Switzerland votes to ban violent games

By Robert Purchese Published 22 March, 2010

Parliament left to discuss the specifics.

Switzerland's parliament has passed a proposal to ban any videogame that "requires cruel acts of violence against humans and human-like creatures for in-game success".

This could lead violent videogames being outlawed there for good.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that details of the law are still being ironed out. However, Swiss citizens may challenge any new law passed by their government should they muster sufficient opposition to it.

One motion, put forward by the Christian Democratic Party has called for the ban of all first-person shooters rated 16+ or 18+ by PEGI.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (57) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ChronoMizaki #1 2 years ago

    Okay. We thought that Alan Tistmach being a dick wasn't enough. Now the Swiss banned violent videogames?

    Jesus, what's next? Our details being recorded whenever we buy a violent videogame, so we can get a letter, inviting us to some sort of clinic with happiness puppet and anti-violence girl?

  • alcides #2 2 years ago

    They're in total denial of being surrounded by Europe since forever. Import doesn't exist lalalala...

  • andromeda #3 2 years ago

    *crosses Switzerland off my 'places of interest' list.

  • zuljin #4 2 years ago

    And this on the day Australia is one step closer to having an 18 rating.

    [link url=http://www .smh.com.au/digital-life/games/gamers-rejoice-as-r18-roadblo ck-steps-down-20100322-qous.html
    ]http://ww w.smh.com.au/digital-life/games...[/link]

    Shameful Switzerland, shameful.

  • Bulbatron #5 2 years ago

    Hmmm. Tell me more about this 'anti-violence girl'.

    :-)

  • Murton #6 2 years ago

    I don't get it. Switzerland has the one of if not the highest rate of gun ownership in world and the lowest rate of gun related homicides. This would suggest that they're a pretty intelligent and enlightened bunch, then this shit happens proving otherwise.

    It's also a pointless measure as we have already seen in Germany and Australia, games fans will merely import, leading to a lot of money leaving the country and a reduction of tax revenues for Switzerland.

  • Vanmunt #7 2 years ago

    Thats one odd country...... Am I right that every adult has to do Military Service and you have to keep a riffle in your house!

  • ShinMegami08 #8 2 years ago

    Damn Bastards.
    I live in Switzerland and it sucks.
    Would have had a little bit of understanding if the country had had a couple of amok-shootings in school or so.... but no...nothing at all has happened.

    Oh yeah: I think Super Mario should also get banned. FOR GODS SAKE HE JUMPS ON TURTLES AND KILLS THEM!!!!

  • Subi #9 2 years ago

    We've done business out there, and yes, they are that mad. Still, Switzerland is basically Europe's retirement home for tax exiles, so no great loss, surely? (with apologies to ShinMegami08 :)
    Edited by 2 at 22/03/10 @ 14:14

  • Beano #10 2 years ago

    I think video games should ban Switzerland...

  • alcides #11 2 years ago

    @ChronoMizaki "Jesus, what's next?" is exactly how a party called "Christian Democratic Party" would run a country. *shivers*

  • ShinMegami08 #12 2 years ago

    @vanmunt: Yep, thats true. Each male citizen has a rifle gun in his appartment!

    Oh and I'm not gonna start to count how many cases of domestic violence (where the male kills the whole family) we had in the last couple of years.

    Oddly, videogames get banned, but you can keep your gun....

  • ShinMegami08 #13 2 years ago

    Gaddafhi (big chief of Libya) made the proposal to abolish switzerland: The german part would go to germany, the french part to france and the italian part to Italy.

    Not such a bad idea...

  • Atropos #14 2 years ago

    Heh, this'll never hold up - at worst, it'll be struck off the books as soon as today's gamers become voters. With direct democracy, it'll be hella hard to suppress the fastest growing entertainment medium for long. Also, what about Steam or any of the other download-services? Switzerland is too small to police through ip-checks, they could just download through german /french 3g - or even through that byteflood thing I've heard so much about.

  • Scawie #15 2 years ago

    Now every violent game requires a "bullet eater" mode to get a release in Switzerland.

  • Powerslave #16 2 years ago

    "One motion, put forward by the Christian Democratic Party has called for the ban of all first-person shooters rated 16+ or 18+ by PEGI."

    it's all their fault...
    Edited by 4 at 22/03/10 @ 14:24

  • PearOfAnguish #17 2 years ago

    Who will define 'cruel act of violence'? And 'in-game success'? If I kill someone in a certain way to get an achievement in, say, GTA, does that count?

    I always had an impression of the Swiss being a pretty relaxed bunch. All this is going to do is encourage imports and piracy.

  • zuljin #18 2 years ago

    @Murton
    "I don't get it. Switzerland has the one of if not the highest rate of gun ownership in world and the lowest rate of gun related homicides."

    Gun ownership in Switzerland is completely different than anywhere else in the world. It is related to finishing your army duty, and extremely heavily regulated.

  • Murton #19 2 years ago

    "Gun ownership in Switzerland is completely different than anywhere else in the world. It is related to finishing your army duty, and extremely heavily regulated."

