Half of the people in Germany play on smartphones and computers – including many children and young people. But where so many gather, there is also hatred and agitation. Do we need new laws?
Shortly before the start of the digital games fair Gamescom, the Federal Ministry of Justice called for comprehensive regulation of game platforms at European level. “Where millions, especially young people, move and communicate with each other every day, there must be no blind spots when it comes to protection against criminal offenses,” Justice State Secretary Christian Kastrop told the “Handelsblatt” on Wednesday. “Mandatory rules and strong consumer rights” are therefore also necessary for game platforms.
“Digital Services Act” is intended to regulate business on online platforms
In the negotiations on the “Digital Services Act” (DSA), with which the EU wants to regulate the business practices of online platforms, the Ministry of Justice wants to campaign for stricter requirements. “Game platforms must be covered by the future European rules so that criminal and youth-endangering content can be deleted very quickly,” said Kastrop.
The State Secretary sees the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) and the recently passed legislative package against hatred and agitation on the Internet as a “substantive model” to make gaming really safe. The aim is to protect children and young people as best as possible.
Renate Künast: NetzDG reform should have included regulation
Green politician Renate Künast also considers binding rules for game platforms to be urgently needed. “That, by the way, could and should have been regulated for Germany in the recent NetzDG reform,” she said. The amendment to the so-called Network Enforcement Act against online hatred, decided at the beginning of May, is intended to strengthen the rights of users. At that time, Künast had already criticized that the law was lagging behind current developments. “But our green proposal to expand the law was rejected by the coalition factions in plenary,” she says now.
Fortunately, criminal content such as hate speech is very rare at games, said Felix Falk, managing director of the Game association responsible for the games industry. These are more likely to be found in social media, “and for such cases already mandatory rules and strong and even more expanded consumer rights are rightly effective.”
Authorities need to develop digital skills
“In addition, games companies voluntarily take action against them in various ways if there is insulting or discriminatory communication in individual games,” continued Falk. There are community managers who enforce rules and sanction violations. “However, experience also shows that the responsible authorities urgently need to expand their digital skills in order to be able to do their job properly.”
Gamescom this year via video livestream
Gamescom starts on Wednesday evening with the opening gala Opening Night Live. The largest games fair in the world is not taking place in the Cologne exhibition halls this year, but in the form of various video live streams online. It starts with the Opening Night Live, in which from 8 p.m. numerous innovations from the world of computer games will be presented. The political opening will follow on Thursday (10 a.m.) with CDU Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet, Digital Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU), the Federal Government’s digitization commissioner, Dorothee Bär (CSU), and Cologne’s Mayor Henriette Reker (independent).
You can see in the video: In 2018, the Bundeswehr recruits new recruits at the world’s largest games fair, Gamescom, and in the greater Cologne area. But many Twitter users find the promotion to be tasteless.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
