Swiss violent video game proposal draws attention

A bid by Swiss politicians to ban violent video games is gaining international attention - and criticism from some quarters.

Last month the upper and lower houses of Switzerland's parliament passed motions to this effect, calling on the federal cabinet to draft a federal law.

The house of representatives voted for a resolution, backed by the Socialist party, to "stop the manufacture, advertisement, importation and sale of any game that promotes as a means of advancement or achievement acts of violence against human or creatures resembling humans".

Another resolution seeks to restrict the sale of such games to children.

"The sweep of censorship awaits only the Swiss government's definition of inappropriate amounts of violence," says the website of PCWorld, an American magazine geared to home computer users.

A columnist for the website said the Swiss law could affect such games as Grand Theft Auto, God of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The website was just one of several media outlets to take note of the Swiss proposals, which have yet to pass a few hurdles before becoming law.

Pro-gaming blogs and websites have raised concerns about freedom of expression  and restrictions on creativity.

But Evi Allemann, a Socialist MP from Bern, a supporter of the tougher regulations, defends the need for them.

Recent studies show a strong empirical link between violent behaviour and use of so-called killer games, Allemann says on her website.

She criticizes the realistic nature of games depicting "cruel acts of violence" and the many opportunities provided by the games to "use force".

Allemann cites examples of actual cases of deaths in the US, Finland and Switzerland that can be linked to video violence.

The MP could not be reached for comment by Swisster on Monday.

But in an interview with the 20 Minutes newspaper she said the proposed ban would only affect around a dozen video games.  

"The absolute prohibition should only apply to individual games," she said.

Allemann compared the Swiss proposals to legislation already in place in Germany, where Mortal Kombat and Manhunt are already banned.

The European Union has adopted a Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system that rates games according to their suitability for different age groups.

However, Allemann maintained PEGI cannot properly rate video games because it's too closely linked to the industry that produces them.

"It takes an industry-independent federal agency, which sets age limits for certain games or [classifies] other games as harmless," she said.

The parliamentary bid in Bern follows calls last fall by two Swiss NGOs for video game makers to incorporate ethics in their products.

Zurich-based Pro Juvente, a children's advocacy group, and Geneva based TRIAL (Track Impunity Always) said after a review of 20 violent video games that ethical rules that apply to real armed conflicts are noticeably absent in most of them.

The images depicted in the games are sometimes shocking, allowing players to participate in simulated murders of innocent people and attacks on churches and mosques without any consequences, the groups said.

However, attempts to bring in strong regulations face opposition from some quarters, including Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.

Widmer-Schlumpf has argued a national ban on video games would require a federal regulator and an amendment to the country's constitution.

As an alternative, she has called for closer cooperation between the cantonal authorities on the issue.

But other observers have said that controlling such games is difficult given their widespread availability on the Internet.