    I'm aware of that, I'm just saying that there's a load of guns, but very few gun related crimes that would suggest they're fairly sensible and maybe even above the need for this sort of leglislation. Evidently that is not the case.

  • GaryHoward #20 2 years ago

    Another one!? I thought Hugo Chavez passing that law in Venezuela was a joke, but now Switzerland is almost following in their footsteps. Also, that Alan Titmarsh video made me die a little inside.

  • reality_cheque #21 2 years ago

    Why not just ban minors from purchasing the games, and fine anyone who buy it for them?

  • Doctor_What #22 2 years ago

    Still, at least they gave us the cuckoo clock.

    (Quick competition: name that film reference.)

  • Vanmunt #23 2 years ago

    Why not just ban minors from purchasing the games, and fine anyone who buy it for them?

    Why pick pick on minors, not Maggie Thatcher are you!!

    @Shin

    Thanks I thought that was true, on a 100 questions about our strange Neutral Neighbours.. is it legal to grow and smoke pot upto National Service?
    Edited by 1 at 22/03/10 @ 14:48

  • President_Weasel #24 2 years ago

    From reading the story elsewhere I got the impression that the Christian Democrats actually proposed banning the sale of 16 and 18 rated games to minors; in other words, making the PEGI ratings legally binding, rather than banning those games outright.
    It's the other proposed law that would ban the sale of violent games.

  • KayJay #25 2 years ago

    @ Bulbatron - "Hmmm. Tell me more about this 'anti-violence girl'"
    Her name is Julie Peasgood. Dont even go there... :-)

  • Gastrian #26 2 years ago

    The question is how do you define cruel? Are we talking Madworld and Manhunt levels of sadism? Halo and Bad Company whereby you have to kill to progress? or even something like StreetFighter 4 which just has you beat the shot out of someone else?

    If its just for games like Manhunt then I don't really see the issue as those are bordering on sadistic porn (A lot of psychos do get a semi-sexual pleasure from their acts of brutality or a more heightened version than non-psychos so the theory is that if you give this type of material to someone in their teens is who is starting to come to terms with their sexual impulses then you are artificially heightening this connection which while it may not create psychos it does cement the idea of violence equals sexual pleasure which still screws them up mentally in later life) but if they apply it to simple killing or beat-them-ups then that's taking it a bit too far.

  • Raz76 #27 2 years ago

    "requires cruel acts of violence against humans and human-like creatures for in-game success".

    So no more Space Invaders then.

  • The_Inquisitor #28 2 years ago

    People of Switzerland... I'll swap you my old violent games for a Toblerone. :-)

  • Boomerang #29 2 years ago

    "Games don't kill people, rappers do."

    Hurrah for progress, eh Switzerland?

  • Zebula77 #30 2 years ago

    What's the definition of "human-like creatures" then? Silly, silly people. :p

  • Skurmedel #31 2 years ago

    Frankly nutty laws are nothing new in Europe. Not long ago EU thought it was a good idea making ISPs responsible for the stuff their customers check up on the web. A lot of countries are participating in the Acta negotiations which (at least for a while) suggested that customs personnel could search your computer and MP3-player. Sweden allowed mass surveillance on telecommunications "only for external traffic" and to "support our military". Etc. What happens when you have old farts scared of new technology run the world?
    Edited by 1 at 22/03/10 @ 15:09

  • RedPanda #32 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Koozer #33 2 years ago

    I always knew Plants Vs. Zombies, Pikmin and Pokemon were a bad influence.

  • ChronoMizaki #34 2 years ago

    "Hmmm. Tell me more about this 'anti-violence girl'.

    :-) "

    She'll smack you around the ear on your violence tenancies and comment on your lacklustre sex life, imploring you to listen to her sex tips. ;)
    Edited by 1 at 22/03/10 @ 15:32

  • CrispyLog #35 2 years ago

    What's next, banning chess because to win you have to kill a king? Ridiculous.

  • LiamK #36 2 years ago

    Although this is clearly all a bit silly, this:

    "What's next, banning chess because to win you have to kill a king? Ridiculous."

    ...has to win the "line most likely to appear in the Daily Mail" award of the day.

  • Skurmedel #37 2 years ago

    No no, you don't kill the king, you just... umm, flip him over.

  • TheApologist #38 2 years ago

    @Doctor_What

    The Third Man.

    Whaddoiwin?

  • the_mtfr #39 2 years ago

    Christian party? Have they even considered first banning music with sexually explicit content, such as the majority of Britney's and Rihanna's and Fergie's songs? What about porn movies? Why does the Christian party indulge in that may I ask? (I'm obviously not actually proposing banning those, I am just wondering what they're thinking) I am a Christian myself but these are some hypocrites! It all starts when religion gets involved in politics.
    Edited by 2 at 22/03/10 @ 16:18

  • Danno #40 2 years ago

    For Bulbatron:

    [link url=http://images.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl=en& safe=active&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=julie+peasgood&aq=f&aqi=&aql =&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0
    ]http://im ages.google.co.uk/images?um=1&h...[/link]

    There's your anti-violence girl. Apparently she's a 'sexpert' of some sort, but you'd need a rod of steel to survive her bitter, dried-up hole of evil.

