Urban Terror Forums: Urban Terror deemed dangerous!?! - Urban Terror Forums

Although I did not read the whole thread (skipped everything past page 4), I'd like to comment on this.
It is quite likely that UrT will not be added to the list of banned games, and even if it will, it probably will not be banned in a nobody-is-allowed-to-use-it-anymore fashion but only in a you-must-at-least-be-18-years-old one. However, I do not even think it will come to that as there are much more violent and detailed games not banned in Germany.
What concerns me more is the fact that I run a server and may be liable to keep underage players from playing there. Therefore, please keep us posted about the results of the hearing. But I am sure you will anyway. :)

Reading this and then checking up on the list of games banned in Germany at this time I find it hilarious to see a huge list of games banned because of "Nazi" references. Urban Terror seems like a good night story compared to some games out there. In all honesty it almost made me a little sick and weirded out playing the "No Russian" mission in MW2 where you had to slaughter an entire airport terminal full of civilians, not to mention that the developers give you a virtually unlimited amount of arsenal for your grenade launcher, thus intentionally making you blow crowds of innocent people into pieces with a fkn grenade launcher. Surprised Germans didn't jump on that. Hell even Russia didn't, apparently they simply agreed that Activision removes that mission from releases that are being shipped into the country. I also did check to see if "Soldier Of Fortune" was banned ( due to it's awesome decapitation abilities ) and it sure was.


I don't think that Urban Terror provides a "cruelty" angle to FPS gaming, in fact it's really far from it. There are highly more sinister games out there that borderline make a setting for you to do as much messed up crap as possible ( perfect example being running out of ammo but having a giant arsenal of grenades, noobtubes and rocket launchers ). I'm not really too broad on my knowledge of FPS shooters out there at this time, but I think Soldier Of Fortune and even old games like Blood and Blood 2 were a hell of a lot more violent and if anything enabled cruelty. This is not to say that these games actually "produce" psychotic killers, but I'm sure they might desensitize youth to a certain extent. I however also believe that for you to become a violent criminal after playing video games there really needs to be a pre-existing condition or susceptibility to such behavior. I don't believe that people can simply become disturbed through video games...plain and simple.

Then again it's easier to ban something and say "we're doing our job of protecting the youth from outside influences yada yada yada..." instead of looking deeper into the problem and doing actual research to fix the underlying problem. It's just like blaming Marylin Manson for Columbine shootings...yeah he's a weirdo that looks like a god damned antichrist, but it hardly makes his music "tell" people to wear trench coats and light up a school full of students with shotguns and fully automatic rifles.

It's ludicrous, but unfortunately not that surprising.

This post has been edited by CCCP: 25 April 2010 - 10:47 PM

front page -

Urban Terror can be described as a Hollywood tactical shooter; somewhat realism based, but the motto is "fun over realism". This results in a very unique, enjoyable and addictive game.

Might change the "addicitive" to a 'very competitive' game

- sounds better than pixel meth

BorderFox

The German authorities obviously haven't gotten over their need to exercise authoritarian control of their citizens. Why is banning a video game authoritarian? Because the reason for such an extreme measure has no evidentiary foundation. A bunch of hypocrites in the Reichstag decide that their children spend too much time on a computer, doing thing s they can't understand, so in a rage of envy and ignorance, decide to make the general population pay.
It's difficult, if not impossible to prove that UT is not dangerous to a political fanatic, because they're not thinking logically. Unfortunately I don't read German, or I would gladly research their law and try to help out.
One last thought, perhaps the German government is nervous about German youth socializing with foreigners?

canadiang, on 26 April 2010 - 10:27 PM, said:

Not at all on this. Consider the European borders are open and easily crossed; for those which holds an European passport. Even more the European economy depends on this.

No, the incentive is most likely growing school violence, often getting media attention with another school shootings. Government have no idea how to effectively fight this or prevent it from happening again. So they look at "what influences our youth to turn violent with deadly consequences?". The netto result is: FPS video-games being banned, movies being banned, music being banned (like rap).

If you look at how slow government are in the adaptation of new technology. Even slower is for government to adapt to the consequences of new technology.
So in their despair they turn to their 'experts' (with that i don't mean pro-gamers): Psychologist. And consider not much large scale field studies has been made on this subject, only small scale controlled studies. These 'experts' also being the "old breed". They are most likely to say "it is or could be dangerous". Especially a psychologist with conservative views.

But than personally, i could imagine certain video-games which could have a negative influences on youth that is already living in a troublesome environment (divorced parents, absence parents) that could be influences by some actions they sees and do in a videogame. One game that I particularly had in mind is GTA.

TheRealFubar, on 14 April 2010 - 06:34 PM, said:

Hi you are right and not. The players go closest, but learn less from general informations. The school life is not end after the classrooms. They have to learn more at home. The urban terror and the video games requires a lot of time in generally. I love urt as player but I have to keep under control my children. This is not a goverment function.

German Government and all is history is to dangerous to my kids!!! It can influence them to be stupid, violent and so on, So i think they shuld be banned from the internet. So hilarious do your kids see the news ? If so... Game is Dangerous so funny :D:D:D:D. Sorry if i was rude.

Nexu, on 27 April 2010 - 01:53 AM, said:

UrT makes me want to:

GTA makes me want to:

meeting started May 6th, 2010, at 9.30 a.m.