Germany is infamous for strict censorship on video games and films with high levels of violence and other "inappropriate" material. Now it's not just the censors that action movie and shooter fans have to worry about. Even stores are tightening the noose around virtual violence.
In the wake of the school shooting by a 17-year-old former student last week, German department store chain Galeria Kaufhof will stop selling video games and movies with 18+ ratings. First-person shooters, violent movies and horror films usually fall into this category. In addition, some people are calling for all 18+ rated material to be banned from the country altogether.
The reasoning behind this rather drastic move comes from media reports and politicians stating that a significant factor influencing the former student was that he played Counter Strike regularly. This is not surprising, as attention is often focused on video games by the media whenever violent acts with young people occur.
The German Game Developers Association hit back at the move by Galeria Kaufhof. Managing director Stephan Reichart said he thinks ?[Kaufhof's decision] is a complete overreaction... it borders on impulsive hysteria.?
Previous extreme acts of game censorship by German censors include demanding an alteration of the game Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, where the player was put into a parallel universe "killing" metal cyborgs without a hint of blood or gore.
Where do you think the line should be drawn between removing dangerous influences on young people and excessive control over peoples' entertainment?
i personally think that this is exactly the same sort of behavior that got germany in trouble the last time around. whats your opinion?
An extraordinarily stupid reaction. Is the country going to say goodbye to porn? doubt it
I'm betting that it will just die down shortly and nothing will change
Delicious. Controlling every factor of human existence. At least I don't have to worry about *this* in the USA, although we have enough of our own problems.
This is just kind of stupid. It's circular reasoning, really. If someone goes to buy a gory movie, they already know it's gory, therefor the movie has done nothing to them- they already want to see it. The same way with video games. I know Diablo has gore in it, I did when I bought it, therefor the game hasn't done anything to me, I accepted the state of its world when I bought it.
I mean, look at the millions of gamers all over the world that play games with gore in them- do you see even more than 2% of them going out and shooting people at a whim? There's hardly any relation to it. It's just another case of people wanting a scapegoat.
My only stipulations for happiness are uncensored games and internet that isn't filtered by the government. I really couldn't care less about anything else, since nothing else really affects me, personally. This is just a classic shitload of crap.
I mean, I'm all for warnings, I'm even fine with 18+ for M, but completely dashing any of it out of a whole coutnry- that's just utter bull. I just hope game companies don't conform to this kind of crap and lower their standards.
I don't want to stray too far from the topic and I wasn't wanting to debate the holocaust itself (theres really not much too debate). I was just trying to make the point that the government over there seems quite controlling
That said, I go back to my original post and stick with what I said there - This will blow over... If it doesnt then... urrgghh... Im not moving to Germany :rolleyes:
For something like censoring games, is very stoupid. It was not the video games fault that made the people go on a shooting rampage, it was the person who pulled the trigger. People just need to blame something to make you feel right inside. It will die down, no doubt, but it is idiocracy how people take this. They dont want to look at all the other persons life. If they know you played a lot of a video game, that is violent, they just say he was influenced. I am just apalled by how people say it was someting else, than saying the person might have been messed up in the head.
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Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
From what I read, shootings seem based on:
- family abuse;
- depression;
- school ostracism.
Games, notably, the online community is SAVING me from ostracism in my school...
Hey, Charles Joseph Whitman was an Eagle Scout at age 12 before 13 years later he shot 46 people and killed 14 of them in the University of Texas. Let's ban the BSA now (I wouldn't mind lol).
i think its ironic since they refuse to get rid of (practicly) day time porn. are they just thinking, oh man that shooting was bad but all the other countless rapes by phyco paths who watch to much porn, is totally fine.
Gamers don't kill people, people who don't get laid kill people. Unfortunately the latter often describes the former, so I can see from where the misunderstanding has come.
however if we continue on with that and say that guns dont kill people people kill people. we have to take into account the ease at which it becomes possible to kill/shoot someone. if there was no gun there would have been no death (in many cases, probably like 90%+)
In the wake of the school shooting by a 17-year-old former student last week, German department store chain Galeria Kaufhof will stop selling video games and movies with 18+ ratings. First-person shooters, violent movies and horror films usually fall into this category. In addition, some people are calling for all 18+ rated material to be banned from the country altogether.
The reasoning behind this rather drastic move comes from media reports and politicians stating that a significant factor influencing the former student was that he played Counter Strike regularly. This is not surprising, as attention is often focused on video games by the media whenever violent acts with young people occur.
The German Game Developers Association hit back at the move by Galeria Kaufhof. Managing director Stephan Reichart said he thinks ?[Kaufhof's decision] is a complete overreaction... it borders on impulsive hysteria.?
Previous extreme acts of game censorship by German censors include demanding an alteration of the game Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, where the player was put into a parallel universe "killing" metal cyborgs without a hint of blood or gore.
Where do you think the line should be drawn between removing dangerous influences on young people and excessive control over peoples' entertainment?
i personally think that this is exactly the same sort of behavior that got germany in trouble the last time around. whats your opinion?
An extraordinarily stupid reaction. Is the country going to say goodbye to porn? doubt it
I'm betting that it will just die down shortly and nothing will change
This is just kind of stupid. It's circular reasoning, really. If someone goes to buy a gory movie, they already know it's gory, therefor the movie has done nothing to them- they already want to see it. The same way with video games. I know Diablo has gore in it, I did when I bought it, therefor the game hasn't done anything to me, I accepted the state of its world when I bought it.
I mean, look at the millions of gamers all over the world that play games with gore in them- do you see even more than 2% of them going out and shooting people at a whim? There's hardly any relation to it. It's just another case of people wanting a scapegoat.
My only stipulations for happiness are uncensored games and internet that isn't filtered by the government. I really couldn't care less about anything else, since nothing else really affects me, personally. This is just a classic shitload of crap.
I mean, I'm all for warnings, I'm even fine with 18+ for M, but completely dashing any of it out of a whole coutnry- that's just utter bull. I just hope game companies don't conform to this kind of crap and lower their standards.
That said, I go back to my original post and stick with what I said there - This will blow over... If it doesnt then... urrgghh... Im not moving to Germany :rolleyes:
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.
- family abuse;
- depression;
- school ostracism.
Games, notably, the online community is SAVING me from ostracism in my school...
Hey, Charles Joseph Whitman was an Eagle Scout at age 12 before 13 years later he shot 46 people and killed 14 of them in the University of Texas. Let's ban the BSA now (I wouldn't mind lol).
Fuck you, I'm a dragon.
These people should have an end put to their breeding.. to enhance our world's intelligence levels.