BERLIN, GERMANY, December 6, 2006: Violence in video games has escalated and countries around the world are taking steps to censure the violence as they feel it may be directly related to real-life incidents of violence among youth who are avid gamers. One such country leading the crackdown is Germany. The news release explains, “Virtual hit men in Europe’s largest video games market could soon find themselves behind real bars if German regional politicians have their way. Under new legislation drawn up in reaction to a shooting at a school last month, developers, retailers and players of videos featuring ‘cruel violence’ could face up to a year in jail. The bill – unveiled this week by the states of Bavaria and Lower Saxony and due to be presented to the national parliament next year – is already raising the alarm in the 2m strong German online gaming community.” Frank Sliwka, head of the Deutsche E-Sport Bund, an umbrella federation for online gaming teams, responds to the legislation by saying, “We have among the most drastic censorship rules for games. Now we are being labeled as a breeding ground for unstable, dysfunctional and violent youngsters.”
However the German public supports the ban as the article points out, “The latest bill highlights growing popular disgust in Germany at violent video games, mirroring debates in the US. A poll taken after last month’s shooting at a secondary school in Emsdetten showed 72 per cent of respondents blaming such incidents on violent games and 59 per cent supporting a ban. The 18-year old who killed himself with a rifle after storming his school and injuring 11 people was an avid Counter Strike player and self-avowed internet nerd according to local newspapers.” Guenther Beckstein, Bavaria’s interior minister, adds, “It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitize unstable characters to violence and can have a stimulating effect.”