Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle

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USK redirects here. For the Usinsk airport, see Usinsk Airport.

The USK's official logo.

Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (German Voluntary Monitoring Organisation of Entertainment Software) or USK, is Germany's software rating organisation.

[edit] Ratings

Software can receive one of the following ratings:

	Freigegeben ohne Altersbeschränkung gemäß § 14 JuSchG (Without age restrictions) There are no restrictions on the basis of the Jugendschutzgesetz on the sale of this game. The suitability for children, however, only relates to violent or sexual content - the difficulty or complexity of the game may still be unsuited to younger children.
	Freigegeben ab 6 Jahren gemäß § 14 JuSchG (Restricted for those below the age of 6) Games with this rating may be of an abstract or comical nature, may have a darker theme or may be too involving for children under the age of 6. This may include games like Point Blank.
	Freigegeben ab 12 Jahren gemäß § 14 JuSchG (Restricted for those below the age of 12) Games with this rating may place a focus on wars or fighting of some description. The fighting should be in a historical or science fiction context and the violence should be kept to a minimum. This may include games like Ninja Assault.
	Freigegeben ab 16 Jahren gemäß § 14 JuSchG (Restricted for those below the age of 16) Games featuring frequent one-on-one gunfights and moderate violence will receive this rating. The game may cover adult themes. This include games like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
	Freigegeben ab 18 Jahren gemäß § 14 JuSchG or Keine Jugendfreigabe gemäß § 14 JuSchG (Restricted for those below the age of 18) These games may contain scenes of brutal, moderately bloody violence, and they may glorify war or violation of human rights. This may include games like Halo 3 or Half-Life 2.

The rating for specific games may refer to localised versions, in which some elements of the game are changed in order to achieve a lower rating, or to ensure that the game may be legally sold at all. For example, the German version of Grand Theft Auto (since part three) has been edited in various parts, while the US-version of Grand Theft Auto received no rating at all (and may therefore only be sold to adults). The German, "USK 16" version features no headshots, and is less gory, as well as having some weapons or their special effects removed. Additionally, civilians don't drop money when being killed and some missions are missing.

This is a very common practice, especially for games that would usually receive a "USK 18" rating. A potential problem of this "self-censorship" is that the original ambience of a game may get lost. In some cases, the whole plot of a game had to be changed to qualify for a lower USK rating.

[edit] The Index

Games that are refused classification are referred to the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien (Federal Verification Office for Youth-Endangering Media) and can be placed on the Index (a process known in German as Indizierung), upon which the titles may only be sold on request to adults over the age of 18, and are not to be advertised in retail stores or other media. It is permitted to use these titles in private but not to supply them to minors.

[edit] Censoring and banning

Games with a USK 18 rating or those placed on the index are not necessarily uncut, although as a general rule they are, with a number of exceptions. It is still possible for games to be banned in Germany—as is the case with titles such as Manhunt (violence) and the English version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Nazi symbolism), which are not even available "under the counter" per the Index.

As of 2003, entertainment software sold in Germany does not have to be USK-rated but without the rating it is automatically forbidden to be sold to minors below 18 years old. Microsoft, for instance, chose not to sell Gears of War in Germany as the USK rejected to give it an official rating, which means the same as the rating 18+ but also gives the BPjM the right to test whether to put the game on the Index or not—which they did shortly after.

The ban on endorsing Nazism or displaying swastikas outside of a historical context applies to all titles. To avoid legal issues, many developers remove the reference to swastikas altogether, although the symbol of the 3rd Reich' s Army is still permitted. It is also permitted to feature a function in which one can assume the role of the German army in World War II as in games such as Sudden Strike and Axis and Allies, although this is a subject of controversy.

[edit] See also

• Censorship in Germany
• Banned films, which includes an extensive list of films banned in Germany.
• Video game controversy Looks at the history of games censorship in Germany
• ESRB, the United States and Canadian computer and video game rating system
• OFLC, the Australian media rating system
• ELSPA, the former British computer and video game rating system, replaced by the PEGI system.
• PEGI, the European computer and video game rating system
• CERO, the Japanese computer and video game rating system
• OFLC, the New Zealand media rating system.
• FSK, the German film rating system.

[edit] External links

• USK website