I'm really getting sick and tired of the shit going on here. Most games that are just a bit violent are getting a rating of 18+ already. While I could easily live with that, I still don't understand it. And games that actually should be 18+ (and usually are in pretty much all other countries) are either banned from the market or have to be released in a "special german-only" version that sometimes is then 16+ instead, or still 18+.
And it's that what's grinding my gears! How far those "modifications" sometimes go is taking on ridiculous porpotions. I already ranted about a really bad example before: Wanted. Here are a few recent examples:
- Wolfenstein (2009): Rating of 18+. The amount of blood has been minimized. You're not fighting Nazis anymore, but some organisation they call "Wölfe" (wolves). All Nazi-references have been replaced. So that's how Germany is coming to terms with its past...
- Assassin's Creed 2: Rating of 16+, pretty much all blood from the game has been removed, one whole mission has been removed. I'm not sure yet why, but since the game is released today we'll know soon.
Update: Official sources now state that the german version is 100%uncut and still 16+. It seems that one mission is not included that the PEGI-rated version featured but it considered a bonus-mission, so no main one. Blood is included, only turned off by default. Way better than I hoped. Thanks Ubisoft!
- Modern Warfare 2: you can not shoot civilians
Those "special versions" surely aren't cheap for the developer/publisher. So of course you don't get the games any cheaper, even though there's less content. You have to pay the full prize nonetheless.
Often enough, those "special versions" take away alot of the spirit of a game, remove certain elements of a game completely and temper with the design of a game's gameplay or its story.
I'm quite surprised publishers and developers are still putting up with all this shit from us germans. I guess we should feel really flattered that we seem to still be such an important market that they even give in and release special versions for our market, just so that they are still allowed to sell they games here.
I thought the gaming-industry is a multi-billion dollar international industry... so they should have some influence, some "arguments" on their side. And they should flex their muscles at least a little bit.
EA recently tried giving that topic more public attention (see here - german only) That's what I would like to see more often. And not just from one publisher, but from all of them!
I've been thinking... what would actually happen if the publishers of a massively-hyped game like "Assassin's Creed 2" simply said: "You know what? if you tell us our game can't be released in your country the way it's being released in all the other countries, then we won't be releasing it in your country." I wonder if politics would actually notice the outcry that might follow...
but I don't know. Perhaps I'm over-estimating the power of the gamers and geeks. Maybe all that'll happen is that the game-stores in Germany will feel the effect since the people who want to have the game would simply import it... something that german politicians and regulators don't like to see, of course. Well, it's certainly not the gamers' first choice... but we're often left with no other option.
Why is it that gamers are the ones who seem to be restricted most in living their hobby? I can't think of any other legal activity/hobby that gets similarely controlled and instrumentalized.
Leave me alone! You're not my parents! I'm working hard for my money and if I'm old enough to be held responsible personally for all my actions, I also want the freedom to buy and play whichever legal games I want to purchase!
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