UAE CENSORSHIP BOARD
In association with:
National Media Council and a Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community
21st May 2013
DUBAI
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
MEMBERS:
Mr. Khalid AL Hamrani (Convenor)
Mr Ibrahim
Dr Omar Sharif
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BUSINESS
To propose a legislative change regarding the censorship and/or classification of video games in the
UAE.
The National Media Council (NMC) was established in 2006 to oversee media development in the UAE
and to support media initiatives.
VISION
To become a highly credible official media reference which represents UAE media locally and globally.
MISSION
To provide an integrated regulatory environment for the information and communication sector in
the United Arab Emirates, and to be committed to the comprehensive coverage of all UAE events and
disseminating them to the largest number of media organisations locally and globally, and to highlight
the UAE's civilised and cultural image to local and international audiences.
VALUES

Nationalism: in work performance to highlight the council as a national organisation.

Accuracy: in work performance and media content.

Transparency: in the internal and external environment.

Objectivity: in everything issued by the Council.

Credibility: of media coverage.
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REPORT
1. AIM
The board aims to introduce a new classification system for video games in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). This is essential to ensure the wellbeing of society in general. This has resulted from a series of
many complaints made by parents about the effects of video games on their child’s behavior and the
family lifestyle.
2. BACKGROUND
2.1 UAE Laws and customs
The UAE is a conservative culture and has many laws involving behavior, dress codes and even media.
The UAE focuses on many forms of media, including film, television and radio, and many laws have
been put into place to protect UAE citizens. The UAE hasn’t yet developed a video game classification
system that takes into consideration the impact of nudity, violence and culturally and religiously
inappropriate representations, nor has the UAE government created an 18+ classification law.
Overtime, significant changes have taken place within the industry and technology has developed
allowing video games to become more violent, realistic and addictive. Many parts of the world both
classify and ban video games. However, in the UAE, the classification system is yet to be developed
and only banning laws are imposed. The National Media Council (NMC) is the governmental sector
responsible for video games and other media.
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2.2 Cultural and religious sensitivity
Currently, bans are imposed on many video games in the UAE. The UAE is a culturally sensitive
country and the NMC ban everything that goes against the country’s culture and anything that
conflicts with Sharia’a law, including violence, nudity and bad language. Despite many video games
being banned in the UAE, many UAE citizens can still get them either online, overseas or even from
unauthorized shops (which also increases video gaming piracy). Two games that are banned in the
UAE are Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 and the Grand Theft Auto series (Meikleham, D, 2007).
However, many people under the age of 18 are still able to purchase these video games. Modern
Warfare 4 is banned in the UAE due to the high amount of violence, in particular violence towards the
Islamic culture (i.e. shoot outs in mosques, etc).
3. FINDINGS
Currently there are more than half a billion people playing video games worldwide (TED Conferences,
2013). According to the Entertainment Software Association (2013), an average of 8 hours is played
weekly - 8 hours of someone’s life is spent on games involving killing and violent acts. Studies have
shown that many parents think that what their child is playing is appropriate - they don’t realize how
their child could be influenced by the game. Parents are unaware that there are harmful effects
associated with video games; statistics have shown that 64% of parents consider video games to be a
positive part of their children’s life (Entertainment Software Association, 2013). Additionally, statistics
have shown that 92% of parents are present when their children purchase video games (Changed,
2010). This would indicate that parents are unaware of the graphic and often inappropriate content of
video games. This could be due to the lack of classification: parents assume that if they or their child
can purchase the game, the content must be appropriate (Changed, 2010).
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The NMC should offer conferences or courses to raise parents’ awareness of the inappropriate
content of some video games for their children. The NMC should use a classification system to solve
the problem of young children having access to inappropriate content. Certain video games are
banned in several countries for the same reason: a high level of strong violence. In both Saudi Arabia,
and South Korea the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was banned, although this action did not stop
people from purchasing the game. Many violent and criminal acts that have taken place have been
linked to video games. On 4th of August 2008, an 18-year-old student murdered a taxi driver in
Bangkok. The Police Captain stated that the student committed the crime because he was playing
Grand Theft Auto and was unable to disengage from the game as a result of this incident Thailand
banned Grand Theft Auto (BBC, 2008). No crimes based on video games have occurred in the UAE.
4. DECISION
The ban should be lifted but to stay aligned with the UAE laws and cultural sensitivity, and to take into
consideration the findings, a classification system should be introduced by the NMC for video games
in the UAE. The classification system will be as follows:
Classification Group
Meaning
A
Suitable for all ages
PG
Parental guidance required for those under the
age of 14 years
AO
Adults over 18 years only
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5. REASONS FOR DECISION
Video games have a tendency to promote bad language and make violence more appealing and
socially appropriate. This particularly affects the teen demographic of the UAE. Violence in the UAE is
not as prevalent or serious as in other countries such as the USA but could potentially become an
issue in the future. Violent video games tend to encourage aggressive behavior (Thompson, 2013).
Many complaints have been made to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community by parents of
teenagers who complained that their young children had purchased particular video games. If the
NMC does not introduce a classification system, many underage children will be allowed to view
sexual content and inappropriate scenes that could lead to increased crime in the UAE. In addition,
proof of age and identification should be produced when video games are purchased (electronic
copies of identification documents should be produced for online purchases). Having to provide ID
will make it difficult for underage gamers to purchase video games that are unsuitable for their age
and that go against the cultural values of the UAE. To discourage parents and other relatives from
purchasing classified games on behalf of underage gamers, heavy fines could be introduced.
Additionally, by classifying video games as 18+ and requiring identification to purchase video games,
adults are able to determine for themselves whether the content of the game is appropriate for them
or not.
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6. SUMMARY
The UAE tends to mix modern life with traditional culture while also taking religion into consideration.
The UAE has banned many video games such as Modern Warfare 4 and Grand Theft Auto. The games
are banned due to sexual content, violence and inappropriate cultural themes although many people
are not pleased with banning. If the NMC provided a classification system instead of total banning, it
would be very difficult for teenagers to get games that are not suitable for their age but would also
satisfy gamers who are mature enough to view and engage in video games appropriately.
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Bibliography:
Changed. (2010). FYI: Video Game Statistics by the Entertainment Software Association. CGP: Critical
Gaming Project. Retrieved May 4 2013 from
https://depts.washington.edu/critgame/wordpress/2010/04/fyi-video-game-statistics-by-theentertainment-software-association/
Entertainment Software Association. (2013). Video Game Industry Statistics. Entertainment Software
Rating Board. Retrieved May 4 2013 from http://www.esrb.org/about/video-game-industrystatistics.jsp
McGonigal,J. (2013). We spend 3 billion hours a week as a planet playing videogames. Is it worth it?
How could it be MORE worth it?. TED Conferences. Retrieved May 5 2013 from
http://www.ted.com/conversations/44/we_spend_3_billion_hours_a_wee.html
Meikleham, D. Top 10 banned videogames. games radar. Retrieved May 8 2013 from
http://www.gamesradar.com/top-10-banned-videogames/
Reed, J. (2008). Thailand bans Grand Theft Auto IV. BBC. Retrieved May 14 2013 from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7540000/7540623.stm
Thompson, J. (2008). Grand Theft Morality. Headline News. Retrieved May 14 2013 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnQbIkLUzw
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