Talk:Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle

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Doom3[edit]

The only Part of the "Doom"-Series that was rated "USK 18" is Doom 3. "Doom", "The Ultimate Doom", "Doom 2" and "Final Doom" are still banned. I fixed that in the article.213.183.76.244 (talk) 17:07, 25 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They're not banned, they're on the index. 134.176.19.98 (talk) 11:34, 20 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Insanity[edit]

The USK is INSANITY. Toontown Online is apparently classified "12", so an 11 year old couldn't play a game Rated E in the US, where anyone can legally watch anything at home. Nazis. --Z.Spy 02:09, 28 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

No, that is just a recommendation, do not get me started on the ones from the ESRB. The insanity comes from the new law, making these recommendations strict for sellers. For example, there is no possible way to verify that a child is at least 12 years old. -- Darklock 05:00, 1 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Wow, I don't mean to offend but, in Germany, your standards are really strict! I've seen games which got T ratings from the ESRB but are rated for 18 years and older by the USK. Chipmunk01 18:58, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well, standards in the US are strict as well, when it comes to sexual content as in Singles: Flirt Up Your Life. It's rated Adults only by the ESRB in the US, but 16+ by PEGI in the EU. I'd prefer my kids play games involving romance and love rather than killing people. --Abdull 21:34, 28 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Just as a Sidemark, in Germany sexual contant is hardly ever banned, quite different to violence. Additionally most of the German Game Versions reduce Violence to be allowed. For Instance you will hardly find blood in German game versions. Many games replace people you have to shoot by robots. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 138.246.7.21 (talk) 12:17, 10 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]
I'm living in Germany and i can tell, sexual content is never banned in a video game (except badass hardcore porn). A good example is Dead or Alive: Xtrem 2, in the US the games is rated M, but here in germany, it's only 12... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Margeun (talk • contribs) 20:47, 2 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

And I've never seen any game that was changed human to robots... the usk sucks but please don't talk nonsense. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.135.51.80 (talk) 20:13, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In the German versions of Half-Life and Command and Conquer the humans was changed to robots... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.128.189.250 (talk) 21:00, 4 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there, Marek Klingelstein from the USK itself. A title called Toontown online was never rated by the USK. Please stay with the facts and check out www.usk.de and search for the game. bye Marek

klingelstein@usk.de

Just shocking! some games that have sexaul content such as Sven Bømwøllen are rated M or even AO by ESRB but get only 12 by USK what the heck is hapending? 109.174.115.255 (talk) 14:19, 28 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OMG! This game is also rated 12 by PEGI, so then i wonder, how do my parents find this game inapportable for childern under 18 of age? 109.174.115.255 (talk) 14:49, 28 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Comparison to ESRB[edit]

I don't think the comparisons to the ESRB are that correct, or if you can even compare them so well. For exemple, isn't ohne Altersbeschränkung (starting at 0 years) more like Early Childhood? And it says Keine Jugendfreigabe would be similar to the 'Adults Only' rating. Well, from what I read at the Wikipedia (I don't live in the USA so I'm not familiar with the Rating System), Adults Only seems only to be given to games with sexual content. But since pretty much every FPS containing realistic violence and blood is rated Ab 18, it is more similar to ESRB's Mature Rating, and so the Ab 16 would be more similar to the Teen Rating. It's kind of difficult to compare the two Rating systems because the USK is much more severe about violence while they - unlike the ESRB - pretty much don't care about sexual content. --90.129.9.207 03:11, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

CE+E 0
E+10 6
T 12
M 16
AO 18
You've done it wrong--173.228.205.51 (talk) 20:40, 9 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Mistake in "The Index" paragraph[edit]

"Games that are on the index are marked with JK/SPIO-Gutachten." This is wrong. A JK/SPIO-Gutachten normaly is for movies. If the FSK - not the USK - denies a classifikation for a movie the publisher may ask the SPIO if the movie violates any German law. If it does it is not given a JK/SPIO-Gutachten. If it doesn't violate any German law it is given a "JK/SPIO strafrechtlich unbedenklich"-Button. Films with this Button can be placed on the Index by the BPJM. But not every movie with a JK/SPIO has to be on the index. For example the extended cut of Hostel has a JK/SPIO and it is not on the index.


