German gov't considers jailtime for gamers

Games in Germany already face strict censorship laws--titles such as Gears of War are deemed to be too violent, and the German board of classification (the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle) refuses to give them a rating, effectively meaning that the games can be sold only at adults-only retailers.

Nazi symbols are also banned in the country, except for art and educational purposes--so games which use them, including the Wolfenstein series, are also banned from being released in Germany. Even games such as Dead Rising are regarded as crossing a threshold of acceptability since violence towards zombies is considered to be too close to violence towards real people.

Now. legislation currently being drafted would take these standards a step further. The bill, which was introduced last week by the states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony, proposes a new offence. Those found guilty of "cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters" could face fines, or jail time of up to 12 months--and those it applies to include developers, retailers, and consumers, reports UK newspaper The Guardian.

The proposed legislation comes on the heels of a shooting on November 20 where an 18-year-old student went on a shooting rampage and wounded six people in his school before killing himself. Backers of the bill also point to the 2002 Erfurt massacre where another German student shot 13 people, according to the paper. Both incidents have been blamed in the media on violent games and much has been written about the two shooters' fascination with games such as Half-Life: Counter-Strike.

The proposed legislation makes the future for German game companies unclear. One company, Far Cry and Crysis developer Crytek, has already made known its plans to relocate to another country should the any legislation of this kind be made law.

:source: Source: Gamespot

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And I thought our politicians were bad. :ermm:

I saw that on GS, too. I remember like two weeks a ago, on Reuters, a man was arrested for selling Anti-Swastika shirts just cause the entire symbol is banned (for good reason, obviously).

They're strict, though. :mellow:

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Originally Posted by Hairbautt

I saw that on GS, too. I remember like two weeks a ago, on Reuters, a man was arrested for selling Anti-Swastika shirts just cause the entire symbol is banned (for good reason, obviously).

They're strict, though. :mellow:

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Yep, I remember when Call of Duty came out, there was a special German version without swastikas.

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Originally Posted by Skizo

Both incidents have been blamed in the media on violent games and much has been written about the two shooters' fascination with games such as Half-Life: Counter-Strike.

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Such things are always blamed on violent games and heavy metal music! It's a ridiculous thing to even consider. These people just don't want to have to admit that their method parenting is to blame. I play violent games all the time, but I've never been the cause of anyones death, violently or otherwise.

Passing the blame is always an easier alternative.

Its funny as its part of history you can't change it so why try ? Being a father of Canadian and German children it is to laff . My wife immigrated as a young girl from the Fatherland , I was born here from Scottish and Metis stock .

Always thought it was funny that my children had to shoulder some of the guilt ,get over it for fuck sake . Tis just a game ,matter of fact my little blonde haired blue eyed boy likes playing as the Krauts on Day of Defeat . They have better weapons . :dabs:

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Originally Posted by peat moss

Its funny as its part of history you can't change it so why try ? Being a father of Canadian and German children it is to laff . My wife immigrated as a young girl from the Fatherland , I was born here from Scottish and Metis stock .

Always thought it was funny that my children had to shoulder some of the guilt ,get over it for fuck sake . Tis just a game ,matter of fact my little blonde haired blue eyed boy likes playing as the Krauts on Day of Defeat . They have better weapons . :dabs:

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MP44 ftw!

Fucking lame.