Germany looking to ban FPS

[carocat]

Late last month, an 18-year-old man went on a shooting spree at his former junior high school in western Germany, killing himself and injuring 11 others. According to reports on the German news site Tagesschau, the man spent a fair bit of time playing "Counter-Strike," which some say may have led to his inspiration to conduct the killing.

As a result of this tragedy, two state governments in Bavaria and Lower Saxony have drafted legislation which, according to the Financial Times, would "subject developers, distributors and players of video games whose goal is to inflict 'cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters' to a fine and a maximum of one year in jail."

If the measures pass, German gamers, amateur and pro alike, will have to lay off the FPS games for quite a long while and stick to more traditional non-violent games, like, you know, "Pac-Man."
Source/Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/09/german-legislation-would-jail-fps-gamers/)

Additional info: Tagesschau is the best news site/show in Germany.

Germany has always had very strict laws forbidding red blood in certain games and German gamers have seen quite a few different versions of games (Suffering, GTA...COD 1-3) and several games that have been banned completely (GoW, Manhunt....).

Germany is a very traditional state and very much in the grasp of a conservative governmanet (I voted for the other party, but oh well). The state governments that have drafted the legislation are the most conservative ones, especially Bavaria where tehre are already several different laws compared to the rest of Germany.

Thank god I don't live in Germany any more...

[Dcontrol]

Thats sad if they do end up banning FPS's. They've run out of things to ban so it looks like the old FPS is up for it this time. Bad news for German gamers.

[WACCOE]

Absolutly crazy.

Typical Germans.

[Raisedbyflames]

theirs no way they can ban it because of one nutter, i mean come on spend your time trying to find out who the nutters are not banning what inspires them, because they will just find it somewhere el,se because after all their a nutter and they will probberly go out killing after they have watched it on the news or reading it in a book as much as playing a first person shooter and you carnt ban/censor the news and books for nutters alone, and you carnt do that for games as well

[damien©]

It's a shame when they use these rare events to pick fights with forms of entertainment, but I think it's more a failing of the Mental Health of Germany not failing to diagnose this individual with a suitable condition as these are obviously not the actions of a sane man.

btw Was this in the news, as I never heard about it :s

[KatzMotel]

I think that just the proposal of such measures is a real blow to gaming in general. I mean, let's be reasonable here. Millions upon millions of gamers enjoy FPS games on a regular basis, myself included, and we don't go on rampages.

But they're right. Counter-Strike is such an immoral game. Such goals as 'rescue the hostages' and 'defuse the bomb'... what new evils will they think of next? D:

[Steve]

Maybe it also is because most FP Shooters deal with killing germans.

[damien©]

Maybe it also is because most FP Shooters deal with killing germans.

I can only think of the Call of Duty Series and Medal of Honour :s...What other's am I missing out on?

[Killer 57]

Brothers in Arms. Still though, the point is that there isn't that many WWII games as you're led to believe.

[Steve]

There is alot mate, name one 3rd Person WWII shooter....off the top of your head. By the way, there is alot more than three FPS WWII shooters.

[Killer 57]

There is a lot of other game types as well.

[Steve]

So...? We are only talking about 1...FPS. And I said alot of FPSs are WWII games. What are you complaining about?

[Raisedbyflames]

one 3rd person world war 2 shooter coming right up,

commandos
hidden and dangerous
behind enamy lines
the great escape
sniper elete

theirs loads more but not that i can think off the top of my head

[carocat]

There are more FPS that are not WWII games though. And this ban is not related to them as they are already modified before they are released in Germany. Like taking off the Swastika symbol.

Ok, FPS that are non WWII related: Halo, Halo2, Far Cry, Far Cry 2, FEAR, BF2, PDZ, Condemned.

Those are the ones I can think off on top off my hat.

[TBS Trojan]

didnt they overturn this completely?

[KatzMotel]

In regards to WW2 shooters, there really aren't that many games (discounting MoH and CoD, if I remember correctly) featuring the German soldiers in uniforms bearing even semi-realistic insignia. More often than not, you're just shooting guys in grey trousers. It's a bit lame, if you ask me.

Moreover, I think the lack of a German campaign in most of these games is a bit naff too. I mean, playing as 'the other side' is half of the fun!

[carocat]

Virtual hit men in Europe’s largest video games market could soon find themselves behind real bars if German regional politicians have their way.

Under new legislation drawn up in reaction to a shooting at a school last month, developers, retailers and players of videos featuring “cruel violence” could face up to a year in jail.

The bill - unveiled this week by the states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony and due to be presented to the national parliament next year - is already raising the alarm in the 2m strong German online gaming community.

“We have among the most drastic censorship rules for games,” said Frank Sliwka, head of the Deutsche E-Sport Bund, an umbrella federation for online gaming teams. “Now we are being labelled as a breeding ground for unstable, dysfunctional and violent youngsters.”

The move also comes at an awkward time for Sony, which has delayed the European launch of its Playstation 3 console to next March because of component shortages and technical glitches.

Call of Duty 3 and Resistance: Fall of Man, the top two PS3 titles on Amazon’s bestseller list are so-called first-person shooters that would fall under the ban. Sony Computer Entertainment Germany refused to comment yesterday.

With an estimated €1.7bn in video games sales last year, a quarter of total European sales, Germany is the world’s third biggest market for computer entertainment, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and boasts 40,000 online gaming teams.

Online gaming has become a professional pursuit, with teams competing in international tournaments for prizes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and lucrative sponsoring deals. Many players make a living from gaming and teams routinely buy each other’s stars for hefty fees.

All this could be at risk even if the ban fails, claims Holger Scherff, head of a-Losers.MSI a gaming team, who warns that the discussion could lead corporate sponsors to review their endorsement of gamers.

Under German rules amended in 2003 after an earlier school shooting, developers must cut violent content from the German versions of their games. For example, the German version of Counter Strike does not feature blood spurting from wounds - unlike the US and UK editions.

The latest bill highlights growing popular disgust in Germany at violent video games, mirroring debates in the US. A poll taken after last month’s shooting at a secondary school in Emsdetten showed 72 per cent of respondents blaming such incidents on violent games and 59 per cent supporting a ban.

The 18-year old who killed himself with a rifle after storming his school and injuring 11 people was an avid Counter Strike player and self-avowed internet nerd according to local newspapers.

“It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitise unstable characters to violence and can have a stimulating effect,” Günther Beckstein, Bavaria’s interior minister, said on Monday.
Source (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e98b3a9a-851c-11db-b12c-0000779e2340.htm)
Someone please go and educate them. It's not the games it's the lack of interest in children...

Oh and I agree fully, KatzMotel. But I don't ever see it happening.

[Blaze Lord]

Baby Jesus hates it when people play with guns.

[RiLu@]

before banning FPS they should ban beer.

even if you only play pac-man you'll probably get mad, if you're mad from before.

[A_Unit]

war must be in the german blood. this is crazy!

[gashead]

Ok, FPS that are non WWII related: Halo, Halo2, Far Cry, Far Cry 2, FEAR, BF2, PDZ, Condemned.

:unsure: Does carocat know something we don't :o

Anyway, if they ban FPS will they ban the army as well? After all it is "basically like FPS, except better graphics"

[TBS Trojan]

before banning FPS they should ban beer.

even if you only play pac-man you'll probably get mad, if you're mad from before.

ha, or sausage.