Germany Removes Doom Sales Ban After 17 Years

A German commission that evaluates potentially harmful media to youths (BPjM) decided that the historical value of the FPS Doom is greater that its potential negative effects that may promote violence in teenagers.

While media, including video games, can only be removed from the "potentially harmful games index" after 10 years and only upon request, the commission also concluded that the original evaluation that resulted in a sales ban in Germany may have been flawed.

As a result of the decision, Doom (released in 1993) and Doom 2 (1994) can now be freely distributed. The U.S. version of Doom 2 - Hell on Earth was excluded from the decisions as it includes two levels of Wolfenstein 3D, which includes "unconstitutional" symbols such as the swastika used by the Nazis. Wolfenstein 3D is listed as a "confiscated" video game in Germany.

According to the commission, the graphics and animations in Doom and Doom 2 are considered antiquated and not realistic. As the game has been generally considered as one of the most significant game titles in video game history and the U.S. Library of Congress decided to accept that game in its catalog of historically important media, the German commission argued that the game is historically significant.

The opinion that Doom and Doom 2 glorify violence by using realistic graphics and sound effects is no longer supported by the commission. They argued that neither the setting in an extraterrestrial world nor enemies that do not resemble realistic opponents promote violence. Strangely enough, the commission now argues that the task of saving humans from hostile extraterrestrials may reflect the opposite of thoughtless violence.

Wolfenstein 3D is unlikely to be removed from Germany's "index" at this time. According to German law, the index on a title will automatically be lifted 25 years after its ordered ban - which means that Wolfenstein 3D's ban will be lifted in 2017.