The Philippine Video Game Arcade Ban of 1981

An article from the British newspaper The Telegraph, dated November 21, 1981.

The Philippine video game arcade ban of 1981 was enforced by then-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on November 19, 1981, under complaints that video game arcades were a "destructive social enemy, the electrical bandit" that was weakening the moral fiber of the young and turning them into a generation of obsessives.^[1] It resulted in the total ban of arcades until the ousting of Marcos in 1986, although the ban was mostly enforced in Manila only.

On July 23, 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 519, a law aimed at businesses operating gambling and pinball machines. Section 1 of PD 519 states that "the operation, possession, use and importation of pinball and slot machines and other similar devices or paraphernilia used for their operation is unlawful and punishable by fine and imprisonment."

During the early 80's, video game arcades in amusement centers became popular among students in the Philippines. In a letter to the President, the Chamber of Filipino Retailers, the Barangay Ladies Auxiliary brigade and the Kalipunan ng Kababaihang Filipina stated that video games like Space Invaders and Asteroids were "devilish contraptions (that) wreak havoc on the morals and discipline of our youth".

On November 17, 1981, Marcos issued Letter of Instruction No. 1176, which classified "video machines" (referring to the arcades) under "other devices" in PD 519. Two days later on November 19, he enforced PD 519, demanding that all coin-operated machines be dismantled, destroyed or handed to the military within 15 days or be fined ₱5,000 and be sentenced up to 12 years in prison.

The ban remained even after the 183-member Philippine Video Machine Operators appealed and stated that there was no way operators could recover their investments and continue to employ 21,200 workers.

Businesses in places far away from Manila, such as Parañaque, defied the order and continued to operate.^[2]

1. Nov. 19, 1981: Marcos Regime Puts the Kibosh on Games. November 19, 2010. Tony Long. Wired. Retrieved on 2023-04-01.
2. The Decade the Philippines nearly went Game Over- for good. March 2, 2014. The Filipino Gamer Chronicles author. The Filipino Gamer Chronicles. Retrieved on 2023-04-01.