Germany Considers Turning Off In-Store Game Demos

Authorities in Germany are considering a recommendation that videogame retailers shut down demonstration consoles during school hours in order to cut down on truancy.

According to a report in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag (via Deutsche Welle), Udo Nagel, the state interior minister of Hamburg, said the idea was one of 22 recommendations on cutting down juvenile delinquency and youth crime that was being prepared for a meeting of state interior ministers. Police have apparently suggested the in-store demo systems be shut down on weekdays until 3:00 p.m., saying the stores become hangouts for kids skipping school.

"Truancy can be the beginning of a criminal career and that's why we have to intervene," the paper quoted Nagel as saying. "Not every truant becomes criminal, but criminals skipped school at one time or another."