Instructions: In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Input: Battle.net, the online service for Blizzard games including Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, and World of Warcraft, is currently blocked in Iran for some World of Warcraft users, according to reports from players who can't connect to it. 
  
 Over 20 World of Warcraft players complained about the problem in a thread in the tech support section of the European Battle.net forums. A number of users there also posted Iranian IP addresses and timed-out ping tests; the connection issues seem to have begun after yesterday's weekly server maintenance. Users in Iran are reportedly unable to load up the Battle.net site without using a proxy server; however, a couple of them have noted that they can play Diablo 3 but not World of Warcraft. 
  
 A user on the MMO-Champion forums mentioned his inability to access World of Warcraft, and posted a photo of a government pamphlet detailing offensive content in the game (seen above). We contacted the user, who identified himself as Siavash A., a freelance journalist residing in Tehran. Here's his rough translation of the Persian text: 
  
 Promotion of superstition and mythology Promotion of violence due to too much violence (I'm not exaggerating this is exactly what they wrote). Abolishing the deformation in sin. Demonstration of inappropriate clothing and slutty outfits for female avatars. 
  
 Siavash explained that the list is part of a catalog provided to media during a conference held on Thursday, August 14th, for the founding of the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community. The brochure came from a branch of the Iranian government's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. 
  
 The document was intended to provide "examples of the means [in] which western propaganda is used to poison the mind of [the] youth population in Iran," said Siavash, who attended the conference as a member of the press. 
  
 Problematic games listed in the pamphlet include Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Second Life, and Guild Wars. Babak Karbasi, provisional secretary-general of the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community, spoke at the event. He urged Iranian game designers to make games that would fight the alleged "propaganda" from the West. Siavash explained that while the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community is not an official agency of the Iranian government, it is being funded by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and "operates under their supervision." 
  
 The video games are "examples of the means [in] which western propaganda is used to poison the mind of [the] youth population in Iran" 
  
 It's currently unclear if the Iranian government has permanently blocked access to World of Warcraft; Siavash said he and his friends cannot reach Battle.net to play World of Warcraft or Diablo 3 without using a virtual private network or other workarounds. 
  
 According to Siavash, Iran has no inherent market for foreign video games; instead, most available Western games are pirated copies imported from places such as Dubai. Games weren't officially under the purview of the Iranian government until recently, so they're in a legal gray area. Media such as books and films must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for distribution in Iran, but while Western video games aren't explicitly illegal, they're not exactly sanctioned, either. Only recently did the Iranian government make waves when it banned Electronic Arts' Battlefield 3 because part of it takes place in Iran; for its part, EA pointed out that it had no plans to officially distribute the game there. 
  
 As for Blizzard, the country selector on the page for creating Battle.net accounts does not list Iran, and it is unclear if it ever did. The World of Warcraft terms of use on the company's European website specifically mention Iran among a list of countries in which Blizzard does not authorize playing the game. 
  
 The software ... and/or the Service may not be downloaded or otherwise exported or re-exported into (or to a national or resident of) Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Iran, Syria or any other country to which the U.S. has embargoed goods. 
  
 Similar language exists in the Battle.net terms of use, the Diablo 3 end-user license agreement, and the StarCraft 2 end-user license agreement. We reached out to Blizzard for comment this morning, but had received no response as of press time. 
  
 Update: A Blizzard spokesman responded to say that the company is "looking into this." We'll let you know as soon as we receive more details. 
  
 Update 2: On Friday, August 24th, Blizzard Entertainment offered the following statement to Polygon about Battle.net's restricted access in Iran. 
  
 We can't speak to reports surrounding the Iranian government restricting games from its citizens. What we do know is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran. We've recently tightened up our procedures to ensure compliance with those laws, which means we must restrict access to our games by players in those nations. 
  
 A Blizzard spokesperson later clarified that changes to comply with United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws went into effect this week. Blizzard said it was unable to comment further or clarify which countries outside of Iran are also affected. ||||| Iranian gamers have been shut out of the hugely popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft. Publisher Activision Blizzard has said that it is complying with US trade sanctions on the country. 
  
 Last week, Blizzard's online message boards began to receive messages from disgruntled players in Iran, complaining that they could no longer access the game's servers. 
  
 Eventually, the company posted a statement explaining the situation. 
  
 "What we can tell you is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran," it said. 
  
 "This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services." 
  
 The statement explained that because of the terms of the US trade sanction, it would be unable to offer any refunds, credits, transfers, or other service options to accounts in Iran or other countries where similar sanctions were in place. 
  
 The US is stepping up economic pressure on Iran as it seeks more information on the country's nuclear programme. 
  
 The move has prompted a mixed reaction from Iranian gamers, who are still able to access the game's message boards. While some have expressed disappointment, others have posted angry criticisms of Blizzards actions. 
  
 One comment on the notice board reads: "Blizzard had full knowledge that this was going to happen. But what did they do? They continued to accept subscriptions and MoP pre orders." 
  
 Before Blizzard's statement, there were theories that the Iranian government itself was blocking access to popular online games. Last year, the country's FARS news agency reported that the first-person shooter Battlefield 3 had been banned. 
  
 More recently, Iranian gamers contacted US game sites claiming that the country's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was cracking down on all titles 'promoting' superstition or mythology. 
  
 Difficulties in accessing other fantasy adventure games such as the popular Guild Wars titles have also been discussed on gaming message boards. 
  
 World of Warcraft is the world's largest subscription-based online multiplayer game, with around 10 million users. Participants pay a monthly fee to explore its vast landscapes, engaging in quests and upgrading their in-game characters. 
  
 A new update, Mists of Pandaria is due out later this year – it's doubtful whether the game's Iranian fans will get to see it. ||||| Please report any Code of Conduct violations, including: 
  
 Threats of violence. We take these seriously and will alert the proper authorities. 
  
 Posts containing personal information about other players. This includes physical addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and inappropriate photos and/or videos. 
  
 Harassing or discriminatory language. This will not be tolerated. 
  
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Output:
How punishing are US sanctions on Iran? Ask the nation's nerds, many of whom have now been cut off from their drug of choice: World of Warcraft. Last week Iranian players discovered they suddenly couldn't access the popular MMO, the Guardian reports. Blizzard eventually revealed, in a battle.net post, that it had "tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance" with US sanction laws. It also noted that sanctions prevent it from offering credits or refunds to users. Some were furious. "Blizzard had full knowledge this was going to happen," one user posted, but "they continued to accept subscriptions." Before that, many had speculated that the regime was censoring the game. One user posted an image of a government pamphlet decrying the game for its "promotion of superstition and mythology" and "promotion of violence due to too much violence." The user told the Verge that he is a freelance journalist who got the pamphlet at a media conference for the founding for the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community.