The Real Reason Fortnite Might Be Banned In This Country
It's not unusual for games to be banned around the world. "Disco Elysium: The Final Cut" was banned earlier this year in Australia, and both the United States and China have a long, storied history of banning video games for one reason or another. Now, "Fortnite" is facing a potential ban in Indonesia, and all because of content that was created by a user.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Sandiaga Uno, the Minister for Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy, has called for "Fortnite" to be banned across the country. Uno received word that a player-created map in the game features a building similar to Kaaba, which is one of the most important Islamic holy sites. Furthermore, he was told that the structured can be destroyed in the game, which prompted an outrage.
According to a report from CNN Indonesia (translation via GamesIndustry.biz), Uno said,"The game 'Fortnite' is directly against lofty values, especially religious ones ... This can trigger disrespectful behavior between religious communities and encourage acts of violence. Therefore, I instruct the team to review and immediately issue a ban. We also want to warn some game developers to be careful."
While the National Police in Indonesia are working to find the creator of the offending "Fortnite" content, the team behind "Fortnite" itself has addressed the potential ban on Facebook.
Epic's response
Epic Games was quick to respond on the official "Fortnite" Middle East Facebook page, bringing up the fact that the content was created by a user and clarifying that the Kaaba could not be destroyed on the island in Creative Mode.
So far, there hasn't been any response from Sandiaga Uno regarding the newest update from Epic Games. If the structure resembling the Kaaba can't be harmed, then it might change the Indonesian Minister's idea of banning the game as a whole.
As noted in a U.S. Department of State report, Indonesia has a strict constitution that "provides a guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to worship according to one's own beliefs but states citizens must accept restrictions established by law to protect the rights of others and ... to satisfy 'just demands based upon considerations of morality, religious values, security, and public order.'" Indonesia doesn't tolerate any kind of disrespect towards religion, and this attempt to ban "Fortnite" would seem to be an extension of that policy.