Iran blocked from playing WoW, but why?!

By: Moses Abaortae

  |   September 1st, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

Following the passing of a law in the United States, Iran no longer has access to World of Warcraft servers as sanctions are imposed but is it the right move?

World of Warcraft is one of the most played MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) on the planet with subscribers in the millions, however, that number was cut slightly as the game’s publisher, Activision Blizzard, no longer caters to Iranian players.

The ban came after a law was passed in the United States to enforce the sanctions on Iran as a result of the nation’s persistence in pursuing its Nuclear program.

A statement released by Activision Blizzard read:

“United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran. Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services.”

For more on that story click here.

But with all of that apart, was the move justified and do such laws and restrictions apply to gaming as well. This is not the first round in the gaming war between the two nations either as last year Iran banned Battlefield 3 in the country. The reason behind the ban was the depiction of the US invasion of Iran in the game.

With video games becoming a growing means of entertainment and being accepted more and more by the mainstream it was only a matter of time before politics became involved but as gamers we have to ask themselves whether or not that should be the case.

Are the gamers who have been banned from WOW and not being offered refunds guilty of anything or do they deserve to suffer for the problems and tension between their governments and the United States? The simple answer is no, but the world is not a simple place.

This is a simple case of politics and governments making statements and showing off their ‘strength’ with the people ultimately bearing the brunt of the decisions.

Activision Blizzard will not be too concerned over the decision as the Iranian gaming segment represents a minor part of their overall subscriber base but then the question is whether it’s ok to exercise your force on a minority.

The point I’m trying to make is why should gamers suffer for the decisions of their governments. It’s not like they are doing anything illegal and online platforms are a major area where gamers from different countries can meet, compete and on occasion, diss each other. What does a US law have to do with any of that?

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of wishfree.com