There has been much hoopla about Pokémon Go.

The mainstream media ran a forum letter warning of the dangers of the still unavailable game, as if it was something really major.

On Sunday, July 25, a minister has called for the monitoring of the potential harms the game will have on society.

Going by what was said, one would think Pokémon Go actually involved real monsters invading Singapore.

Even as we might shake our collective heads and brush it off as Singapore being Singapore, here is someone with a vested interest in gaming trying to make a point: CEO Min-Liang Tan of Razer, a gaming hardware juggernaut, wrote a passionate plea on Pokémon Go's behalf.

He wrote:

As a Singaporean, I've been incredibly astounded at the schizophrenic attitude the Singapore government has to gaming.

Previous examples

Tan pointed to previous instances of games being banned in Singapore and look what has happened since.

Society has moved on:

Back in the day, the censorship board arbitrarily banned Counterstrike for "excessive violence" - and banned Mass Effect because a blue skinned alien woman could kiss another woman (homophobic much?).

Fortunately both bans were lifted after much outcry from the gamers - but hey, if they weren't, think about how some of the biggest games in the world would've been banned in Singapore.

Banning impedes creativity

Although banning Pokémon Go isn't clearly on the cards in Singapore, he seems to think that the past has set a precedent:

On the other hand, the government extols how it wants to support the gaming industry and cultivate creativity in the country. Newsflash: No one's going to be creative in a place where you're going to arbitrarily ban games because it offends some of your sensitivities because you're still living in the 19th century.

And it will be ultimately pointless

Tan's point is that the gamers will find a way round the problem or roadblock -- like they always have:

And try as you might, you're not going to get very far censoring and banning games willy-nilly because gamers, will always find a way - to game (ba-dum-tss) the system.

Ending off with this gentle reminder

Hey - just a tip from a Singaporean who knows a little about gaming, stop being a Jon Snow and learn to keep an open mind - there's no point over-regulating in an industry you know nothing about. So slowly put down the pitchfork and walk away, learn from the past mistakes made with Half Life and Mass Effect - there's really nothing to regulate here.

Here's to Pokemon Go for Singapore! ‪#‎pogosg‬

There is still no confirmation on when Pokemon Go will be made available in Singapore.

Related articles:

ST forum letter claims that Pokémon Go in S’pore might aid terrorism, still gets published

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5 weird places in S’pore you might very well find a Pokémon Go Gym

Top image via Eduardo Woo Flickr

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