Saudi bans video game over “sexual” sounds

Conservative Gulf kingdom Saudi Arabia has banned a video game because its female characters sounded “too sexual”, according to the game’s developer. In the game, called ‘Shoe Wars’, the user controlled character is encouraged to collect as many pairs of expensive designer shoes, while avoiding men by jumping over them. ‘Shoe Wars’ is available to Apple iPhone users through the company’s online AppStore. However, authorities in Saudi Arabia have deemed the jumping sound effect used in the game to be “too sexual”, causing it be with withdrawn from the AppStore.  “The female character’s jumping sound effect was considered too sexual and may cause cultural offence,” a statement on the developer’s website read. A modified version of the game will be made available in April without the questionable sound effect, it added. Forms of entertainment such as cinema have been banned in highly conservative Saudi Arabia since the 1970s. Last month, the kingdom held only its second public showing of a film in more than three decades.