Gears of War in Germany? Not going to happen.

[Powderkeg]

So basically, the situation is similar to the one experienced by Capcom when Dead Rising was due for release over here - the game was rejected a rating by the USK ratings board. This means that Microsoft wouldn't be able to advertise the game and that shops wouldn't be able to put the game on their shelves - if you wanted to buy Gears of War you'd have to ask the cashier for it and then be slipped a copy in a brown paper bag.

Following the ratings decision Microsoft explored the possibility of creating a version that could acquire a rating, but unfortunately this was incompatible with other versions released around the world when played on Xbox Live, so now Microsoft has decided to just not release the game, period. Germans still wishing to play Gears of War will likely have to import it from Austria, or the UK.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/740/740000p1.html


Ain't censorship grand?

 

[xmu]

Hehe, ze germans never cease to amaze me with their censorship rules Someone refresh my memory, did they completely choke when GTA came out?

 

[Npl]

Hehe, ze germans never cease to amaze me with their censorship rules Someone refresh my memory, did they completely choke when GTA came out?

You mean like the USA is better? - No tits in Giants - Citizen Kabuto

Anyone who wants the game can get it uncensored anyway (especially if you are privileged to be austrian). I´d hardly call it censorship. If you want a real bad example of censorship take Half-Life which actually replaced the soldiers with robots and dropped any speech regarding them - cutting a big hole in the story. No way to get a "good" version even if you ask for it!

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

I´d hardly call it censorship.

Then what exactly would you call it?

 

[Powderkeg]

You mean like the USA is better? - No tits in Giants - Citizen Kabuto

That was the developers choice, not law enforced by the government. HUGE difference, not that you would know.

I´d hardly call it censorship.

You wouldn't call government laws forbidding the open sales of games censorship? What would you call it then? Legally enforced creative criticism?

 

[DuckThor Evil]

News like this makes my head hurt. I can feel the anger crawling up, better not think too much about this I guess

What can I say It's not the first time they do something like that in Germany, and they will continue to do it, that's just evil in it's purest form if you ask me...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

that's just evil in it's purest form if you ask me...

Disallowing material on the grounds with the intention of trying to protect people being adversely influenced is purest evil? How does it compare to murder; rape; illegal wars founded on lies; coning people out of life savings; bursting into old people's house threatening them with violence unless they hand over their pension; getting drugged up, stealing cars and racing about like a lunatic no-one someone's going to get hurt until you smash some kid up...

I can understand people being against censorship (though you won't find many who actually embrace 100% pure freedom of speech...) but I'm surprised anyone would call it evil. Perhaps I'm just not hard-core gamer enough!

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Perhaps I'm just not hard-core gamer enough!

Or perhaps you took it little too literally, I was exaterating. Nevertheless when a goverment tries to deny it's adult citizens to play a videogame, I consider it to be evil. I can tell you that I'm against censorship in general, but denying a videogame from adults goes beyond all that. I know that german people can still get this game basically just as easily as the rest of us, but still things like this shouldn't exist in the western civilisations on 21st century imo.

edit: and perhaps our definition of evil differs significantly. I consider people interfering other peoples lives in a negative way without solid justification evil.

 

[lauris71]

This means that Microsoft wouldn't be able to advertise the game and that shops wouldn't be able to put the game on their shelves - if you wanted to buy Gears of War you'd have to ask the cashier for it and then be slipped a copy in a brown paper bag.

From OP I got the impression, that government does not ban selling such game in Germany. What is banned, is advertizing and public display.
In that case I would not call it serious censorship and it defiitely is not different from the regulations of selling XXX games in US.

 

[Powderkeg]

From OP I got the impression, that government does not ban selling such game in Germany. What is banned, is advertizing and public display.
In that case I would not call it serious censorship and it defiitely is not different from the regulations of selling XXX games in US.

It's very different from selling XXX games in the US.

You can advertise an XXX game in the US. There are no laws forbidding that. You can put the box out on an open shelf in full view of everyone that comes in, provided there is no XXX material on the cover. The only thing US law requires is age verification of the customer.

Many stores don't carry or don't display such things as a matter of corporate policy, but that's not law.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

It's my understanding that the Offical Government Body in charge of Rating video Games refuses to give this game a rating. It's also my understanding that any game that doesn't have an Offical Rating cannot be sold by any store in Germany.

If those facts are correct, that's censorship. And the fact that Germans can import products from another country doesn't change the fact that their own government is censoring what can be sold within their national boundaries.

 

[Dresden]

This is the first game I've seen with graphics of it's caliber AND unprecedented violence. No seriously, it's funny that this thread be posted today after me having viewed a GoW spread in EGM. It showed one of the characters stomping the face of an incapacitated enemy.


