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04-05-2009, 07:10 AM
Video games continue to come under fire in Germany, as the public reels from last month's horrific shootings in the German city of Winnenden. The latest comes from Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann, who has upped the ante after having criticized gaming in the past.
In a press release kindly translated by GamePolitics, Herrmann described children who are "getting mired in this virtual world violence," and who have "no time left for school or job training, and are lost to our society." All relatively common, but he goes a bit further with his next statement.
"In regards to their harmful effects, [violent video games] are on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs, the ban on which rightly is unquestioned," Hermann wrote.
The statement has provoked protests, with Commissioner for the New Media Thomas Jarzombek replying, "Anyone making such statements is unqualified to participate in any further debate [regarding the] protection of minors from harmful media." German game associations like G.A.M.E and the ESB have also called for apologies.
Hermann's statement follows that of German police union chief Heini Schmitt, who said that the perpetrator of the Winnenden shootings had a "remarked addition to so-called killer gamers." He went on to say that the "world would be no poorer if there were no more killer games."
The incident which provoked these comments occurred on March 11, and saw a 17-year old kill 15 people. It has been reported that he was a fan of Counterstrike, and that he played Far Cry 2 the day before he died, but the debate continues on how much playng these games contributed to the Winnenden incident. --
1UP
In a press release kindly translated by GamePolitics, Herrmann described children who are "getting mired in this virtual world violence," and who have "no time left for school or job training, and are lost to our society." All relatively common, but he goes a bit further with his next statement.
"In regards to their harmful effects, [violent video games] are on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs, the ban on which rightly is unquestioned," Hermann wrote.
The statement has provoked protests, with Commissioner for the New Media Thomas Jarzombek replying, "Anyone making such statements is unqualified to participate in any further debate [regarding the] protection of minors from harmful media." German game associations like G.A.M.E and the ESB have also called for apologies.
Hermann's statement follows that of German police union chief Heini Schmitt, who said that the perpetrator of the Winnenden shootings had a "remarked addition to so-called killer gamers." He went on to say that the "world would be no poorer if there were no more killer games."
The incident which provoked these comments occurred on March 11, and saw a 17-year old kill 15 people. It has been reported that he was a fan of Counterstrike, and that he played Far Cry 2 the day before he died, but the debate continues on how much playng these games contributed to the Winnenden incident. --
1UP