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Videogames as bad as kiddy porn, claims Bavarian minister photo

It's been approximately eight seconds since a politician said something stupid about videogames, so let's return to Germany, where people are still screaming and vomiting and crying over the scary games and their dangerous effects on young people. Bavarian Minister Joachim Herrmann has potentially taken the trophy for "dumbest thing ever said about games" by likening them to illegal drugs and child pornography.

"In regards to their harmful effects, [violent video games] are on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs," he claims, "the ban on which is rightly unquestioned."

Among other nuggets of juicy stupidity in Hermann's statements is the obvious belief that school shootings are caused by games and kids get "lost to our society" because their being "mired" in gaming leaves them no time to find a job or go to school. 

Hermann's offensive statements come on the same day Munich held the very first German Videogame Awards ceremony. By way of retaliation, Hermann has been taken to task by the country's game associations and an apology has been demanded. Quite right too. Such casual comparisons to child porn are at best irresponsible and at worst, thoroughly sick.


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39 comments | showing # 1 to 39

DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 04/03/2009 10:43
Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people on this site either have a job or go to school...And I bet a lot of them do both!
Harris Hatsworth's Avatar
Harris Hatsworth at 04/03/2009 10:44
What precisely is the recourse for games in this? Too many people are defaming them to stop them all but can't they take the most public ones to court and let them know they can't get away with that shit?
John B's Avatar
John B at 04/03/2009 10:47
So, Now if you play any kind of violent video game, you're automatically a pedophile? That just makes the brain want to explode.

BTW, that picture goes beyond awesome!
ThunderHeartXI's Avatar
ThunderHeartXI at 04/03/2009 10:49
Common sense!
eternalplayer2345's Avatar
eternalplayer2345 at 04/03/2009 10:50
No wonder I get so horny when I turn on my 360
IroN1c's Avatar
IroN1c at 04/03/2009 10:51
So, we are all Robert Summa?
PappaDukes's Avatar
PappaDukes at 04/03/2009 10:52
I guess this begs the question, how the hell would he know how bad kiddy porn is? He's a freakin' minister. What a douche.
The Young Scot's Avatar
The Young Scot at 04/03/2009 10:58
But I can't fap to videogames
Danzflor's Avatar
Danzflor at 04/03/2009 11:00
I understand the drugs but, child porn? OMG! i Would never let my sister touch a videogame EVER...
BHACKNEY's Avatar
BHACKNEY at 04/03/2009 11:07
I'm so glad the Germans have a clean conscience when it comes to the pollution of a young child's mind. They would never stoop so low as to indoctrinate young children into a violent and hateful culture.
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 04/03/2009 11:09
@The Young Scot

You're just not trying hard enough.
sickNasty's Avatar
sickNasty at 04/03/2009 11:09
Oh yeah, well being a politician is on the same level as being a serial goat rapist.

See I can outlandish claims too.
Leathersoup's Avatar
Leathersoup at 04/03/2009 11:15
The Bavarian Minster was also heard to say that all gamers should be relocated into "camps" where they could be trained to "concentrate".
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 04/03/2009 11:18
I don't think there's any recourse for "games" in general, per se. That's like someone coming out and saying, "Vaccines are all poisonous!" Pfizer or Glaxxo can't really sue you because you're not talking about THEM in particular or their products, just the medicine in general.

But I do think idiots who call out specific games ought to occasionally be taken to court for their stupidity.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 04/03/2009 11:26
I love you for that header image, Jim.
Harris Hatsworth's Avatar
Harris Hatsworth at 04/03/2009 11:29
@ John B

A pedophile that kills people.
TheToiletDuck's Avatar
TheToiletDuck at 04/03/2009 11:40
Germans say the darndest things
Tarvu's Avatar
Tarvu at 04/03/2009 11:58
I did wonder about the freely dispensing Heroin and Paedophilic materials associated with my console.
Dowd99's Avatar
Dowd99 at 04/03/2009 12:07
I really think you need to read in between the line in this one. He states that violent video games are on the same level as kiddy porn and drugs and that they are illegal. Maybe this isn't a call to ban violent video games but maybe a call to un-ban kiddy porn and drugs.

