Germany

German Video Game Laws Explained

August 4, 2008

At GamePolitics, our coverage of political developments related to video games typically focuses on the United States, the U.K., Canada and Australia. One reason is that there is a lot happening in those places. Another is that, sadly, we have no fluency in other languages.

However, video game content issues are a political hot potato in a number of other countries, Germany among them. So we were pleased to come across an excellent recap of German video game legislation published in English by the Internet Business Law Service

In response to the [2006 Emsdetten school] shooting, the German states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony drafted legislation that would fine and possibly jail video game developers who create and market games containing ‘cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters...’

 

The Protection of Young Persons Act (PYPA) is a German legislation that protects youth... from the influence of inappropriate movies, games, and certain public places, including gaming places and those selling alcohol. The Act was enacted in 2002... establishes that video games or any other games cannot be publicly accessible to children or adolescents unless they are cleared and labeled for their appropriate age group by the supreme state authority...

Games have been banned and confiscated in Germany:

The County Court in Munich decided to confiscate all versions of "Manhunt" in July 2004... Other games, including... "Dead Rising," were placed in the Index and confiscated by a Hamburg County Court decision of June 2007...

The German experience in World War II apparently is driving some of the concerns over violent video games:

Nonviolence and pacifism form the cornerstone of the modern German society, where the memories of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are still vivid... A major cultural and moral dilemma in Germany is how to reconcile its determination to apply the lessons of the past to educating and protecting its youth, while remaining a free and open society.  

 

In Germany, Game Ratings Bulk Up

August 4, 2008

If the entire front cover of a video game box was covered by an age rating, do you think parents might notice?

A post over at GoNintendo shows what might be a new trend of plus-sized game ratings in Germany. An illustration at GoNintendo shows poor SpongeBob mostly obscured by the game's USK (Germany’s software rating organization) rating.

Curious, we checked out Nintendo’s German website and browsed through over three hundred games. We found only two that had the enlarged USK ratings: Wario Land and a math game for the DS. The rest were no larger than your run-of-the-mill ESRB, PEGI, or BBFC rating. 

Seeing as Wario Land and the math game don’t come out until September, it’s possible that these large rating labels could be a new USK standard as suggested by GoNintendo. Adding more fuel to the fire is the package art for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the PS3, also releasing in September. For a size comparison with ESRB ratings, check out the Star Wars: Force Unleashed boxes accompanying this article. The German version is to the right.
 
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen

 

German Burger King Ad Campaign Has GTA-like Theme

July 10, 2008

The Marblehead Blog reports on a German ad campaign which uses edgy, Grand Theft Auto-like themes to promote Burger King.

The campaign's "Veg City" theme is centered around the idea of fresh ingredients and giving customers choices in ordering from Burger King's menu.

From the article:

The first thing to remember is this would never work in America. While GTA: Vice City is still the best selling PS2 game of all time, it came with its share of backlash... However, the German culture is quite different than ours and one has to keep in mind the intended audience when evaluating a campaign...

 

The [Veg City] website opens with a Vegas city style sign and fades into a true GTA-style map. Like most interactive ad sites, there are downloads, games, and a backstory.  Each part of Veg City has it’s own unique twist on the freshness and choice themes...

 In the video, the player is portrayed as taking out an old (i.e., not fresh) onion...

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 08/21/08 at 03:03pm
Talouin: @ZippyDSMlee: Yea, that game has a really high learning curve fun when you got the hang of it but the SE developers need a kick
Posted 08/21/08 at 02:45pm
ZippyDSMlee: Talouin:I quit FF11 3 months after I started, is a horrible game from top to bottom.
Posted 08/21/08 at 02:28pm
Talouin: @SimonBob: I have never been happier I quit FFXI last month until now.
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:59pm
ZippyDSMlee: Boyycotting only works when sheeple care, the masses have to want to care about subtleties, in general they do not thus why corporate gets as far as it does. However boycotting can raise a fuss and the bad PR might make them take note.
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:20pm
SimonBob: There's a full explanation of the FFXI PW fight up: http://rukenshin.livejournal.com/17133.html
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:16pm
Talouin: @Quander, That fight is brand spanking new. People just don't know how to do it yet.
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:06pm
AM: @GP: Boycott is unlikely to be effective due to how few people would be aware/participate. That said, I boycott EA over their "3 installs then buy another copy" copy protection, so I can't say it's NOT a good idea.
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:06pm
GryphonOsiris: @Scribe, just read that. The reports are saying that is was a targeted killing. Odds are a bully, gang related or something.
Posted 08/21/08 at 01:03pm
SimonBob: I just glanced over some of the companies' game lists; turns out I was already boycotting three of them anyway.
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:53pm
DarkTetsuya: @scribe999 yeah I heard about that, and I *thought* I saw a vulture circling the area...
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:53pm
DarkTetsuya: @scribe999 yeah I heard about that, and I *thought* I saw a vulture circling the area...
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:36pm
gamepolitics: is a gamer boycott of atari, codemasters, topware and the other 2 UK firms who are extorting file-sharers a good idea?
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:19pm
scribe999: Another school shooting...this time in Tennessee. Terrible news. And I'm sure there's much hyperbole to follow.
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:10pm
sortableturnip: hehehe ;)
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:09pm
DarkTetsuya: @sortableturnip I'm totally putting what you said as my sig :P thanks!
Posted 08/21/08 at 12:02pm
sortableturnip: OMG JT speaking in front of another BS group: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2007/09/04/ pardon-our-appearance.aspx?pg=2 &view=threaded
Posted 08/21/08 at 11:50am
Neeneko: @Quander - I"m not all that familiar with FFXI, but maybe this mob just requires more gank? or there is a trick? larger group?
Posted 08/21/08 at 07:54am
sortableturnip: The "smoking gun" is the Florida Bar dropping its insurance coverage from Nationwide
Posted 08/20/08 at 05:19pm
jccalhoun: it would be interesting to hire a detective to investigae Jacko and find out his "smoking gun"
Posted 08/20/08 at 03:18pm
sortableturnip: That guild forgot to pick up the "Sword of 1000 Truths" b4 engaging the mob ;)
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