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Rockstar's Next Game Draws Protesters
Rockstar's next title, Bully, has already come under fire from anti-bullying groups. Activists have taken it up another notch, though, by demonstrating outside of the NY Rockstar offices. They've also laid out a list of demands to the game developer, hoping to get the company to change its ways. The Peaceoholics demand Rockstar "Not to release Bully under any circumstances, Volunteer to sell its violent and sexually explicit games in adult video stores only, Let parents return Grand Theft Auto for a full refund until they do a national awareness campaign to educate parents of content and possible effects, Create a fund for victims of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and car-jackings, etc, Make a national apology for misleading and lying to children, parents, and legislators about their intentions and causing insurance premiums to sky rocket, Give a written response within five business days of receipt of these demands" Press the Buttons has commentary, and uses some words I'd like to myself.
AHAHAHAHA AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAlLOLOLOLOLLo!!!!!eleventyone!!!111 !!
Those "demands" are hilarious.
Aren't lists of demands what terrorists give when they hold people hostage?
I support the Center for Consumer Freedom
I can't understand why no one blames the parents for subjecting their children to violent video games. It's the parents responsibility to monitor their kids- what TV shows/movies they watch, what video games they play ect.
Parents need to start doing their jobs IMHO.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." Mark Twain.
WTF? You can make arguments that Rockstar games are bad for young kids, but are we really at the point where we are blaming a game company because our insurance premiums are too high? Maybe premiums are too high because we have idiots on the road. Idiots like the people that blame game companies for insurance premiums.
I hate when groups of "watchdogs" make demands. Who do these people think they are? They tend to make up offensive facts (OMG, the purple puppet is a flaming homo!!!) just to have something to bitch about. Or they take one quote out of context and then go on-and-on about it, twisting it until even reasonable people think it is offensive. This happens in politics all the time. I guess Rockstar got what they wanted though. As they keep pushing the envelope on what kind of ridiculous content you can fit into a game, they are going to get more and more of this.
Part of me thinks Rockstar is trying to make money by peddling offensive ideas to kids, but that really doesn't matter. Parents should be preventing kids from buying this stuff, or face the consequences when Little Johny pummels someone in 3rd grade because Bully is his favorite game.
I'm just waiting for a game where you can strangle a prostitute with a bungee cord, and beat up a cop with strips of bacon. That will be the funnest game ever.
/. ++
But a game about Bullying students and teachers in a fictional schoolyard? There's almost no doubt in my mind that I will purchase (and probably enjoy!) this game, but c'mon Rockstar, can you push some more buttons?
With all the sensationalized stories about bullying in schools, children committing suicide due to being harassed, etc. do you really think its wise to make a game like this?
I realize it'll be rated M. I know that there will be ESRB warnings around Violence, Language, etc. I also realize that this sort of stuff is great publicity for their game releases. But games like this DO give the electronic entertainment industry a bad name. Its already under fire for "Hot Coffee". Do they really need to demonize video games any more?
And before someone says it, NO, I don't believe creative game-making should be stymied by groups such as the ones protesting Bully. I just think they should become more creative in ways OTHER than kicking the crap out of children in a schoolyard. I think that Pikmin, Katamari Damacy, Morrowind, etc. were just as creative an "out there" as GTA. But no one is coming after the industry because you killed some cartoonish Pikmin.
In their demands, the protesters refer to Bully, a game that's currently under development, and demand Rockstar to:
"Not to release Bully under any circumstances "
The "under any circumstances" part is where they stop being reasonable and rational (and where I stop listening). Essentially, they're saying that they're going to protest any game called "Bully" that Rockstar releases, even if the content was radically edited, sanitized, censored, etc.
This makes it clear that the protesters are not actually interested in improving or sanitizing game content, but that they're simply out for revenge against Rockstar, even if Rockstar was willing to compromise or negotiate.
Let parents return Grand Theft Auto for a full refund until they do a national awareness campaign to educate parents of content and possible effects
Gahhhh.
This stuff is giving me heart-burn, I tell you.
If Rockstar were to do that, it would be financial suicide. There are millions of units of GTA:SA sold right now. And there a millions of people who have finished - the PS2 version at least - the game. Most of these people sell their games back to ebgames at a loss. But if Rockstar were to offer a refund, it wouldn't be JUST the parents who would return the game for money... it would be every cheap college student who could use 50$, despite the fact they have no objections to the game. It would be morally wrong, but when you're in college and living off of ramen and cheep beer, you don't care.
Literally, it would provide a free game to millions of people, where they would play it, then return it for a full refund. Financial suicide for Rockstar!
These people need to have "I am stupid" tattooed on their forehead. The game already has a list of all that's wrong with it, including Explicit Sexual Content as one of the items. How much more explicit can you get than listing it straight on the box next to the big "M for Mature" logo?
Tepp
Welcome to the fictional Bullworth Academy where you play a troubled schoolboy named Jimmy in reform school who tries to stand up to bullies, gets picked on by teachers, plays pranks on annoying kids from all over campus, and even tries to pursue a love interest.
Sounds really bad for kids... almost like REAL school. Which isn't dangerous at all, that's why they have metal detectors.
http://www.pterrys.com
however, I believe it would be a nice gesture of goodwill for Rockstar to do something along the lines of the one demand, "Create a fund for victims of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and car-jackings, etc". they could give something beneficial to those affected by such tragedy, instead of simply glorifying the perpetrators through their games.
I don't think it's gonna happen though.
..when a bunch of folks start protesting against every policy by the current Administration, or by any Republican at all, the media and many here hail them as heroes for using peaceful means to expedite change.
But some concerned citizens use exactly the same methods to right what they perceive as evil, they're automatically labelled as fools, and treated as obstructionists.
Way I see it, this is how such things *should* be done. Just like a boycott-grass roots *action* from the people, not repressive laws and suits from lawyers.
Just like the activities against games labelled as "racist". Vote with your wallet, and gvie your opinion voice-don't pervert the laws and make the government enforce morality.
whatever happened to "I may disagree with what you say, but I'll fight to the death to defend your right to say it"? Are protests only allowed if they're anti-establishment, anti government, anti-christian or anti-Republican?
Good idea! I sent this:
My List of Demands for Peaceaholics
# Not to produce further press releases under any circumstances.
# Volunteer to promote its anti-fun and anti-freedom agenda in organic food markets only.
# Let those people affected by your activities apply to have the ten minutes of their lives fully refunded.
# Not to do a national awareness campaign to propagandise about possible effects, but to jointly fund with a game publisher an unbiased study based on the scientific method to attempt to find any actual effects.
# Create a fund for victims of pressure groups.
# Make a national apology for misleading and lying to children, parents, and legislators and causing share prices to plummet.
# Give a written response in the New York and Los Angeles Times within five business days of receipt of these demands.
-------Original list for comparison:
Peaceoholics List of Demands for Rock Star Games
# Not to release Bully under any circumstances
# Volunteer to sell its violent and sexually explicit games in adult video stores only.
# Let parents return Grand Theft Auto for a full refund until they do a national awareness campaign to educate parents of content and possible effects.
# Create a fund for victims of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and car-jackings, etc.
# Make a national apology for misleading and lying to children, parents, and legislators about their intentions and causing insurance premiums to sky rocket.
# Give a written response within five business days of receipt of these demands
I quit!