Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

29 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. Er... by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Funny

    "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."

    Are you sure you don't live in Austria?

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  2. I'm Australian you instensitive clod!!! by syousef · · Score: 5, Funny

    This isn't closer to home for me:P~~~~

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  3. I can understand banning games by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some games are really bad, whether it be egregious content or age-inappropriate content.

    But there's no need to get violent about it. A normal rational games ban would work just as well as a violent games ban.

    1. 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?

    2. 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!
    3. Re:I can understand banning games by houghi · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Rinminds me of when I was young, I was too young to go to a movie, so I just bought the book. When I was older, I saw the movie and what was written in the book was much more non-16 year old then the movie.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  4. 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 BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

      remember what happened to you as a child when you "said something mommy and daddy didn't like

      All those years of expensive therapy for naught...

      Thanks, asshole.

    2. Re:Slipperly slope by coolsnowmen · · Score: 3, Funny

      Because I want to blow shit up...

    3. 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

    4. 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.

    5. Re:Slipperly slope by radish · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why aren't we seeing any games manufacturer try for a push in games that aren't quite as destructive?

      You're right! Those damn game makers should try making games which aren't violent. Maybe someone could make a game where you're in a band, or maybe you're a DJ. How about sports? Someone should make a football game, or a snowboarding game, or skateboarding, or bowling!. If only someone had thought to make a game to tie into the Winter Olympics! There's such a lack of imagination in games these days.

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

  5. A great sign! by Spazntwich · · Score: 4, Funny

    With this focus by Swiss leadership on the dubious social dangers of simulated violence, we can at least take heart knowing they've found solutions to all other social issues with demonstrated negative impacts.

    I'm so happy to live in a world with such pragmatic leaders. We can always count on politicians for intellectually honest debate of issues and good faith efforts to fix the problems they can.

    So nice to sleep easy knowing that representatives the world over don't let themselves get bogged down in baseless populist hysteria or abuse the power they're given to manipulate economies such that wealth is redistributed to their buddies.

    I don't know what we'd do without our honest, hard working politicians. May your silver spoons never tarnish, you captains of hypocrisy.

  6. Part of a general pattern by JoshuaZ · · Score: 5, Informative

    Switzerland has very little regard for free speech. Very little regard for things that are unpopular or disliked and has an aging, reactionary voter base. Frankly, I got far more worked up over the ban on minarets that they enacted last year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/world/europe/30swiss.html That was a much more serious violation of basic rights. This? This is small potatoes.

    1. Re:Part of a general pattern by golden+age+villain · · Score: 5, Informative

      Switzerland has very little regard for free speech. Very little regard for things that are unpopular or disliked and has an aging, reactionary voter base.

      Aaaaah Switzerland, this famous dictatorship... And you are supporting these claims how? Because I happen to live in that country but it doesn't seem to be the country you are describing. Free speech? Very little regard for things that are unpopular or disliked? What the hell are you talking about exactly? Do you have examples that make Switzerland stand out of the crowd of European countries? Agreed, the ban on minarets is not exactly the vote we can be most proud of. I would just like to point to the fact that Switzerland is no different from other European countries in that regard as was demonstrated by numerous polls in Europe following this particularly infamous vote. Also on votes asking whether or not to put a cap on immigration, the Swiss people have constantly voted no (there was several votes on this question since the 70s) and we have also accepted to embrace bilateral agreements with the EU and extend those agreements to the new EU members from Eastern Europe so I don't really see more reactionary voters than in any other western country. The only difference is probably that pretty much everything goes into a public vote and is hence very visible.

    2. Re:Part of a general pattern by Radtoo · · Score: 3, Informative

      Agreed. Free speech is not really in danger in switzerland:

      Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2009

      Freedom house

      I'm sure you can find more evidence if you care enough.

      Whether a human right has been dented with the minaret law is (potentially) still to be determined by some court. But I think it would sure be a tough case for the court. Determining whether towers in certain shapes can't be prohibited by a democratic and fair election isn't easy by itself, I bet. Add to that that these towers are not necessary, but only somewhat (modern-)symbolic for a certain religion...

    3. Re:Part of a general pattern by biovoid · · Score: 3, Informative

      The ban on minarets was based on a vote of the public on that specific issue. The Swiss people decided on this issue. You may not agree with the result, but at least the Swiss have the ability to vote on specific issues, as opposed to most other so called "democracies", where the only control the individual has is on electing a representative. In other words, your "democracy" is really just a democratic republic.

