Posted Dec 13, 2006 at 11:00PM by Kristine C. Listed in: News Tags: Germany, Gunther Beckstein
Ó

You said it, man.


What's going on in Germany? First they threatened to lock up the makers and publishers of video games which portrayed "cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters". Then they threatened to jail the people who played these games as well. Now, they're considering banning violent games altogether.

Sigh. It's tough to be a German gamer these days.

In any case, this recent string of events has been triggered by a recent shooting incident in that country, in which the scapegoat culprit has apparently been the person-with-a-gun's addiction to violent video games. Now, to add to the already-stringent censorship policies, a new bill has been proposed by the German states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony. This one advocates even more tightening of content moderation which could then lead to the complete banning of games which feature "cruel violence". First and foremost among those that may be affected by this legislation would be FPS titles such as CounterStrike and Call of Duty 3. This proposed bill is due to be discussed next year.

According to Bavarian interior minister Gunther Beckstein, "It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitize unstable characters to violence and can have a stimulating effect."

Right.

What do we have to say about all this? Only that parents should pay more attention to their kids, and that people should Respect the Ratings.


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20 Comments


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   by acme (Unregistered) - 2006-12-13
 » esrb

there is no esrb in germany


   Re: Shrink (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » Dumbstruck

No there is no esrb but there is fsk.
And it is much harder for under 18-ones to get a game that includes violence.

   Re: RommelTJ - 2006-12-14
 » Not fake

I have been to germany. Their videogames can't legally have children that die. Most games have metal sparks or some dumb stuff like that, instead of blood.

Anyway, the picture was great. It fits perfectly.
   by loli-chan (Unregistered) - 2006-12-13
 » .

FAKE

   by Shrink (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » My protest letter

To all Germans who read this: This is what I wrote to CSU. For everyone who wants to protest: Go to their page www.csu.de and write them what you think. My letter of course is written in an ironic manner.


Guten Tag!

Meine Damen und Herren, ich finde es äußerst löblich, dass Sie im Zuge der Kriminalisierung von sogenannten "Killerspielen" auch die allgemeine Wehrpflicht abschaffen. Schließlich ist die Ausbildung zum Killer weitaus gefährdender als das Spielen solcher Spiele. Wenn es einem ERWACHSENEn Menschen nicht zugetraut wird, dass er mit solchen Spielen umgehen kann, dann sollte er auch nicht gezwungen werden, in den Krieg ziehen zu müssen.

Vielen Dank.

   by ANON (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » Not a fake

But there is USK which does rate. Microsoft doesnt even release games in Germany which might not get a USK 16 rating but a USK 18 rating.
And this whole ***** is not a fake, crazy bavarian politics do really want to ban "killer games"
Sad but true.

   by Shrink (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » My protest letter

To all Germans who read this: This is what I wrote to CSU. For everyone who wants to protest: Go to their page www.csu.de and write them what you think. My letter of course is written in an ironic manner.


Guten Tag!

Meine Damen und Herren, ich finde es äußerst löblich, dass Sie im Zuge der Kriminalisierung von sogenannten "Killerspielen" auch die allgemeine Wehrpflicht abschaffen. Schließlich ist die Ausbildung zum Killer weitaus gefährdender als das Spielen solcher Spiele. Wenn es einem ERWACHSENEn Menschen nicht zugetraut wird, dass er mit solchen Spielen umgehen kann, dann sollte er auch nicht gezwungen werden, in den Krieg ziehen zu müssen.

Vielen Dank.


   Re: Moritz (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » USK

Yeah we have the USK ratings (USK 0, 6, 12, 16, 18) additionally they can put games on an index, which them means the game mustn't be shown in advertisments, stores and the press isn't allowed ot talk about it - but you can go into a shop request it and they'll get it form their stock.

Well the whole problem is that those people they are after will always be able to get those game throught the internet anyway...
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   by k0bain (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » ...

Our people here in Germany are totaly brain-washed by the media. In almost every News-Magazine for the last 3 Weeks you can see ppl havin' an argue about the banning of those "Killergames" such as Counter Strike, Call of Duty etc.

This is just bull*****! Why should teenagers kill others in cause of playing FPS? In the third world coutrys are ppl who rape each other, they kill innocent children without a reason and they set fire on houses where ppl live in, who have absolutely never heard of Counter Strike or FPS generally...

The dumbass politicians always try to be the experts and tell others what to do ... it's such a shame for Germany that everybody's talkin' bs without havin' any facts about the real reasons... Killergames aren't the reason for people runnin around, killin' others. The society is the big loser of all this! Is you don't have a mobile phone in school - you're a jerk
If you don't wear branded clothes - you're a jerk - nobody loves you
Well ... these both reasons are more to worrie about instead of banning killergames...

