Computer games containing symbols that are strictly prohibited today,including swastikas, may be approved in Germany in future.
Games containing symbols that are considered to be in violation of the Constitution in Germany are currently not eligible to receive assessment from the German Entertainment Industry Control Authority (USK). To be sold in Germany, the games must have one of the ratings, which indicate which age range the game is suitable for.
The change means that from now on, the USK will review the games that contain symbols that today are illegal, case by case. They will then decide whether the use of the symbols “has an artistic or scientific purpose,or helps to portray current or historical events.” German law already allows the symbols to be used under such circumstances, for example, swastika’s appearing in movies about the Nazi era.
World War II computer games, such as the ‘Wolfenstein’ series, are currently available to German consumers, but Nazi symbols have been replaced with fictional versions.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
