Censorship, communist PAC-Man and other charms
There are two main filters in Germany: the Nazi past and the Cold War. Everything passes through them, from Turkish kebab to high art.
In Berlin, where I have been living for a couple of years, it is much more noticeable. Take, for example, a museum of computer games. The East German KC85/3 is dusting between Atari 2600 and Famicom – this is a miracle of technicians on the cloneless clone of the American chip Zilog Z80. And to the Gdrovsky Arcade Automobile Poly-Play, on the contrary, you can’t get out-it was tightly stored by Berlin schoolchildren.
In the meantime, my colleagues are guessing what to ask the creators about Darksiders, Cyberpunk 2077 and ** The Sinking City ** on Gamescom In Cologne, let's see how the spirit of time covered the local gamestroy.
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Zeitgeist
Recently, a German version of the second came to me Wolfenstein. It turned out that the main enemy here is not the Nazis at all, but a slurred "regime". The Huler refills them, a smoothly shaved copy of the original Hitler. Swastikas and concentration camps here also do not find. However, many have already written about this on the network.
On August 9, 2018, the authorities selectively allowed Nazi attributes in games. True, it is not yet clear how the German audience will react to this.
Such metamorphoses in Germany are not uncommon. The case is in German mentality: still in schools they colorfully talk about National Socialism, Hitler and SS men, introduce former prisoners of labor camps and are taken on excursions to Auschwitz. So in children they feed a sense of responsibility for the past and so that it does not happen again. Although over time, an emotional response became weaker, many Germans are still uncomfortable from the words “Swastika”, “Nazis” and “concentration camp”. Yes, and mention them, except in historical context or works of art, is prohibited by law. And since games in Germany do not consider art, there are no Nazis in them.
Skins in German
So it turns out that in the film there is a swastika about Indiana Jones, but in games about him – no. And this is strictly: so, collector Silent Hunter 5 banned because of one forgotten soldier with a Nazi emblem. Without special approval of censors, the game falls into the adult section, where it is forever lost among low -budget pornography. That's why developers adjust their projects to local laws.
IN Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The swastika, of course, was removed, but very clumsy.
But in Hearts of Iron 4 Hitler was only slightly "gleaned".
Action 10 Second Ninja True, Nazis robots are carefully disguised in Germany.
IN South Park: The Stick of Truth The swastika was also just smeared with black squares.
Blood in Germany is also forced to retouch. Then the developers came up with a curious chip: they replaced all people with robots that expire with oil instead of blood.
So, in the first Half-Life And Turok: Dinosaur Hunter All humanoids were turned into cars. Even in caricature Team Fortress Instead of soldiers – bags with bolts and springs. And in the sequel Soldier of Fortune For German players, an alternative universe was invented, where humanity was replaced by Androids. Moreover, they live in his image and likeness: they build cities, go to work and start families. The protagonist here, of course, is also a robot.
However, c Team Fortress 2 Such a modification fit quite organically.
The most crazy metamorphoses have occurred with the strategy Command and Conquer: Generals. The superpowers were pulled on the faces of the generals as if pulled by the ridiculous skins of the Androids, and instead of the unit of the suicide bomber, a barrel of dynamite marchs through the game field.
Censorship in Command and Conquer: Generals.
Often censorship cuts whole pieces of content. From World at War They removed the zombie-mode, where the main character fought off from the revived soldiers of the Reich, and there are no glasses for the murder of other enemies here. IN Saints Row: The Third limited the use of Tropicanza Casino a "living shield" only to the Sopartians, in Bulletstom The bloodied bodies simply disappear, and in the third GTA The dead people are dead peacefully. Do this censors in order not to encourage violence.
In GTA III of the dead, money does not even fall out.
Art in the little things: on the German boxing publication Left 4 Dead Even the thumb is on the spot!
Games "Ossi" and "Wessi"
But they don’t hide anything about the Cold War. In scandalous 1378 (km) For 16 players, Soviet border guards shoot residents of the GDR who decided to leave the country. Since the murder will not bring victory – at the end of the border guard party they will judge for crimes committed – the game was recognized ethically impeccable. You can win here by detaining the violator by making contact with him or becoming a defector himself.
1378 kilometers – the length of the border between the GDR and Germany.
But you can find out about the device of the GDR from the table Bürokratopoly : She was invented by German oppositionist Martin Bettger 30 years ago. The task of the players is to rise from a simple worker to the party secretary general, of course, only the most corrupt and treacherous. Recently, the game was reprinted and began to be used as a manual in schools in schools.
Martin Bettger explains the rules Bürokratopoly.
