Counter-Strike, EverQuest banned in Brazil

Counter-Strike and EverQuest have been banned in Brazil after a judge ruled them "harmful to consumers' health".

As reported by AFP the judge, Carlos Alberto Simoes, made his ruling in October 2007 - but the ban is only coming into effect now.

Simoes stated the games encouraged "the subversion of public order". He also ruled they were "an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security".

Counter-Strike and EverQuest were first released in 1999. One modded map for the former game saw players taking on the role of either a police officer or drug dealer in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

According to Brazilian readers of Kotaku, the game has been accused of teaching players war strategies.

It's alleged EverQuest is harmful because players are asked to accept both "good" and "bad" quests, the psychological burden of which is said to cause problems. The game was never officially released in Brazil.