Slashdot Mirror
Controversial Manhunt Game Rated 'R' in Ontario
GrimSean writes "Well, it looks like someone in power up here in Ontario finally noticed the level of violence in Rockstar's Manhunt, as the Ontario Film Review Board has given it an R rating, much like a movie. The Toronto Star has an article here and the CBC has also covered the story - according to an article at CJAD, businesses could be fined a minimum of $25,000 Canadian for selling it to minors. It seems like they've completely sidestepped the ESRB's M rating and gone directly to the Restricted to 'control the thing'."
Funny. I was going to post pretty much this exact same comment, and figured I'd be modded as a troll but was going to do it anyway since free speech rules:)
I have no problem with this. I wish more areas would do this. Rather than whine about the games themselves, go after the fucking bastards who sell extremely violent video games to 10 year olds. Hit them in the wallet where it hurts.
I mean credit to the ESRB thing, but a certificate is only useful if it actually does anything. As it is now, the "M" certificate isn't a warning, it's a selling point. If there's an existing structure in place for movies and it can be legally applied to video games, so be it. Start fining these stores that sell these games to kids large chunks of money and perhaps they may start enforcing the ratings.
A similar approach has worked to a certain degree to stop kids buying cigarettes.
In short, kudos to Ontario!
21. (1) The national anthem shall be played in every theatre at the commencement of the first or at the conclusion of the last exhibition or performance given each day. R.S.O. 1990, c. T.6, s. 21 (1).
I'm from Ontario, and I've never heard the national anthem played at a theatre. It seems like a stupid thing to put in the law. But look at the wording: they only need to play it once a day, and can do it after the last performance, i.e. after the credits of a late showing. Almost everyone would leave before that, so only a theatre employee would know if the anthem was played.
They used to. I remember as a kid that every theater had the national anthem played before every movie. Now, we only get a slide show (of comercials), then a bunch of comercials and then a few tailers.
A few years ago, I was up at an army base, and watch a movie there. They still played the national anthem. It was really strange to listen to O'Canada and then watch species.
The ESRB rating seems to be increasingly an implementation of CYA policy for the marketers of games than anything else. If the Ontario Film Board has taken it upon themselves to rate a game, the message carries an implicit statement that the ESRB has become obsolete. It will be interesting to see whether other similar organizations follow in Ontario's footsteps to try to "re-regulate" video games. However, the problem in that is that it could easily become just a series of ratings on a game that are all equally ineffective. It is a band-aid rather than a cure for the real problem.
Another interesting thing, in the U.S. ratings are voluntary but in Canada they're decided by the Provincial governments, and (in Ontario at least) they're a bit stricter than the U.S., i.e. a few of the more extreme American R-rated films (Eyes Wide Shut, Hannibal) and all(?) NC-17 films get the 18+ rating in Canada.
Ironically, the 18+ rating is slapped on so many films it's not seen as a big deal. That's why Canada got the uncut version of American Psycho in theatres, while the producers wanted to avoid the NC-17 in the U.S., in Canada it was going to get rated 18+ anyway so there was no point in making cuts. Crash similarly had no problems in getting shown in Canadian theatres.
Maybe we'll get 'Canadian' versions of games with extra nudity and violence, since the 18+ rating is the strictest available there's no reason to hold back.
Too bad in Australia they refuse to give an R rating to games.
We didn't see GTA until they had removed a scene in which you see a car rocking, windows steamed and can then get out and kill the woman and take the money. Other games have suffered a similar fate, like Carmageddon.
This is a strange fate for a country in which 18-24 year olds make up a very large portion of the gaming market - particularly console gaming.
You should play the game before passing judgment on how/why they gave it that rating. Being a mid-20s gamer I like to think I'm pretty tough skinned about stuff but the game just sickened me when I played it.
This game isn't about you just randomly running around like in an FPS blowing people up, sniping them in the head, etc. It's a stealth game where you sneak up on people to murder them. I have to say murder rather than kill to get the point across a little more since we're usually used to killing things in games.
I remember that article that the NYTimes removed where the guy was complaining about Grand Theft Auto 3. Well, in this game you ARE the main character of a snuff film. You basically creep up on characters and using weapons like plastic bags, knifes, etc kill them silently. You are also rewarded in the game for more brutal kills like wrapping a plastic bag on a guys head then beating him down with punches and kicks and finally snapping his neck. Slitting people throats with the knife isn't much better either.
I'm really surprised this game got away with an "M" (mature) rating in the US since it really deserves an "AO" (Adults Only).
For the record I really enjoyed the Grand Theft Auto games. I've been pissed off by all the negative media exposure to the games. And finally am surprised at the total lack of media coverage and politician bickering about this game as it is FAR more violent and grotesque than GTA ever was.
I do have to applaud RockStar for making such a game even in light of all the controversy surrounding GTA. They made a game that was darker, sicker, and far more violent than GTA ever was (State of Emergency was pure crap IMHO).
So please try playing the game before saying, well a lot of games have killing, swearing, etc they shouldn't be given an adults only rating. The report just didn't go into how bad those things were in the game. I'm just waiting for the media to pickup on the game; they media antics should be much funnier than with GTA.
As for me, I didn't care of the game and will not be playing it again. That's my position and I'm sticking to it.
This is in Ontario Canada. Movies there [well, "here" for me] are rated based by a provincial (ie: "state") organization (or is it federal? I'm not sure). I don't know the official name off-hand.
/ index. html
p .asp?city =7FE2B2F8-2044-47A7-9FE2-0205993AFDBB%3BKitchener& date=3%2F4%2F2004&theatre=B3658782-5D28-47A2-8ECB- D4CD95341668&movie=FD7C5D9E-F663-43B6-8B90-9225802 84419&type=0&citydesc=Ontario+-+Kitchener&theatred esc=SilverCity+Kitchener&moviedesc=Eurotrip
Anyways, the point is that you can't go and talk about the competency of the MPAA and then compare it to this, a wholly different ratings group.
In fact, I'd like to point out that while many movies in America get R ratings for minor sexual content, the very same movies here in Ontario (and most if not all of Canada) get rated PG. Frankly, the ratings group here is very reasonable. Probably because they aren't under pressure from outside influences like the Christian Right in the US.
Here's just one of many examples:
EUROTRIP, rated R by the MPAA
http://movies.go.com/movies/E/eurotrip_2004
EUROTRIP, rated "14A" in Ontario, Canada:
http://www.famousplayers.com/showtimes/f