Last week can be considered one of the most turbulent times for the Vietnamese gaming community as a series of prominent titles from both the domestic and international gaming market were featured in the news by VTV. There wouldn’t be much to discuss if these games weren’t used as examples of violent games that could lead to addiction.
Among these are many notable names such as Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, CS:GO, and another title that has not been officially released in the Vietnamese market, Identity V. The sad part is that this is the second time Identity V has been featured on television and both times it was VTV. The last time, the gaming community of this title was almost in an uproar when VTV cited it as an example of a game with horror and violent elements.
In its recent appearance on VTV, Identity V did not “stand alone” as it was accompanied by several other titles mentioned above. However, Identity V itself was specifically highlighted by VTV as a horror, violent game that, notably, is not licensed for release in the Vietnamese market.
This is also part of the reason why the Identity V gaming community is dissatisfied with how VTV used this title as an example. Specifically, Vietnamese players argue that in foreign markets, Identity V is labeled for players aged 12 and older.
Many Identity V players believe that their game does not deserve to be viewed as violent and addictive, but rather should be seen as an entertainment product, fashionable and “humorous” in nature.
Of course, the age rating standards abroad and in Vietnam are completely different. That is also why Arena of Valor is rated 18+ when released domestically, despite the fact that this game also has many younger players who enjoy it day and night and has also been mentioned by VTV in this 7 PM news program.
Many players believe that previously, VTV had also reported on the case of Free Fire featured in the Sports 24/7 program (the program after the 7 PM news) to discuss the tournament of this game as well as the Vietnamese eSports scene. This made “Free Fire” players feel very excited and happy. However, the recently mentioned titles did not have the same luck.
It can be seen that last week, the Vietnamese gaming community experienced a significant upheaval. Hopefully, the Vietnamese gaming community will remain calm, express their voices in a civilized manner, and that there will be no further incidents or storms occurring in the Vietnamese gaming scene in the near future.