Industry News from Germany:

 (Disclaimer: I am not a professional journalist/writer nor related to the video game industry)

1. Re-Structuring of the German ESRB 

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The German Website 'MakingGames' reported on the new structuring of the German version of ESRB. Before, it was organized in a rather obscure, bizarre fashion - combining political and civil appointees, including religious groups, without any transparency who was part of it or how or why.

Now it is an Association held by the German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software  and the more German Dev focused Association Bundesverband der Entwickler von Computerspielen G.A.M.E. e.V. (- they have no English-Language Website: tells you something), the two biggest Industry Associations representing the interests of all major video game companies doing buisness in Germany.

There's a short press statement in english (between the german lingo) on their website.

[source: (c) by IDG Entertainment Media GmbH and USK.de]

2. Statistic "How should so-called 'Killer Games' be dealt with?"

 In Germany they call First Person Shooters 'Killer Games'. It is a term crafted by Conservative politicians to quickly evoke emotions from their voters. Today, every video game that has some sort of 'shooting' or 'killing' in it may fall under this newspeak-lingo polit-marketing term.

- 26% Distribution/Sales should be controlled better

- 21% Age Restriction should be bumped up

- 41% [These games = FPS] should be 'verboten'

- 18% Everything should stay the same

 The poll was taken by Infratest dimap a well respected pollster, who does i.e. political polls.

They asked 1000 people, age over 18 years-old.

3. German Retail Association predicts -2.0% loss throught 2009

 In the first 5 months of 2009 overall sales in Germany's retail business dropped 2.2-2.8% The Retail Association predicts minus 2.0% sales for 2009. This is not about videogames, but commerce in general.

[source: http://www.einzelhandel.de/servlet/PB/menu/1097933_yno/index.html]

4. Statistics about Germany in English Language available

Federal Republic of Germany federation-wide surveys of official statistics:

http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/

This is the official Government Website about all things statistical: Demographic, Commerce, etc...