  • AOFanboi #41 2 years ago

    Maybe we should create a non-violent game - about Switzerland?

    We could call it "Hide the Nazi Treasures and Protect Dictators' Embezzled Money". Or just "Swiss Business".

    Take that, "neutrals"!

  • super_monty #42 2 years ago

    @Gastrian

    Not sure why your comment is at -4, when it's is clearly the most correct comment posted here.

    People should actually try reading the quote rather than the sensationalistic bits added on by the media:
    "requires cruel acts of violence against humans and human-like creatures for in-game success".

    Cruel act tends to mean actions like sadistic torture of living beings or rape, serial killer or other overly sadistic actions.
    So Killzone 3, Halo Reach. Zelda even Gears or War should be fine.

  • Acrid #43 2 years ago

    STOP THE MADNESS!!!

  • sfp_noodle #44 2 years ago

    looks like the swiss wont be getting any more god of war games then

  • imamazed #45 2 years ago

    That's the tyranny of the majority right there...

  • Phuzzle #46 2 years ago

    Hahaha, oh my. You guys actually read the article, or just the title?

  • AOFanboi #47 2 years ago

    - This is madness!
    - THIS IS SWITZERLAND!

    *pushes game publisher into a bottomless Swiss cheese hole*

  • Hexagon #48 2 years ago

    With Swiss authorities deciding to be nutters, where do you think Swiss gamers will get their games from? Yup, that's right, the United Kingdom. Games are significantly cheaper here, uncensored, and they don't get banned. It is an opportunity for both the United Kingdom and the gamers of Switzerland to benefit from one another.

  • Oblyvious #49 2 years ago

    As a gamer living in Switzerland, I find this news actually very shocking and terrifying. This news came actually quite quickly, I think it was released about a week ago. The terrifying aspect of the ban is that the Call of Duty series was mentioned. Manhunt was also mentioned and banning that I understand. But, CoD? That has to be a joke.

  • Wyrm #50 2 years ago

    I'm almost of mind to say go ahead and do it. Watch them scratch their heads over the next ten years when violent crimes still happen.

  • Lamb #51 2 years ago

    But but... violent games are drop dead gorgeous: awe inspiring, Megan-Fox-In-A-Bikini Delicious!!! Sorry Just Cause 2 and Mario stomping on Koopas is a violent act!

  • KillallHippies #52 2 years ago

    ...voted for a ban on violent videogames and have instead instigated a new regime of gaming where you lay down your weapons and just let the nazis take over.

  • Gastrian #53 2 years ago

    @ Super_Monty

    Thanks, didn't realise I got so much negativity (is now showing as 0) must be the fact that I suggested a link between games and sex crimes and psychotic behaviour.

    The problem with this debate is that both sides are acting ignorantly and there's no room for compromise or actually finding the facts. The governments and people against violent games are still treating gaming culture as something for young kids and are not accepting that the biggest demographic for non-casual games (ie not Farmville) is the 22-30 year old male or that the medium has now matured to a point that its on par with film. On the otherhand you've got gamers and forum goers who see each of these stories as an attack against their hobby and themselves especially some of the misguided claims being made against them and they will defend it to the extreme.

    As its the men in charge who are making the accusations and policies against gamers they should be the ones to make the first move, to fund a non-biased investigation into the effects of ALL media(gamers should not be treated unfairly) on people and allow for the fact that games are not toys and aren't always aimed at kids. It is vitally important then that gamers accept these findings or at least disagree with them based on the facts and not because it may have an impact on their fun.

    While we buy games to enjoy ourselves we must be wary of what we are enjoying. If we enjoy things such as beating a tramp to death with a pipe or do such an act for reward then we are saying stuff about us that even a Rorschach image may get queasy over but the same mentality must be applied to film and books (just because you have written words and no images doesn't mean you are superior) too as some of the torture scenes in Saw and Captivity do tie into heavy sadomasochistic pornographic imagery (I only know this because the human psych interests me and I agree with the notion that nothing shows our true feelings and disposition than our sexual desires).

    Edited by 1 at 23/03/10 @ 00:53

  • corinoco #54 2 years ago

    Ok, so games that feature violence against humans is bad, mkaay?

    So it follows that films and books that depict violence must also be bad, right, mkaaay?

    So a book that features about 2 million deaths, death by toture, stoning, killing of children (often in quite graphic detail), rape, pillage, cities attacked by weapons of mass destruction (orbital bombardment), disfigurement (cutting off ears) and nailing live humans to pieces of wood must also be considered horrifically violent, right?

    OH! You've just banned THE BIBLE!

  • Fab4 #55 2 years ago

    Violent games...they are up there with making money out of Nazi gold...oh wait...no they arent.

  • Mr_Bison #56 2 years ago

    (authorities look away) I live in Switzerland and I Import all my games anyway because it is way cheaper.

    This is just hillbilly Swiss regional politicians who have never played a game in there life.

    The actual idea to ban all violence in games came from a socialist (SP) politician. I voted for them in the past....never again

  • euzkadi #57 2 years ago

    punishing the most profitable entertainment industry nowadays... yeah, great...