Freiwillig???[edit]

Why is called "voluntary" when it's obviously mandatory? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.162.70.82 (talk) 18:47, 23 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Because it is not mandatory. You are still free to sell your Tetris clone unrated, meaning only to adults. -- Darklock (talk) 01:33, 15 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]


New Symbols[edit]

New logos have been introduced, they look just like the new ones introduced by the FSK: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.211.160.72 (talk) 14:23, 17 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fingering?![edit]

"...moderately bloody violence, fingering, and..." I believe by fingering, they mean "The Finger", or "Flipping Off". That kinda gives a bad impression if you ban something for fingering (all I remember in Halo 3 is T-Bagging, really...). If this was translated, it was translated rather poorly. Shouldn't this be changed? 98.224.89.48 (talk) 04:54, 5 May 2010 (UTC) Sorry for bumping, but with fingering they probably mean groping and touching people in a sexual way — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2003:62:4526:3200:4543:32C:1866:372D (talk) 11:54, 13 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Rating and Censorship[edit]

Maybe it should be clarified in the article who censors, and what the impact of an 18+ rating would be.

An 18+ rating in Germany means the vendor is liable to ensure that he sells the game only to adults, that's all. If a parent buys the game for their 14 years old it's their business (of course it might cast a poor light on them should the child/family get the attention of the youth wellfare, but it wouldn't be the reason for them to be involved) and when an adult relative or friend buys the game and gives it to the kid, it's only a matter between that guy and the kid's parents. But the shop owner can be penalized when HE sells the game to the juvenile directly.

As for the shops, the main market for video games in Germany aren't the big supermarket chains, but mail order shops and dedicated game shops (that often also video stores as well and have an 18+ area for porn and splatter movies anyway.) As an adult in Germany the only disadvantages I have when buying an "adult only" game is that 1. I have to grab my ID card when going to the post office to retrieve the parcel and 2. there's an extra postal charge of € 2.50 for that proof-of-age service. And in a store I either need to look like I'm an adult or show my ID card to be allowed to enter the 18+ area.

Also, censorship is not done by the USK; it is done in preemptive obedience by the developers who usually are asked to do it by the (non-german) publishers who fear the major sales loss they would get in the US with an AO rating. The whole idiocy shows when the censored version ends up on exactly the same shelf as the uncensored version, or mail order shops quarel about the next delivery of the original version, while their stocks are full with the censored version that nobody wants to buy.

Even localisation isn't much of an issue, since there is usually an uncensored German-language version for Austria and Switzerland, which of course ends up in german shelves as well.


Just to be clear: Yes, Germany had an issue with violent computer-games in the 1980's and early 90's.

Back then the BPjS, a federal side branch of the youth wellfare agency, mainly charged to evaluate movies and magazines (i.e. filtering porn and splatter) was responsible to judge computer games as well, but they only acted when a local school or youth wellfare office or similar institution reported a game. Reportedly a lot of games were evaluated by viewing gameplay videos, because the responsible persons weren't exactly practiced computer gamers. It was a completely chaotic and unpredictable situation, and the developers reacted accordingly with ridiculous stuff like black blood.

For the computer game world the mid 90's are ancient past, though. The USK is a predictable and competent institution that does its job (protecting the young) without creating too much hazzle for the rest of us. It's time the non-german public (and thus the US-based game designers) realize that and stop censoring their games for the german market. --84.152.225.203 (talk) 09:08, 1 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

USK 12 on Sven?[edit]

Why the Sven was rated USK 12? This game contains some sexual content that may be not appropriate for children under 18, so why this game do earn a USK 12 rating? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.174.115.63 (talk) 13:05, 11 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Should be an mistake207.204.187.102 (talk) 20:32, 22 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
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