India bans video game over gay character?
By Sam Rigby
A new video game has reportedly been banned in India because it features a gay character.
Electronic Arts (EA), the publisher of Dragon Age: Inquisition, has issued a statement explaining that the game has been withdrawn from sale over a potential breach of “local content laws”.
Gamers who pre-ordered the title in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh will have their money refunded as a result of the ban.
Milestone Interactive, who were due to distribute the game in the region, said that the decision was taken to withdraw the game before Indian officials could take the decision to ban it.
They explained: “Rather than face the wrath of some of India’s more prudish segments of society, EA have pre-emptively decided to make the game unavailable in India, without confirming or commenting on which local laws were being breached.”
Previous Dragon Age characters have been bisexual, allowing players to choose who they want to have romantic relationships with, but Inquisition features the title’s first fully gay character, Dorian.
Earlier this year, EA was forced to fix an error on The Sims 4, which banned players from using the word “gay” in character names – read more here.