Swiss Ban "Probably" Won't Affect Many Games

[Eliam_Dar]

they should be more concerned with real life violence.

 

[JeppeH]

Oh wow, more political morons doing politics where they shouldn't mess about.
I agree on a ratingsystem that can recommend a age and class (like shooter, horror, adventure) but this banning and prohibiting is just silly.
We are adults, give us our games and stop fucking around.

 

[Bynine]

Judging by the OP this seems rather silly. I hope it doesn't go into effect, or at the least not ban any good games.

 

[Cody211282]

That's like saying, "Don't worry its not full censorship it's just the junior version with the potential to turn into the full thing!"

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

because the government has only the best of intentions.

If ever there were more chilling words...

Next up: We're installing cameras in your house just to stem the rise of spousal abuse. You don't want them? Well, what have you got to hide?

 

[aaronmcc]

Yeah, I'm sure all the game companies will sit up and take notice if a political giant like Switzerland bans 'violent' games./sarcasm

 

[Ryokai]

Swiss Ban "Probably" Won't Affect Many Games

One of the politicians behind the recently-passed proposal to ban violent videogames in Switzerland says it's likely that only a few games would be prohibited, but hopes that in long run it will encourage developers to move away from the worst excesses of videogame violence.

Two resolutions seeking to restrict videogame sales in Switzerland were Evi Allemann [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99266-Switzerland-to-Ban-Violent-Videogames], who sponsored one of the laws, said the final result would likely result in only a handful of games actually being banned.

"The absolute prohibition should only apply to individual games," she said in an interview with 20 Minutes Online. She estimated that only about "a dozen" games would be affected, comparing the new Swiss laws to those already in place in Germany, where Mortal Kombat and Manhunt are banned but Counter-Strike isn't.

PEGI is insufficient to properly rate games, she claimed, because it's too closely linked to the videogame industry. "It takes an industry-independent federal agency, which sets age limits for certain games or [classifies] other games as harmless," she said.

A bit surprisingly, perhaps, she admitted that there's no actual proof of a link between videogaming and violent behavior, adding that as long as kids are in a "stable social environment," gaming is "usually not a problem." Nonetheless, she wants games that involve "cruel acts of violence" kept away from Swiss gamers and hopes that game developers, particularly those in the U.S., will eventually begin to focus on "other types of games" and move away from the worst of the violent content.

It's a bit of a tricky to follow (made a little easier by alternating between Yahoo [http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.20min.ch%2Fnews%2Fschweiz%2Fstory%2F19217414%23talkback&sl=auto&tl=en] translations) but in the end it seems to come down to Allemann telling everyone that there's nothing to worry about because the government has only the best of intentions. How about it, folks: Is that good enough for you?

via: GamePolitics [http://gamepolitics.com/2010/04/05/swiss-game-ban-may-feature-only-little-censorship]



Permalink

Oh, the government only has the best intentions? Oh, that's alright then, I mean, feel free to censure things you don't like, as long as you had the best intentions.

 

[natranr]

I don't live in Switzerland, why should I care. As long as the US don't ban any Valve or Blizzard games; I'm fine.

 

[Ryokai]

If you ignore it happening "somewhere else" it might eventually come to your country.

 

[cobrausn]

I'm glad she thinks only government is capable of telling people what to do and how to raise their children. You wouldn't want any of those smarmy individuals deciding that.

 

[Sonicron]

Switzerland, Germany, Australia... They are all have lefties running the government right?

Don't know about Switzerland and Australia, but at the moment Germany is run by conservatives. One of the two parties in power are liberal, but from what I understand our meaning of the word differs from that of, say, the one common in the USA. The crazy leftwing nutbags don't have much of a say right now, but they are gaining ground somewhat, which worries me.

"The absolute prohibition should only apply to individual games," she said in an interview with 20 Minutes Online. She estimated that only about "a dozen" games would be affected, comparing the new Swiss laws to those already in place in Germany, where Mortal Kombat and Manhunt are banned but Counter-Strike isn't.

PEGI is insufficient to properly rate games, she claimed, because it's too closely linked to the videogame industry. "It takes an industry-independent federal agency, which sets age limits for certain games or [classifies] other games as harmless," she said.

Yes, that is how it works in Germany and it is a deeply flawed system because there is a limit on how "violent" a game with the highest rating can be, which is quite ridicolous if you think about it.

@Wicked Skin: Not quite. We have a left party and they're gaining ground but they're not in the government. Yet.

I concur. The system that's in place here right now regarding censorship in games is utter bollocks, and more often than not I find myself ordering my games from Austria rather than buying them at Media Markt or Amazon.

 

[Adzma]

I don't live in Switzerland, why should I care. As long as the US don't ban any Valve or Blizzard games; I'm fine.

And thus your opinion is void, you can disappear now. Seriously, what a selfish attitude. You should care because people who have the same hobbies you do are being told they are not mature enough to handle adult content.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Nonetheless, she wants games that involve "cruel acts of violence" kept away from Swiss gamers and hopes that game developers, particularly those in the U.S., will eventually begin to focus on "other types of games" and move away from the worst of the violent content.

Does she seriously think that not being able to legally sell some games in Switzerland has a chance of changing the habits of American developers? Think about it, the US has nearly 40 times the population of Switzerland. At best they'll get censored versions of games deemed "too violent" by whatever metric they use.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Oh boy, they hope that banning violent videogames over in Switzerland might convince American, British and Canadian developers to move away from violence in videogames?

Maybe they're confusing their perceived importance with their actual importance on a world gaming stage.

 

[DTWolfwood]

So i take it God of War 3 is banned there? o those poor PS3 owners

 

[Aptspire]

more likely to end up with gamers moving away from Switzerland, if only for the time it takes to procure the gorey games they want

 

[The_Decoy]

Maybe they should start not giving everyone guns rather than banning essentially harmless games.

I fail to see the sense in giving every 19 year old male a Sturmgewehr 90 but taking away their virtual weapons. Madness.

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

Maybe they should start not giving everyone guns rather than banning essentially harmless games.

I fail to see the sense in giving every 19 year old male a Sturmgewehr 90 but taking away their virtual weapons. Madness.

That isn't the problem. That's the militia they have. As long as they're sane, they won't do much. Besides, everyone has a gun to stop a weirdo if they go nuts.

Censorship is what I hate MOST out of everything. The more they try to crack down, the more things will get banned as obscene, until only Sugar Happy Funland 3 is released.

 

[The_Decoy]

That isn't the problem. That's the militia they have. As long as they're sane, they won't do much. Besides, everyone has a gun to stop a weirdo if they go nuts.

Censorship is what I hate MOST out of everything. The more they try to crack down, the more things will get banned as obscene, until only Sugar Happy Funland 3 is released.

So you think it's only coincidence that switzerland is second to the US for gun death in industrialised countries? Forgive me if I feel that than the institution of an age ranking system on video games is a lesser issue.

And yes, censorship is horrible, but saying that an independent authority should create the age certification rather than PEGI is not an unreasonable argument in my opinion. I agree that banning games outright is wrong however, an adult should be allowed to expose themselves to what they wish so long as it does not harm others.

 

[Pierce Barcio]

However limited in scope though it may be, it's still censorship and I still don't agree with it. People need to be free to make their own choices about what is "appropriate" for them to watch or play, and not be "shielded" from certain things just because the misguided government thinks that they should be. That's a dangerous road, down a very slippery slope.

Very true...