Bush isn't the only idiot...

I'll back anyone here who says that guys on the way to a new Nazi Germany.

but lets not get the back-and-forth about the usage of the term here, what that one guy says doesnt apply to a whole country (although if you can prove a chain of abuse, I guess I could agree)

although I have to say that the censorship bill is complete bull, they should tear that down... (if you find me one like that in America that is *acted* upon, then I'll say the same to that)

Well it's starting to look like something like that's gonna be necessary. 'cause we can't have all these thing keep happening. People have died playing games like WOW, you'd think that they'd do something, but they havn't.

This is a bit of a big step, one I think is a bit over the top.

Well it's starting to look like something like that's gonna be necessary. 'cause we can't have all these thing keep happening. People have died playing games like WOW, you'd think that they'd do something, but they havn't.

people die... perhaps we should ban everything...

you'd think that they'd do something

just tell me what could you do?
what can you do?

there really is not anything you can do without trampling over all sorts of ideals. at best you can be premptive and keep people from playing too much WoW. but you cant force someone not to do something they want to do, that absolutely annihilates natural rights. and whats the point of keeping the body alive if the brain is dead?

theres always people that will try to ban games saying that they are the cause, when realy the problem is other.
just look how many people play games everyday and they dont kill everyone, this are just a few people.

maybe he should ban his own military force wich create "inhumane acts of violence against humans or humanlike creatures."

if he thinks video game is a lot worst than having real humans creating and carrying guns then that's one scary dude to side up with. btw, can't he make law's jailing the people where that kid got the gun from before going on shooting spree in the first place? crap! i almost forgot, it was the video game that made him shoot those people.

I think that it's ridiculous to assume that video games cause violence or other undesirable behaviors. I think a case could be made for that with very small children (maybe) but anyone older should have a grip on reality by then. I have played a lot of racing games but have never gotten a speeding ticket. I have played a lot of Halo and James Bond games but I've never wanted to go shoot people (well... there was this one time at work where if I had been armed I'd have probably killed 4 rednecks and 2 dogs but aside from that...).

I think that these violent people who would do this sort of thing are attracted to violent games. End of story.

I have played a lot of racing games but have never gotten a speeding ticket

theres been quite conclusive evidence supporting that video games counter the urge to do something reckless, and also sharpen side skills (like driving)

besides, I cant see a 8 year old shooting at other people with a gun on purpose, let alone accurately, or in rage.

That person is an idiot a true emberasment to Germany, one of the most psychologicaly enlightened countries, producing reknowed psychologist(Frued anyone?)

There is no basis to this law, nothing supports it. All research conducted on game cruelty and real life have proven to be negatively correlated. Meaning that they have almost no effect on psychologically stable people, most of understand that that violance is animated and that we shouldnt repeat it. Now for games to effect a person and cause him to repeat that behavior would mean that the person either a) had a traumatic past(child abuse), or b) was just psychologically unstable genetically, the games most likely didnt make him so, they just reenforced an already procurrent disposition towards violance.

And its not like this is the only law proposed that will effect our freedoms as gamers and as citizens. Anyone heard of Network Neutrality and what might happen to the Internet soon enough.

Network neutrality, giving the same types of service to the people who pay for the same types of service. ie no network biasing. whats wrong with that?

obviously theres something I'm missing. do enlighten me.

Congress plans... i should better say Republicans in Congress plan to give up Network Neutrality and give the power to control the internet to certain "gatekeepers". In this case those "gatekeepers" are AT&T and Comcast. These companies would be able to control what sites work for us and which ones dont, what blogs we are allowed to view and which ones they will edit. They will not harm only those sites that pay them enough, they will also reduce the time it takes to load a certain site based on how much that site is paying them. They will get to set the rules, they will get to control pretty much everything. Say goodbye to youtube and myspace, to free blogs and forums. Thats what i meant by infringing on an almost basic human right, the right to free expression and speech, also press if you consider typing more writing then speaking your thoughts out in digital format.

The bill has a chance to pass, already millions have organized against it. If it passes i think it will just be another move down the slippery slope to limited rights.

ah, so the giving up of the NN.
well, that would suck wouldnt it...

meh, the internet is old news now anyway, It'll likely be ditched for a new updated version soon anyway. just hope they dont kill it B4 it comes.

