Germany proposing players of violent games to be jailed too

The recent developments in Germany are alarming. It would be remembered that not so long ago, we covered a school shooting incident that was blamed on videogames. Two weeks after that, the German government became vocal on its stance in jailing developers.

What’s happening now is that a couple of German regional governments are proposing to jail even the players. Accordingly, Bavaria and Lower Saxony recently drafted a bill that will subject “guilty parties” to a penalty and a maximum of one year in prison. The proposal will come before the upper house of parliament not earlier than next year but as of now, it is already wreaking havoc.

Furthermore, several politicians like Bavarian Interior Minister Gunther Beckstein are milking the issue, making things worse for the already worried and beleaguered local gaming industry. “It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitise unstable characters and can have a stimulating effect,” reiterated Beckstein.

On the other hand, some of the local companies have banded together, trying to resist this proposals. Sadly, their force is not gaining ground for now. For what it’s worth, at least they are willing to meet this storm head on. Federation of online gaming teams Deutsche E-Sport Bund is one of those who are openly holding their ground. According to their head Frank Sliwka, “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.”

Back in 2003, Germany amended its laws telling developers to excise violent content from the German versions of their games. The amendment was prompted by another instance of shooting spree. We will be giving you more updates as this scenario progresses.

Via MSNBC

The recent developments in Germany are alarming. It would be remembered that not so long ago, we covered a school shooting incident that was blamed on videogames. Two weeks after that, the German government became vocal on its stance in jailing developers.

What’s happening now is that a couple of German regional governments are proposing to jail even the players. Accordingly, Bavaria and Lower Saxony recently drafted a bill that will subject “guilty parties” to a penalty and a maximum of one year in prison. The proposal will come before the upper house of parliament not earlier than next year but as of now, it is already wreaking havoc.

Furthermore, several politicians like Bavarian Interior Minister Gunther Beckstein are milking the issue, making things worse for the already worried and beleaguered local gaming industry. “It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitise unstable characters and can have a stimulating effect,” reiterated Beckstein.

On the other hand, some of the local companies have banded together, trying to resist this proposals. Sadly, their force is not gaining ground for now. For what it’s worth, at least they are willing to meet this storm head on. Federation of online gaming teams Deutsche E-Sport Bund is one of those who are openly holding their ground. According to their head Frank Sliwka, “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.”

Back in 2003, Germany amended its laws telling developers to excise violent content from the German versions of their games. The amendment was prompted by another instance of shooting spree. We will be giving you more updates as this scenario progresses.

Via MSNBC