Final Fantasy 7 is now one of THOSE games.

core tactic

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/755/755900p1.html

If you're at work or something, or just don't want to click the link, here's the rundown. Two German teens using the nicknames "Sephiroth" and "Reno" apparently stabbed a couple to death and kidnapped a girl, eventually leading to a standoff with the police for an hour. Finally, they were captured, the girl was let go, and Final Fantasy 7 was declared a "Murder game", which are banned in Germany.



So, who wants see how long it is before Jack jumps on this one?

JJ

Germany is fucking ratarded and gay, who gives a shit?

Fucking Germans.

Quintile

I'm not sure if it will be looked down upon as strongly considering the game is ten years old.

If it was a murder game, it shouldn't have taken that long to cause a murder!

Unless... we all played it ten years ago, and the urge to kill has been laying dormant, and any day now we're all going to snap and start killing people in the name of Sephiroth!

Eteric

Inc Jack Thompson! Get your heals ready. Cast damage shield plz!

Gyral

Given enough time, EVERY game will end up as one of THOSE games. I'm surprised someone hasn't tried to blame FF7 before now, especially considering the popularity it holds.

SeñorAmor

I'm going to get a friend and do the exact same thing. Only we'll call ourselves "L-piece" and "Straight piece" and kill in the name of Tetris. Every time we kill someone, we'll flash briefly and then disappear.

Good luck catching us.

AbsoluteZero

Germany is fucking retarded.

Those kids did it all wrong!



They were supposed to stab the girl!

Captain K

JJ wrote:

Germany is fucking ratarded and gay, who gives a shit?

Fucking Germans.

Okay, a lot of people are being idiots in this thread, but your post is a bit over the line. Take 8 hours off the boards and consider thinking a bit harder before you make such a dumb post again.

Everyone else, take note.

The Cheese

It's funny that the first thing you'd say is "Stupid Germany!" and not "Stupid fucking kids"

Shooter Mcgavin

Germany is absolutely ridiculously strict when it comes to violent media. That's just how their society is. They allow nudity on TV, but when it comes to violence, no way. It's just one of their wierd quirks. And in this case, it's a 10 year old game that everyone's already beaten twice.

templewulf

Dawkins was right, religion is dangerous! Damn those Jenova's Witnesses!

Alucard6986

The_Cheese wrote:

It's funny that the first thing you'd say is "Stupid Germany!" and not "Stupid fucking kids"

How dare they arrest someone for murder!

Leitner

Alucard6986 wrote:

The_Cheese wrote:

It's funny that the first thing you'd say is "Stupid Germany!" and not "Stupid fucking kids"

How dare they arrest someone for murder!

Those Nazis!

Voro

Alucard6986 wrote:

The_Cheese wrote:

It's funny that the first thing you'd say is "Stupid Germany!" and not "Stupid fucking kids"

How dare they arrest someone for murder!

Yeah, because he couldn't possibly be calling them stupid for declaring FF7 a murder game. :roll: It's the same as if they called the Bible a murder book because some crazy called himself Lucifer and killed someone.

templewulf

Shooter Mcgavin wrote:

Germany is absolutely ridiculously strict when it comes to violent media. That's just how their society is. They allow nudity on TV, but when it comes to violence, no way. It's just one of their wierd quirks. And in this case, it's a 10 year old game that everyone's already beaten twice.

Actually, I'd rather have sex on TV than excessive violence. I think America's aversion to sex and nudity is completely bizarre.

Think about it, would you rather be stabbed with a knife...or stabbed with "a knife"? :winky:

edit: in the butt. :winky:

edit #2: :winky:

[spoiler:004e92c11d]:winky:[/spoiler:004e92c11d]

The Cheese

Voro wrote:

Alucard6986 wrote:

The_Cheese wrote:

It's funny that the first thing you'd say is "Stupid Germany!" and not "Stupid fucking kids"

How dare they arrest someone for murder!

Yeah, because he couldn't possibly be calling them stupid for declaring FF7 a murder game. :roll: It's the same as if they called the Bible a murder book because some crazy called himself Lucifer and killed someone.

I know why he was calling them stupid. But they aren't as dumb as these kids.

Incidentally, the Bible has caused many, many deaths (though not many I know of by people nicknamed Lucifer) and should be banned :rotate:
But that's neither here nor there.

core tactic

Yeah, I'd rather have excessive nudity on TV than violence.


Like Japan! Perfectly normal lot over there.

Captain K

I think this Onion article might be a bit appropriate:

Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids

Tube

Can you even buy Final Fantasy VII these days? Seriously? Because I'd like to pick it up.

Captain K

core tactic wrote:

Yeah, I'd rather have excessive nudity on TV than violence.


Like Japan! Perfectly normal lot over there.

Okay, if this thread doesn't stop being a random culture-bashing exercise and start being somewhat appropriate for Games & Technology, and soon, I'm turning this goddamned car around.

core tactic

Cardboard Tube wrote:

Can you even buy Final Fantasy VII these days? Seriously? Because I'd like to pick it up.

Well not in Germany.



But on Ebay, it's going for about 25-80 dollars a copy.


Damn you EBgames, giving me a whole 5 dollars for it. Damn you to hell.

BTP

SeñorAmor wrote:

I'm going to get a friend and do the exact same thing. Only we'll call ourselves "L-piece" and "Straight piece" and kill in the name of Tetris. Every time we kill someone, we'll flash briefly and then disappear.

Good luck catching us.

This just in: Tetris players become NINJAS!

Doctor Detroit

So, does banned mean that everyone that has a copy in Germany is now breaking the law?

Obviously, this means it gets pulled at retail...except when was the last time FF7 was seen at retail? (Granted, I know nothing of any game's availability overseas.)

I guess that makes it easier for Square to do a FF7 remake--no German localization needed. :P

jimenex

templewulf wrote:

Shooter Mcgavin wrote:

Germany is absolutely ridiculously strict when it comes to violent media. That's just how their society is. They allow nudity on TV, but when it comes to violence, no way. It's just one of their wierd quirks. And in this case, it's a 10 year old game that everyone's already beaten twice.

Actually, I'd rather have sex on TV than excessive violence. I think America's aversion to sex and nudity is completely bizarre.

Think about it, would you rather be stabbed with a knife...or stabbed with "a knife"? :winky:

edit: in the butt. :winky:

edit #2: :winky:

[spoiler:d60dbec6cc]:winky:[/spoiler:d60dbec6cc]

I love winky...

Quintile

Cardboard Tube wrote:

Can you even buy Final Fantasy VII these days? Seriously? Because I'd like to pick it up.

Some EBGames in London, On, Canada have a small selection of PS1 titles, including FF7, FF8 and FF9 new for about $10 each.

SeñorAmor

BTP wrote:

SeñorAmor wrote:

I'm going to get a friend and do the exact same thing. Only we'll call ourselves "L-piece" and "Straight piece" and kill in the name of Tetris. Every time we kill someone, we'll flash briefly and then disappear.

Good luck catching us.

This just in: Tetris players become NINJAS!

Fast spinning 'S' and 'Z' pieces could look like throwing stars, I guess.

Æthelred

So.. where is this article saying the German government has done anything? Because there's nothing in the IGN piece.

TVs_Frank

Captain K wrote:

I think this Onion article might be a bit appropriate:

Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids

I remember when that happened with that TMNT slime stuff. I was pissed.

Zedro

I think this deserves a big "Ha ha, oh wow".

core tactic

Æthelred wrote:

So.. where is this article saying the German government has done anything? Because there's nothing in the IGN piece.

IGN wrote:

The damning part of this whole incident, beyond the tragic and gruesome nature of the crimes, is that the broader media caught wind that the teens had a copy of Final Fantasy VII installed on their computer.

In Germany, Final Fantasy VII is now being referred to as a 'Killerspiele'; which translates as 'killer game'. Now not even the sacred Final Fantasy brand name is free from the taint of violent crime.

Games branded as such are illegal in Germany.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Lambert

core tactic wrote:

"Murder game", which are banned in Germany.

"Murder game"s aren't banned in Germany, yet. The so called idea of "murder games" (="Killerspiele" in German) were mostly made up by stupid politicians who don't know anything about games and the mass media who is very anti-games in Germany, anyway.

There is a law underway, enforced by said stupid politicians, which would ban "Killerspiele", but there isn't even a clear definition what a "Killerspiel" is. In theory, every game with deaths in it as seen with the mentioned incident.

Æthelred

That "..the broader media caught wind that the teens had a copy of Final Fantasy VII installed on their computer..." right before the sentence just seems as though the media have dubbed it such.

edit: What Lambert said.

Also, these kids were 17. I sincerely doubt FF7 is an 18, even in Germany.

Tube

core tactic wrote:

Æthelred wrote:

So.. where is this article saying the German government has done anything? Because there's nothing in the IGN piece.

IGN wrote:

The damning part of this whole incident, beyond the tragic and gruesome nature of the crimes, is that the broader media caught wind that the teens had a copy of Final Fantasy VII installed on their computer.

In Germany, Final Fantasy VII is now being referred to as a 'Killerspiele'; which translates as 'killer game'. Now not even the sacred Final Fantasy brand name is free from the taint of violent crime.

Games branded as such are illegal in Germany.

Referred to by who?

core tactic

Damn you and your unclarity IGN. I don't know if it's officially banned yet, but there'll obviously be more updates on what happened/happens in the next couple of days or so as more people pick the story up.

corcorigan

Media, politicians, etc.

Of course all a bit of a moot point as courtesy of the EU you can casually walk across the border to the soon-to-be-erected stalls selling only banned games.

Gyral

So, this so-called ban, would it involve the cessation of sales or revoke the owning of such content? Because if it's the first, wouldn't that amount to a vegan protesting McDonalds by not eating there?

Zek

So the act of killing in video games in and of itself is not illegal in Germany, but as soon as one random criminal refers to himself as a character from said game, it automatically becomes outlawed?

chaossoldier

Lambert wrote:

core tactic wrote:

"Murder game", which are banned in Germany.

"Murder game"s aren't banned in Germany, yet. The so called idea of "murder games" (="Killerspiele" in German) were mostly made up by stupid politicians who don't know anything about games and the mass media who is very anti-games in Germany, anyway.

There is a law underway, enforced by said stupid politicians, which would ban "Killerspiele", but there isn't even a clear definition what a "Killerspiel" is. In theory, every game with deaths in it as seen with the mentioned incident.

Which, in theory, would ban Super Mario bros.

BahamutZERO

This guy are sick.

Alucard6986

Captain K wrote:

I think this Onion article might be a bit appropriate:

Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids

:^: :^: :^: