Wolfenstein: The New Order Will Be "Geo-Locked" To Conform With German Law

[The White Hunter]

Rather daft laws here and it isn't Machine Games fault that they'll be unable to put the game out as is in Germany. Fortunately I'll be able to play it just fine.

Could germans not just use VPN or order from outside the country?

 

[Korzack]

They should have changed them from Nazis to Hydra.

Then everyone would play it.

Return to Castle Red Skull.

Not to be confused with "Return to Castle Greyskull," an FPS starring He-Man.

I dunno, get the sword mechanics right and that'd be a hell of a game...
On topic, you can understand Germany having this hard a stance against anything nazi related. I'd honestly wonder if there's any point in asking Bethesda for an option to alternate between the two, I know it'd be a gas to see what they come up with as a replacement to Nazis, maybe surfing ninjas from Mars or something. Actually, that'd make a bonkers Saturday morning cartoon, let me write that down...

 

[Dragonlayer]

Well to be fair, you know what those Germans are like: if they don't have laws banning all gaming depiction of National Socialism and reminding them that it sucks, they would immediately build the Fourth Reich! All it takes is one uncensored videogame and BOOM!

Weltkrieg....

 

[Dragonlayer]

In 2012, a movie partially produced by Germans was released. It was called "Iron Sky". What was it about? HEY LOOK, IT'S SPACENAZIS FROM THE MOOOOOOOON!

So yeah, this wolfenstein thing is pretty weird even in context.

Oh great going Win32error, you just reminded of the godawful abortion that was that terrible piece of shit masquerading as a movie and now I have a headache!

 

[Dragonlayer]

Erm.. You seriously consider "game about killing nazis" to be "an expression of art"? To me that just seems tasteless and outdated, and I can absolutely agree to not making an exception for such a game. Now, if there were a game that dealt with the actual history in an interesting way, you know a sort of "Schindler's List" in game form, THEN this might be something to get worked up over if it were censored, but a brainless FPS? I don't see the issue, they might as well ban flappy bird, who the hell cares?

I think Velvet Assassin was developed with a mature and more realistic depiction of the complexities of the conflict, but then I heard a good portion of it can be played as a woman running around in her lingerie gunning down German soldiers like it's fucking Inglorious Basterds.

Oh well....

 

[Citizen Graves]

Could germans not just use VPN or order from outside the country?

Sure, they could. And they do. Problem is that it is against Steam's Terms of Use. By doing it this way you risk losing your entire Steam-Account.

To my knowledge that hasn't happened to anyone, yet. But it still sucks to live in fear of losing your account, even if you create one just for this one game or scenario.

 

[The White Hunter]

Could germans not just use VPN or order from outside the country?

Sure, they could. And they do. Problem is that it is against Steam's Terms of Use. By doing it this way you risk losing your entire Steam-Account.

To my knowledge that hasn't happened to anyone, yet. But it still sucks to live in fear of losing your account, even if you create one just for this one game or scenario.

Seems annoying as hell, I don't really get why they only censor games either. Hmm.

 

[Something Amyss]

I dunno, get the sword mechanics right and that'd be a hell of a game...

So...The Dolph Lundgren version?

Oh God, I'm in trouble for even suggesting that.

 

[mxfox408]

just change all symbols to the American flag since we are pretty much becoming what Nazi Germany once was.

 

[mjharper]

Thing is, it's not just Nazis that Germans are sensitive about, and it's not just 'excessive' violence, although both of these are excessive.

After all, Portal is only available as a Low Violence Version on Steam in Germany.

Portal. Censored for violence. Yeah.

And this is a country where we have to pay what amounts to an internet tax because we might visit one of the state news channels online at some point.

The German government just doesn't get the internet or technology at all. Not long ago, there was some serious discussion about banning Google so that it could be replaced by a home-grown alternative.

Also, recognising games as art won't solve the problem, if the way movies are dealt with is anything to go by.

The 1963 Oscar-winning movie Tom Jones is still an 18 rating here. And the supposedly uncut version of Kickboxer actually edits out the final winning blow of the Muscles from Brussels. They square off, and victory!

It's like living in a f*in nanny state, sometimes.

 

[Roxor]

Simple solution to the problem: make the German Government Approved version the only version. Everyone gets the same game, and nobody needs to be subjected to regional restrictions.

 

[Teh_Moose]

They should have changed them from Nazis to Hydra.

Then everyone would play it.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!

 

[Bluestorm83]

Well, it's their country, so they're welcome to their own rules.

That said, ignoring the past doesn't erase it. It would make sense to me for Germany to teach every single child in school just what the third reich was, what it did, what it stood for, and show them the unmasked horror that a human being can perpetrate when he allows himself to be led by hatred instead of compassion and reason. The present isn't culpable for the sins of the past, but if we don't learn to abhor evil we can easily become evil.

Besides, understanding what happened and talking about it can let the wound heal. Take Pearl Harbor, for instance. That's over and done with. The US and Japan are quite chummy now. Why? In part because Japan owned up to it and took responsibility, and in part because the US was willing to move forward. Flip that right around; we reduced two of their cities to ash. They offer us the same forgiveness for that. The history isn't hidden on either side. Both are examples of the horror of war and the horror of man, and from that we can learn and grow.

What does Germany gain from hiding swastikas? Do they think that they can pretend it never happened and the rest of the world will be chummy with them for it? When someone does wrong and then ignores it, it makes others around them MORE suspicious and wary towards them. I have a sneaky-ass younger cousin who often refuses to eat. He's put hotdogs under the couch, chicken nuggets in the bathroom garbage can under a ball of TP, a pop-tart in the couch cushions, etc. He's never owned up to any of it, and he's often annoyed that when he says "I finished dinner, can I go up the street to my friend's house" his parents take their sweet time searching the house for any food he might have hidden. The kid never learned anything because he won't admit he'd done wrong and is willing to grow up.

Yep, just compared the German Government to a seven year old.

Ah shit, did I just compare the Holocaust to putting a pop-tart in a couch? Fuck, you know what I mean.

I wouldn't go to Germany. Not because I think they're still closet Nazis. Not because I think that at the drop of a hat they're all ready to line up and goose step and chant. But because I think that as a people they're being trained to disavow the POSSIBILITY that we can be worse than we seem.

 

[clippen05]

just change all symbols to the American flag since we are pretty much becoming what Nazi Germany once was.

Not sure if serious but if you are that's the biggest hyperbole I have ever seen. I don't think you can equate Republicans with Nazis, that's a huge stretch. Or if you are basing it off of war, I again don't see how you can equate Germany's wars of annexation with the U.S.'s wars against terror.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Instead Publishers like Bethesda actively choose to harrass gamers by breaking consumer-rights through locking out adult customers from being able to activate and play their legally obtained copies of a game that they are by law permitted to buy and own for personal use.

You're accusing Bethesda of "harassing" gamers? The game hasn't even been released yet, where on Earth do you pull this nonsense from? What "consumer rights" are being violated? And lastly, what "legally obtained" copies which "are permitted by law" are you referring to? Because with the nazi symbolism in tact, the new Wolfenstein game would be completely illegal in Germany [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_%C2%A7_86a].

In short, you are talking absolute rubbish. Bethesda are not harassing anyone nor are they violating anyone's rights. The game with it's Nazi symbols would be illegal in Germany, regardless of the intended use.

Wolfenstein in it's uncut form is not illegal in Germany. Sure, it can not be openly sold and/or advertised publically, but if adults choose to buy such games (in it's intended and uncut form) they may do so freely by importing them from other countries.

Yes it is illegal. They may not import freely from other countries. If it was legal, it could be sold/advertised legally and people wouldn't need to resort to importing internationally. Sure, they probably could get away with it, buy it and not get caught, but they would still be breaking the law. I could buy Marijuana in Amsterdam legally, but I can't bring it to the UK because it's illegal here. Just because it can be bought, does not make it legal.

If Bethesda claims that they are operating within the parameters of the law of Germany then they are lying. This press release is a slap in the face for every German gamer who would enjoy nothing more than buying an uncut copy of a Wolfenstein game and shoot a f**king Nazi in the face.

They are not lying. They are doing the opposite thing to lying in fact, which is telling the truth. The law in Germany (quote) outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations" (end quote). Therefore releasing a game with Nazi symbols would be illegal in Germany. The press release is not a slap in the face, it is in compliance with the law and no different than the removal of drug references from games released in Australia.

To everyone else, what difference does it make to German gamers really? Some art assets and VOs get changed and not a lot else. It'll be the same 50GB behemoth with the same weapons, gameplay, maps, etc that everyone else in the world gets. Every country has things that will not make it past censors. Every country. The only difference between them is what gets censored.

In Germany, it's Nazi symbols, in the UK "Manhunt 2" was banned from sale (until some heavy editing convinced the censors to pass it, along with the US). The 360/PS3 versions of "Stick of Truth" was self-censored by Ubisoft for Europe, along with the German PC version of the game. Thailand will ban any game with sexual content. Many countries have banned games [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games] for a variety of reasons. Not everything can be to everyone's tastes and other countries have different cultures and standards than yours. The Zeitgeist in Germany is not the same as in other countries, particularly when it comes to the role of Nazi symbolism in their culture and history.

Wolfenstein isn't being banned, it's having parts edited so it can be sold in Germany. The alternative is to not make it available at all. Get over yourselves. Every single person in this thread who wanted to buy this game, could do so and that's *because* Bethesda have gone to extra effort to satisfy German law.

 

[Citizen Graves]

In short, you are talking absolute rubbish. Bethesda are not harassing anyone nor are they violating anyone's rights. The game with it's Nazi symbols would be illegal in Germany, regardless of the intended use.

To be frank I find your public display of arrogant nonsense rather offensive and I am not sure why you even bothered replying to my post. If one thing is clear then it is the fact that YOU have absolutely and undoubtedly no bloody clue what YOU are talking about.

Bethesda is harrassing players by geo-locking ROW versions of the game on Steam in Germany. You've attacked my post and linked a certain part of the StGB to support your claim. Well, why don't you go ahead and actually read that thing yourself? Maybe in time you will realize why you are wrong?!

Sure, they probably could get away with it, buy it and not get caught, but they would still be breaking the law. I could buy Marijuana in Amsterdam legally, but I can't bring it to the UK because it's illegal here. Just because it can be bought, does not make it legal.

Yep, don't know what you are talking about. Rubbish, utter rubbish.

Wolfenstein isn't being banned, it's having parts edited so it can be sold in Germany. The alternative is to not make it available at all. Get over yourselves. Every single person in this thread who wanted to buy this game, could do so and that's *because* Bethesda have gone to extra effort to satisfy German law.

Still rubbish. Still don't know what you are talking about.

Meh, waste of my time. And that is not even the entirety of your post.