The Internet is old that is true, but it has united the world in ways no one has immagined, it has pretty much got rid of miscommunication and has allowed mega-libraries full of knowledge available to the public. Without NN we would be limited in that aspect.

I dont think the Internet will be replaced soon, Microsoft wont let it happen and what system could be better, no one has been able to think of anything faster... yet.

No, I'm quite certain they are coming up with a new, updated version that is all but completely immune to hackers and proxy servers. MIT is developing it. besides, if Microsoft has any brains they'll capitalize on it rather than dump it.

The part about i being immune to hackers is only partial truth... they probably though that problems like hackers will never happen anyways, but they did. I dont think that system will stay impervious to them for long no matter how well made everything has a weakness.

nah, it'll take at least a few years of adjustment to get used to the new system. its MIT man, they are turning the whole system on its head!

(pure conjecture) I think it has something to do with rapid flipping of IP addresses, making any hacker-hold on a websight, server, or computer last only a few seconds at best.
but then again, I have no basis for that assumption.

What I've heard is that it'll allow for much easier tracing of the offender if they try and pull something. How exactly I don't recall.

Well they can currently trace them by IP, but the thing is they either switch it or hide it so its difficult. Still many get caught, and to allow such rapid IP address flipping will require quite a system, but then again MIT probably came up with something better than Gigabytes. Its probably patented and wont appear for years though... cause its trapped in the ridiculous law system in America   

patents dont keep people from getting stuff, it keeps people from selling stuff they haven't created, at least, for a few years.
that law system (at least, the patent system) is a very large reason we are the leading nation in terms of technologies.

I know I´m a bit late. This is what I posted on the Comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strat newsgroup:

As another German I want to jump in here too.

Yes, there is a proposal from the Innenminister (I don´t know what the
english word for this one is) of Bavaria to make making, selling and playing
so called Killerspiele (Killergames) illegal.

However, this is not exactly the same as a legislative effort to make this a law
tomorrow. He himself said, this is meant as a starting point for discussing
the issue.

There also isn´t a lot of Hype, so to speak about it right now. It might
build up if something like the school shooting happens again soon, but right
now, it´s in no way as bad as the OP seems to think.

To make this a bit more clear for all the non-german-readers and put this
into perspective:
Bavaria is one of 16 "states" of Germany. And one of the ministers of this
state proposes this as a federal law.

Lets face it, politicians tell people what they want to hear and people look
for easy answers and solutions (One has only to look at how
election-campaigns run to realise this)
People don´t want to hear that they themself have to take a good deal of
the responsibility for their kids behaviour. How much better if the "evil"
video games are the reason their kids run amok.

Oh well, thats democracy for you


Ralph Hoenig, Germany

How much better if the "evil" video games are the reason their kids run amok.

show me the proof that video games "caused" kids to run "amok"

this is a big scapegoat. your PM even made a comment about how he "expected this from American stundents" and not Germans. what a bastard.

but my point is not to flame the incompetant, out of touch prime minister. my point is that bush gets way more attention when politicians are morons everywhere.

Ahem, the above was sarcasm.

I realy thought my phrasing would make this absolutely clear, apparently I was wrong. Please read my posting again.

As I stated there, the above is a quote I posted on a newsgroup on that topic, so OP is aimed at the guy starting the topic there, not you.

PS: Yes, I could have edited the post somewhat more, but I am lazy, so sue me.

Ill tell you something, ask any respectable psychologist today and they will tell you that you will have to be one messed up person to actually repeat the virtual violance, or to even let it influence you.

Yes children learn by watching, yes we are social creatures that mimic what we see. But, that doesnt me that we can't tell right from wrong yes? As i stated before, to actually WANT to repeat that violance you would have to have had some kind of tramatic experience that messed up your view of the world, or you were born with a with an overactive hypothalamus gland and you just like aggression. Either way, the game is not at fault the person is.

but my point is not to flame the incompetant

well, thats my reason for calling this guy an idiot!

People don´t want to hear that they themself have to take a good deal of the responsibility for their kids behaviour

isnt this the saddest part though...

We cant call anyone idiot without being in their shoes. There has to be some belief, no matter how illogical it seem, that made that person make a decision. Blaming or branding doesnt solve a situation.