DeeZire
02-25-2003, 01:37 PM
Well, if the rumor mill is to be believed...
After approximately a week and half of its life, Command & Conquer: Generals has been subject to the very strict German laws which govern the control of violence depicted in the media, which includes interactive entertainment products (like computer games).
The reasons behind this are unknown, although if my knowledge of German law means anything (LOL) then the practical upshot of this is;-
(i) it cant be advertised in Germany - period
(ii) it cannot be reviewed in magazines or any media
(iii) it gets an 'Age 18' restricted sale placed on it
This means no screenies, no banners/ads etc displaying the game or its content in Germany. These laws exist to protect consumers from exposure to violence (e.g. they dont want a 10 year old kid thinking its cool to mow down civilians with suicidal bombs and Terrorists etc). They also exist to prevent the game being purchased by young people whose purchasing decision may be influenced by a magazine or advert saying what a cool game it is. In a nutshell, its pretty much the same restriction that got slapped on Resident Evil over there when that came out (in that game they even had to turn the blood to green).
Im not reading too far into it, and I certainly dont believe for a minute that the decision has been influenced by the current 'situation' with the Middle East or the current political climate. But on a personal note, I do think that its bitterly ironic that this should happen in the market that EA prized the most, especially after all the time, energy, effort and they spent over there nurturing the German gaming community and media - something which was often perceived in the mainstay of the English-speaking community as 'favoratism'. Well, they got all the exclusives, now they get less of a game than the rest of us.
After approximately a week and half of its life, Command & Conquer: Generals has been subject to the very strict German laws which govern the control of violence depicted in the media, which includes interactive entertainment products (like computer games).
The reasons behind this are unknown, although if my knowledge of German law means anything (LOL) then the practical upshot of this is;-
(i) it cant be advertised in Germany - period
(ii) it cannot be reviewed in magazines or any media
(iii) it gets an 'Age 18' restricted sale placed on it
This means no screenies, no banners/ads etc displaying the game or its content in Germany. These laws exist to protect consumers from exposure to violence (e.g. they dont want a 10 year old kid thinking its cool to mow down civilians with suicidal bombs and Terrorists etc). They also exist to prevent the game being purchased by young people whose purchasing decision may be influenced by a magazine or advert saying what a cool game it is. In a nutshell, its pretty much the same restriction that got slapped on Resident Evil over there when that came out (in that game they even had to turn the blood to green).
Im not reading too far into it, and I certainly dont believe for a minute that the decision has been influenced by the current 'situation' with the Middle East or the current political climate. But on a personal note, I do think that its bitterly ironic that this should happen in the market that EA prized the most, especially after all the time, energy, effort and they spent over there nurturing the German gaming community and media - something which was often perceived in the mainstay of the English-speaking community as 'favoratism'. Well, they got all the exclusives, now they get less of a game than the rest of us.