German gamers face jail for acts of virtual violence

The Guardian ^ | 12 Dec 2006 | Bobbie Johnson

[FLOutdoorsman]

Players and creators of video games could face imprisonment for acts of virtual violence under draft legislation being drawn up by two of Germany's state governments.

Politicians in Bavaria and Lower Saxony have proposed a new offence that will punish "cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters" inside games. Early drafts suggest that infringers should face fines or up to 12 months' jail for promoting or enacting in-game violence.

The scheme comes in response to a shooting last month in the town of Emsdetten on the Dutch border, where Sebastian Bosse, an 18-year-old games fan, stormed into his former school and wounded 37 people before killing himself.

[FLOutdoorsman]

Crazy world.

Well. at least I can still put hamsters in microwaves...

[Jo Nuvark]

This is satire, right?

[albie]

If I'm 7 and tell my best friend Billy "Bang Bang, you're dead"! am I in trouble?

[americanbychoice2]

no, it's true

[John Will]

So I take it shooting nazis is out.

[FLOutdoorsman]

Pretty much, no more old school Wolfenstein.

[hadrian]

Virtual violence = Crime?

Then punishment = virtual fine or virtual imprisonment. Think monopoly money, "quatloos", and no more video games.

[jiggyboy]

Actual Thought Crimes and Thought Police. Absolutely terrifying.

[radiohead]

I read 'A Rape in Cyberspace,' Julian Dibbell, Village Voice, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 51, December 21, 1993 in a class on information policy back in the late 90s. It reviews the reactions on an early MOO to the vile things done by an avatar. http://www.ludd.luth.se/mud/aber/articles/village_voice.html

It surprised me to see how emotional people got over something that was.not.real. I can't even get past that - it's not real, folks. Move on. You weren't assaulted. If you don't like someone's actions, then maybe they don't get to play anymore, but to feel physically violated over something that happens in a game, or to legally punish people for actions in games, just seems idiotic to me. It strikes me that the Germans have enough problems with unemployment and their muslims before they start worrying about this crap.

[MARKUSPRIME]

Woot thought police aka communism!

[Caesar Soze]

Well. at least I can still put hamsters in microwaves...

If you do that, Weird Ed will hate you. Good luck stopping the meteor then.

[Jack Hammer]

Presumably this means placement in a virtual cell; don't bend over and pick up the virtual soap.

The world is a zany place.

[KarlInOhio]

Then punishment = virtual fine or virtual imprisonment.

Or you have to log into World of Warcraft every day as your character looks out the window in his dungeon cell.

[Red6]

No, this is what happens when the "state thinks for the people".

[panuke]

"Or you have to log into World of Warcraft every day as your character looks out the window in his dungeon cell."

Now that's funny!


So what will video games then consist of????? I mean even in Need for Speed you evade the police and hit people as they fly over your car so what's left??? Word games and puzzles??

I haven't played a game that didn't consist of my avatar holding a BFG since Nintendo. LOL! Ahh memories of my first glimpse of Doom just came flooding back. ahh.

[ryan125]

I got virtually arrested while playing world of warcraft, ironically it was for playing too much.

[doodad]

I guess I face war crimes for spawn camping in Battlefield.

[Red6]

And of course while near all violent games are in the format of Grand Theft Auto, Doom (First person shooter), a flight simulation, or War-Craft, the German media will focus in on a No name game which is carried in no major outlet retailer: Left Behind: Eternal Forces

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/spielzeug/0,1518,454316,00.html

Why? Because they are the epitome of the secular progressive movement. They want to make the religious right in the US look bad. At the same time, many of their articles are written by people with names like Musharabash, and they always caveat any story representing Islam as a violent religion with statements like "It's the religion of peace". They will try to FORCE an association of hate and anger on Christians just like Vietnam on Iraq, because ultimately even though they deny it, the liberal left hates Christians and Jews. The secular progressives are socialists. They are socialists in all aspects; their view of religion, their position on education, social services, crime and punishment.....etc. Call them out on it and they often deny it. But what quacks like a duck and walks like a duck is usually a duck; just as most progressives dislike Christians and are in their core values socialists.

Socialists are inherently anti religion, so when "Der Spiegel" is given an opportunity to exploit the situation to make Christians look bad (As Abu Gharib was a great opportunity for them to make the effort in Iraq look bad), they will take it and run with it, are you surprised?

What store in the US is carrying this game? Game Stop? Walmart? Target? What is the sale volume and how many games like this are out on the market? Does "Der Spiegel" even remotely make sense with this article? No. But this article is there to paint a picture. A picture they want to paint, not what is. So the German is once again bombarded with a story about those evil American right wing Christians.

[Schweinhund]

They want to make the religious right in the US look bad.

Awww...

No, seriously: The topic of the game (which I did not play up to now) seems to be that you have to convert everyone and kill the unconvertable. That kind of fundamentalist nut game concept does not need propaganda to look bad.

[Smokin' Joe]

...you have to convert everyone and kill the unconvertable.

Oh. Like Islam?