German Gamers Stage Protest March Against Govt. Crackdown on Violent Games
German Gamers Stage Protest March Against Govt. Crackdown on Violent Games
July 8, 2009
We have read some reports of late that German officials have banned the public display of Counter-Strike, forcing the cancellation of gaming competitions.
While information to that effect is sketchy so far, such a ban would be consistent with our May report on the forced cancellation of a LAN event in Stuttgart which featured Counter-Strike and Warcraft III competitions.
German gamers aren't taking these repressive measures lying down, however. An estimated 400 gamers assembled for a June protest march in Karlsruhe. German gamer Matthias Dittmayer e-mailed GamePolitics to let us know that more gamer demonstrations are planned for later this month:
Because of this [censorship] there was the (as far as I know) first demonstration of gamers in Germany with up to 400 gamers. The next 3 demonstration in Cologne, Karlsruhe and Berlin are announced for the 25th of July.
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Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:47pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:44pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
400 people is not a significant amount. Certainly no-where near enough to convince the vote-chasers to give a damn.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
IT is certainly enough to get people's attention, especially if they are all in one area that is viewable by the public.
Now if they were petitioning, that would be a different story and 400 woukd not be enough.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
Then they also have to convince the public to give a damn about 'mere' gamers, making their objective that much harder.
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
One step at a time.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
Actually, Destructoid has a link to an online petition board-thingie. They need 50,000 signatures. I would've signed, but I don't understand enough German to navigate around the page.
Good luck, German gamers! Fight the power!
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Game on, brothers and sisters.
At least some people are showing they are not going to put up with a federal ban. Oh did anyone notices a sign or something with what looks like adam sessler on it at around 1:07 seconds.
I guess i na day or so their prisons will have 400 new residents.
Oh please. They haven't reached that point.
Yet.
Of course they do. This is Germany, everyone has to joke around and compare them to Hitler and Nazis. If any other government or USA state does such stuff, they don't, but this is Germany so it's mandatory at GP.
Well half do...the other half immediately get defensive and start raising the "They're bringing up the specter of Hitler!" whenever anyone criticizes Germany in any way.
Come on, this is getting ridiculous.
I would have gone if i had known about it beforehand. Perhaps they'll manage to get more gamers (say 1000) next time, now that there is at least some publicity.
Every person protesting represents many more who are angry with the government. You'd have to be a fool to think only 400 people are going to be voting against you.
Good for Germany- I wish there was something I could do to help them, but then again it's not my government. Go get 'em!
Now all we need is for this type of counter-activism to take root in Austrailia and I may start feeling better about the future of the civilized world...
Only 400 gamers? They need OVER 9000!!!!!!!!!!! To be taken seriously.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
Damn, I was going to say that.
Hopefully next time there's a lot more people, as the more you have, the harder they are to ignore, even if they are gamers.
Hopefully these protests can lift some of the bans instead of Germany having to wait for games to stop being the new scapegoat at which point the laws will seem stupid and probably won't be enforced.
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Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.
That's if germany ever bothers to;I guess since the country is still going under some minor deals of stress since the aftermath of a school shooting that happened there.
There was only a handful of people at the Boston Massace(spelling?). And again when the British Red Coats met up with militia at Concard, MA.
While gamers are alot less violent, they are making a point. There is much misinformation in each country, but those that see computer games as a rival for their company's future profits. The citizenry of these countries are also pretty ignorant, and seem to by in to causes that have huge and sweeping consequences. In the USA, many laws by Mr. Jack Thompson have been overturned on constiutional grounds. The same may happen for those in Germany, but I do not know enough about the German political or laws to say with confidence.
Maybe in the future, gamers will become a group that politians would want to cater to to get the votes, and maybe increase their election chests.
Hopefully, they'll get more and more protestors by July 25th.
Destructoid has some additional info about the protests:
http://www.destructoid.com/german-gamers-protest-government-s-war-on-videogames-139044.phtml
Apparently, there is now a petition up at the Bundestag's official forum and if 50,000 German citizens sign, authorities are required by law to review and discuss with the people.
Geaux Saints, Geaux Tigers, Geaux Hornets, Jack Thompson can geaux chase a chupacabra.
Surely they get can some sympathy in the Reichstag.
Oooo, yay, another Germany story. I'm looking forward to see what part of it GP got wrong.
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Believe in something! Even if it's wrong, believe in it! -Glenn Beck
What stands out the most in all of this (to me) is the fact that Germany is so anti-Nazi/Hilter after WW2, doing whatever they can to move on & forget etc. yet by banning things without proof it's actually causing problems, they just creating a whole new fascist culture and ultimately doing exactly what Hitler did?
Don't German politicians realize the degree of hypocrisy in all of this? Besides, what first world government legislates based on conjecture? What a load of crap.
That's what I've been saying all this time. Germany's overcompensating for a violent past that has been imprinted deeply into history books everywhere (well maybe not Iran's or other Holocaust deniers but that's a different topic). I take it as a nation's version of being "born again" zealot...they want to do good after living a life of sin, but take it too far in the other direction so their new life is as extereme as their old one.
GameSnooper