Another anti-killer game campain in Germany...

On Monday a former student has entered a school here in Germany armed with several guns and bombs, injured several students and teachers (he was too bad at aiming to kill anyone though) and killed himself with a shot into his mouth.

Now the politicians, especially the more conservative ones, are on a witch hunt again:
They want to try to forbid the production and sale of so called killer-games (whatever that means) in Germany. It´s obvious the videogames are to blame, cause the madman was a Counterstrike-player again, just like the last amok-guy three years or so ago.
I can´t believe it. This is really a great country to live in, but when it comes to "youth-protection" the only answers people seem to know are the easy ones: pick up something to blame and forbid it by law!
I´m more of an RPG-fan myself, but thinking of what they could count as killer-games makes me shiver...in a way most games are violent and contain killing.
So if they succeed (what I do not believe) it may not only be the end for the likes of Manhunt, but also for games like, say, Timesplitters, GTA, Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Contra or Silent Hill in Germany...
Thank god we live in a time of global trading with an open European Union, so whatever the government says or tries to forbid, there are ways to get all the perverted killer games we like!

I blame that horrid jazz music. That negro music is corrupting the minds of our youth, I tell you!

Welcome to America!

Next stop, exposed womens breasts will scar your children and tarnish your family name for countless generations!

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I blame that horrid jazz music. That negro music is corrupting the minds of our youth, I tell you!

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Welcome to America!

Next stop, exposed womens breasts will scar your children and tarnish your family name for countless generations!

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Exactly: the same kind of thing, only the subject is different.
People always seem to hate what they don´t know, and they always look for the easiest solutions.
Books, comics, negro music, films and TV...they have all been known to be the root of all evil in the past. I hope they´ll find something else soon and stop focussing on games!
Personally I think cell phones are evil!

When video games are outlawed, only outlaws will play videogames!

I'm surprised about this proposed 'crackdown' - I was under the impression Germany already had the highest criteria for restricting game content - green blood, for example. What more can the Government take away?

If it makes you feel any better when i wrote a paper addressing the "evils" of video games i found some wonderful ammo to fire back.

I found a quote by this guy who heads up club of professional sniper shooters (shooting sniper rifles for sport) and he said, flat out, that video games cannot train you to use a sniper rifle.

Also, everyone likes to talk about video games making you "aggressive" and act like thats all that does. Nobody mentions that when you participate in organized sports (Soccer, Baseball, Hockey) that you are told (directly or indirectly) to act aggressive on the field/ice/whatever to get winning results.


I'm ok with cellphones, it's driving *AND* talking on the phone i find evil.

HANG UP AND DRIVE! IT'S A CAR, NOT A PHONE BOOTH!

He didn't, by any chance, be a big fan of Rock, Metal or Rap did he?

And if the kid had learned to kill by playing Counter Strike, wouldn't he have been a better shot due to all the practice?

To that extent, has there been *ANY* connection to games where the player actually imitates shooting at targets with something resembling a weapon, i.e. Lethal Enforcers, Revolution X, Duck Hunt, T2, or that crappy Super Scope 6-in-1-game-thingie, with any shooting incidences?? One might argue, that if a game enabling the player to experience a gun-fight through the use of a mouse, keyboard and/or joystick can cause him/her to commit acts of violence; a game enabling players to simulate gunfights through actual gun-type accessories would have lead to a higher number of the aforementioned acts of violence.

And what about long term effects of games like Boong-Ga Boong-Ga? Hmmm? Hmmmmmmmm??

If the world is invaded by aliens tomorrow, will the President select one lone gamer who has the experience to fly a single ship against numerous aliens odds?

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Originally Posted by dark & long

If the world is invaded by aliens tomorrow, will the President select one lone gamer who has the experience to fly a single ship against numerous aliens odds?

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Just wait for the tostesterone-fest ARE YOU A BAD ENOUGH DUDE? recruitment drive already >:]

Seems like the same as the "All terrorists are Muslims" thing where you only look for them when trying to stop that, yet now just say all school-shooters are FPS fans. But the thing is, you can't ban people from existing(though you could close that open border!) yet you can easily ban a portion of a mostly unsignificant video game industry in your country to stop violent crimes. I really don't think the government would care if some teens lost a tiny bit of amusement if it helped them to stop this. And with the internet and such the hardcore fans could still get their games - so what's to lose for the government banning it? It's not some huge travesty to ban the sale of some violent video games.

The thing is, there is no evidence to prove that violent video games *make* people do violent acts.

The media simply loved to use "Doom" as the reason those kids shot up Columbine, but they were two kids out of hundreds of thousands who played that game. The two kids represent less than 1% of the people who actually bought the game.

The problems that led to the shooting at Columbine were complex ones and parents and the media settled on "video games and music" as the reasons why it happened

It also helped none that when it happened the media decided to make a media spectacle out of it only to further entice other individuals to commit such acts.



Plus, how did people learn to be violent before the advent of FPS games?

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Originally Posted by dark & long

The thing is, there is no evidence to prove that violent video games *make* people do violent acts.

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...infact, if memory serves, wasn't there a big hoo-haa over videogames making kids fat & lazy. To that extent, I think I'd actually pay money to see people who believe videogames make kids violent discuss the issue with people who believe videogames make kids lazy.

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Originally Posted by dark & long

Plus, how did people learn to be violent before the advent of FPS games?

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That's simple, God. (Or gods, depending on your view.)

I'm sure video games have caused all the troubles in the world today....

...just like Elvis Presley and Rock & Roll did in the 1950's. :D


And you are right, kids can't be both *LAZY* and *VIOLENT* at the same time.

"I'm going to put my fist through your skull, but I'm pretty comfy sitting in this chair."

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Originally Posted by dark & long

The thing is, there is no evidence to prove that violent video games *make* people do violent acts.

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Actually there is, however, only with children who do not know the difference between right/wrong and reality/fiction. If violence is depicted as being rewarded then the brain registers that. Seldom do you see violent acts in video games punished and this makes children believe that violence and agression are cool.

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Originally Posted by dark & long

Plus, how did people learn to be violent before the advent of FPS games?

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Movies, which I believe are far worse than video games as with video games you take a degree of resposibilty for your actions, where as most films tend to glorify guns/violence and murder.

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Originally Posted by dark & long

Plus, how did people learn to be violent before the advent of FPS games?

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Ever heard of Cain and Abel? Yeah. God's third creation killed the fourth out of jealousy. Now THAT'S a good track record.