WoW to be for adults only?

In a strange twist of logic, German Social Affairs minister, Mechtchild Ross–Luttman, wants to enforce an age restriction policy on World of Warcraft. It was known that teenage shooter Tim Kretschmer often played first person shooters, so there is a fair amount of debate on video game violence in Germany right now. However, it seems that Ross-Luttman is using that as an excuse to restrict the world’s most popular MMO, making WoW available only for adults.

Ross-Luttman draws much of her conclusions on a recently released study in Germany that suggests that 15.8 percent of ninth grade boys and 4.3 percent of girls in Lower Saxony falls in the defined ranged of being addicted to video games, logging 4.5 hours or more of play per day. The study also suggests that up to 80 percent of all ninth graders included in the study were in danger of becoming addicted as well.

I sense a lot of political opportunism in this move. While 4.5+ hours of play a day does seem a tad on the excessive side, especially for a young person, the answer isn’t restricting the game. Parents, as well as the teenagers themselves, have to accept some part of the responsibility of moderating their use. Having a government enact heavy handed legislation is almost never the right answer. Further, restricting a game which has no nudity and cartoon-ish violence sets an awfully bad precedent.

Via Game Culture.

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