Life points soon need a new symbol – a red cross on a white background is legally protected.
Among the numerous video games created in the last few decades, there are only a few commonalities. From shooters to role-playing games to simulators, there are various genres that fundamentally differ. However, some commonalities almost all games share: namely the “Red Cross” symbol. Whether it’s Tomb Raider, Halo, Left4Dead, or even World of Warcraft, the red cross everywhere represents healing, the restoration of life points, or another regenerative ability.
But that is not allowed. The developers of the game “Prison Architect” received a letter from the British Red Cross and were threatened with a lawsuit. Contrary to popular belief, the red cross on a white background is not public domain, but legally protected for the “International Committee of the Red Cross”.
Strictly speaking, the developers have now violated the Geneva Conventions – however, they take it with humor.
It is somewhat strange that a conflict arose with a game like Prison Architect after the symbol has already appeared in games for several decades.
Especially in old games that are no longer supported by updates, the symbol can still be found repeatedly. Kotaku points out that games like the Halo series have replaced the symbol over the years – for example, with a red “H”, which presumably stands for “Health” and serves the same purpose.
Cortyn says: Personally, I find this approach a bit strange, as the symbol represents “health” or “help” in almost all games – exactly those values that are also represented by the Red Cross. On the other hand, one might not want this symbol to appear in violent games, which is entirely understandable.
In general, however, one must say: if the symbol is legally protected, it is the right of the rights holders to ensure that others do not use it.
