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Germany targets violent computer games

Legislation recently passed in Germany, makes it easier to put violent computer games on the banned list following the introduction of a rating index.

Yet who sets the age recommendations for "normal" games? In Germany, at least, these roles have been in flux of late. Games on Germany's banned list cannot be sold publicly. That includes any advertising and sales through mail order. The decision to flag a game is made by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM). Since the July 1 revision of the Protection of Minors Act, the agency has been granted even more authority.

That includes the authorisation to list games that propagate vigilante justice as the only solution to a problem. The criteria have also been expanded for the automatic inclusion of specific games in the list.

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