April 24, 2008 -
There appears to be quite a video game controversy raging in Switzerland.SCEE president David Reeves hinted as much during an ELSPA meeting with Dr. Tanya Byron two weeks ago:
This [violent video game] debate goes on in every European country and in Switzerland it’s at the top of the agenda for every political party. It’s a major hot potato…
Longtime GP reader Soldat Louis, who lives in Europe, has helped us fill in the blanks regarding the Swiss video game situation with this timely report:
I've just learnt that in Bern, Switzerland, there is a double controversy about video games. First: Roland Näf, a (left-wing) representative wants to ban violent video games totally (he started his crusade in March).
Second: there was a game-related double murder last week. Well, when I say "game-related", it's just because the murderer's friends declared to the press that he was a fan of [unspecified] "violent games"...
Soldat Louis also provided a link to the Not Quite Here blog, where a March entry offers more details on what politician Roland Näf has gotten up to regarding games:
European customer electronics retailer Media Markt was sued by a Swiss politician for selling John Woo’s Stranglehold. To be more precise, Roland Näf sued the manager of a local branch of Media Markt...
Now, the reason Mr. Näf is doing this is that he wants to see how effective this law is when used against video games. He states that Swiss law isn’t strict enough in that respect...
So Mr. Näf wants to ban [violent] video games from being produced or sold at all... Actually, he already tried to change the law but was turned down by the parliament. They said that the law as it is now was good enough and that no connection between video games and violent minors was evident.
Comments
#1 Norway
#2 Sweden
#3 Switzerland
Damn to the left!! i kid of course..
But who in Switzerland would take this seriously? Videogames and videogamers are big there just because of one incident it dont mean you have to ban the entire genre of entertainment.
Its just a case of getting more votes using underhanded tactics and nothing more.
Plus the guy's pic creeps me out.
I somewhat agree with Canary: the real story here is that the rest of Swiss government is sensible enough to tell this guy to take off. I wish we had more instances of that on this side of the Atlantic.
Fangamer
I can't stress how much of a LIE this is..
I've yet to hear a politician from my nation even MENTION computergames in a negative association.
Point in case; The videogame "debate" isn't a hot potato. It's a SCAPEGOAT for political feelgood nannystate vote-pandering.
Any political party that participates in it with an opinion other than "games are a result, not a cause" is directly pushing a selfish agenda for power.
does that mean all kids are future murderers?
the DOOM generation is grown up now, and all i see in a DECREASE in crime levels
the swiss government is wise for telling the guy to **** off. we need this kinds of stuff to happen here
Thats generally how the cry to ban things works, its rarely about doing what is right.
Store sells violent games.
He sues store.
If he LOSES the law suit, that is supposed to prove the laws aren't strict enough?
Maybe he could lose the lawsuit for being wrong? Or is that just not possible?
Great logic, John Bruce Näf...
Shot down.
Anyway, who told this guy he could be on my side of the fence? Silly anti-videogame laws are the right-winger's job.
I know. The only reason Norway's so high up their is because I got family over there.
Yes, it's true, there is an initiative. It's been launched by the parliament of Bern with a great majority, which is actually quite disturbing. Roland Näf did file a trial against Media Markt, but he did this on his own, to make his point.
So, what's going to happen next? Sorry, I don't know, how to translate all this into English. But actually, all that's happened, is, that politicians are now forced to discuss this topic. There are two chambers, who need to find a common legislation about this. They'll fight each other, I can assure you: It'll take a looooong time. In the end, there might be some proposal for a new law, or not. If there is, the people may or may not take the referendum (sorry, I have no idea, how to translate this into english).
The problem at this point (if it gets that far) may be, that the media are completely ignoring this discussion. There is no "raging controversy" about this, not at all. Also, it's completely new to me, that this double murder has been linked to video games. There was another double-murder in Switzerland in January 07, that *german* media linked to Final Fantasy. No word about that here, though.
Talking about ratings in Switzerland seems, however, to be a good thing. Because currently, we've got *nothing*. Just by accident, there are those PEGI prints on the game boxes, but they actually have no meaning. Changing this might be a good idea.
However, this thrust wants to ban 18+ rated games completely. This initiative is pretty harsh, to say the least, and it will be forced to be discussed, but it won't get through like this.
Well, saying all this, there's a big problem: You titled "Controversy Rages in Switzerland". No, this controversy is NOT raging! It's very quiet here about this. Which also means, that taking the referendum would be very difficult, if it got actually through.
On the other hand, discussing this isn't a bad thing. We've got no regulation at all, here, PEGI is just a recommendation, no obligation at all. It might be a good idea to regulate that a bit more.
Again: Unfortunately, this discussion is not "raging", it's going on under the hoods ...
Thank you.
Thanks for contributing, very informative. I hope Dennis read that too. It seems more and more that the only place in Europe really kicking up a stink about games is bloody Germany, where their attitude seems to be "YOU VILL PROTEKT ZE KINDER OR YOU VILL BE DEZTROYED!!", to quote a D'toid caption.
Maybe I should actually try reading more than the free ones.
Actually, I didn't realize that PEGI ratings are on Swiss boxes until Abnaxos pointed it out. Guess I have a lot to learn...
Also, the compulsory military service, for those unsure, is just for native born swiss males. It comes after High school , but has some exceptions if you are in Gymnasium (not an athletics class, google it, its basically grade 13). Don't know why some sociopath skinny boy hasn't sued someone for sexism by making boys do it but not girls. When you think about it, that lawsuit have been filed thousands of times by now here in the U.S.
I'm living in Zürich, too, so we can't be to far from each other. The point is: Currently, there's *nothing*, that stops a 9-year-old boy from buying and playing e.g. Scarface, here in Switzerland. I think, anyone, who played this, no matter, in which country, will agree, that this is not right. Then again, this proposal, to ban all of such games completely, isn't right neither. As I said: As long, as it's not in the media (which it currently isn't), there's no way, to get people to sign a request for a referendum. We've just seen it with the referendum against the so-called "Swiss DMCA", which miserably failed at about 300 signatures. So we, the gamers, should get active now. (I'm 32 years old, BTW, if anyone asks)
Video games simply aren't included in our legislation and they aren't regarded as part of the culture, especially not by the politicians, who look at them as very brutal child's games.
They *are* part of the culture. And many people, who are playing those games, started that more than 20 years ago, in my case, it was, when my parents bought me an Amiga 500. Some people did not stop to play video games, and they are now adult. So stop talking about "kid's play." Too many people just don't get this point and keep talking about "child's play."
violent video games is my life .. D:
you guys are against my life .. D: '
YOU GUYS ARE HOMOS ! D: