Violent video games could be outlawed across the European Union, following calls for a clampdown among E.U. justice ministers this week.
Germany, which took over the six month rotating presidency of the Union at the beginning of this month, is leading the initiative but the European Commission has also been pushing for more control of video game violence.

“A certain degree of linkage between the growing violence among the younger generation and the growing diffusion of violent games exists,” said Franco Frattini, the European Justice commissioner, at a meeting of the justice ministers in Dresden, Germany, on Tuesday.

The Commission also wants to harmonize national rules in the 27 countries in the Union. “Protection of children cannot have borders,” Frattini said. The Commission wants to see a combination of outright bans on the most violent games, together with minimum age rules on other titles.

The German government said it will conduct a study of all the different national rules concerning video games, with a view to setting Union-wide norms. Its initiative makes the prospect of a ban much more likely.

Video game violence became a hot political issue in Germany at the end of last year when 18-year-old Sebastian Bosse shot up a high school in Emsdetten, Germany, injuring 37 before fatally turning the gun on himself.

Police said Bosse spent most of his waking hours playing " Counter-Strike."

The German government has proposed a national law banning games that depict violence toward human characters.

In addition to banning “Counter Strike,” the German bill under debate could outlaw popular movie franchise titles such as the " Star-Trek" series, " The Lord of the Rings," " The Battle for Middle-earth II" and " Scarface: The World Is Yours."

Although the Interactive Software Federation of Europe has opposed bans of any kind in the past, the group said recently that it supports Frattini’s efforts to protect children, arguing that an age-rating system similar to that used by the movie industry is the best way forward. The trade association wasn’t immediately available to comment.

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A movie-like rating system would essentially mean that games like Gears wouldn' t be available in high street stores, or at least wouldn' t have any shelf space. They' d be the equivalent of disc based hardcore pornography.

Do i have to point out the irony in this?!

I apologise in advance for what I am about to say if it offends then speak to your Government.

Why not just Ban the Germans from playing games, or is this another move by a German leader to have some form of dictatorial say on world affairs, sorry but I am sick and tired of all this gaming does this and gaming does that, it' s bollocks, the people that go out and do these things have issues before they start playing games, I mean I play Tiger woods does that mean I am going to start playing golf at the local golf course...or I play Theme Park world am I going to build a theme park in my back garden...No it doesn' t, this Tutonic twat needs to do something worthwhile like deal with Immigration quotas as does the rest of the EU coz the Uk are getting done over and we will be done over again if this law is pushed through

I wouldn' t say Germany wants to ruin gaming for everyone. We see things like this all the time. contraversal games, Mrated games, GTA, MK...as long as there is games that push the envelope politicians and laws will always be there to make excuses for crimes and juvenile delinquency. However, I wouldn' t doub that there are freaks who play and become obsessed with games and go out in the real world to be or mimic their characters...they need help.

fascists

Germans always blame their problems on something else but themselves *cough*the jews*cough*

ORIGINAL: ginjirou

Germans always blame their problems on something else but themselves *cough*the jews*cough*

Many Germans believe the Holocaust was an Allied lie. But meh, they were only Jews so it doesn' t really matter...

Regardless of Holocaust they did start the damn war so f*** ' em even if they' re right about that!
For the record: I don' t blame the Germans of today for what happened then, but as a sign that you' ve matured, please stop the damn anti-videogame crap.

Germans are fucked up! they even fined someone for wearing a Nazi cross even though it was an anti Nazi cross he was wearing!

See outlawing games and such wouldnt be too hard, since most off the voters dont really care about them and thus they wouldnt be punished for it, by not getting elected the next time!

ORIGINAL: ginjirou

Regardless of Holocaust they did start the damn war so f*** ' em even if they' re right about that!

If i could go back in time i' d kill Hitler. Nitro the little Jewish chimney sweeping assassin!

For the record: I don' t blame the Germans of today for what happened then, but as a sign that you' ve matured, please stop the damn anti-videogame crap.

I don' t understand their stance on videogame violence. They' re worse than that strange American lawyer everybody gets pissed off with.

Jack Thompson! That man is an idiot. About this German crap, what do you expect, in no time all you' ll see in German shelves is probably Hello Kitty and Noddy.

this will never happen, becuase A). German laws are Gay and B). the sales for games will pulmit if they cannot be found on store shelves, that means less money for stores and less money for the Goverment.

If i could go back in time i' d kill Hitler.

Haven' t you ever played Red Alert?

Aside: VIDEOGAMES KILLED MY BABY!!!!!!!

Just think of the conversation between, yank twat Thompson, Brit twat Boris Johnson and the tutonic twat, they are just out to make names for themselves, I bet they are all secret WoW players or they play NWN, either that or they play Gears online and keep getting pwn' d by 12 year olds.

ORIGINAL: Nitro

A movie-like rating system would essentially mean that games like Gears wouldn' t be available in high street stores, or at least wouldn' t have any shelf space. They' d be the equivalent of disc based hardcore pornography.

Do i have to point out the irony in this?!

In the UK we have a similar rating to the one we have for movies, and Gears is an 18. Much like Apocalypto is. And Gears sits on the number 1 spot of the charts and is picked up off shelves easilly, just as Apocalypto will be when it' s released on DVD. It' s just down to the person serving to make sure the person buying is 18 years old or older. It certainly didn' t stop Gears from selling like hot cakes over Christmas!

What does worry me is the Germans will try and take the same hardline stance as they currently have in Germany, i.e. these games are not allowed to be seen or advertised unless you walk into the shop wearing a large trenchcoat and thick glasses and cough knowingly at the salesman until he invites you " round the back" to get your fix!

I' m sorry, but Iad Umboros, why on earth is your ranking a Dark Angel????

Where do I sign up for my own ranking??

You know, there are well-established correlations linking an increase in civilian violence following a country' s engagement in war. So if violent games are outlawed first, can we outlaw war next?

ORIGINAL: Tiz

I' m sorry, but Iad Umboros, why on earth is your ranking a Dark Angel????

Where do I sign up for my own ranking??

I' d like to point out I didn' t ask to be a dark ninja! It was just noticed that I actually am, so the title was made official

Tiz, weren' t you working on some website or something?

ORIGINAL: ginjirou

Tiz, weren' t you working on some website or something?

Ahh, yes, I was/am-ish... It' s not due until March. Have to do more " architectural"
work, which bugs me. There is naught interesting about drawing cities or buildings,
if no-one actually makes up their own ones, rather inspiration is drawn from
different places like Persia and Siberia..

Anyhoo, I want to be called a " Trespassing Turtle" .

Certification on games is bollocks, no company adheres to it fully, and if they do the kids just get the parents to buy them overaged games much the same as DVD' s, if the age thing on Consoles was better built then that might just help, but otherwise it is down to the individual, plus it is not just games, what about TV both fictional and factual? People these days are desensised to violence and crime, so it is society as a whole that is too blame not just one facet of it. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Mr Kraut anti gaming tutonic twat.