This is really just his way of admitting to being a drug using pedophile.
YeagerMeister's Avatar
YeagerMeister at 04/03/2009 12:09
Damn.
ErigBurger's Avatar
ErigBurger at 04/03/2009 12:15
Sorry, could you repeat that, Jim? I was too busy filming myself raping some children.
Malikyte's Avatar
Malikyte at 04/03/2009 12:27
well the Xbox360 IS a 3 year old I can't keep my hands off of....
welkstar's Avatar
welkstar at 04/03/2009 12:30
Best header pic ever!
BattyAdroit's Avatar
BattyAdroit at 04/03/2009 12:32
pitiful.
Chronic Logic's Avatar
Chronic Logic at 04/03/2009 12:37
What if I'm smoking pot while playing a video game containing child porn in it?
Nitex's Avatar
Nitex at 04/03/2009 12:46
So technically gamers are no better than Catholic priests?
Monodi's Avatar
Monodi at 04/03/2009 12:50
Brb pedo shopping
jawshoeuh's Avatar
jawshoeuh at 04/03/2009 13:34
whatever, there's always one guaranteed retort for Germans who are douchebags... Nazis!
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 04/03/2009 14:03
The Germans, they are so crazy.
Im OK's Avatar
Im OK at 04/03/2009 14:34
Just a few more decades... that's all... shouldn't be long now...

Man, this is taking forever. When are all of these irrelevant fuckers going to hurry up and die already?
catsithx's Avatar
catsithx at 04/03/2009 16:04
WUT??
Syn's Avatar
Syn at 04/03/2009 16:14
OH YEAH!? Well if you're German, you're a NOT-SEE!

(get it? Dark Tower reference)
MatCD's Avatar
MatCD at 04/03/2009 16:36
When did using an input device to manipulate pixels on a television screen become worse than forcing young children to have sex?
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 04/03/2009 17:20
What a (child) fucker.
zanthox's Avatar
zanthox at 04/03/2009 18:05
How could he even get close to that statement? Child porn implicitly ruins children's lives during it's creation and drugs... well yeah.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 04/04/2009 00:17
He is probably just pre-emptively justifying his kiddie porn stash.
Steve Cebu's Avatar
Steve Cebu at 04/04/2009 06:59
Sad truth is the guy has no clue about videogames. He's just a politician who has a knee jerk reaction to a crisis that happened. Say what the voters want to hear, because defending videogames would be political suicide at this point. It's all rhetoric anyway. But Germany does do some amazingly stupid things as a result of past memories of WW2. Lots of things you cannot say there about Jews without going to jail etc...
This is just over-reacting to a problem. In the end it will be forgotten. These people aren't Nazi's nor do they have similar beliefs.
They are fightfully aware of their past and do not want to repeat it.
Sexualchocolate's Avatar
Sexualchocolate at 04/06/2009 04:16
They're scared the gamers will taint the genes of their master race!

I suppose when there's such a high proportion of games where the objective is to KILL GERMANS - they have a bit of a shit outlook on games.

I mean, i know the difference between an on-screen Nazi and a random twat in the street, but Germans, the enemies on screen shout harsh pointed german phrases at you, and the random twat on the street / at work / at school / parents / teachers - hell EVERYONE you know loundly throws pointed German phrases at you.

Which one is teh game?!

Best just shoot them all up eh.
Sparta2020's Avatar
Sparta2020 at 07/27/2009 09:23
@ Sexualchocolate
Great one dude

anyways yea germany is going to experience a revolution if they dont shut there mouths. i mean what the hell, shut the hell up you old fucks talkin bout shit you dont understand. i know this because i recently got in an arguement recently(and remarkably randomly)with some old fart who said games were evil. really, so when i'm playing halo 3 with my 10 year old lil bro he's sercretly plotting to make some pipe bombs and grab a gun and go to his grammar school screaming DIE COVENANT! man fuck this im gone
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