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German Ban On Doom Finally Lifted
An anonymous reader writes "18 years after its debut, Doom, the game that almost single-handedly popularized the FPS genre (remember when we just called them Doom clones?) is finally seeing the light of legality in the nation of Germany. The lifting of the ban also applies to the beloved sequel Doom II. A release date has yet to be set. I recommend that Germans who have not found some way to play this game over the last 18 years, please do so upon its release. Despite its age, it's still fun as hell. (Pun very much intended.)"
Doom was on the index of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Department_for_Media_Harmful_to_Young_Persons. When something is on the index is can be bought and sold but cannot be sold to a minor and cannot be sold in a shop that frequently has minors. This sort of law was originally intended to apply to porn but as a matter of implementation is a bit more difficult for videogames since minors are likely to go to videogame stores. Similarly, restrictions on how indexed media can be advertised make it difficult to advertise videogames. So the de facto result is that very few copies of games on the index are sold. But saying that the game was banned is incorrect. Prior to this appeal it was legal to buy and sell copies of Doom.
Play a bit harder and you'll find out, or idclev31 and idclev32 if you're impatient.
I donno... I think they'll be waiting for Duke Nukem forever...
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
I did nazi that coming!
The more you know, the more you have to say and the more you should listen.
*sigh* it's just.....not the same anymore....
I made an app! Shoutium
That's Doom 2, not Doom.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
Play a bit harder and you'll find out, or idclev31 and idclev32 if you're impatient.
Or for the truly impatient
Truly impatient? If I didn't find a secret level almost 20 years ago, I think you can safely bet I gave up looking.
I am not a crackpot.
The ban on speaking of them was bad enough that they finally realized that the gag on nazi 'symbolism' lead to German children who had little idea
Don't forget who wrote the German constitution after the war. The Allies were desperate to turn the German people into monsters and make them feel guilty for being German that even the word "Nazi" became associated with the foulest demons from Hell. Reality is that there were a very few fanatics running the show, and the rest of the sheep did what they were told. It becomes easy to do unusual things when everyone else is doing them. Then eventually when war started what choice did the conscript have when he was given a gun and put on a battlefield? Not every German soldier delighted in killing, nor is the joy of seeing a person die unique to the German people. I've seen more than one video of US troops hooting like drunk teenagers while watching humans being turned to hamburger by a variety of ordnance in Iraq and Afghanistan. What makes them different from supposed "war criminals"? While killing is an accepted part of war, you're not supposed to LIKE it.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
It was the allies, including Americans, that put those bans in place. So much for "the American way".
The law was actually imposed by Americans together with the rest of the Allies after the occupation of Germany.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap