Bavarian minister Joachim Herrmann has likened violent video games to child pornography and drugs in a new press release posted earlier today. Game Politics have provided a translation via one of their readers.
Herrmann was quoted saying:
"Such games are one of the causes for youth violence and also for school shootings, where images from killer games become reality." He continued saying that "more and more children are getting mired in this virtual world of violence", and "they have no time left for school or job training, and are lost to our society."
The press release follows after last month's school shooting in Winnenden when former high school pupil Tim Kretschmer killed 9 pupils, 3 teachers and 2 other members of the public as he made his escape. Since the shooting there has been a rise in government officials criticizing violent games, however Herrmann is a frequent critic and has gone one step further in his latest attack.
In the last line of the press release Herrmann goes on to say:
"In regards to their harmful effects, [violent video games] are on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs, the ban on which rightly is unquestioned."
The press release comes on the same day as the German Games Awards and Video Game Conference took place in Munich. German game associations G.A.M.E, BIU and ESB have now released statements of their own and asked for an apology.
The German commissioner for the New Media Thomas Jarzombek, has criticized Herrmann's attack saying:
"The comparison is completely inappropriate... anyone making such statements is unqualified to participate in any further debate [regarding the] protection of minors from harmful media."
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