News for aircraft skinners

[Oldman731]

BERLIN—World War II-themed videogames could get a boost in realism after German authorities this week lifted a general ban on the depiction of Nazi symbols in games.

The decision puts videogames on the same footing as films and other cultural goods, solving a longstanding dilemma for game publishers: Either to scrub their historical games of all Nazi symbols or make a separate, sanitized version for the German market.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-eases-restrictions-on-nazi-symbols-in-videogames-1533915852?mod=hp_listb_pos2

- oldman

[toddbobe]

I do believe the ban on Nazi symbols is a Hitech ban... but possibly rooted in the german law. Hitech yours or berlin's?
Todd

[ccvi]

Either way, Berlin still probably doesn't agree. Of all the possible exceptions, the only one that could be argued for is art. I doubt this game where you can then fly a plane marked in forbidden symbols to kill planes of other nations and civilians (towns/cities) qualifies for the exception as "art".

[Devil 505]

While it would be nice to use them on German skins in terms of higher historical accuracy, there are many social reasons to not allow them beyond any legality issues. This is a game and not a documentary. We have no place to put Nazi symbols into a proper historical context here. Hell, just look at how many players do not know the difference between the Nazi swastika and the Finnish swastika. We're fortunate that HTC allows the Finnish one, unlike many other games.

Maybe HTC will allow Nazi swastikas as kill markings for the Allied planes which used them, that would be nice.

[horble]

I love German planes and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I fly something with a swastika on it.

[Wiley]

I love German planes and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I fly something with a swastika on it.

All of this.

Wiley.

[Vraciu]

Sure.  Let's bury history because It's uncomfortable.  Yawn.

If it had a swastika in real life then draw it.  Nothing makes me smile more than the rows of swastika kill flags on Major Goodson's Mustang or Colonel Mccorkle's.   They should be there.

[Spikes]

I love German planes and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I fly something with a swastika on it.

Yep.

[rvflyer]

Those that oppose are all probably from the same mentality of those that oppose the Confederate Flag, Yup I know lets erase history. Those of you that do not want to fly a cartoon airplane with historically correct symbols one word, DON'T.

[Devil 505]

See Rule #4

[Vraciu]

Those that oppose are all probably from the same mentality of those that oppose the Confederate Flag, Yup I know lets erase history. Those of you that do not want to fly a cartoon airplane with historically correct symbols one word, DON'T.

+1

[Skuzzy]

The social issue today is the swatiska is still being used and represented by new Nazi's.  Even if we ignore that, there is the other issue with young people not knowing anything about the history of the swatiska and attributing it to the new Nazi's.

It is an unfortunate issue.  If the culture associated with the symbol had died when World War II ended, it would not be an issue, but it did not die.  It is still thriving today.

I cannot make the call.  HiTech will have to.  If asked, I would have to say no, just because I do not want the game associated with the current Nazi's in our country, in any way, shape, or form.

[caldera]

Why not censor the red star and rising sun as well?  Both killed millions.  The Soviets killed even more than the Nazis did.

[Vraciu]

Why not censor the red star and rising sun as well?  Both killed millions.  The Soviets killed even more than the Nazis did.

There's that.


As to Skuzzy's post above...   At a minimum I think we should be able to make kill markings on allied aircraft accurate.  If you shot down a German and denoted that with a swastika I think that should be allowed.   It isn't glorifying Nazism, it's celebrating shooting one down (not that all German fighter pilots were Nazis necessarily but you know what I mean).

Is this a make or break issue for the game?  No.  We've survived with the status quo for this long so changing it or not changing it probably doesn't make much difference.

[Skuzzy]

Why not censor the red star and rising sun as well?  Both killed millions.  The Soviets killed even more than the Nazis did.

You either did not comprehend what I wrote, or cherry picked what you wanted from it.

The number of kills have little to do with this issue.