Dave Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 It is outragoues. Just yesterday there has been an amok run here in Germany. I know it is horrible but luckily nobody but the shooter got killed. Now, only a single day after that incident German politicians have found the apparently only reason this stupid moron decided to kill everyone in his school. It must be those computer- and videogames. I just don't understand them. What is their problem with the gaming community? This guy was talking about guns and killing nonstop. He ordered weapons via the internet and bragged about running amok for years. Now that he finally done it, it is only to "killinggames" he did that? It seems like nobody asks about his social environment which clearly has to be the best in the world, ever! We poor gamers in Germany have to face more restrictions soon. After the last time a schoolboy ran amok in Erfurt (which was the first kind of this incident in Germany, ever) everything was blamed to the videogames (oh yeah, movies too, but Harry Potter released and then they just made some extra rules for movies allowing 6 years olds to see movies rated 12+). Ever since then videogames are overrated in every point of view. For instance Resident Evil Deadly Silence was rated 18+ and therefore taken from many internetshops, like for instance Ebay and Amazon. Ever since then imported games, and even if it is the Barbie Creator, are for grown-ups only. What will it be next? Gears of War is completely forbidden in Germany already, so I guess we Germans will miss on even more games and will have to face severe cuts to others, won't we. It just strikes me that just gamers in Germany must feel the need to kill real people after enjoying an evening of, say Resident Evil. Maybe this time they notice those magic mushrooms in Super Mario! It is not fair to blame everything on games, again!
Librarian Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 yes.. saw it on the news here yesterday.. the first neswflash didn't say the V word.. but sure as sand in sahrah the second one did.. "..was into wearing black.. satanism and VIOLENT computer games"... but I think thats a standard phrase they pin on every shooter... I wonder i G Bush is into violent computer games?? anyway.. first it was Rock music... then films and now games
Cube Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock and roll. And he is just as likely to copy something in a movie or on TV, than a video game. Books too. Actually, books could contribute to some killings (in a book, some strange people could wonder what something looks like, and try it out themselves, whereas TV/Games they see it and think nothing of it).
LukeLee Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 This video game angle is only just sensationalist for the media. There has been loads of research into the effects of playing video games and none have conclusively said that it leads to violent behaviour. Besides common sense says the link is far too weak, if video games made people violent there would be alot more murders. It's just fustrating that media sensationalism has such an effect on government politics. If anyone is really that concerned that makes the consequences for breach of ratings much worse.
Kurtle Squad Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 I thought I'd go murder some tortoises & stamp some mushrooms the other day....
weeyellowbloke Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Dammit, I played Harvest Moon yesterday. I woke up this morning to discover three cows in my garden and a field of tomatoes. Might I also add this quote which I just love, "Video games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all run around in a darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music." -Kristian Wilson, CEO at Nintendo Gaming Corporation Inc.
Dave Posted November 21, 2006 Author Posted November 21, 2006 I just watched TV. Some politicians want to ban all "violent videogames" meaning they would be forbidden to sell and to produce. Since the last amok run we got the USK which "controlled" all media in a way which was solely to movies before. Something like the PEGI. Of course, now they want to ban the USK and create an even more restricting system. My idea would be behaviour-passes just like those we got for "Fightdogs" a few years back...
Cube Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 If they do, organise a riot on the lack of violence of video games. Explain to them that it's because they took away the main venting of your anger.
Gaijin von Snikbah Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 That sucks dude. I suppose that if your politicians had more scientific evidence proving that games are not making you a TERMINATOR, then maybe they will lighten up.
Hellfire Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 I just acquired a license that enables me to cast fire magic on other people (FFXII "joke")
Fields Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Makes me glad I live in a civilized country.
Konfucius Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 The problem is for some reason the german politicians think they get more votes or whatever if they are against video games and it's also big with the media. Furthermore it's much easier to blame a new form of entertainment then anything there's a lobby for. Blame the one who thaught the guy from Erfurt how to shoot (he was in a shooting club after all) and blame the police because they don't get rid of all the illegal weapons dealers that sell them to kids. Why should they? It's a lot easier to attack something that isn't truly accepted by society and can't "defend" itself. I only hope they don't tighten the rules even more. Mainly we get all the games with the german localization here - no blood and so on. But some games that are forbidden in Germany are sold in Austria and still we don't have lots of people running Amok in schools. Sadly I think instead of comprehensive rules the will tighten them further making 18+ rated games the ultimate "forbidden must have" for minors. Video games don't make me violent but these politicians sure do.
Ramar Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Any links to this story. This will come in handy, doing a project at Uni about Computer game violence.
Librarian Posted November 22, 2006 Posted November 22, 2006 "Video games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all run around in a darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music." -Kristian Wilson, CEO at Nintendo Gaming Corporation Inc. he's talking about the RAVE scene!!
gorrit Posted November 22, 2006 Posted November 22, 2006 Might I also add this quote which I just love, "Video games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all run around in a darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music." -Kristian Wilson, CEO at Nintendo Gaming Corporation Inc. Just FYI, that's a fake quote. I wonder why Germany is so hard against video games, are they like that with movies etc as well?
weeyellowbloke Posted November 22, 2006 Posted November 22, 2006 Just FYI, that's a fake quote. Ah really, oh well, it's still witty and gives me a giggle. The German government really do seem to be getting very heavy handed about all this. It seems such a cynical ploy to show the media that something is being done, even if it is completely unrelated to the actual incident.
Dan_Dare Posted November 22, 2006 Posted November 22, 2006 i think that quote is actually from some comedian type. dunno when it was attributed to the nintendo guy, though.
Konfucius Posted November 22, 2006 Posted November 22, 2006 Just FYI, that's a fake quote. I wonder why Germany is so hard against video games, are they like that with movies etc as well? Not really. I mean I don't live in Germany but pretty close to the border and from what I gather, they don't really care about films. Some films like Shaft (with Samuel L. Jackson) get rated 18 in America and 16 in Germany. And the press is doing their fair share of unprofessionalism as well. For instance the infamous most crappy "Bild" newspaper wrote about that boy playing Counterstrike alone in his room with a Joystick (?!?). They claim he played a level that was a recreation of his school with pupils and everything. Now there are no pupils in CS and there is only one map that resembles a german school in CS. That map is 6 years old and has nothing to do with this school. (source: gamestar.de) The negative effects of these politics and media goes so far that even german gaming magazines try to do something against it. They do petitions and encourage the readers to write to the government and such.
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