New Zealand bans video game glorifying Christchurch terror attack

New Zealand's Chief Censor said on Thursday he had banned a video game that appeared to glorify the terror attack in Christchurch earlier this year that killed 51 Muslim worshippers.

In a terror attack broadcast live on Facebook, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending prayers in two Christchurch mosques on March 15, killing 51 people and wounding dozens.

Australian Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, has been charged with the attack and faces trial next year.

Chief Censor David Shanks said a video game that celebrated the livestream of the mass shooting has been classified as objectionable.

"The creators of this game set out to produce and sell a game designed to place the player in the role of a white supremacist terrorist killer," Shanks said in a statement.

"In this game, anyone who isn’t a white heterosexual male is a target for simply existing."

Shanks previously outlawed the livestreamed video of Christchurch terror attack, and a manifesto linked to the alleged shooter.

"The games producers will try to dress their work up as satire but this game is no joke. It crosses the line,"

Shanks said.