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As we all know, legislation is a big deal in gaming, and when I was informed just moments ago (at time of writing - 5:56pm) that Grand Theft Auto 3 has been delayed for the PC, and it got me thinking that we may be having it delayed, where the poor people down in Australia won't get to see it at all, thanks to their pathetic government, who think that they should decide what's right for 'their' people. The report goes:
'Grand Theft Auto 3 has been taken off the shelves in Australia due to its graphic depictions of violence. As Australia does not have a 'mature' videogames classification (equivalent to the UK's '18' certificate), games have to meet strict guidelines on content, which GTA3 fails to do.
The game's publisher, Take 2, appealed against the daft ban but the Australian Office Of Film And Literature Classification unanimously determined the game should be filed under 'refused classification'.
Take 2 now intend to release an edited version of the game with the more extreme content removed.'
That's a massive crock of bull. If we can have a mature classification, then so can a country that is many, many times larger than ours, and one that is probably more financially adept. This is where pirates and independent retailers come in handy for once, allowing copies of the game to be bought into the country for those who want to play it can. It may be wrong, it may be illicit, but what the government are doing over there it totally wrong. Just because a handful (hell, maybe half the population, but that's not the point) doesn’t like it, it has to be spoilt for everyone else. Realistically, would the government rather have someone going on a killing spree in a game, or going out and doing it in real life, eh? I'm sure they'd choose the former, hence why the Aussies shouldn't be censored like they are.
Anyone heard of a game called Thrill Kill? This game is incredibly hard to get of, as it is nearly banned everywhere, and the only country I know of that stocks it is America. However, you can get hold of the occasional PAL copy if you look hard enough, but it’s normally a lot of trouble, effort and time. It was banned for it’s apparently obscene violence. A friend of mine has the game and I’ve played it, and I must say that the game is not as violent as the critics say, and this is a bad thing. The game shouldn’t have been banned, as it’s no more violent than Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Critics are an influence, I feel, as they hype the game up for being the most violent of it’s kind, yet it’s exaggerated greatly, as it’s hardly that. It was unjustly removed from a potential market, and I would feel no guilt in getting a pirated copy from a friend, if that is the attitude that our ridiculous government advocates.
However, that's just really a prelude to what I'm trying to grab at. What I'm talking about really is how the past (as in before gaming was ever conceived) has affected how gaming works, and namely how censorship has been not only introduced to films, but into games. Germany are well-known for censoring anything that is in the slightest seen as inducing violence, and you will notice that they're Playstation's (not sure about PS2's though) are colored blue, which is a good idea for anyone going abroad when buying a game or a console, as it tells you that this console is German, and that's bad news to people who want a raw, uncensored gore-fest of a game. In lamens terms, German's are mad about their censorship. Basically all violent games contain green blood, as to appear that they're zombies, and that it's fictional. It really makes me wonder if German's really know if it's any different to the outside of them. If they've been fed on a healthy diet of House of the Dead 2, I seriously doubt it.
But why are Germans hotter than everyone else on censorship? If you think about it, it's not that difficult. About 50 years ago there was a terrible event called the Holocaust, which most, if not all of you would have heard about. Led by Adolf Hitler, several million Jews were systematically murdered (I'm sorry if this brings bad memories or is in poor taste to anyone, especially Jews). The German government are probably scared that if they produce these games in their country that they'll be seen as sadistic and vulgar, as if they're morbid. Personally, I wouldn't think any less of them if they didn't censor games. In fact, I'd think that they had more sense if they un-censored games, but it's really too late to do anything now without a lot of fuss with questioning over re-issuing games. There is a simple solution, but corporate monkeys will want to go through many procedures first. Some say it’s hypocritical, but I say its fear, fear of something that isn’t even real. Are the German’s ever going to succumb to our path of thinking and lift a ban on these seemingly violent games? I say no, as the government are an incredibly powerful entity, and it’s likely that they wouldn’t listen to a few hundred thousand people, even though they’re trying to do what’s ‘right’ for the people.
In a closing comment, I pose these questions: should censorship be enforced, eliminated totally, or be there partially? And do you think it’s right what Germany have down to their gaming ‘public’?
Thanks for reading,
Pants
'Grand Theft Auto 3 has been taken off the shelves in Australia due to its graphic depictions of violence. As Australia does not have a 'mature' videogames classification (equivalent to the UK's '18' certificate), games have to meet strict guidelines on content, which GTA3 fails to do.
The game's publisher, Take 2, appealed against the daft ban but the Australian Office Of Film And Literature Classification unanimously determined the game should be filed under 'refused classification'.
Take 2 now intend to release an edited version of the game with the more extreme content removed.'
That's a massive crock of bull. If we can have a mature classification, then so can a country that is many, many times larger than ours, and one that is probably more financially adept. This is where pirates and independent retailers come in handy for once, allowing copies of the game to be bought into the country for those who want to play it can. It may be wrong, it may be illicit, but what the government are doing over there it totally wrong. Just because a handful (hell, maybe half the population, but that's not the point) doesn’t like it, it has to be spoilt for everyone else. Realistically, would the government rather have someone going on a killing spree in a game, or going out and doing it in real life, eh? I'm sure they'd choose the former, hence why the Aussies shouldn't be censored like they are.
Anyone heard of a game called Thrill Kill? This game is incredibly hard to get of, as it is nearly banned everywhere, and the only country I know of that stocks it is America. However, you can get hold of the occasional PAL copy if you look hard enough, but it’s normally a lot of trouble, effort and time. It was banned for it’s apparently obscene violence. A friend of mine has the game and I’ve played it, and I must say that the game is not as violent as the critics say, and this is a bad thing. The game shouldn’t have been banned, as it’s no more violent than Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Critics are an influence, I feel, as they hype the game up for being the most violent of it’s kind, yet it’s exaggerated greatly, as it’s hardly that. It was unjustly removed from a potential market, and I would feel no guilt in getting a pirated copy from a friend, if that is the attitude that our ridiculous government advocates.
However, that's just really a prelude to what I'm trying to grab at. What I'm talking about really is how the past (as in before gaming was ever conceived) has affected how gaming works, and namely how censorship has been not only introduced to films, but into games. Germany are well-known for censoring anything that is in the slightest seen as inducing violence, and you will notice that they're Playstation's (not sure about PS2's though) are colored blue, which is a good idea for anyone going abroad when buying a game or a console, as it tells you that this console is German, and that's bad news to people who want a raw, uncensored gore-fest of a game. In lamens terms, German's are mad about their censorship. Basically all violent games contain green blood, as to appear that they're zombies, and that it's fictional. It really makes me wonder if German's really know if it's any different to the outside of them. If they've been fed on a healthy diet of House of the Dead 2, I seriously doubt it.
But why are Germans hotter than everyone else on censorship? If you think about it, it's not that difficult. About 50 years ago there was a terrible event called the Holocaust, which most, if not all of you would have heard about. Led by Adolf Hitler, several million Jews were systematically murdered (I'm sorry if this brings bad memories or is in poor taste to anyone, especially Jews). The German government are probably scared that if they produce these games in their country that they'll be seen as sadistic and vulgar, as if they're morbid. Personally, I wouldn't think any less of them if they didn't censor games. In fact, I'd think that they had more sense if they un-censored games, but it's really too late to do anything now without a lot of fuss with questioning over re-issuing games. There is a simple solution, but corporate monkeys will want to go through many procedures first. Some say it’s hypocritical, but I say its fear, fear of something that isn’t even real. Are the German’s ever going to succumb to our path of thinking and lift a ban on these seemingly violent games? I say no, as the government are an incredibly powerful entity, and it’s likely that they wouldn’t listen to a few hundred thousand people, even though they’re trying to do what’s ‘right’ for the people.
In a closing comment, I pose these questions: should censorship be enforced, eliminated totally, or be there partially? And do you think it’s right what Germany have down to their gaming ‘public’?
Thanks for reading,
Pants
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
As we all know, legislation is a big deal in gaming, and when I was informed just moments ago (at time of writing - 5:56pm) that Grand Theft Auto 3 has been delayed for the PC, and it got me thinking that we may be having it delayed, where the poor people down in Australia won't get to see it at all, thanks to their pathetic government, who think that they should decide what's right for 'their' people. The report goes:
'Grand Theft Auto 3 has been taken off the shelves in Australia due to its graphic depictions of violence. As Australia does not have a 'mature' videogames classification (equivalent to the UK's '18' certificate), games have to meet strict guidelines on content, which GTA3 fails to do.
The game's publisher, Take 2, appealed against the daft ban but the Australian Office Of Film And Literature Classification unanimously determined the game should be filed under 'refused classification'.
Take 2 now intend to release an edited version of the game with the more extreme content removed.'
That's a massive crock of bull. If we can have a mature classification, then so can a country that is many, many times larger than ours, and one that is probably more financially adept. This is where pirates and independent retailers come in handy for once, allowing copies of the game to be bought into the country for those who want to play it can. It may be wrong, it may be illicit, but what the government are doing over there it totally wrong. Just because a handful (hell, maybe half the population, but that's not the point) doesn’t like it, it has to be spoilt for everyone else. Realistically, would the government rather have someone going on a killing spree in a game, or going out and doing it in real life, eh? I'm sure they'd choose the former, hence why the Aussies shouldn't be censored like they are.
Anyone heard of a game called Thrill Kill? This game is incredibly hard to get of, as it is nearly banned everywhere, and the only country I know of that stocks it is America. However, you can get hold of the occasional PAL copy if you look hard enough, but it’s normally a lot of trouble, effort and time. It was banned for it’s apparently obscene violence. A friend of mine has the game and I’ve played it, and I must say that the game is not as violent as the critics say, and this is a bad thing. The game shouldn’t have been banned, as it’s no more violent than Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Critics are an influence, I feel, as they hype the game up for being the most violent of it’s kind, yet it’s exaggerated greatly, as it’s hardly that. It was unjustly removed from a potential market, and I would feel no guilt in getting a pirated copy from a friend, if that is the attitude that our ridiculous government advocates.
However, that's just really a prelude to what I'm trying to grab at. What I'm talking about really is how the past (as in before gaming was ever conceived) has affected how gaming works, and namely how censorship has been not only introduced to films, but into games. Germany are well-known for censoring anything that is in the slightest seen as inducing violence, and you will notice that they're Playstation's (not sure about PS2's though) are colored blue, which is a good idea for anyone going abroad when buying a game or a console, as it tells you that this console is German, and that's bad news to people who want a raw, uncensored gore-fest of a game. In lamens terms, German's are mad about their censorship. Basically all violent games contain green blood, as to appear that they're zombies, and that it's fictional. It really makes me wonder if German's really know if it's any different to the outside of them. If they've been fed on a healthy diet of House of the Dead 2, I seriously doubt it.
But why are Germans hotter than everyone else on censorship? If you think about it, it's not that difficult. About 50 years ago there was a terrible event called the Holocaust, which most, if not all of you would have heard about. Led by Adolf Hitler, several million Jews were systematically murdered (I'm sorry if this brings bad memories or is in poor taste to anyone, especially Jews). The German government are probably scared that if they produce these games in their country that they'll be seen as sadistic and vulgar, as if they're morbid. Personally, I wouldn't think any less of them if they didn't censor games. In fact, I'd think that they had more sense if they un-censored games, but it's really too late to do anything now without a lot of fuss with questioning over re-issuing games. There is a simple solution, but corporate monkeys will want to go through many procedures first. Some say it’s hypocritical, but I say its fear, fear of something that isn’t even real. Are the German’s ever going to succumb to our path of thinking and lift a ban on these seemingly violent games? I say no, as the government are an incredibly powerful entity, and it’s likely that they wouldn’t listen to a few hundred thousand people, even though they’re trying to do what’s ‘right’ for the people.
In a closing comment, I pose these questions: should censorship be enforced, eliminated totally, or be there partially? And do you think it’s right what Germany have down to their gaming ‘public’?
Thanks for reading,
Pants
'Grand Theft Auto 3 has been taken off the shelves in Australia due to its graphic depictions of violence. As Australia does not have a 'mature' videogames classification (equivalent to the UK's '18' certificate), games have to meet strict guidelines on content, which GTA3 fails to do.
The game's publisher, Take 2, appealed against the daft ban but the Australian Office Of Film And Literature Classification unanimously determined the game should be filed under 'refused classification'.
Take 2 now intend to release an edited version of the game with the more extreme content removed.'
That's a massive crock of bull. If we can have a mature classification, then so can a country that is many, many times larger than ours, and one that is probably more financially adept. This is where pirates and independent retailers come in handy for once, allowing copies of the game to be bought into the country for those who want to play it can. It may be wrong, it may be illicit, but what the government are doing over there it totally wrong. Just because a handful (hell, maybe half the population, but that's not the point) doesn’t like it, it has to be spoilt for everyone else. Realistically, would the government rather have someone going on a killing spree in a game, or going out and doing it in real life, eh? I'm sure they'd choose the former, hence why the Aussies shouldn't be censored like they are.
Anyone heard of a game called Thrill Kill? This game is incredibly hard to get of, as it is nearly banned everywhere, and the only country I know of that stocks it is America. However, you can get hold of the occasional PAL copy if you look hard enough, but it’s normally a lot of trouble, effort and time. It was banned for it’s apparently obscene violence. A friend of mine has the game and I’ve played it, and I must say that the game is not as violent as the critics say, and this is a bad thing. The game shouldn’t have been banned, as it’s no more violent than Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Critics are an influence, I feel, as they hype the game up for being the most violent of it’s kind, yet it’s exaggerated greatly, as it’s hardly that. It was unjustly removed from a potential market, and I would feel no guilt in getting a pirated copy from a friend, if that is the attitude that our ridiculous government advocates.
However, that's just really a prelude to what I'm trying to grab at. What I'm talking about really is how the past (as in before gaming was ever conceived) has affected how gaming works, and namely how censorship has been not only introduced to films, but into games. Germany are well-known for censoring anything that is in the slightest seen as inducing violence, and you will notice that they're Playstation's (not sure about PS2's though) are colored blue, which is a good idea for anyone going abroad when buying a game or a console, as it tells you that this console is German, and that's bad news to people who want a raw, uncensored gore-fest of a game. In lamens terms, German's are mad about their censorship. Basically all violent games contain green blood, as to appear that they're zombies, and that it's fictional. It really makes me wonder if German's really know if it's any different to the outside of them. If they've been fed on a healthy diet of House of the Dead 2, I seriously doubt it.
But why are Germans hotter than everyone else on censorship? If you think about it, it's not that difficult. About 50 years ago there was a terrible event called the Holocaust, which most, if not all of you would have heard about. Led by Adolf Hitler, several million Jews were systematically murdered (I'm sorry if this brings bad memories or is in poor taste to anyone, especially Jews). The German government are probably scared that if they produce these games in their country that they'll be seen as sadistic and vulgar, as if they're morbid. Personally, I wouldn't think any less of them if they didn't censor games. In fact, I'd think that they had more sense if they un-censored games, but it's really too late to do anything now without a lot of fuss with questioning over re-issuing games. There is a simple solution, but corporate monkeys will want to go through many procedures first. Some say it’s hypocritical, but I say its fear, fear of something that isn’t even real. Are the German’s ever going to succumb to our path of thinking and lift a ban on these seemingly violent games? I say no, as the government are an incredibly powerful entity, and it’s likely that they wouldn’t listen to a few hundred thousand people, even though they’re trying to do what’s ‘right’ for the people.
In a closing comment, I pose these questions: should censorship be enforced, eliminated totally, or be there partially? And do you think it’s right what Germany have down to their gaming ‘public’?
Thanks for reading,
Pants