But there were not so many video games in the GDR. In 1949, the exports of technologies to the Eastern Bloc countries were banned, and the state plan did not include mass production of computers. In the early 80s there were only three basic versions: LC 80 for training, black and white Z-1013 for independent assembly and KC 85/3, where there was at least some functionality. Here for the last fifteen -year -old Andre Weissflog and wrote his clone PAC-Man, A little later and Pengo. For the port of the latter on Spielkasette 6, he received eight thousand German brands, without a shorter, annual income of Ossi. Later, together with Bernd Beiruter, he created his most famous Arcad Jungle , in which the whole GDR was already playing in the spring of 1989.
Weissflog wrote the code to Jungle at the school on changes, and Beiruter painted sketches. Later together they brought them to the game.
The distribution of games in the country was firmly regulated. All dubious developments and the “neo -Nazi” smuggling from the West immediately removed. So, for example, the father of Raimo Bunsen was called to the office of the party secretary due to the fact that his son distributed the “Revolution” game about the war with the rebels somewhere in Africa. When in 1979 pirate copies became outlawed, gamers launched an exchange for ads, through warehouses in computer clubs and at seasonal radio tits. A little more wealthy citizens of Germany, who had permission to cross the border, brought Western games as a gift. In total, more than two hundred thousand video games were taken to East Germany.
Noticing a new hobby, the authorities made the “right” game. Arcade Poly-Play Automate with a collection of eight games was supposed to educate the "Elite of Tomorrow". The most famous mini-game- Hase und Wolf , The Pac-Man clone, where the main characters were copied from the popular in the GDR “Well, wait!". And in Schmetterlinge , Peace -loving butterfly hunting, you can play for the Czechoslovak "Krotika" or Pittiplatsch, the hero of another cartoon, popular among "Ossi". However, it is better to see all this once.
Although Poly-Play hardly considered game art, it is easy to hang over the machine gun for a good half hour.
IN Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall let them build their socialist state. As expected, with atomic bombs and political espionage.
And then the wall was. The former GDR flooded cheap C64 computers, Poly-Play assault rifles were launched for scrap, and the inventions of Beiruter and WeissFlogs are not needed, forever left for the Ostalgia.
Today, WeissFlog is working on mobile games, and from time to time – on the browser emulator KC 85/3.
Gamestroy "Wessi"
Until the 70s, all American new items immediately got to the inhabitants of West Germany. But with the advent of the first shooters, many games began to be considered dangerous for the young generation. In 1985, Arcades were banned: the first to ban the shooter River RAID on Atari 2600 per military content.
German quality
There are "Polish shooters" and "Japanese horror". And there are also "German strategies".
A friend of the German explained to me why: “Well, it’s so cool, build an entire city, and then watch how the townspeople go from the church to the library!". He said this with children's excitement.
To the series ** anno ** every now and then the sequels go through new eras, and to Settlers (not to be confused with a popular German hill Settlers of Catan!) has already come out a dozen parts. Both franchises – urban -planning simulators in real time.
German strategies are always very peaceful, and the player grows only on trade.
The Germans also love to drive football in Bundesliga Manager and other simulators, from farmer to subway engineer. Probably because of the habit of many Germans to work at home.
A special place in the German gaming industry occupies Piranha bytes : they released a cult "Gothic", Current trilogy Risen and last year Elex. Drakensang Based on fantasy Das Schwarze Auge – also among favorites and continues traditions Realms of Arkania.
In some projects, the Germans talk about their culture. Puzzle Mystery of neuschwanstein transferred to the most famous castle of Bavaria, which Ludwig II, a fairy -tale king, laid down on the sunset of his life. His death is investigated by the hero, wandering on the detailed halls of the palace. Patrizier IV – Aufstieg Einer Dynastie Models the trading of the Hanseatic Union. The game Code has certificates of trading houses, German patricians, epidemics and fires.
In the urban planning simulator The Gilde 2 You can establish a whole dynasty in Augsburg, Berlin, Dresden, Hanover or Cologne.
To the simulators of the Germans true love.
"Station of pain"
In addition to the Arcade Poly-Play Automate, there is another curious exhibit in the Berlin Museum of Computer Games. Having taken as a basis the usual Pong, the German designers improved it a little: with each loss, the player receives an electric discharge, a mini-clay blow or a flash in the face. Over time PainStation It suits rather painful combo, which can be caught, unsuccessfully repulsing the ball. You can see how this find of masochists works here.
In the history of which it does not happen. Germany is a great example of how the nation gave rise to a whole cultural phenomenon. Maybe we have something special, we just don't notice it? Share your ideas in the comments.
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