Singapore gets game ratings system after 'lesbian' affair
Singapore's video game market has been given a temporary ratings system after the Bioware Xbox 360 game Mass Effect came under scrutiny for "lesbian activity."
While a permanent classification system will not be in place until January, the Board of Film Censors said in a statement that highly-anticipated games will be selectively given ratings so that the public may better understand why such a system is beneficial. The game, slated for release on November 20, was widely reported yesterday to have been banned, but today it has been given a rating of "M18," the film board's equivalent of an "R" rating.
The scene in question takes place between a female player character and an Asari, a species that supposedly lacks male/female sex differentiation.
Mass Effect is among several games that have been put before Singaporean censors for questionable content. God of War II and The Darkness were both blacklisted for nudity and excessive profanity, respectively. But this most recent game was not controversial for excessive sex or violence, rather it was simply because the sexual content featured is between members of the same sex...or at least characters voiced by humans of the same sex. Or rather, between a blue humanoid and a purple humanoid who both wear bikinis, though that may not be saying much.
| The touching...in a manner of speaking...sharing of thoughts and feelings between two consenting creatures, albeit one of them blue and the other purple...and both of them speaking like a nightmare on the set of "Star Trek: Voyager" (season four, no less), from the controversial game (in Singapore), Mass Effect. You will not be able to maintain your emotions for very long as you witness the truth, the honesty, the prosthetic bliss. [Scene may not be suitable for adults.] |
Singapore's outlook on homosexuality is conservative to say the least. Last year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the remarks: "If you say 'I'm gay, therefore entitled to get married,' well, that's a very contentious subject. Or even 'I'm entitled to have a parade and flaunt my gayness...' gay pride. Well, you can do that in Sydney, London, in San Francisco, But I'm not sure I want to do that in Singapore, I think it will be offensive to a large number of Singaporeans."
This statement summarizes the conservative views of the Prime Minister and his party, and censorship in the city-state is a strong reflection of those beliefs. In fact, K. Bhavani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts has said, "Our people are still largely conservative. Hence, the Government needs to balance between providing greater space for free expression and the values upheld by the majority."
These beliefs, however, transcend the rules surrounding the media. According to section 337 of the Singapore Penal Code, "carnal intercourse against the order of nature," is deemed a criminal offense with a penalty ranging in severity from ten years' imprisonment with or without a fine all the way up to life imprisonment.
It is no wonder the game raised concerns, since even the suggestion of sexuality between people of different shades of blue seems to be dangerous.