Because of recent events (a law that's to be passed by the Bundestag sometimes in the future), I have reawakened the "Killerspiele" crusade. Wallow in fear, all ye politicians and journalists...
The Bavarian CSU - one of the two conservative parties in Germany (actually, everywhere outside Bavaria CSU and her 'big brother' CDU are one party) - has filed in the draft of a new law that will prohibit the sale, purchase and possession of games defined as "Killerspiele". In addition - and that's a new twist to it - real-life games like 'paintball' will also be prohibited.
In essence, a grown-up person who owns a game considered a "Killerspiel" will face a longer stay in jail than a child-molester. And every game - digital or in real life - that is supposed to show "violence against other human or humanoid beings" (and in real life features something vaguely gun-like) will be considered such a prohibited game. But, and that's one of the things that make me want to throw up, those who actually practice shooting in a club are not among those who will be criminalized. Not really a surprise...
I wonder whom the politicians picture as the 'typical' gamer.
It surely isn't the grown-up, rather successful young man who works at a bank, dresses in suits during the day, speaks various languages, maybe even has spent some time at university and - in his meagre spare-time - likes to play "Counterstrike" with his friends over the internet. It probably isn't the thirty-something woman working as a telemarketer, who has spent some time at university as well, is fluent in German and English, currently learns in order to become a web-master once and sometimes enjoys a shooter or role-playing game - those would, as a sword is a very crude form of weapon and most adversaries are either human or humanoid (like an Orc, for example), also be prohibited - after work, either. (You might guess whom I'm describing here - yup, it's me.)
I rather would bet all my money that they still think only retarded kids of 14, who will not even pass the lowest form of secondary school in Germany and will never, ever in their lives vote, play such games. Well, they're wrong (not completely, though, as there are such gamers).
I think it's time for us, the grown-up gamers who quite often are 'valuable members of society' (whatever that means, I've never completely figured it out), to come out in force, write to our representatives or gather signatures to bring this case before the European Court. We can - and should now - show the politicians that it's their current and futures voters whom they discriminate against. After all, in about thirty years the majority of those who play computer games will probably also be the majority of voters - while those who vote for the conservatives today will mostly be gone ... or so senile that they will no longer be allowed to vote.
In other words: In a time not so far away those who are supposedly too immature to decide what game to play or to distinguish between real life and virtual reality will be the ones who decide about the major parties' fates.
We are the People, in a democracy we have the Power - it's high time to make use of this fact. The politicians owe us - we have elected them, we pay their salaries (which come from taxes we pay, after all), it's us they serve, not the other way around.
I'll tell you about a secret: After reading the comments to an article about the new law and reading about the law itself, I'm that close to find out about how to found your own party - and go and kick those politicians' big asses all over the country.
I might even be good at it - there's nobody more able to speak at great length to people who don't really want to listen than a telemarketer (except maybe, these days, a teacher...).
Fear all ye who have awoken the Wrath of Cay Reet! The consequences of your mistake will be too terrible to bear!
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