German Game Developers Blast Retailer's Decision to Drop 18+ Games
German Game Developers Blast Retailer's Decision to Drop 18+ Games
March 20, 2009
As GamePolitics reported yesterday, German retailer Galeria Kaufhof is dropping 18+ video games and movies from its inventory in the wake of last week's horrific school shooting.
Reuters has reaction to the move from Stephan Reichart, who heads G.A.M.E., a trade association which represents German game developers:
I think (Kaufhof's decision) is a complete overreaction... it borders on impulsive hysteria. It would be sufficient if retailers made sure their cashiers don't sell this material to young people.
Since 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer's rampage, reports have emerged indicating that he played the first-person shooters Counter-strike and Far Cry 2.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/22/09 at 09:45am
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
Posted 11/22/09 at 12:06am
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:57pm
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:56pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:42pm
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:41pm
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:44pm
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:41pm
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:38pm
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:32pm
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:28pm
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:16pm
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:15pm
Flamespeak: working on other things makes me angry. I might have had a jet pack by now. :p
Flamespeak: working on other things makes me angry. I might have had a jet pack by now. :p
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:14pm
Flamespeak: Just thinking of all the time and manpower wasted to try and make things emit less CO2 emmision that could have been spent
Flamespeak: Just thinking of all the time and manpower wasted to try and make things emit less CO2 emmision that could have been spent
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:07pm
Alyric: @Zip: FYI, the construction of solar panels puts out more pollution than any form of energy production. To say nothing of the toxic components of the panels that cannot be recycled.
Alyric: @Zip: FYI, the construction of solar panels puts out more pollution than any form of energy production. To say nothing of the toxic components of the panels that cannot be recycled.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
" It would be sufficient if retailers made sure their cashiers don't sell this material to young people." Agreed. If they havent sold their games to minors, nothing is gonna change. But whatever, there is no Galeria in my city anyway. I'll just contiue to shop from amazon.co.uk. I think as soon as politicians realize that many gamers are adults that can vote and are economically relevant, they'll stop f***ing with us.
Does it really matter that you can't buy them in stores, can't you still get them on Steam?
---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
Depends how Steam run their business- I believe Doom is unavailable over XBLA in Germany, indicating MS are willing to bend over to individual countries, maybe Valve are the same.
/b
Ok, anyone in Germany willing to point out if you can still get Farcry 2 and Counterstrike on Steam?
---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
Maybe I'm not reading this right, but this is just one store not selling them. So you don't even need to use steam, just head in to Game.
This is one store attempting to earn brownie points from "worried parents" (who apparently are not worried enough to enable the age restrictions on a console or monitor what little Jimmy does).
-- Add a marker to the start of your signature.
And here in lies the problem. Parents don't believe that it's their job to make sure everything their kids do is appropriate, they believe it's the government's job.
---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
Not all parents - just bad ones.
My main point however is in this case it is not the government, it is one or two shops. The one in question here has virtual no real estate dedicated to games anyway.
--
A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. Benjamin Franklin
I know it's stupid, but we do have to remember that blaming games gives people comfort. The idea that some wackjob can just randomly go on a killing spree is scary. The idea that that wackob was created in some way makes people feel better. If their actions are provoked by something, then you can prevent it from happening again by banning whatever was the cause. It gives weak people control over the uncontrolable.
Unfortunately for them, games aren't at fault. So removing violent games from stores isn't going to do anything except make the scared people feel like they did something, until the next rampage.
*nods* Understanding that people derive comfort from this blame game is critical to fighting it.
It was also revealed that Tim Kretschmer ate breakfast cereal.
EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
In fact, an autopsy has shown that Kretschmer had Fruit Loops the very morning of his shooting rampage. In light of this, grocery stores have decided to stop discontinue cereal sales.
Andrew Eisen
Now, if the game industry really wanted to stand up for it'self, it would blacklist these retailers and either:
(a) no longer sell them mature games in the future, so when the backlash wears off they pay a price for participating.
or
(b) no longer sell any games to these retailers. reward retailers who didn't behave this way with merchandice to sell and punish retailers who did by taking away thier products.
The game industry has increadable economic muscles that it never seems to want to flex.
Knee jerk reaction much Germany? Better go check the yard for your baby.... you threw it out with the bath water.
hahah thats so funny ..... go man hit it hard
Last time an issue was made of 18+ games at these stores and how they no longer carried them, I walked over to check and found them all still for sale. Sometimes what they do is they pull them for a couple weekes and then put them back out after the media furry ends.
I wonder if this is not the case now...
~Weatherlight~