Wolfenstein Recalled in Germany - UPDATED

[Sven78]

Hey germany:
Get over it! We have!

We have, too... it's just that the people who run our country can't afford to admit it (or even seem to admit it) for worries about international reprimands.

I couldn't agree more. I think the average German guy / girl has gotten over it a long time ago, but some of our laws concerning this matter are a bit outdated.

 

[tsb247]

The problem is that Nazi influences are banned by Germany's Constitution (at least that's what I heard). It would take an amendment to the constitution to allow sawstika and the like to be included in games again.

I'm also sure Nazi imagery is illegal for the purpose preventing any resurgence of the Nazi party at any point in the future.

 

[Earthmonger]

1) It only cost 60 million lives if you actually believe the "Holocaust" really happened.
2) Activision didn't care enough to look into Germany's laws before putting the game on the shelf? Lazy bastards.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

germany is so paranoid about nazi stuff BECAUSE the rest of the world hasnt forgotten. They dont want to be reminded either. havent you ever seen "Apt Pupil"? Swastikas in games could make germany fall back into its nazi ways!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

/Fawlty_Towers

Shush. Don't mention the war, I did once but I think I got away with it.

 

[Abedeus]

I think most of the world has put that page in history behind them. I think its time Germany did too.

Yeah, even Poland doesn't care about games with Nazis anymore. I don't think we ever did.

1) It only cost 60 million lives if you actually believe the "Holocaust" really happened.
2) Activision didn't care enough to look into Germany's laws before putting the game on the shelf? Lazy bastards.

1) You are an idiot if you think it didn't happen. Visit some of the concentration camps in Poland, I dare you.

 

[Earthmonger]

1) It only cost 60 million lives if you actually believe the "Holocaust" really happened.
2) Activision didn't care enough to look into Germany's laws before putting the game on the shelf? Lazy bastards.

1) You are an idiot if you think it didn't happen. Visit some of the concentration camps in Poland, I dare you.

And you sir, are an idiot for failing to observe my sarcasm. But, I guess I should have used some ridiculous smiley face.

Edit: Think I may visit them someday. With wine and cheese, and a blanket to stretch out on the ground, as I enjoy the silence.

 

[sneak_copter]

I think most of the world has put that page in history behind them. I think its time Germany did too.

America hasn't.

I mean, look at the amount of movies/games based on them.

 

[AceDiamond]

I think most of the world has put that page in history behind them. I think its time Germany did too.

America hasn't.

I mean, look at the amount of movies/games based on them.

Yeah like Inglorious Basterds, which is a totally 100% serious look at WWII.

Wait.

You seem to be mistaking "getting over it" for "wanting to do historical fiction based around it because we have gotten over it to the point we can look back at it" and I'm not even sure why I'm using the royal "we" here because frankly treating all of America as one hive-minded entity is something I'm never going to understand. In a country of 300 million people you're going to have different mindsets.

And for the record I am very tired of all the WWII shooters, but at the same time since I haven't played a lot of them it's not like I'm fed up with their existence. But if we "got over it" to the degree people seem to think we should then I'm guessing it would be "in the 1940s some bad thing happened but we're past that now so let's not talk about it anymore, k?"

 

[Mr.Pandah]

I think most of the world has put that page in history behind them. I think its time Germany did too.

America hasn't.

I mean, look at the amount of movies/games based on them.

That isn't what I meant.

 

[Supreme Unleaded]

Looks like their community service is done

/yahtzee quotes

Couldnt germany just put all the WW11 stuff behind them, and anyways its not like ALL of them where gun crazed nazi's, just a bunch.

 

[Abedeus]

1) It only cost 60 million lives if you actually believe the "Holocaust" really happened.
2) Activision didn't care enough to look into Germany's laws before putting the game on the shelf? Lazy bastards.

1) You are an idiot if you think it didn't happen. Visit some of the concentration camps in Poland, I dare you.

And you sir, are an idiot for failing to observe my sarcasm. But, I guess I should have used some ridiculous smiley face.

Edit: Think I may visit them someday. With wine and cheese, and a blanket to stretch out on the ground, as I enjoy the silence.

You know it's not really a "sarcasm" when it's not even visible when you KNOW it's sarcastic?

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

The problem is that Nazi influences are banned by Germany's Constitution (at least that's what I heard). It would take an amendment to the constitution to allow sawstika and the like to be included in games again.

