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 02/09/10 at 05:25pm
ZippyDSMlee: DS:you just don;t bother to post...or jon forums...someone has to pick up the slack!!
ZippyDSMlee: DS:you just don;t bother to post...or jon forums...someone has to pick up the slack!!
Posted 02/09/10 at 05:25pm
ZippyDSMlee: DarkSaber: I post the same thing to 2 or 3 sites that I kinda like and have not been banned from yet.
ZippyDSMlee: DarkSaber: I post the same thing to 2 or 3 sites that I kinda like and have not been banned from yet.
Posted 02/09/10 at 05:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: DarkSaber:Already got that i the forums here brother. ^_~
ZippyDSMlee: DarkSaber:Already got that i the forums here brother. ^_~
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:51pm
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
DarkSaber: I think he just goes round the internet copy+pasting the same bollocks to get attention.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:41pm
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Valdearg: @DS: I have to admit, I chuckled when I saw the 4 Feb 2010 on that post.. >.<
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:31pm
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
DarkSaber: Hm, Bioshock. Not that Zippy likes to beat the dead horse by ranting about it for TWO $&%£ING YEARS!
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:30pm
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
DarkSaber: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.173063-Bioshock-yet-another-zippy-rant
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:20pm
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
DarkSaber: Although, unsurprisingly, he's just being called an idiot alot and criticised for being as illegible as always.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:18pm
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
DarkSaber: Oh good lord, I just found Zippy on The Escapist.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:14pm
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Valdearg: IE: Male body/Female Mind or Female Body/Male Mind.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:13pm
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Valdearg: @Zip: TG == Transgendered/Transsexual.
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:09pm
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
DarkSaber: Forget it Zippy, it's an abbreviation of a big word and so would be wasted on you
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:07pm
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
ZippyDSMlee: Vlag:....TG?
Posted 02/09/10 at 03:02pm
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Valdearg: @DS: Im sure that's what they'd do if it wasn't legal to just tell Gays/TG's to "Screw off," just because they're who they are.
Posted 02/09/10 at 02:50pm
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
DarkSaber: Whoever told him/her/it that is dumb. They should have done like most companies and made-up some bullshit, yet legal, reason for it not getting the job.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:16pm
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Andrew Eisen: Shouldn't be. Spirit of anti-discrimination laws would seem to include sexual orientation (and eye color). Plus there's always equal protection and such. Never know until you try.
Posted 02/09/10 at 01:10pm
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
Andrew Eisen: Should have sued (unless that wasn't an option given her financial situation or something). Might have won.
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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