German Social Affairs Minister suggests making 'addictive' games available to adults

The German Minister for Social Affairs in Lower Saxony, Mechthild Ross-Luttmann, says she will ask for an investigation into the sale of inappropriate games to minors and may request a general age restriction for "addictive computer games." Welt Online reports that, for example, the drug known as World of Warcraft, currently available to minors, may only be sold to adults in the future. We wonder if Ross-Luttmann would classify Peggle in the same category? This war on games comes following a recent school shooting in the country.

Although Ross-Luttmann believes that computer games are the "potential danger" that exists in children's bedrooms, Andreas Rosenfelder, author of Digital Paradise, sees little connection between "digital role playing games like World of Warcraft and shooting sprees." Restricting "addictive" games to adults inevitably leads to the question: Who decides what's addictive?

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/19/ge...dictive-games/