German U-Turn on Violent Games

After getting smacked by the weight of a petition boasting over 73,000 signatures, the German government has had to sit up and take note of the vociferous protest against the banning of violent videogames.

A country notorious for the ferocity of its ratings board, early this year, the Bundestag in Germany announced the intention to ban the production and distribution of all violent videogames.  Thought to be a kneejerk reaction to the tragic shootings at a German school last year which were blamed on ‘violent games’ such as Far Cry 2, the German Government has now called off plans, thanks to the online petition.  According to Edge online and GamePolitics.com:

“German law requires that any petition passing the 50,000 mark must be reviewed and discussed by government” and “…no changes to the current criminal code would be enacted. Instead the government will push for more public education of the PEGI ratings system.”  Thanks to the enviable German system of reviewing the proposed law in the face of such a large petition, it seems that German gamers have earned a respite from overly censorious politicians.  Now if our fellow gamers in Australia could just get an adult rating system in place, it would make our month.

• EA Announce The Sims 4: City Living Expansion
• PETA Crosses The Line with Farming Simulator 17
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Review
• Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments - Review
• ONE Ring