News Germany to ban ze violent games

Steam does have region lockouts on some games at the developer's request. But I don't mind at all if they remove content like gore splatters against walls and such, it'll be like playing re2 on N64, just as long they don't start removing things like various weapons and such from games like CS:S or BF2.

 

I dont see how a ban would help. Teach the kids about the differences between real life and the games and if the have acess to a gun teach them some firearm saftey. I mean come on, theres no respawn in RL.

 

Yes, there is lots of talk about this over in the US, especially after somewhere around 6-8 school shootings around the country in the past 5 or so months…

The result, they are making mature games harder for minors to get by “punishing” the retailer if they sell to kids underage. Only problem is ignorant parents who don’t pay attention to their kids just go into the stores and buy the games for them! There’s your problem. Bad parenting, not video games…

But, ya, an total ban or blocking of games is not going to happen down here. In reality, the only people who can keep games off the shelves is the retailers themselves (walmart has done it a few times I believe…)

 

Actually there were 3 shootings and all of them involved middle aged men. I'm not sure video games like CS played role in those shooting. I mean, come on! What kind of [sane] person takes an Amish school in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania hostage?

 

A counterstrike player?

 

yeah i agree with you, making it harder for young people to buy this stuff was the first step......therefore a special organisation was created by the industry (here in germany) which controll every videogame before it get into the market if it contains violence...if so it gets an rating like movies.....with that rating the stores could easy see if a game is for people over 18 or free for kids.....
only problem with that is that many stores don´t know much about it or don´t care and sell those games 18+ to 12 year old kids

 

Wow, suprising info that... i guess they also saw other media too, why isn't that mentioned?

Most people at school have played violent video games, therefore the chances of someone who did a school shooting also played violent games is very high.

"OMGZ! THIS MUST MEAN THE GAMES MADE THEM DO IT!¬¬!¬!!"

Most people at school have watched violent movies, therefore the chances of someone who did a school shooting also watched violent movies is very high.

"nah, violent movies don't hurt anyone"

Many people at school have listened to <whatever> type of music, therefore the chances of someone who did a school shooting also listened to said music is very high.

"nah, music doesn't hurt anyone"

Many people at school have read violent books, therefore the chances of someone who did a school shooting also read violent books is very high.

"nah, violent books don't hurt anyone"


Gaaaah! when will politicians realise that videogames are just the generic scapegoat for everything at the moment? censorship achieves nothing at all...

 

Because you know, Germany had no History of Violence before Video Games!

 

Sounds like a scapegoat to me.

 

“We have among the most drastic censorship rules for games. Now we are being labelled as a breeding ground for unstable, dysfunctional and violent youngsters."
This coming from Germany, I think there may be another cause of the problem.

 

Unbelievable - Germany is being held in the hands of America lately and this seems like it's gonna be a testing station for Americas' future agenda.

 

u lost me there buddy... what?

 

in regards to crytek. They released farcry abroad first and had problems releasing it in germany where it was actualy made... insanity.

I see no point inforcing your twisted morality on others... I quite like my violent video games, hence why I buy them over the internet as I am not 18 so games like fear arn't available to me in stores. which is a shame as there only loosing money by refusing my custom.

my body count so far:
virtual: billions
real: one rat a mouse and do fly's count?

 

video games like other media have come under attack in the claim that they are corrupting the youth. It started with dancing, then cheezy books, then movies, rock n roll, punk, video games I have no doubt that what ever new media comes next will be under attack. I went to germany once in 2000 for a few weeks and I remember the more harsh cencorship of video games.

At any rate there is evidence that links violence to violent videogames, but I'm not sure if they have ever proven causality. At any rate i do support protecting minors from violent video games the same way that it's pretty hard for a minor here to goto a theatre and see a rated R movie.
At any rate a blanket ban on video games will do nothing just as increased border security between US and canada does nothing as theirs still thousands of miles left unprotected.


interestingly enough I've never heard anyrallies against paintball, most consider it a fringe or extreme sport for people with a penchant for pain. There again i don't think people who play paintball are any more violent probably less so as you understand the consequences of getting hit.

 

Hmm.. I'll take a crack at what he might've meant, or at least, what the reality is..

Socialism is the root of the unwinding of civil liberty in the EU by the removal of personal responsibility to make decisions or have personal morals through almighty unions, incredibly powerful labor laws, strong unemployment benefits, and a whole set of laws like this one and that Godwin's Law linked to earlier (which is a social version of the idea behind this now real law) that let their people know how they should think, and through socialized services (medicine) and nationalized industries that allow individuals to no longer have to make some times difficult personal financial choices and instead places all of it in the hands of government. And of course, wrestling powers from the government once granted tends to be, well, nearly impossible.

All of that is of course seductive (why should the masses want to think for themselves and take responsibility for consequences when they can hand over more than half their paycheck and all they're left to worry about is what color iPod to buy?). Very seductive. It's economic ideas, though flawed, are also seductive. Much nicer to think "Hey, we can set price ceilings to stem the rise of the price of x, y, and z!" rather than "wow, supply is getting pwned, time to think hard and innovate to create a different good that can be substituted for that one to make some money, but in the mean time, there will be tons of suffering". Thanks to that seduction, America has been slowly getting cross-pollinated with this garbage. See Medicare Part D, the failure of privatizing Social Security, and a general unwillingness to tackle entintlement programs versus a national round of applause at 'realists' who plan to raise taxes instead of control spending.

So.. I think Malccy was suggesting our masses here are lagging our European neighbors and it's just a matter of time before we follow them down the tube to eternal low economic growth, while our economically free neighbors across our other bordering puddle have growth rates two, three and four times our own.

Hmm... okay, rant off, flamesuit on.

Not that it'll shield me from America-haters, or welfare lovers, but I only said on the social issues what everyone else in this thread has already said about their own countries (Germans, British), I've only attached the 'rest of the picture' instead of debating only the singular issue but instead the total social/economic world view that leads to legislation like this.

Edit: Oh, and what he meant by germany being held in the hand by America.. on his own on that one.

 

LOL!

Germans, pffft...

That about sums it up.

 

anyone else read this article. it is in fact german, and is linked straight off the wwe.com homepage..

ARTICLE

the fact the guy was completely off his face seems to have been lost on him

 

did Jack Thompson clone himself and send his clones to Europe or something!? ....*sigh* what is this world coming to

 

Dude, I said this to you on another thread (considering you have linked Wiki you really should try reading it!).

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

You can't keep calling Godwin's Law just because someone hinted at Nazism or mentioned Hitler, Godwin's Law is generally used as a way of gaining the moral high ground if someone is using the term Nazi or Hitler as an insult or inappropriately. As the German's are involved in this discussion and are trying to ban an artform I think it is fair to mention Nazism and the buring of literature, please if you disagree then reply to this post with something other than "GODWIN'S LAW" "GODWIN'S LAW." I'm not flaming you here buddy just letting you know.