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NEWS
Banning Violent Games in Germany
A recent article published on the online version of the Financial Times shocked the gaming community by its content. It looks as if new recommendations have been added to the legislation, in reaction to a shooting at a school that happened just last month. Due to these recent facts, developers, retailers and players of games that include violence could face up to a year in jail. Banning or censoring other games might also represent a method that authorities will appeal to. According to the Financial Times, the long awaited Call of Duty 3 and Resistance: Fall of Man, two top PS3 titles on Amazon's list are first-person shooters that would fall under the ban. This might have a negative European effect on the whole industry with Germany being the third biggest market for computer entertainment.
By Andrei 'hancu-' Hancu
Dec 7, 2006 18:11
A recent article published on the online version of the Financial Times shocked the gaming community by its content. It looks as if new recommendations have been added to the legislation, in reaction to a shooting at a school that happened just last month. Due to these recent facts, developers, retailers and players of games that include violence could face up to a year in jail. Banning or censoring other games might also represent a method that authorities will appeal to. According to the Financial Times, the long awaited Call of Duty 3 and Resistance: Fall of Man, two top PS3 titles on Amazon's list are first-person shooters that would fall under the ban. This might have a negative European effect on the whole industry with Germany being the third biggest market for computer entertainment.
Not only that but according to Frank Sliwka, head of Deutsche E-Sport Bund, the level of censorship is already high, and it would be exaggerated to be labelled as an inspirational source for dysfunctional and violent youngsters.
Here's a snippet of the article:
With an estimated €1.7bn in video games sales last year, a quarter of total European sales, Germany is the world’s third biggest market for computer entertainment, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and boasts 40,000 online gaming teams.
Online gaming has become a professional pursuit, with teams competing in international tournaments for prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and lucrative sponsoring deals. Many players make a living from gaming and teams routinely buy each other’s stars for hefty fees.
All this could be at risk even if the ban fails, claims Holger Scherff, head of a-Losers.MSI a gaming team, who warns that the discussion could lead corporate sponsors to review their endorsement of gamers.
Under German rules amended in 2003 after an earlier school shooting, developers must cut violent content from the German versions of their games. For example, the German version of Counter Strike does not feature blood spurting from wounds - unlike the US and UK editions.
You can check out the rest of the article simply by clicking here.
Here's a snippet of the article:
With an estimated €1.7bn in video games sales last year, a quarter of total European sales, Germany is the world’s third biggest market for computer entertainment, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and boasts 40,000 online gaming teams.
Online gaming has become a professional pursuit, with teams competing in international tournaments for prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and lucrative sponsoring deals. Many players make a living from gaming and teams routinely buy each other’s stars for hefty fees.
All this could be at risk even if the ban fails, claims Holger Scherff, head of a-Losers.MSI a gaming team, who warns that the discussion could lead corporate sponsors to review their endorsement of gamers.
Under German rules amended in 2003 after an earlier school shooting, developers must cut violent content from the German versions of their games. For example, the German version of Counter Strike does not feature blood spurting from wounds - unlike the US and UK editions.
You can check out the rest of the article simply by clicking here.
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#121 if it wasnt the case why would your government bad violent games then ? xD
fucking thick politicians
german politicians are just too dumb to take a look at scandinavian countries, which have a higher gamer percentage but less violence and better education (generally spoken).
cavachier_v2, you are so immature ... Do not use the history as argument, EVERY COUNTRY had its little glorious periods ! And France does not escape it !!
Fucking stupid french really. What about Napoleon. And it's not sure, that Germany started WW1. Everybody wanted it! But you have a lack of knowledge and you just want to flame some people.
If they make a rule against being gay in your country. Should everybody say, yes all these Frenchs are gay, so its needed!
Tp topic: This discussion is a farce, some papers and TV Stations as well as politicians chase the so called "killergames" without any knowledge about the topic. There are always posed scenes from CS (one of the most hamrless games btw) to show how bad it is.
@cavachier: remember Paris vs Tel Aviv 2 weeks ago? Yes? Anything else about german Nazis ?
You are the certified true copy to cavachier :)
But what an stereotyped n intolerant thread...
i know i can't enlighten him with whatever i say, since the wall of ignorance surrunding him more than likely is way to high and thick. but although, consequently, it probably was the best if everybody just ignored him (as stated in the beginning) i just couldn't be quite, it's too sad and annoying.
plzzzzz open your mind! :/
So next issue:
Russia and Kasachstan or Finnland
France and their colonies
America and the black people
Italy and Marokko
England and their Colonies
Belgians are supposed to be the worst coloniest of all they killed about 40% of the natives
Nice dudes, our ancients werent angels altogether and now stop blaming. Think about what you can change and prevent ...
back to topic: also an endless discussion since 60' I guess :)
The Germans as a political entity are scared of being ostrocized from the rest of the world, and are scared shitless that everyone else still thinks of them in terms of WW2. It's that sort of attitude that causes problems like this, because people in power feel that they have to be extra moral in everything they do (sort of the reverse of the Israeli government who can take more chances because the world still wants to take care of them).
Unfortunately, people tend to get worked up about silly things, and when governments act on issues when there is hardly any evidence backing up outrageous claims (eg this, public smoking bans in the UK, increased surveillance against the terrorist threat etc.) crazy infringements of human rights occur.
There's also lots of other issues raised by this, what happens to developers of extremely violent games who holiday in Germany, will they be barred entry due to their work? Also it has to be noted that a lot of developers aren't entirely sure what they are making a lot of the time, especially if they are specialised, such as physics and maths engine coders.
This is just a ridiculous over-reaction to media insanity, and any government which makes policy decisions based on headlines doesn't deserve to stand on the world stage and shouldn't be in charge of a country as big as Germany. Because of the economic consequences (remember Germany isn't hugely rich anymore, since it depleted its funds trying to rebuild the East), I very much doubt that trade ties with Germany will remain friendly and the country will find itself in a terrible mess.
I guess that's why I don't think there's any chance at all of this ban going through. It would be dangerous for Germany economically, and just plain stupid morally. I also think this will be forgotten in a few months. I think it does prompt serious discussion about the mollycoddling attitude we have to censorship now (I'm speaking about the UK, and include things like the covering up of "Crazy Frog"'s bits), which does nothing but draw more attention to the material we try to hide.
Stating that germany caused two world wars doesnt have anything to do with racism, but yeah it does got old.
Doesn't take away the fact that theres a big percentage of filthy cheaters among you germans, you guys have a thing with the dark side xD