Cheating illegal in Germany

According to a news article in german magazine GAMESTAR, cheating will become ILLEGAL in Germany:

Here is the translation (thanks to Google):

Cheating illegal from 2021: Federal government plans law against gaming fraud
Anyone who cheats in video games will face serious consequences in the future. According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, “it should finally be a matter of skill again when it comes to gambling.”

by Michael Herold, April 01, 2020 11:43 AM

Angela Merkel is personally fighting gaming fraud and appears to be a Fortnite fan.

In the future, the German Federal Government intends to take a more determined approach to fraud on the Internet. According to a new draft law, all forms of “illegal and unfair pre-participation and the resulting discrimination against innocents” will be banned. This also applies to the world of video games.

According to the draft, hacks and cheats in competitive PC games will be criminalised from 2021. Among other things, Aimbots and the “infinite amount of money in GTA Online” cheat are mentioned. If all the relevant bodies agree to the extension of the Fraud Clause 263 StGB, the new law could enter into force from 1 April 2021.

However, the exact penalty for gaming fraud is still under discussion, according to Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the Federal Government. A first catalogue of penalties speaks of a “15 minute PC ban” for minor offences such as “throwing” of matches. Cheaters with particularly serious offences, such as “Grief Plays”, i.e. a combination of Aimbot and so-called “Shittalking” or “Flaming”, expect up to 72 years in prison.

Merkel: “I don’t fancy it!”
The entire draft law, which the trade press already calls the “Git-Gud-Initiative” (GG for short), was published by the German government at the same time as a statement by Chancellor Angela Merkel, which was distinguished by the ongoing Cheater wave visibly affected shows:

“Germany has stood for hard but above all honest work for decades, my dear fellow citizens - and this cannot, cannot and should not change, especially in the digital age. But I am speaking to you not only as Chancellor, but also as a human being. I feel like you. I don’t want to get around with unfair cheaters who just hit me with an aimbot from a kilometer away with a headie from the latch. This is dishonest. We all have a right to a few loose rounds of Warzone or Fortnite in the evening without you and me malicious scammers robbing the fun. That’s why we, as the federal government, and I, as an Xbox Live subscriber, are fighting for a fair gaming culture.”

South Korea is at the forefront of the fight against gaming fraud. Since the end of 2016, the development and distribution of cheat software has been considered illegal there.

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Exactly how the prosecution will take place in video games is also apparently not yet certain. In theory, however, the Federal Criminal Police Office could be extended to include a “Digital Cheat Tracking Department”, which then goes on the hunt for fraudsters in particularly relevant games. Numerous major publishers such as Ubisoft or Activision, which have been fighting cheaters in their games for years, are enthusiastic about the initiative and have already pledged their support.

GERMANY FIRST !!! :stuck_out_tongue:

—>> April 1st, 2020 <<–

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I am all for stopping cheaters in online gaming. But does the German or any other government have the time and resources to pursue someone who cheats in a video game? E More power to them if they do.

Also “cheating” will have to be defined and codified, so that it can be proven it court.

I think the best way to stop cheaters is by Funcom, not the governmental authority. Likely, that won’t happen but it would be nice.

April April ? ^^

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Genau, “April Fool’s Day” :grin: