Germany lifts Doom sales ban after 17 years
- Thread starter jmc247
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A little too late now? It's not like it's still on sale, and one can compile the source as it's been released as open source. I wonder about Wolfenstein though.
Still banned along with the Doom game that adds in Wolfenstein levels because of Nazi imagery.
Actually, the ban on Wolfenstein 3D expired in 2004. It's still on the index, though, which isn't a sales ban per se, however. It just means you can't sell it to anyone under 18 and you can't advertise for it.
They sell all the old id games on Steam, including Wolf3D and the Doom series. So it is, in fact, still for sale!
Ahh, see my mistake, Robert. I should have checked. My bad. For some reason, Steam didn't immediately come to mind. Still seems a little late considering I don't think people would really flock to it like they would have 10 years ago.
That is good to know. It's interesting the difference between the United States through things like the Hays Code and the CCA which have mainly targeted people seeing sexual images first and foremost and Germany which seems to target violent and hate imagery first and foremost. The U.S. seems to be relaxing it's rules in regard to sexual imagery in some mediums, hopefully taking Doom off the list is a sign Germany is on the road to doing some of the same with violent imagery.
Probably not. Placement on the index expires automatically after 25 years (or has to be renewed) so titles vanishing from the index happens often and is a routine occurrence.
However, of course, the standards of what is considered harmful changes over time. Today, we'd laugh at a lot of the things indexed in the 50s or so. Hell, even most of the stuff indexed in the 80s seems pretty tame today. That's why there's an automatic expiration on these restrictions.
However, of course, the standards of what is considered harmful changes over time. Today, we'd laugh at a lot of the things indexed in the 50s or so. Hell, even most of the stuff indexed in the 80s seems pretty tame today. That's why there's an automatic expiration on these restrictions.
As if any of us who were at the age when it was released couldn't get their hands on it (and did) 
I remember school when we got a computer room with networked computers back in the early 90s and conversations would go like.. "You going to english class? No? Let's play some Doom!"
I remember school when we got a computer room with networked computers back in the early 90s and conversations would go like.. "You going to english class? No? Let's play some Doom!"
i didn't know (until i read it on tv tropes) that in germany ALL video games are considered to be aimed at kids!
wtf?!
so, are the GTA games and ResEvil games banned too?
wtf?!
so, are the GTA games and ResEvil games banned too?
Very few games are actually banned and thus illegal.. first that come to mind are amateur "underground" games where you had to manage a concentration camp and execute jews and such.. really vile stuff.
The rest just get a rating based on certain criteria.. "worst" is an adult rating meaning it can't be displayed in the store, advertised or sold to minors (which can be deadly to a games commercial success).
As an adult you have no problems buying those games assuming you know they're out.
The rest just get a rating based on certain criteria.. "worst" is an adult rating meaning it can't be displayed in the store, advertised or sold to minors (which can be deadly to a games commercial success).
As an adult you have no problems buying those games assuming you know they're out.
Anybody played the German version Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade back then? 
Anybody played the German version Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade back then?
Interesting. Puts a different perspective on things. They also don't all look perfectly drawn, and some of them look like a silhouette of the Windows logo
.
You freakin' kill the Nazis in some of these games. I think that should be an exception to the no Nazi symbolism rule.
Anybody played the German version Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade back then?
Interesting. Puts a different perspective on things. They also don't all look perfectly drawn, and some of them look like a silhouette of the Windows logo
Thankfully, Microsoft later changed the look of their shareholder meetings to something less drastic.
no shit, like RTCW and CoD!
Well.. it's a bit difficult here in Germany with Nazi symbolism given history.
Nazi symbols, i.e. the Swastika and everything else, may only be shown in historical context, i.e. documentaries and school books. Everything else is off limits.
One other funny thing is the way games are graded.. it's ok to kill aliens, robots and anything else that's not human - it will get a different grade than a game like Modern Warfare and sometimes even the color of blood is an issue. Red.. no, green.. whatever. Go figure.
Additionally.. Gears of War 1 has received an adult rating in Germany whereas the upcoming Gears of War 3 (the uncut version) will be freely available (and i sincerely doubt the 3rd part will resolve their action through dialogue or puzzle solving).
That government agency is schizophrenic as hell.
Actually, it's not. It's also ok to show it in movies and books in general if it's not an endorsement. So, it should be ok in video games, too, unless you get to play the Nazis.
Unfortunately, the law about symbols of anti-constitutional organisations is probably one of the most misapplied ones. A few years ago, there was a case where someone who sold anti-Nazi stickers and signs with a svastika striked through was convicted somewhere in Baden-Württemberg and had to fight all the way to the Federal Court to finally get let off, if I remember correctly.
It should be pretty clear that something like that and also fighting Nazis in a video game wouldn't fall under the law, one would think, but apparently, the law is worded so poorly that you get wildly different court decisions. It should really be overhauled.
By the way, you're confusing institutions, FPAlpha. Ratings for movies and games are given out by the industry's own two associations for that purpose, the FSK and the USK. The BPjM only gets into action if it receives a complaint by any of the youth welfare offices and other organisations for youth help. It doesn't give out ratings but only decides whether something is harmful to the youth or not, and how much. If something has already gotten a rating by the FSK or USK it can't be indexed.
But I agree, their decisions are sometimes rather ridiculous.
