Not long ago, one of Vietnam’s most popular games appeared on the TV show Thể thao 24/7 (right after the 7 PM news). That game was none other than Free Fire, affectionately called “Lửa Chùa” or “Lửa Miễn Phí” by Vietnamese gamers.
Interestingly, this wasn’t Free Fire’s only TV appearance. Earlier, a major event for the Free Fire community was also featured on the same program after the 7 PM news. It was a friendly tournament hosted by Garena, featuring eight teams from the game.
Both times, Free Fire was presented as a major eSports title with a huge player base and professional tournaments. This got many Free Fire fans, especially younger players, excited. Some even proudly showed their parents during dinner, feeling proud of the game they played. Free Fire is rated 12+ on both Google Play and the App Store.
Of course, Free Fire isn’t the only game featured on national TV. Recently, several other titles like Liên Quân Mobile, CS:GO, Identity V, and League of Legends were mentioned during the 7 PM news. PUBG Mobile didn’t appear on screen directly but was shown in the background when discussing game addiction and violent content in online games.
Among these, Liên Quân Mobile appeared on screen labeled for ages 18+, but on both major app stores for Android and iOS, it’s rated 12+, even 9+ on the App Store. PUBG Mobile is rated 12+ on Google Play but 17+ on the App Store.
Identity V, which isn’t officially released in Vietnam, is rated 12+ on foreign App Stores. So, most of the games mentioned on TV have relatively low age ratings on app stores. Is this difference due to Google and Apple, or the publishers themselves?
Putting aside whether these games are truly violent, just looking at their age ratings on Google Play and the App Store shows Free Fire is similar to the others with a 12+ rating. So why is Free Fire praised as a model eSports game in Vietnam while others are labeled violent, scary, or addictive? If you dig into each game’s content, you’ll probably have your own answer.
