"Banned in Germany"
In order to protect the German youth from any "unsuitable" material, the BPjS (Bundespruefstelle fuer jugendgefaehrdende Schriften) was formed to monitor and  check "questionable" books, computer games and Internet sites with violent, pornographic or politically unsuitable contents.

As this site deals with computer games, I want to describe the method as to how a game becomes banned or edited in the German market.

Firstly, a group of psychologists, educationalists and teachers  simply play "suspect" games for a while. A decision is then made to decide whether a game should be edited or banned due to "unsuitable" content that may have been found - e.g. blood, dead humans or unnecessary violence.  If they think the game in question is unsuitable for German children, it is mentioned in the Bundesanzeiger and as a consequence, is soon removed from the shops.

Nowadays, hundreds of games have been indexed in the Bundesanzeiger and as a result, international software houses have created special edited versions of their games for Germany. For example, humans are changed to robots and blood is changed in colour to black - representing oil!! Therefore, the game is no longer considered violent. Inevitably, there have been discussions as to whether this is necessary, as it's generally considered the parents responsibility to monitor the games their children play. 

Besides, when certain games are banned or edited, children want them even more and as a result, order them illegally via mail order form Poland or Switzerland, making the BPjS and their efforts a waste of time and money!

Personally, I'm against the censorship of the BPjS and you can also form your own opinion after you have read the list of Amiga games and even some scene demos that have been banned in Germany:

- A cool Horror Demo
- Anti-Neger-Test
- Beast Busters
- Bedroom Olympiad
- Beverly Hills Cop

- Blazing Thunder
- Cannon Fodder
- Capone
- Crime Wave
- Cybercop - Deutschland 2000
- Die Hard 2
- Dogs of War

- Eagle's Nest
- E-Swat
- Experts only mercanary Simulator
- Fire Force
- Fire Power
- Golden Axe

- Gunshoot
- KZ Manager
- Leatherneck
- LED Clones
- Lost Patrol

- Manhatten Dealer
- Mercs - Moonstone
- Mortal Kombat
- Mortal Kombat 2
- Narc - Navy Seals
- Ninja Mission
- Ninja Warriors
- North Sea Inferno
- Operation Thunderbold
- Operation Wolf
- Party Games
- P.O.W.

- Predator 2
- Prisoner of War
- Rampage - Robocop 2
- Shadow Dancer
- Smash TV
- Soldier 2000
- Sword of Sodan
- Take 'em out

- Terrorliner 2
- The Godfather
- The Persian Gulf Inferno
- The Punisher
- The Sexmachine
- The Victory of the Dictator
- Thunder Jaws

- Total Carnage
- Tuerkenhass
- Turbo
- Veteran
- Wanted
- Warzone
- Wings
- Wings of Fury

- Zombie Apocalypse 2

Text by Bernd Gmeineder, October 1999; Source BPjS
Text corrections by Bret