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Switzerland Pursues Violent Games Ban

Posted by timothy on from the brutal-crackdown-on-violence dept.

BanjoTed writes "We hear lots about the issues facing violent games in Australia, but the anti-games bandwagon is gathering pace closer to home — in Switzerland, to be precise. The Swiss government is gearing up to consider a total ban on mature games in the country."

6 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. Slipperly slope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If as an adult you let the government treat you like a child, remember what happened to you as a child when you "said something mommy and daddy didn't like".

    1. Re:Slipperly slope by HungryHobo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Great idea.
      If it's a crime it can't be the subject of a video game.

      Any super hero game is out since it encourages vigilante behaviour which is a serious crime.

      Uplink should be banned because it has the player commit serious crimes like breaking into computer systems without their owners consent.

      Commander keen is out since obviously he flew without a pilots liscence while underage (encouraging kids to joy ride), operated firearms without a liscence(unless 8 year olde are commonly issued liscences for powerful weapons) and murdered large numbers of animals with no consideration for proper methods of humane slaughter.

      Pacman is out since it encourages kids to consume pills which haven't been proscribed to them.

      Dwarf fortress is out since it allows genocide, torture, theft and flooding of populated towns with magma.

      The whole point of games is that they allow you to do things which would not be allowed in real life.
      I don't know about you but I wouldn't find "Accountancy: The Game" much fun.
      Similarly "Complying with building code regulations" is far less fun that lego.
      "Turning found large qantities of cash into the proper authorities to see if anyone claims it" is far less fun than rogue.

      Why limit it to computer games.
      Any children playing guns with pieces of wood should be forcibly stopped from playing games in which they act out doing illegal things like kill people.
      The blocks of wood should be confiscated and replaced with math books so that they can become productive members of society.

      The whole point of games is that they're not real life.

      I've never stabbed anyone despite playing as an assasin in oblivion.
      I've never shot anyone despite playing doom and GTA.
      I've never undermined by house with tunnels depite playing digdug

    2. Re:Slipperly slope by HungryHobo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're changing the goalposts.

      No I would not "support" any of those games.

      I would however not oppose them since they do nobody an harm of any kind.

      Freedom of speech is a bitch isn't it.

      I don't like rape games so I don't buy them.
      if I had children I'd discourage them from playing rape games.(hell I'd outright stop them)
      I support minimum ages for purchasing them.

      But there's zero reason to ban any of those.

  2. Re:I can understand banning games by the_womble · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why do they not ban all films, books, and CDs with content unsuitable for children as well?

  3. Re:Part of a general pattern by Rakishi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pure democracy is called "tyranny of the majority" for a reason.

  4. Re:I can understand banning games by Pieroxy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be easier to ban children directly?

    --
    Write boring code, not shiny code!