Games are "poison" says Venezuelan president

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has laid into the PlayStation, accusing it of leading children down the capitalist "road to hell" as well as encouraging violence.

Speaking in his weekly radio-TV show Alo Presidente, Chavez refered to the console as poison, reports AFP.

"These games they call PlayStation are poison. Some games teach you to kill. They once put my face on a game. 'You've got to find Chavez to kill him'," said Chavez.

Games "promote the need for cigarettes, drugs and alcohol so they can sell them. That's capitalism - the road to hell," he added.

Instead of promoting these games, Venezuela should be making educational titles, he said.

In October, the country introduced a law that made the selling of violent videogames punishable with up to five years in prison.

It's not the first time Chavez has made clear his dislike of games and western toys in general. It's reported he once slammed Nintendo for promoting "selfishness, individualism and violence."