US Blocks League of Legends in Syria and Iran

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.