Frickin' awesome. Almost makes me want to buy an Xbox 360.

 

[Rangers]

The only thing US law requires is age verification of the customer.
.

Yet every time a state passes a law restricting sale of M rated games to minors, a judge overturns it.

So no, there really is no such law in USA, unfortunatly. Such laws are common sense imo. But in the case of Gears, I just dont see anything bad enough to force the censorship.

So I'm disagreeing with the particular case here, not the idea.

What I'm amazed at, this probably deserves it's own thread, but the Wii is what really allows a new level of violence. Think, in Red Steel you stab and shoot people with realistic motions.

I'm surprised the mass media has not locked on to this, guess because Nintendo gets a pass.

btw, I personally have zero problem with the Wii controls. Simply saying, it's something that's easy to imagine the mass medias latching on to eg: "Oh no, look at this video game where you mime actually stabbing people!"
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[StefanS]

It's my understanding that the Offical Government Body in charge of Rating video Games refuses to give this game a rating. It's also my understanding that any game that doesn't have an Offical Rating cannot be sold by any store in Germany.

That's a misunderstanding. The software may be sold by every store to adults, at least 18 years old. However, the product cannot be advertised.

The authors, producers or rights holders of the work in question are notified of the application or request for indexing. They have the right to a legal hearing. If a work has received a rating from the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (the film industry body which practises voluntary rating of movies) or the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (the software industry body which practises voluntary rating of entertainment software), then the Bundesprüfstelle may not continue with the indexing process.
...
If a work is added to the Index, it may not be sold, provided or otherwise made accessible to any person under the age of 18. The work may not be imported or exported, sold by mail order (unless precautions are taken to ensure that the customer is over 18), or advertised in other works which are accessible to minors. Indexed videos and computer games may be sold over the counter, but only on premises that are not accessible to minors; indexed books may be sold in a book shop, but only "under the counter" (on special request).

More on Wikipedia here

 

[Powderkeg]

Yet every time a state passes a law restricting sale of M rated games to minors, a judge overturns it.

M rated and XXX are two entirely different things.


XXX is harcore pornography, plain and simple. Be it book, magazine, video, or game, it's hardcore porn. Thus it requires age verification as does all pornography.

M rated games are just rated for mature audiences, and those ratings are just suggestions, not enforcable by law.


And it's a bit hypocritical that you would say you support such censorship, but see no problem with simulating stabbing someone in a game with the Wii controller. Obviously if you feel such content needs to be censored then there must be something wrong with it.

 

[Rangers]

M rated and XXX are two entirely different things.


XXX is harcore pornography, plain and simple. Be it book, magazine, video, or game, it's hardcore porn. Thus it requires age verification as does all pornography.

M rated games are just rated for mature audiences, and those ratings are just suggestions, not enforcable by law.


And it's a bit hypocritical that you would say you support such censorship, but see no problem with simulating stabbing someone in a game with the Wii controller. Obviously if you feel such content needs to be censored then there must be something wrong with it.

Not hypocritical at all. I believe content should be evaluated. In my evaluation personally, I dont have a problem with wii.

M is a rating that can mean whatever the ESRB says. So in that sense it's meaningless to say "oh it's only an M rating that's why it cant be banned".

And the ratings are not enforcable by law because a judge said they aren't. Self fulfilling argument.
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[Powderkeg]

Not hypocritical at all. I believe content should be evaluated. In my evaluation personally, I dont have a problem with wii.

You believe content should be evaluated by the government, in which case your personal opinions don't mean squat. It's up to someone else to decide, not you.

 

[Rangers]

You believe content should be evaluated by the government, in which case your personal opinions don't mean squat. It's up to someone else to decide, not you.

Yep, and I dont have a problem with that. That's my point.

I can still give MY opinion.
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MARIJUANA CARD

 

[Powderkeg]

Yep, and I dont have a problem with that. That's my point.

I can still give MY opinion.

Actually, if you approve of censorship you really can't give your opinion. Someone else gives it to you. If you give the wrong opinion you get banned.

BTW, Who should be the judges? How about Pat Robertson? Or better yet, let's make Jack Thompson in charge. Yeah, he would make a great judge, don't you think?

 

[London Geezer]

It should be noted that pretty much all of the above was committed by Germany during a political period that began with censorship (1933 Nazi book burning) and ended with WWII and The Holocaust.

You're not trying to imply that Gears of War censorship is a sign of a future Nazi videogame burning, culminating in WW4 (i expect WW3 to be earlier, North Korea will take care of that one) and videogamers concentration camps.... are you?