11:12 PM on 01.05.2007
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Nex
In yet another step toward becoming Nazi Germany ... um ... again, Germany revealed that Crackdown, the upcoming magnum opus from some of the magicians behind Grand Theft Auto is to be banned from regular sale in their country. Apparently the game is too violent for a country with such a rich history of tolerance and compassion towards all creatures great and small.
To be more specific (and less offensive) the game was refused classification by Unterhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle which, in Deutschland puts it just a notch below videos of women being sodomized by horses. It can still be sold in the country, but it can only be sold within a bag on the third full moon of every fortnight. Also, you have to provide your own wolfsbane.
While Americans might laugh at the silly foreigners, we should heed their warning for it wouldn't be too terribly difficult for the US to go down such a path. We already have financial censorship in the form of Walmart refusing to stock violent or pornographic games (thusly dooming them to a quick death at retail), and what the Germans are doing is just the next logical step. If there is one thing I fear from our modern world, it's zombies, but if there is a second thing, it's that this kind of un-Constitutional censorship is on the rise, and sadly, I'm beginning to think it is.
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Wait, I thought that Crackdown was cancelled, wasn't it?
This all obviously stems from post war legislation which is understandable. Like training wheels on a bike, you need things to hold you up while you focus on more important tasks. But isn't it time they came off already? If Germany is going to sink into moral decline and go for lucky number three I doubt it'll be because they all got hyped up on Quake 3.
I hope this is a step too far and its enough to tip voters and software publishers to bring pressure and get the restrictions back into line.
Or friendly neighbors in the west pick your games over here if you here to get your stash of marijuana anyway. All good for our economy.
"Ze" is usually associated with French, not German.
"The" in German is either der, die or das depending on whether something is masculine, feminine or neuter. In this case it would be masculine, thus Der Germans, not Ze Germans.
Of course this is all mute if your French, and/or trying to be clever, but no one is ever cleaver or sarcastic on dtoid. No one
a few politicans did purpose such an action and i think are going to attempt to put into effect, but so far, no such law is in effect. However, i do recall hearing that the politcians behind it were more of a very vocal minority, and the concept of going as far as criminalizing the games wasn't very popular amognst others.
Interesting how Germany has less tolerance for violence than the US (as of right now, anyway), while the US has less tolerance for kinky sex, given each country's history.
Personally, I would choose kinky porn over violence every time.
I thought this was the reason games got ratings. Really if the likes of JT and politicians want to do something useful they should hold the retailers accountable for the sale of these adult games to minors. Likewise the parents, not Rockstar, should be accountable when they buy little Timmy GTA IV and he goes out and fucks up some whores and shoots some cops.
Esoteric humor FTW!
Besides most people who get huffy and start accusing people of censorship are often quite comfortable with the subject themselves. I don't think any minds censoring child pornographers.
and that game is like super violent
A) Lurve their games
B) Have a society so civilised even the Scandanvians are envious.
I was really impressed by the way things and ordered in Germany, if only the UK was as well-organised, but I've got to say that they've got it all wrong on the classification front. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a UK BBFC fanboy.