Potential legislation against violent gaming in the EU.

Frater Perdurabo · Post by **Frater Perdurabo** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:53 am

www.clanbase.com wrote:Violent games turning illegal?
by: TheDevilOnLine
Last Tuesday the Secretaries of Justice of all EU countries met to discuss violent games. One of the current ideas being considered for the pipe line is, to ban all games with violence from the EU. Just like Germany has already done with extremely violent games. Will this be the end for our beloved games like CounterStrike, Battlefield, GTS:SA, Half Life 2, and Halo 2?

If it's up to the Dutch Secretary of Justice, Ernst Hirsch Ballin, all computer games that contain violence will be illegal soon in The Netherlands.

The secretary thinks that the current system used to rate games isn't good enough, since most stores don't enforce the age limit when people buy games. In The Netherlands it used to be the responsibility of the parents and the branches themselves.
"We have to keep looking if the current methods are still effective enough"

said the Secretary last Tuesday in the EU meeting.

"The outcome of the upcoming investigation can possibly be that we will make all violent games illegal"

Other countries from the EU, like Germany, already have a law to forbid these games. Hirsch Ballin thinks that all member countries of the EU should use the same policy.

During the EU-meeting, the German Secretary of Justice showed a video of an extremely violent game that has been forbidden in Germany, but is still allowed in the surrounding countries. The EU-meeting was because of a letter from the European Commissioner, (Justice) Franco Frattini. Frattini had seen the game 'The Rule of Rose' and was shocked by the mental and physical violence against a young girl inside the game. Frattini thinks that this sort of violent games encourages violence.

Frattini said last Tuesday that he wants a European rating. To get this done he already planned a lot of conversations with several game companies.
Ã¢â‚¬Â�Within the European free market we can't allow different approaches to fight violent games and video's

Frattini said. An earlier investigation already showed that one out of three children within the EU is unwillingly exposed to extreme violence or porn.

The game companies in The Netherlands and fifteen EU countries created their own rating system for games 1Ã‚Â½ years ago. The Pan European Game Indicator (PEGI). An easy to understand picture system. A symbol with a fist in it means that the game contains violence, while a spider means that a game is scary.

In the meantime we are waiting for the result of the investigation, and hopefully it won't become as bad as the Secretary indicated. In my opinion it should always be possible to play a game like Unreal Tournament, or Battlefield. Ok, maybe some games go too far with the violence in it, but it all remains just a game, doesn't it? And if violent games are banned, they will find a new product that offers 'violence'. For now however, all games, violent or not, are still legal in most European countries, except Germany. And until it is illegal: Game On!

More on the German law against violent games, and four other weird laws about gaming can be read here

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:21 am

That's just propaganda, but what they really should ban is Japanese games!

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:02 am

it's a travesty indeed, the old game of finding a scapegoat

I blame the jews

Fa11lloutfan_15 · Post by **Fa11lloutfan_15** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:44 am

I have to agree with that. I would be surprised if the Jews were not involved at one end or another.

Superhaze · Post by **Superhaze** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:29 pm

however, because of the lack of jewes in europe
(summer of 44 anyone?) I do not imagine that this
will pass unless they buy out huge amounts of votes.

my 2 cent..

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:11 pm

Maybe they refer to the holocaust and the whole world will be like 'Hey maybe we should ban violent games'.

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 3:56 pm

If there were a holocaust

video games would have been responsible for it

Cthulhugoat · Post by **Cthulhugoat** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:25 pm

Hahaahha. You nazis are

Koki · Post by **Koki** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:20 pm

Superhaze wrote:(summer of 44 anyone?)

Those were the times...

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:00 am

Bryan Adams is a nazi

vx trauma · Post by **vx trauma** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:06 am

yeah. a handsome tiger tank ace. waiting behind the next bocage.

jetbaby · Post by **jetbaby** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:42 am

There was just some shit on AOTS on G4 about some legislation to make all games depicting violent crime, drug use, etc. to be restricted to "adults only." Adults being thirty years or older.

Steelkage · Post by **Steelkage** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:07 am

Arent there limits on how "violent" a game can get anyways? i mean they alrdy check to see if ur old enuff (which can easily be bypassed but still the "system is there) plus the violent games arent nearly as bad as anything seen on TV anyways (unless they prohibit violent shows in which case good lucky on getting high ratings for ur shows lol)

St. Toxic · Post by **St. Toxic** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:16 am

The EU is always doing dumb shit like that. Halt the snuff import for "health reasons" but maximize on the cigarettes and booze. Pick away at violent games -- not media -- as if it'd change anything. Next they'll ban the kazoo for silence preservatory reasons, then celebrate with a trumpet festival.

Adults being thirty years or older.

And on the up, they'll allow the store purchase of alcohol to kids age 10+.

"Gosh, look at us protect society." :jackoff:

Slaughter_Manslaught · Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:19 am

Idiots. There's more things that cause more violence than games.

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:27 am

They need to ban teh nips.

J-RPGs ruin teh RPG market.

Redeye · Post by **Redeye** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:08 am

PsychoSniper wrote:They need to ban teh nips.

J-RPGs ruin teh RPG market.

If they would turn Battle Raper into some kind of RPG, I'd give the nips a 2nd chance.

"teh funnahey"

Dreadnought · Post by **Dreadnought** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:35 am

So interspecies erotica, aka bestiality, is legal in the Netherlands, but violent games shouldn't?

I don't get the logic. Kids seeing someone's virtual head blown off won't get shocked that badly as by a sheep fucked by a bunch of dudes.

"Virtual blood is bad.

Real life sicko oversexed animal fucking is ok.

- The Netherland's Government"

Nedrah · Post by **Nedrah** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:14 am

Some of my friends used to hit the boarder towns to get themselves some weed, however I've never heard anyone going "Later dude, gona fuck me a pony in Amsterdam". I mean, I'm sure you COULD fuck a pony in Amsterdam if you insisted, but I doubt it's really legal.

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:02 am

One more reason Yurope sucks.