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The online edition of German news magazine Der Spiegel has revealed that interior ministers urged against ‘Killerspiele' (killer games) during a conference held last Friday. Although details are only being shared in English via online translations such as this, it seems clear that German ministers are now serious about preventing another incident like Winnenden on 11 March where a 17-year-old shot 15 people. The previous evening the shooter had been playing the game "Far Cry 2".
Spiegel Online details that the ministers have appealed for "an explicit production and dissemination ban as soon as possible", preventing the development and distribution of all games considered to be violent within Germany.
The Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) software ratings board already stands in the way of many violent games being released in Germany. The blockbuster "Gears of War" series for Xbox 360 is among them. However the key issue with the latest appeal to the Bundestag, the German equivalent of the British Parliament, is that violent videogames may not be produced on German soil. This would be hard on German based developer Crytek, coincidentally responsible for the original "Far Cry".
Winnenden isn't the first tragedy to move government officials against violent games, and especially those that involve shooting other people. The Columbine High School massacre of 1999 brought that same year's E3 videogame convention under US government scrutiny, forcing first-person-shooters - in particular ultra-realistic ‘simulation' Soldier of Fortune - behind closed doors, viewable by appointment only. In the case of Columbine it was id Software's "Doom" held responsible.
Do violent videogames beget violent gun-toting youths? Are the German ministers over-reacting, or even acting to be seen to be acting? If the German ministers' appeals are accepted, and if the decision proves to be popular overseas, it's likely that UK MPs will see vote-winning opportunities in this country too.
Prudence or politics? You decide.
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Video Games are there for our enjoyment and relaxation , 99.99% of gamers are Normal healthy human beings , you will always get some people who are unbalanced who will do something stupid , how many people are killed by drink drivers every year ? Thousands so lets ban alcohol then ... bundy said porn made him kill ... lets ban porn ( god forbid ) ... what i'm trying to say is no matter what you do some person will always site something for what made them do an awful act .
Posted by: stevenduff on Tue Jun 09 04:50PM | Report abusethis is a nannying state gone too far. just because one has done this, then it doesn't mean that all people are the same. people shouldn't coat us all with the same brush.
Posted by: jonathan.gregg on Tue Jun 09 04:50PM | Report abusethis is stupid! i agree games should have age ratings but if you are over 18 and aware of the nature of the games then you should be allowed to create and play these games. It seems as if every day we are becoming less and less of a free country.
Posted by: ding_chavez123 on Tue Jun 09 04:50PM | Report abuseExcellent idea, i fully agree that violent games and even movies should be fully outlawed. It is time our children were given happy, positive influences rather than these unnecessary and unsavoury items.
Posted by: minibullgb on Tue Jun 09 04:50PM | Report abuserubbish about video games causing violence. they only people who woould vote for a ban are those old people half of whom just sit around all day and cost taxpayers money
Posted by: powell_bus on Tue Jun 09 04:50PM | Report abuseI think they're right. But sometimes this could spoil children's fun but i totally agree!
Posted by: robertson_kath on Tue Jun 09 04:51PM | Report abuse@#$%'s il get my s**t imported haha
Posted by: bikerdaz888 on Tue Jun 09 04:51PM | Report abuseHow bloody stupid...... Why not ban films, books, comics, television programmes etc . Surely the problem is already there for the person to be that unstable in the first place......
Posted by: terrytravels on Tue Jun 09 04:51PM | Report abusethats an outrage, if we choose to buy the games its up to us not the government, they are tking over our lives if we choose not to buy them we don't simple as
Posted by: thedaykin on Tue Jun 09 04:51PM | Report abuselolz just coz germany dont have a good taste of games dont mean everyone else should no offense if they dont like it tuff and i doubt they will get very far in banding them any way.
Posted by: jamesfuentes on Tue Jun 09 04:51PM | Report abuse