220
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
although German legislation of course does not prohibit references to the
Holocaust, only its belittlement. 80 In the filtered versions, all references to
Nazi Germany are obfuscated, but remain easily decodable by the average
player. These thinly veiled references grant Nazism the aura of a taboo, and
amplify the mythologization of Nazism and the Second World War.
In the SNES version of Wolfenstein 3D, for example, references to the Second World War are camouflaged by translations into English or are rephrased
in non-idiomatic German. 81 For example, “Hitler” in the original is replaced
by “Staatmeister,” which should read “Staatsmeister” in Standard German
and translates into “master of state.” The term “Master State” replaces the
“The Third Reich” in the original version of Wolfenstein 3D, and the original
version’s “The Reichstag” is consequently changed to “The legendary Master
State Keep Wolfenstein.” The term obviously refers to the Nazi master
race ideology. The same strategy can be found in the German versions of
Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein (2009). 82 In the Wolfenstein
RPG, anything that could be read as a vague reference to Nazi crimes has
been removed, although the game was not released in Germany. This hints
at the felt necessity for a filtering process that is not necessarily limited to
the German market’s restrictions. It shows the selectivity in the process of
constructing “sanitized” pictures of Nazis as an abstract, elemental Evil fit
for a global entertainment market.
In the German version of Wolfenstein: The New Order, references to
historical extermination camps have been removed, as are references to
Jews (see Table 9.1). Instead, Jews are referred to as “persecuted citizens.”
Explicit references to Adolf Hitler or his wife Eva Braun are likewise filtered.
“The Reich” is changed to “Germania,” which, interestingly, allows for a
direct connection between the filtered version’s “Regime” and historical
Nazi Germany. The filtering process in this installment results in the most
direct tabooing of National Socialism and the war crimes committed by
schnittberichte.com/schnittbericht.php?ID=363269; “Wolfenstein: The Old Blood,” accessed
January 2, 2017, www.schnittberichte.com/schnittbericht.php?ID=309507.
80 StGB, § 130.
81 Cf. Wurm, “Wolfenstein 3D.”
82 Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Inc. et al., Return to Castle Wolfenstein; Inc. Raven Software
et al., Wolfenstein (Activision Blizzard Deutschland GmbH, 2009). References to Nazi Germany
in the filtered versions are superficially camouflaged, e.g. by calling Nazis “the Wolves.” The
Kreisau circle is not camouflaged in the German version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The
dichotomy between “Allies” (Alliierte) and “the Axis (die Achsenmächte) in the translation is in
itself sufficient to identify the enemy characters as Nazis – especially since the architecture,
civilian clothing, and even the enemy characters’ uniforms remain unchanged apart from the
removal of forbidden symbols.
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
although German legislation of course does not prohibit references to the
Holocaust, only its belittlement. 80 In the filtered versions, all references to
Nazi Germany are obfuscated, but remain easily decodable by the average
player. These thinly veiled references grant Nazism the aura of a taboo, and
amplify the mythologization of Nazism and the Second World War.
In the SNES version of Wolfenstein 3D, for example, references to the Second World War are camouflaged by translations into English or are rephrased
in non-idiomatic German. 81 For example, “Hitler” in the original is replaced
by “Staatmeister,” which should read “Staatsmeister” in Standard German
and translates into “master of state.” The term “Master State” replaces the
“The Third Reich” in the original version of Wolfenstein 3D, and the original
version’s “The Reichstag” is consequently changed to “The legendary Master
State Keep Wolfenstein.” The term obviously refers to the Nazi master
race ideology. The same strategy can be found in the German versions of
Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein (2009). 82 In the Wolfenstein
RPG, anything that could be read as a vague reference to Nazi crimes has
been removed, although the game was not released in Germany. This hints
at the felt necessity for a filtering process that is not necessarily limited to
the German market’s restrictions. It shows the selectivity in the process of
constructing “sanitized” pictures of Nazis as an abstract, elemental Evil fit
for a global entertainment market.
In the German version of Wolfenstein: The New Order, references to
historical extermination camps have been removed, as are references to
Jews (see Table 9.1). Instead, Jews are referred to as “persecuted citizens.”
Explicit references to Adolf Hitler or his wife Eva Braun are likewise filtered.
“The Reich” is changed to “Germania,” which, interestingly, allows for a
direct connection between the filtered version’s “Regime” and historical
Nazi Germany. The filtering process in this installment results in the most
direct tabooing of National Socialism and the war crimes committed by
schnittberichte.com/schnittbericht.php?ID=363269; “Wolfenstein: The Old Blood,” accessed
January 2, 2017, www.schnittberichte.com/schnittbericht.php?ID=309507.
80 StGB, § 130.
81 Cf. Wurm, “Wolfenstein 3D.”
82 Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Inc. et al., Return to Castle Wolfenstein; Inc. Raven Software
et al., Wolfenstein (Activision Blizzard Deutschland GmbH, 2009). References to Nazi Germany
in the filtered versions are superficially camouflaged, e.g. by calling Nazis “the Wolves.” The
Kreisau circle is not camouflaged in the German version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The
dichotomy between “Allies” (Alliierte) and “the Axis (die Achsenmächte) in the translation is in
itself sufficient to identify the enemy characters as Nazis – especially since the architecture,
civilian clothing, and even the enemy characters’ uniforms remain unchanged apart from the
removal of forbidden symbols.