James Delahunty
11 Dec 2006 9:23
Even though it already has some of the toughest laws in Europe that address video game violence, Germany could soon get even tougher and even completely ban some game titles. A group of German politicians have drawn up legislation that apparently could see developers and retailers penalized with prison sentences of up to 12 months. The bill, which was presented by the states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony will be debated next year.
It refers specifically to games that feature "cruel violence". This comes after a school shooting in the last month in the town of Emsdetten, where an 18 year old injured 11 people before shooting himself. The local media emphasized the point that he was an avid player of Counter Strike. A survey taken after the shooting found that 72% of respondents attributed such crimes to video game violence and 59% were in favor of a ban.
"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." Deutsche E-Sport Bund boss Frank Sliwka said. After a seperate shooting in 2003, Germany introduced rules that restricted depictions of violence against human-like characters. For example, some German versions of games feature green blood to appear less gorey.
Source:
GamesIndustry.biz