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Soldier of Fortune editorial

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Image credit: Eurogamer

This week's editorial here on EuroGamer investigates the current situation with "Soldier of Fortune" in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The ultra-violent game, which features realistic weaponry which can blow people's limbs off in a spray of juicy gibs, was classified as an "adult motion picture" by British Columbia last month, and Activision recently announced that they will be fighting the decision on the grounds that it "undermines consumers' rights of freedom and choice of expression, and sets a precedent for government censorship".

The question is, given that the game is rated 17+ by the ESRB, an American organisation supported by Soldier of Fortune's publisher Activision and the rest of the gaming industry, why are they upset at getting an 18+ rating from British Columbia? And is this really the first step towards government censorship of violent video games in Canada, or merely a stop-gap solution while more up-to-date legislation is prepared? For the full story read our editorial - "Adult Movie?"

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