choices about becoming more than friends with a colleague. If playing as a male character the scene can take place between him and a human woman or a humanoid female alien. If playing as a female character the scene can take place between her and a male human or a female humanoid alien.

It’s strange what Singapore will allow and how they rate their games. Currently they don’t have a rating system in place for videogames. Prior to the turn around, Singapore was the only country in the world to have banned Mass Effect.

According to Germaine Ong of Game Axis, a Singapore-based publication, “the ratings system is a long time coming but any step now is a positive one,” Ong said. “This is significant because gamers would have obtained the game anyway, through parallel importers or illegal means. Now, gamers and parents are able to make a decision on which games are suitable rather than have the games prescribed to them by the authorities.”

Read [USA Today] Also Read [The Straits Times] Also Read [Game Axis] Site [Media Development Authorities]