Chief of Germany's national police union wants to ban violent games
If the head of Germany's Police Union had his way, violent video games would be banned. The comments from Heini Schmitt, head of the Hessen German Police Union (DPolG), were made following a horrific school shooting at a Winnenden, Germany, secondary school.
17-year-old Tim Kretschmer reportedly murdered 15 school goers, both students and teachers -- fourteen of which were female -- before taking his own life.
According to German news site Echo Online, an addiction to "killergames" is apparent in "every situation" of violent rampages. Whether or not the site is making a statement specific to Germany or a sweeping judgment on worldwide violence is unclear. As for Schmitt, he is aware there is no evidence that violent video games cause violent behavior, but thinks the role of "killergames" cannot be "completely dismissed." With that in mind, Schmitt believes when an opportunity exists to remove a potentially violent stimulus, it must be used. "The world would be no poorer if there were no more killergames," the chief of the German police union added.
It's difficult to analyze, or even dismiss, Schmitt's claims following such a horrific act. However, it's even more difficult to gauge any psychological triggers that exist in our society. After all, throughout history violent behavior has been blamed on almost everything, but because of their graphic nature, mature games have become the easiest target to publicly lambaste.
[Via GamePolitics]
