The U.S. government has blocked League of Legends, one of the most played video games of all time, in Iran and Syria.
Trade sanctions, tariffs and threats of military conflict are the frequent sights when countries are in active dispute, but blocking the access to video games is a novel course of action. Players from Iran and Syrian have expressed despair about this situation.
Right now the ban applies only to Syria and Iran, but if the U.S. enters into future conflict with another country, those citizens potentially may have their access to League of Legends revoked. The sanctions placed on Iran detail that any business in that country cannot trade with the U.S. and that any business caught trading with Iran is in trouble as well. League, like many other free games, has to sustain itself with microtransactions, which undoubtedly counts as a form of trade and, therefore, has to abide by the sanctions.
US Blocks League of Legends in Syria and Iran
ByNiji Narayan
Jun 25, 2019
By Niji Narayan
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.