According a report by the Associated Press, Mexican state legislators are asking for a ban on Techland and Ubisoft's upcoming "Call of Juarez: The Cartel" game. The game, which revolves around a drug running plot that takes place in Los Angeles and Ciudad Juarez has raised the ire of Mexican citizens due to the sensitive nature of subject, and the violence that currently affects the region.
Around 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez between 2009 and 2010, many of whom were civilians.
Seeking, perhaps tastelessly, to capitalize on the violence is the game's marketing campaign which tells players to "Take justice into your own hands and experience the lawlessness of the modern Wild West."
"It is true there is a serious crime situation, which we are not trying to hide," Ricardo Boone Salmon, a congressman for the Chihuahua state where Ciudad Juarez is located said. "But we also should not expose children to this kind of scenarios so that they are going to grow up with this kind of image and lack of values."
The Associated Press also reports that New York-based cosmetics company MAC also angered Mexican officials with their lineup of Ciudad Juarez-themed makeup that glorified the abuse and deaths of women in the city.
While the comparison isn't exactly perfect as it remains to be seen whether the video game will trod down the same path as the aforementioned cosmetics company, "Call of Juarez: The Cartel" may well prove to be a case of "too soon."