Germans should try to get a better control for selling kinda games like that. To bann them means just, that the games will get more attention. And everyone knows how to get games like Gears of War or Dead Rising ... that's the point! Everything will go worse, than it is right now! That's a fact!

   by dizzy~D! (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » ur right k0bain!

und wie paul panzer sagen würde: RESCHTEESCH!
germany sucks.. everything gets more expensive and everything gets more controlled. i'm thinkin about to get underground into Amsterdam and smoke weed all day XDXD
no seriously... its hard to survive in germany! its a fact!!!

   by Demon Slayer - 2006-12-14
 » Ridiculous

This is just dumb. What are they going to do when they ban violent videogames and thes crap still happens? What will they blame it on? Will they try to stop people from even owning the games? Are they going to be sending cops into people's houses to take all their violent videogames? Then what? That obviously won't stop the violence. What are they going to blame it on then?

   by >.> (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » Well guys...

Germany played key roles in both World Wars... I smell a WWIII brewing. I'd pledge my allegiance to Das Fuhrer of video games should one arise to commit genocide upon game-haters...........lol


   Re: Shut up (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » Just shut up idiot

and fight your ww3 in iraq
   by GerDirkO (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » NO FAKE

But we have still hope, and that is the EU, if the EU says that this will have effect to the inner market of the EU (and that's a fakt), they can say that this is illegal. The EU could say that all Members of the EU have to take the PEGI System and that this rating is the only acceptable rating in the EU.

Man, I hate it to live in the BRD (Bundesrepublik Deutschland / Germany).

   by Tannhuser (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » :O

http://verbietetbrot.de/

ban bread & air, too, plxkk?

every killer ate bread and breathed air, BAN it!


   Re: Koru-Sama (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » yes!

They should ban toilets and medicine too, those killers obviously are killers due to using those corrupt violent bathrooms and malicious medicine....

Did anybody catch that guy's quote at the end of this post?! It seems to have changed a little bit from what i read the first time but let me repeat it and clarify what he's actually says, and what he wants you to think.

"It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitize unstable characters to violence and can have a stimulating effect."

He ADMITS that the people that are being desensitized to these "killer games" are ALREADY UNSTABLE. He'd like his statement for people the read it so it seems that they make everybody desensitized to violence and gore, but he can't... that'd be a lie (like he's never lied before this??)

This is a double-speak, saying violence in these killer games *snickers* desensitize and gives a stimulating effect (for the record, stimulus is ANYTHING that registers in your brain as a direct response with any of your senses). What kind of vague excuse is he trying to make? ALL video games, not just violent ones, create a stimulating effect. Are stimulating effects necessarily harmful? No, it depends on how you react to situations... which is why he's only harping on the people that are already unstable before they even play any of these video games.

His argument is broken. This law is obviously a ploy to gain popularity in a time of panic and grief due to these murderers. They are looking for direct excuses and causes by picking and choosing the material he was in contact with. Once they found he played violent video games , OH NO!!! THIS IS THE CAUSE RIGHT HERE!!! Of course, it sounds pretty unreasonable to say that... but it's more than likely exactly what happened.

If there's anything I've learned from people like this, is that they exploit the media to gain favor for their opinions as they try to announce them as hard facts. Where are the hard facts? There have been numerous studies that refute that violent video games CAUSE violence. Violent people are only looking for scapegoats for their defense, which is absolutely absurd to harm all the other gamers out there and deprive US of violent video games because these wackos seemingly are attracted to them as well. You might as well take away everything he ever enjoyed to do and everything he ate and read away from everybody in the country right? That'd stop crimes...

This Bavarian interior minister is an obvious the Jack Thompson of Parliament.
   by German Boy (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » awd

Lol .... when somebody goes Amok this is a N00b and All who walk Amok are hearing Metal an play Counter-Strike
Woah CS1.6 what for a Graphic and why is 1.6 for 16 and scource too ?

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   by GerDirkO (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » What I think

In fakt, a Person who wants to go Amok has a probelm with violence and in fakt he (or may be she) is just interested in violence and so it is just the consequence that these people hear songs with violence in it's text (such as Metal and HipHop), watch violence and brutal Movies, visit Websites with violence and brutal pictures and plays violence and brutal games.
But not everyone hearing, watching and playing this stuff is starting to go Amok, just by the look of the count of "violence games" gamers an the amount of Amokruns they should realize that these games don't make the killers, but if you look at the school-situation of the Guy in Emsdetten, than you see the reasons and these are social reasons.

   by FloW3184 (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » I'm listening to DeathMetal and love to play Quake3Arena

Counterstrike is too foolish.
when i could kill somebody because i hate him, i leave my aggressions in Quake3.
After ~30mins of constantly fragging I feel fine and relaxed.
Why ban those games?
They help losing the aggressions.
Should i better go on the street and make the next turkish that crosses my way lay down his face on the "Bordstein"? (AmericanHistory X)
We have 7million turkish ppl in germany.... we have HAD 20 million yews (sorry for that comparison) in germany and they were not really a problem...
I hate many turkish ppl (not all)... why do they keep saying "scheiß deutsche" while living in OUR country?

am I the next?


   Re: Yaazz (Unregistered) - 2006-12-14
 » LOL's. the germans want to ban COD3

So, am I the only one who finds it funny that COD3 was specificly mentioned in the article?
Why would the Germans want to ban COD3? Hmmmmmm


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