Germany to put makers of violent games in jail?
All thanks to a school shooting which took place in Germany last month, some German government offices are now pushing a bill that would fine or jail producers and makers of video games which feature “cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters”.
Uh-oh. This may be the beginning of sad days for German gamers, especially since a recent survey which was taken after the shooting incident showed that 59 percent of those who responded to the survey will actually agree to and support such a bill. According to Frank Sliwka, head of the online gaming organization Deutsche eSport Bund, “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.”
Some analysts consider this to be a move by German Parliament to score some brownie points with the older generation; however, many find this new proposed bill problematic because of its very vague category description. If this bill pushes through in its current state, then this might just mean no Tekken, no Devil May Cry, no CounterStrike, no Naruto: Shinobi Retsuden, and DEFINITELY no Dead Rising. And probably no Wii Boxing as well (“humans or human-looking characters”, remember?).
Sigh. Always blaming video games and never parental guidance and care – or the lack thereof…
Via ArsTechnica
All thanks to a school shooting which took place in Germany last month, some German government offices are now pushing a bill that would fine or jail producers and makers of video games which feature “cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters”.
Uh-oh. This may be the beginning of sad days for German gamers, especially since a recent survey which was taken after the shooting incident showed that 59 percent of those who responded to the survey will actually agree to and support such a bill. According to Frank Sliwka, head of the online gaming organization Deutsche eSport Bund, “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.”
Some analysts consider this to be a move by German Parliament to score some brownie points with the older generation; however, many find this new proposed bill problematic because of its very vague category description. If this bill pushes through in its current state, then this might just mean no Tekken, no Devil May Cry, no CounterStrike, no Naruto: Shinobi Retsuden, and DEFINITELY no Dead Rising. And probably no Wii Boxing as well (“humans or human-looking characters”, remember?).
Sigh. Always blaming video games and never parental guidance and care – or the lack thereof…
Via ArsTechnica
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