Well, The Witcher 2 was an unusual case where GOG/CDPR were compelled by way of court order to regionalise the pricing for Witcher 2 as a result of their publishing deal with Namco Bandai. I don't think it's particularly ideal, no, but GOG/CDPR don't prevent me from importing or buying the game elsewhere, and there are no differences in content between regional versions of W2.

Would GOG enter into any distribution agreements knowing full well in advance that they would have to regionalise pricing? There's no way to know for sure, but I doubt it. Experience has shown that with the exception of Witcher 2, all of GOG's games have been regionally consistent.

I could easily pick up a copy of Black Ops from the UK for PS3 and it would work wonderfully on my German PS3 in Germany. You couldn't claim the same for the PC version of the same game.

Mind you, if you're going to get into the argument of regional pricing on GOG to defend Steam, it's an argument you're automatically going to lose.

The Former only works for retail products, as an age check is still required when the package is recieved (afaik).

And the later I would never, ever do. Seriously.
Actually, Australians get a censored version of TW2, which is what I was after. National laws "trumps" any stores (implied) goodwill. But you yourself explained how pointless it is for a store to go against the rights and wishes of a publisher. Same goes for Steam. If a publisher has decided to sell a low violence version or not sell a game at all here, Valve can hardly say "you know, we will list it anyway". But they certainly don't object to redeeming it.

And I bought Black Ops for the PC "abroad" and could redeem it fine (feel free to check my profile). The only games (of my knowledge) that Steam actually refuses to activate on my German IP are games that are confiscated or in direct danger of being so (MW 2 for its Airport level, Dead Rising, Dead Island 1). Which is because that would mean a criminal offence)

No, I don't think so. PostIdent isn't bound to any particular service or product. It's simply a service that Deutsche Post provides to enable suppliers to ascertain the identity and age of any business partner.

It's basically a matter of:
(1) Supplier asks Deutsche Post to check customer's ID.
(2) Deutsche Post checks customer's ID and sends back relevant information in certified form to supplier.
(3) Supplier now has official confirmation of the customer's ID.

That's all there is to it. A company might use PostIdent so that they can claim that the customer has presented valid proof of age, but PostIdent isn't solely for that purpose.

No, I'm a bit suspicious of the security implications of this as well, but for the less security-minded, it's still an option.

The problem is that with retail products there is only one act of "making available" which is the handing over. Which only online services you have a potentially unlimited amount of those.

Considering that (afaik) no pure digital service provider is either been using this system or was ever charged for "making available" confiscated content, we can only make guesses.

Personally, Steam actually made it a lot easier getting uncensored and indexed games (which was one of the reason I embraced it). I buy a game from GG.co.uk, get the key, install it and BAM, instant violence. The only game I ever had issues with activation that I actually saw the "no fly bro" message was MW 2. But as a I use a swedish IP service very often for other reasons, I can't say which other games would have gave me that message.

ahh, but you know German law is more complex.
So you forgot that a banned game can be bought and used here...only if its not against other laws....
that means if there is any sign of Nazi symbols, Call to xenophobia (Aufruf zum Fremdenhass) childporn etc.
than its forbidden to have the media.
Also a unrated media can be set on the index by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien.
Online (dl) purchases are a grey zone as the media is seen as unrated (cause nearly non are rated).
Funny for some games as their retailed version maybe has a FSK 0 rating.

But now comes the tricky point...if you are an adult there is no problem.
If you are not of age your parents could get some problems.
If you are an adult but let your/or underaged children play with those games you can also get problems.
Naturally only if the authorities checks.

I'm a completionist, but I was always in the fence about getting the Saints Row DLC. Well, I guess that's over now.

The last (released) Deep Silver games that I don't own and that interest me, so I sure hope so.

Ok... this would seem to lend itself to a manual approach to sales at best I think? I don't see Steam manually processing each German purchase, not to mention I assume this would create a delay of a day to several days for a purchase at the very least?

I also doubt they're willing to put effort into developing a system between Steam and the DPP to automate such a thing when it really only applies to one country in the EU and then only a subsection of the available games?

I understand this kind of thing is probably incredibly annoying on a consumer basis but unless there's some German Standardized digital age check system that could easily be integrated (imagine Steamworks login for other sites, or perhaps like Ideal is for banking in the Netherlands), I'm not sure I can see a global company develop around a problem like this for a subsection of games in one country.

Now I know why German government cooperated with NSA!

With the exception of kiddie porn, possession of 'banned' media is not forbidden, even if it has swastikas and even if it praises Hitler to the high heavens. Dissemination is another thing altogether.

The eternal question, as always: How you come into possession of such materials if no-one is allowed to sell you them?

They can and often are indexed, but you'll note that 99% of indie games are unrated are subject to the same issues as index-fodder. As I said, Recettear is at just as much at risk as Riptide - legally speaking - of being blacklisted. Less likely, certainly, but subject to the same risk.

Mind you, this ignores the fact that digitally distributed games aren't actually subject to the JuSchG. They fall under the RStV. The RStV does apply USK ratings if they exist.

Actually, this is the fucked up bit about German law. No, a parent in Germany cannot be held legally accountable for letting their children play with games above their age limit - something which is anchored in the constitution. If a parent lets 12-year-old Fritz play Call of Duty Black Ops, that is their prerogative. Sick, but true.

Of course, this all doesn't affect the fact that Child Services may eventually intervene on another basis and use the fact that Little Fritz is playing an 18-rated game as evidence that the parent is not fit to care for the child. I've seen that one happen before.

It takes a few days, but in the case of XJuggler, the proof of age is then firmly attached to your account. I can now purchase anything I want that is 18-rated from that account, and it is my responsibility to ensure that minors don't have access to that account. I've been using it for five years now without any problems.

You can actually simplify it enough for this discussion.

There are basically two reasons a game is not being sold on a store in Germany. Youth Protection or because the the media is in violation of the StGB § something something (to lazy to look).

If it is against youth protection, Steam doesn't seem to have any issues about it. They do sell USK 18 games (which they aren't really allowed to) and you can redeem every single one of them on Steam (at least to my, in case of violent games, rather extensive knowledge).

Which means the actual sell or not to sell is up to the publisher, which also shows why those games aren't available on other "German storefronts" of online stores.

Games which are downright confiscated and illegal to distribute due to § whatever are not so because of the youth protection, but because of our constitutionally mandated "protection of human dignity". (But obviously this content is also not suited for minors). This is the "shit won't fly, bro" list, as I will call it, of games you can't even redeem on Steam. I know MW 2 is on that list, and I guess Dead Rising 2 (which I actually bought with a German CC card from Steam with a UK IP, back when this was still possible. At least I think I did it this way, been a few years).

The "shit won't fly, bro" list is actually pretty short on the videogames front, you should see some of the other stuff that is on this. (How to murder books, etc.)

I think I'll just steal that name from now on because it is made of awesome.

It's no longer the "list of confiscated media" but rather the "shit won't fly, bro" list. I like it.
§ 131b StGB is usually the big one, and § 86a usually gets quoted with WW2 games.

(Sorry, I've dealt with those two so often in the past that I practically know the wording back to front)

*shrug* Well, I am not the one done the down rep. I rarely do, and then I do it I always tell. I tend to let people know what I think

(which is why we have this situation now)

Considering that you reply is also low rated, I think we might have a bunch of schizophrenic reppers on our hands.

Was that posted anywhere or is that an educated guess? In that case I'd have to pay around $5 just for Sacred Citadel, I don't know if it's worth it. Isn't the game too recent for a bundle?