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Germany's Killer Game drive killed by lack of interest
A German advocacy group called Aktionsbündnis Amoklauf Winnenden, which is mostly composed of parents and friends of victims of the tragic Winnenden school shooting from earlier this year, recently attempted to host an event where owners of violent video games would dispose of their aggressive software en masse. The group rented out a sizable dumpster, hoping to fill it to its brim with Mature video games which people had spent their hard-earned money on. We certainly sympathize with the horrible loss this group recently suffered, but even if they choose to vilify video games, asking people to throw their stuff away probably isn't the most effective course of action. The somewhat predictable results of this event can be found in a video after the jump.
Bavarian Minister compares violent games to drugs, child pornography
Following last month's tragic shooting rampage in Winnenden, Germany, the target of which was a local secondary school, criticism against violent video games from German politicians has strengthened drastically. The most passionate denunciation thus far recently came from Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann, who accused violent games of being "one of the causes for youth violence and also for school shootings, where images from killer games become reality."However, Herrmann's condemnation peaked when he claimed violent titles are "on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs, the ban on which rightly is unquestioned." Herrmann released his statement on the same day as the first-ever German Video Game Awards ceremony, many of the attendees of which responded with demands for an apology from the Minister. If you're also looking to get your dander up, you can read Herrmann's (Google translated) press release here.
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]
