Quick Jump Daily Digest
Thank you for your interest in the Quick Jump Daily Digest. Get notified of all new content on QJ in our free Daily Digest. To subscribe, enter your email address below and click the subscribe button.
Germany expands gaming ban proposal to whole EU |
Listed in: News, Titles Tags: Europe, European Commission, Franco Frattini, Germany
Ó
If the German Government has its way, we could be looking at an EU-wide ban on violent games. It has taken the initiative to the European Commission's justice minsters, requesting for more control over violent gaming across the 27 countries in the Union."A certain degree of linkage between the growing violence among the younger generation and the growing diffusion of violent games exists," said European Justice commissioner Franco Frattini during Dresden meeting last Tuesday.
In connection with their initiative, the German Government announced it was conducting a study of each of the country's rules governing video gaming. The study is hoped to help establish a centralized ruling system.
"The Commission wants to see a combination of outright bans on the most violent games, together with minimum age rules on other titles," Frattini said.
In related news, the Interactive Software Federation of Europe objected to the proposed ban. While they agreed on Frattini's reiteration of protecting children from bad influences, they strongly proposed an age-rating system much like in movies instead of outright prohibition
It will be remembered that Bavaria's Gunther Beckstein had made a similar statement, when he called for the ban of violent games like Counter-Strike and Call of Duty 3 in Germany last year. Consider this your latest news from the country that's brought us Heckler & Koch, Mauser, Walther...
Via Info World
| This story sucks? This story rocks! |
|
|
Comments
Reply
1) The problem is not the violence in the games, it is that there are no laws to govern the selling of violent videogames to minors. Simply put, BBFC classification should be fully implemented in the same way as DVD's. That would resolve a lot of issues.
2) There is no hard evidence to support that playing viloent videogames turns someone into a violent person. The people who claim videogames are to blame are mostly unstable BEFORE they play the videogames, leading them to enact these violent crimes.
3) It has been proven that in the last 10/15 years, viloent crime by teenagers on the whole has declined, not increased. Most teenagers these days play violent videogames!
If what this madman is saying is true, then the whole of the world would have errupted with teenage viloence years ago. The reason that people commiting crimes due to videogames became such a huge issue, was because it is SUCH a rare thing to happen that when it does, it gets splashed all over newspapers!
Reply
Reply
Reply
I am very embarressed to see the most stupid german politicians gaining momentum in the media. People running this campaign identified Final Fantasy VII as a malicious "killergame" because two stupid 17yo named themselves Sephiroth and Reno while killing (seemingly) out of pure boredom.
Reply
So, what if I decide to call myself Mickey Mouse and then go on a killing spree after watching the Lion King, they will then have to ban Disney??
just cos the two kids decided they would give each other nicknames, bears absolutely no relation to the crime they commited.
Reply
Video games present people with entertainment. Is Germany banning movies like "Die Hard" because of the violence?
I'm ashamed that a free thinking country like Germany wouldn't stand up to their lawmakers and defend their right to entertainment and the right to free expression and art.
I won't join the army to fight for oil but if you try to take my games??? GIVE ME FPS OR GIVE ME DEATH! (:
Reply
Every one know that Nazis are evil, but I think that the 257 games about WWII that come out every years are a good reason for the germans to want to ban them. They just can't say that they just want to ban just the WWII games. They have to be "fare" and ban all of them.
Sorry for my bad english, I'm French...
Reply
"Sorry for my biased opinions I'm an American"
This whole arguement pisses me off. I mean isn't there better things to pass laws about? Guns and video games don't kill people, people kill people. Let's throw everyone in jail for being human and the problem will solve itself... (:
Reply
Reply
But German politicians shouldn't be the only ones to be blamed because it is discussed by other EU-Countries as well.
It 7 other countries exactly: Finnland, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Hungary.
But as it looks: You will just have to show your ID buying a "Killerspiel" in those countries.
I think working things out a bit better, qj.net could only profit..
Reply
If kids in Europe are doing stuff they see in games...they're probably just really stupid...same as the select few retards in America that do what they see in games.
Reply
Reply
Reply
I says it would be better for the EU to ban THEM instead!
Reply
Reply
Show me the statistics in which violent crimes (or any crimes) has decreased due to the introduction of video games in America. Or an article or anything, because I've not seen a single study or article that has a defined connection between the two.
There have been cases where people say they let out their frustrations through playing violent video games but it is also noted that video games are being used to train military forces as well for combat (knowledge given to me by a friend of mine who's job is in the US Military).
Kids are NOT "stupid" for acting out scenes they've observed in video games and/or the movies. They are mislead and confused from the display of example as well as misinformed about how to react to such displays of violence, but they are not "really stupid" as you put it. I'd also like to point out that being brought up in a home that doesn't have, display, and enforce a stable and good set of morals mainly leads to those falling into the trap of relativism when judging right from wrong conduct.
If the people that act out scenes in violent media believe they did nothing wrong, then you can't blame fault completely to the exposed violence... there is more to blame on not being taught before-hand that this violent conduct is not right and in no means is it morally correct to do these things.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Either way, I really hope this doesn't affect Australia, if it passes. You know, us being PAL and all...I feel sorry for the Germans, in this case.
Reply
Oh, and your comment was pretty funny.
Reply
Blame the parents.
Reply
It's become socially acceptable recently (as in the past decade or two) for gruesome acts of violence, gore, sex, rape, crime, and anything else that's bad to be displayed or carried out on public access cable, movies, and of course.... video games. None of this would ever have happened if a certain group in the USA wouldn't have kept using the controversial issue of "freedom of speech" as their arguement. Mind you that freedom of speech can be a good thing, but most of the time it's abused towards the side of secularism and only causes corruption... not correction.
When you put these two factors together (violence in media and relative-moral upbringing), kids acting out what they witnessed isn't that hard to comprehend. More of the blame might be on their upbringing, but there is still a whole lot to blame on the corrupt media as well.
Reply
the politicians just need some quick answers for the mistakes of the system. lots of germans are under pressure cuz they need their job. the social system isnt as good as it is exhibited. this pressure makes them work longer, the kids are at home and watch tv or play videogames.
no one cares about them because everybody is on his own.
and then some mentally weak kid freaks out. why?
simple solution: "evil games". censorship the only solution. until the next teenage mass murder commences.
Reply
Reply