Launched in 2011, the series based on the famous cycle of novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” quickly acquired a steadily growing army of fans all over the world. The saga of George Martin already enjoyed the huge attention of fans, so the start of the film was eagerly awaited. However, despite the high ratings of critics and generally positive reviews, there were opponents. Why is the “Game of Thrones" banned in Russia and is everything really so categorical?
In various countries of the world, all kinds of restrictions were imposed on the broadcast of the series, the reasons for the vast majority of cases indicated immorality and the threat of morality of the audience. For example, in Turkey, cadets of military schools turned out to be in the category of a particularly protected audience; And how were things in Russia?
Timeline of Prohibitions
The first mention of the need to remove the series from the information space accessible to viewers began to appear in the media in 2014. At that time, the question of why the “Game of Thrones” was banned in Russia was not yet raised, but conversations had already begun.
In 2015, State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov, known for his categorical views, said that the series infringes on moral foundations and contributes to the corruption of viewers, so it should be removed from domestic broadcasting. Opinions were divided: the proposal was supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, creative people ridiculed the proposal, and fans of the saga were naturally outraged. However, the deputy’s proposal was not supported, and everyone received a deferment.
A more decent reason was found two years later, in mid-July 2017. Roskomnadzor blocked more than 120 sites distributing the series. Basically, torrent trackers fell under the restrictions. Why was the Game of Thrones banned in Russia? The year 2017 was marked by an increase in the fight against pirated content, and the claim of copyright holders became the basis.
Moral issues
Does the saga really subject morality to such an insurmountable temptation? If we examine in detail the text of the novel and the events in the film, then in fact you can find a huge number of bloody murders, torture, all kinds of sexual scenes, including same-sex relationships, incest, rape. It becomes clear why the “Game of Thrones" is banned in Russia - is it possible to show people this? In practice, both the novel and the series do not propagate the described events anywhere as a norm or an example to follow. Rather, it pursues deeper and broader goals. For example, Jaime Lannister, in spite of society’s condemned relationship with her sister, demonstrates wonderful human qualities: a certain nobility, loyalty to this word. Finally, without describing the vices, it is impossible to spectacularly and bitterly show the evolution or degradation of characters.
Pirated content
The protection of copyright holders all over the world is at a much higher level than in post-Soviet countries. Why is the Game of Thrones banned in Russia? In fact, it was not the series itself that was banned, but its pirate distribution, but in the minds of ordinary ordinary people it’s equivalent. Someone, in this case Roskomnadzor, does not allow him to use the usual way to watch new episodes of his favorite saga for free.
Clash of the Titans: Amedia vs. Lostfilm
The main reason why the Game of Thrones turned out to be related to the prohibitions of torrent trackers was a lawsuit in which Amedia demanded the protection of its rights to broadcast the saga. In fact, the LostFilm blocking started back in 2014 precisely as part of the Amedia fight against the pirated distribution of HBO series. However, the site until 2017 remained accessible through most providers, since access can be restricted exclusively through them.
Why is the Game of Thrones banned in Russia? LostFilm is still available if you log in through a provider that does not comply with Roskomnadzor requirements.
Does the ban work?
With a fair amount of stubbornness, blocking can be circumvented. For this, proxy servers that change IP addresses and special VPN applications for browsers are used. That is, if an Internet user really wants to receive pirated content, he will receive it.
Viewers asking the question "why the series" Game of Thrones "is banned in Russia" were divided into two unequal parts. Some admit that pirated sites are detrimental to producers and are willing to pay for watching their favorite movies, while others consider it their inalienable right not to pay for content posted on the Web. Another thing is that it is almost impossible to find new episodes on official websites, or the quality of the translation is seriously inferior to the work of the LostFilm team.
Stones towards the Thrones
In addition to claims for violations of morality and a protracted war with pirates, one more reason for attacks has recently emerged. If the “Game of Thrones” is banned in Russia exclusively as illegally distributed content, then the new claim turned out to be at least unexpected. The author was John Boyega, a black actor who starred in Star Wars. He criticized the “Game of Thrones” and some other films for inconsistency with the principles of tolerance, the reason was the absence or insufficient number of non-Caucasian and female characters.
The actor’s statement quickly fell under the crossfire of ridicule, because it is in the saga based on the novel by George Martin that there are not only a sufficient number of women, but also black characters. As for the military drama "Dunkirk", which received the same claims, the absence of women and characters of other races is due to historical authenticity.
Thin Ice Bans
So, the series “Game of Thrones” was banned in Russia solely as part of the fight against pirate sites, and the declared battle for morality still remains an offer that is supported by the Russian Orthodox Church. Are viewers really so stupid that they are not able to separate good from evil, and immorality from the norm?
A private online survey showed that people are well aware of what they are watching and pay close attention primarily to the adventures of the heroes, complex relationships, and a change in their worldview. "Game of Thrones" is interesting precisely for this. A character who seems to be the focus of vices suddenly turns out to be honest and noble in his own way, and vice versa. Perhaps the claims of morality fighters are based on this - it’s very difficult to put into the template the fact that Loras Tyrell, despite his homosexual inclinations, is presented as an attractive and gallant man, brave and faithful to his king, loving brother and respectful grandson.
Game of Thrones is a controversial piece, but it is impossible to deny the high level of the series. An interesting story, the wonderful music of Ramin Javadi and unexpected twists of the narrative continue to attract fans.