I'm also sure Nazi imagery is illegal for the purpose preventing any resurgence of the Nazi party at any point in the future.

Yes because if we hide the naughty pictures, they never come back. XP

I am curious when governments will catch onto what parents have known for years. Forbidding imagery doesn't stop the mentality. It is like a parent banning porn, little Billy will just ninja it.

 

[Exterminas]

So,

I finally decided to post here, since the whole Germany vs. Video Games-Thing has found a lot of attention in this site's News Section and as a german citizen I feel like giving a comment.

Here are some hard facts:

-All the nazi-symbols, texts, etc. are banned in Germany. The use of these things is only allowed for educative purposes, i.e. in history books.

-Every visual media in Germany is subject to the USK, which is a replacement for the PEGI, that rates these things in the rest of europe. (Usk means Unterhaltungssoftwarekontrolle - entertainment media controll)

-The Usk is able to ban games for their content, selling these things in germany is illegal. (has happended to games like postal, manhunt)

-Games that are ratet for mature audience (age 18) can, and are, censored in most cases. For exmaple: Remember the Mengele-Library in Bioshock? No, of course you don't, because it wasn't worth noticing for you. But in the german version this thing is called "Mendel Libary", which makes no scence in Bioshocks-Setting.

So, here is my personal opinion...

If you take a look at movies, take inglorious bastards as an example, if you want to, and you will see swastikas. Lots of them. Same in Walkyrie, with Tom Cruse. Now you have to ask your self a question: Is a Tarrentio Movie a report about history? Or that movie with Tom Cruise?

No, obviosly not. But it's okay to bend the law, if your're a bigshot-movie-guy. On the other hand violence is cut harshly from movies. An american horror-movie, length 2 hours, will have a german version of 1,5 hours.

I'am 20 years old, i am allowed to vote my governement, to drive a car, to kill myself with alcohol. But I am not allowed to watch uncut horror-movies, play games with swastikas in it. This drives me mad. And I can't do anything about that. You know why? Because there is no party, no lobby for gamers. All the big parties, who are likely to form a future governement have negative, or at least, neutral opinions towards the current status quo of gaming/movies/media.

And yet we want to protect our ->democracy<- from the destructive influence of a swastika in a mindless shooter... Irony, isn't it? ^^

 

[tsb247]

The problem is that Nazi influences are banned by Germany's Constitution (at least that's what I heard). It would take an amendment to the constitution to allow sawstika and the like to be included in games again.

I'm also sure Nazi imagery is illegal for the purpose preventing any resurgence of the Nazi party at any point in the future.

Yes because if we hide the naughty pictures, they never come back. XP

I am curious when governments will catch onto what parents have known for years. Forbidding imagery doesn't stop the mentality. It is like a parent banning porn, little Billy will just ninja it.

You missed my point.

Those laws are in effect to keep Nazis from being able to resurface in German culture and possibly gain any sort of power. It makes flying a Nazi flag, distributiing Nazi literature, and otherwise conveying Nazi ideas illegal.

The idea is to keep the 'mentality' from being expressed in a public way. It's hard to have a Nazi parade if you aren't allowed to wear a Nazi uniform, fly a Nazi flag, or othwise display any symbols of the party without incurring the wrath of the police.

 

[messy]

My money's on there simply wasn't enough Nazis in the game or they weren't awesome enough. Yeah I'm sure that's it

 

[Woodsey]

Doesn't sound like a big loss from what I've heard.

 

[Exterminas]

The idea is to keep the 'mentality' from being expressed in a public way. It's hard to have a Nazi parade if you aren't allowed to wear a Nazi uniform, fly a Nazi flag, or othwise display any symbols of the party without incurring the wrath of the police.

An other great example of how my country is able to miss points.

What is a swastika? It is a symbol, a picture. Symbols gain power through human minds, their emotions. Banning these symbols just increases their power, because people get the impression that theres something mystical about them. Like staring at a swastika for half an hour would make you want to kill a jew.

That's nonsense. Current Nazis in germany simply pick other smybols and insignias and are very well able to hold parades. So the only result left after these laws is obsucre censoreship.

 

[KaiRai]

Personally I think it's not about Wolfenstein's inclusions, rather the fact that Germany loves to scream "Das ist verboten!"

Mummy, can I meet with my friends of up to 8 persons?
Nein, das ist verboten