    4. Re:Part of a general pattern by biovoid · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Your ignorance of the Swiss political system is evident. Parties have very little impact on these issues. Do some research before making completely unfounded responses.

      Politics of Switzerland

    5. Re:Part of a general pattern by SerpentMage · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Wait one minute... The majority of Germans back the laws against Jews and Gypsies? Please get real references here....

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party

      Hitler came into power through a minority. His party never had the majority. The problem was that at that time Hindenburg was vehemently against the Nazi's, but to get a "functioning" government he allowed them to be a government. Think of it as follows in a modern context. Stephen Harper who is in the minority in Canada was allowed to be a government in by the governor general. The catch, and this is where things became dangerous once Hitler's party became the government one of their first acts was to impose absolutism. In a watered down way it was Harpers peroge where he stopped allowing the government to function.

      I am not saying Harper is Hitler because he is not. What I am saying is that Harper and Hitler from a political action perspective were very very similar. Once Hitler's party gained full control the propaganda started...

      BTW not every German was for Hitler. Neither my mother's family nor my father's family were Hitler supporters (and we are not Jewish either). My mother's parent's were "disabled" and hence were one of the ones who were considered sub-German quality. And my father's parents thought the Nazi's were trouble, they were industrialists my grandfather hated extremists! Though they were scared enough to not say much. As much as people enjoy the rights to free speech, right to demonstrate and a right to a fair trial. In those days you "disappeared".

      --

      "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
      "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
    6. Re:Part of a general pattern by Rakishi · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    7. Re:Part of a general pattern by thijsh · · Score: 3, Interesting

      More exact it was a vote of over 100.000 people in Switzerland about the fate of their nation which was 'threatened' by a total of 4 (you read it right, four) minarets. A mayor factor why these people voted for the ban is the christian party in the country... Exactly like the ban on violent games the ban on minarets was engineered by a few conservatives who use fear to get a lot of people to vote their way. In the case of minarets they even had propaganda-posters like this: http://warincontext.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/swiss-anti-minaret-campaign1.jpg

      Maybe it's tyranny, but the majority is just cattle...

  7. Watch those crime rates climb! by Cruciform · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If we look at the youth crime rates in the US, they dropped of precipitously when the PS1 came out and have stayed low compared to previous decades ever since.

    If the trend was the same in Switzerland, what happens when you take away that outlet?

    Most of the drop in crime likely comes from resolution of boredom, but it probably serves as a panacea for some of the whackjobs out there too.

  8. Closer to home? by srjh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Some of us are Australian, funnily enough.

    1. Re:Closer to home? by hansamurai · · Score: 3, Funny

      What are you in for?

      --
      Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
  9. on positive side by jarkus4 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Switzerland has more direct democracy than most countries. Even if the legislation passes parliament, if someone gathers 50k signatures against some law (in 100 days), he can cause national vote on this matter. In this vote all citizens decide whether the law should stay or be rejected. So to get rid of it they just need to convince normal people (and not politicians) that this is a bad idea.

  10. Re:"Mature"? by Asic+Eng · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's shorthand for "for mature audiences". But you knew that.

  11. Re:"Mature"? by mike2R · · Score: 4, Interesting

    He does have a point though - most of what is classified as "mature" in games really only appeals to teenagers. Take the sex scenes in Bioware's DragonAge; speaking as someone in my thirties they are cringe-makingly awful, but I suspect my eighteen year old self would have enjoyed them.

    It isn't just games. I recently reread what I remembered as some excellent Sci-Fi books, Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn series. I still like the books, but I found the constant gratuitous sex scenes really got a bit wearing after a while. When I first read them, I found those sections titillating.

    --
    This sig all sigs devours
  12. Re:Quoting Orson Welles... by zarzu · · Score: 3, Informative

    this quote needs to die, now.

    until the end of the 15th century the eidgenossenschaft was fighting the habsburg, throughout the 16th and 17th century there was religous civil war all over switzerland. at the end of the 18th century france essentially conquered switzerland and started the helvetic republic. the last fights on swiss territory were in 1847 and there is only democracy since the 19th century.

    that italy had a strong cultural development during the rennaissance has nothing at all to do with war and bloodshed, it mostly has to do with social structures, immigration and patrones like the medici family.

  13. Turnout of voters by goto_break · · Score: 3, Informative

    Since more than half of voters are over 65, there is little chance for that.

    This is just wrong: http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/22/publ.Document.89803.pdf Turnout of voters by age (in 2003): 18-24: 33% 25-44: 35% 45-64: 52% 65-... : 57% (and average age is 31)