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Germany to shut down game demos during school hours to fight truancy?

InnerDemon | April 13, 2008 | News | Playstation 3 Wii 
Seems that German authorities are trying to cut down on truancy by shutting down game demo booths during school hours to keep kids in school. German police suggest the consoles stay off until 3 PM every weekday so that the kids don't have the urge to leave school to play games.

The interior ministers of Germany's 16 states will discuss the situation and other measures to fight youth crime at their spring conference in Brandenburg on April 16-18.
If you're a student in Germany and are planning to skip school just to try out the game demo booths at your local department store, there's a possibility that you won't be able to enjoy your free game anymore.

German authorities are planning to take steps to curb truancy, and one of the 22 recommended methods on fighting juvenile delinquency is to turn off the game demo booths during school hours. Why? According to Hamburg's state interior minister Udo Nagel, criminals start out by being truant. "Not every truant becomes criminal, but criminals skipped school at one time or another."

This somehow brings to mind China's own regulation against online gaming, touted to be the cause of truancy and juvenile petty crime.

German police are mulling over the possibility of asking department stores switch off their demo gaming consoles on weekdays, and turn them on again on three in the afternoon. According to authorities, many teenagers who couldn't afford to buy their own games skip classes and training courses to play in game demo booths.

The country's interior ministers will discuss the steps towards preventing juvenile delinquency and truancy at their conference in Bradenburg later this month.
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  • 0 thumbs!
    theundertakergonzo | April 14, 2008
    Well for one i can't say i have ever thought of skipping school so i could go play demos of games. That's bizarre to say the least but i find this article quite funny in how serious they are getting about this, can't blame them.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Final Blade | April 14, 2008
    lol As if thats going to solve the problem. I bet you more crimes will happen cause of this.

    Not a very smart move imo.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Silver Mirror | April 14, 2008
    Why? The problem is people skipping school to play these games, how will taking the games influence more crime?
    • 0 thumbs!
      Final Blade | April 15, 2008
      Games take their minds off something like gangs and shit. Doing this will make them pissed and cause more crime to probably prove a point that videogames reduces problems.

      At the end of the day its not going to help.
      • -1 thumbs!
        Capn Droid | April 15, 2008
        I do hope that soon in the future, you will become so much more educated than you are now.
  • 1 thumbs!
    Rusty Bucket Boy | April 14, 2008
    Poor kids... Must really suck.
  • 0 thumbs!
    StarJet | April 14, 2008
    Weird. I feel like I've seen this article before in GameGrep.
    *Goes to search for it*
    EDIT : Found it. : http://www.gamegrep.com/news/8568-german_government_may_enforce_gaming_curfew/
    • 0 thumbs!
      InnerDemon | April 14, 2008
      It's not my fault the related articles doesn't work very well.

      Meh sorry.
      • 0 thumbs!
        chautemoc | April 14, 2008
        Its okay sweetie, happens to the best of us.
        • 0 thumbs!
          InnerDemon | April 14, 2008
          Aww, thanks hun. <3

          Hope they fix the related articles thing soon to work a little better.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Twisted | April 14, 2008
    Why would you skip school just to play the demos? Just go at lunch, or something, if you really want to. It would be funny if they actually did this.
  • 1 thumbs!
    slumpy monkey | April 14, 2008
    "many teenagers who couldn't afford to buy their own games skip classes"

    You see kids who do own games stay in school, because they can play them at home GAMES FTW!!!!
  • 0 thumbs!
    bk man | April 15, 2008
    i dont think that there is anything bad about his

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