Singapore reverses ‘lesbian sex scene’ ban on Mass Effect

No sooner has the dust started to settle on the drawn out Manhunt 2 rating controversy than the videogame industry finds itself thrust back into the spotlight of contention, this time regarding a lesbian sex scene in upcoming science fiction role-playing game Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. Authorities in Singapore move to reverse ban on Xbox 360 game Mass Effect which includes a controversial lesbian sex scene. Credit: BioWare Corp.

Authorities in Singapore move to reverse ban on Xbox 360 game Mass Effect which includes a controversial lesbian sex scene. Credit: BioWare Corp.Specifically, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) placed a total ban on BioWare’s sprawling sci-fi epic late last week because of a particular scene contained within the game that depicts a human female engaging in a sexual act with a female human. The decision promptly caused considerable outrage, with industry watchers offering that the standpoint taken by Singapore’s authorities was a massive overreaction to a scene markedly milder than imagination might allow for. For example, Steven Williamson of Gaming.Hexus.net offered that the scene in question involves the two characters pecking each other lightly with a kiss before "caressing each other’s thighs," and that’s all. An Australian newspaper article (where the scene can be watched) outlines that the scene opens with an interactive conversation between the two females, and: "As the music swells, the human places her hand on the alien’s cheek. There is a close-up of them leaning in towards each other, then a Titanic-style shot of a hand pressing up against a window." However, despite the apparent lack of sensational footage, any form of homosexual act is considered to be a crime in Singapore, which is punishable with a prison sentence of up to two years, so it’s perhaps no surprise that Mass Effect has received its ban in the region. However, GamesIndustry.biz has since reported that the MDA has now announced its decision to lift the ban and has placed a rating of ‘M18’ on the game. Furthermore, Singapore’s Board of Film Censors has said it will now selectively employ the use of videogame ratings in order to facilitate the release of "highly anticipated games" in the region until an official games classification system can be put into place this coming January.Mass Effect is not the first videogame to feel the censors’ wrath in Singapore, with the likes of The Darkness and God of War 2 banned for their use of nudity and religious expletives.