Tropico 5 video game banned in Thailand

The game allows players to take control of an island, "a blank slate where any political ideal or mad inspiration can be made possible"

Thailand’s military junta the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has banned a city-building simulator game which allows players to craft their own dictatorship of an island nation.

Tropico 5 was reportedly banned by the Board of Film and Video Censors last Friday "because some parts of stories within the game affect Thailand's situation" said Nonglak Sahawattanapong, sales manager of New Era Thailand company.

On May 22, army chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha led the 12th successful coup in Thailand’s modern history. The junta instilled a martial law nationwide and has tightened censorship in an attempt to consolidate political sway. Over 200 websites were shut down in days following the coup, including independent non-profit online newspaper Prachatai. Symbols of opposition such as three-fingered salute borrowed from science fiction blockbuster The Hunger Games have been prohibited while liking anti-junta Facebook posts became a ‘crime’.

The reasons behind the censorship of Tropico 5 remain unclear and unless the Video and Film Office’s Director General gives his “permission”, the mystery will remain.

Released on PC platform in May, the fifth version of Tropico allows players to take control of a Caribbean island, "a land of opportunity: a blank slate where any political ideal or mad inspiration can be made possible".

Although Nonglak said the company was “disappointed” by the decision made under the scrutiny of Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, New Era Thailand won’t appeal and will comply with the ban.