Forbes quotes Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli expressing the opinion that Europeans tend to regard first-person shooters as "evil" (thanks Mike Martinez and Computer and Video Games). Here's a bit from the latest comparison between the tastes of European and North American game players, which seems like the gaming equivalent of rap's east coast/west coast rivalry, hopefully with fewer actual shootings:

Across the pond, consumers prefer racing and soccer games to blockbuster action, adventure and first-person shooter games that are the staple of the U.S. diet. Indeed, Europeans view such games as "evil," says Cevat Yerli, chief executive of Crytek, a German game developer that specializes in first-person shooters.

Guns and gore also don't sell as well in Europe because Europeans like short, so-called casual games, rather than the long, epic tales that keep gamers pounding on their consoles for hours at a stretch. Casual games also fit the European lifestyle better: People can play these short games on trains and subways on their way to work.