Yes, is it already 2009 again? Recent events are bringing back a bad word. “Killerspiele” are suddenly a topic again.
Cursed live longer
Good Wednesday morning everyone. Last week had a lot of terrible news, and unfortunately, this time not in the gaming sector. Attacks and rampages seem to be “in fashion” again. These acts are terrible. But that’s not what this is about. In the wake of these incidents, a topic is coming to light that we actually hoped was part of the past: The term “Killerspiele” is making the rounds in the media again.
And of course, they have quite a large share of the blame for the rampages of young people. Unfortunately, this time it’s not some nobody some Professor Pfeiffer from the Institute for Reckless Statements who claims this, but our Interior Minister de Maizière. According to him, there can be no doubt among reasonable people that such games bear some responsibility for rampage acts, as they negatively influence the development of young people.
This is such a popular game in Germany. If the first suspicion is not true (What? The perpetrator was not an Islamist? Damn!), then we just rummage through our box of standard reasons again. And video games are devil’s stuff anyway. That is known, Khaleesi.
One step forward, two steps back
What makes me really sad is that even the public broadcasters are hopping on the bandwagon again. Didn’t you learn anything from the Frontal 21 incident? Haven’t you even published a really good documentary on the “Killerspiel debate” in the past months, in which you admitted your own mistakes? And now you’re back in circles starting from scratch. I can’t explain Tagesschau articles like this one otherwise than by pointing out that they are deliberately using the trend word “Killerspiel” as often as possible. Sooner or later you will also learn that this genre does not exist.
Do video games make people aggressive? Definitely. Anyone who has ever looked at the chat of Overwatch cannot come to any other conclusion. If you have ever died at the last second to a boss because Cpt. AFK-Hunter didn’t leave the fire, you surely felt anger rising. But you know what? Many things make people aggressive. I’d happily pass the word on to Dr. Allknowing, who has also made a nice video on this topic – quite a while ago.
By the way, I can also strongly recommend the article by Michael Graf from GameStar on this topic. He tries to approach the matter a bit more neutrally and recommends leaving out the “foam at the mouth.” I just can’t do that anymore after nearly 7 years of the same old accusations. The topic tires me. We don’t have a million Counterstrike players in Germany who are on the verge of becoming rampagers. The mere fact that almost every young person has played or seen a “Killerspiel” should perhaps encourage some reflection. These are not “time bombs that will explode at some point.”
To conclude, here’s something for everyone who is proficient in English. The YouTuber Julian Smith also expressed his opinion on aggression due to games in a video. That’s how I like it.
What do you think about this matter? Should there really be a renewed discussion on this topic? Or is the term “Killerspiel” getting on your nerves as well?
