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UK Politicians Threatened By Bully
Though its release date is still a ways off Next Generation is reporting that UK politicians are already calling for careful consideration, and possible banning, of the Rockstar title Bully. From the article: "Do you share my concern at the decision of Rockstar to publish a new game called Bully in which players use their on-screen persona to kick and punch other schoolchildren? Will you ask the prime minister to refer this video to the British Board of Film Classification? If they don't make any changes will the government use its powers to ban this video[game]?"
Why the hell would anyone want to play a "bully" game?
If you were a bully at school, you've already done it. If you were bullied at school, that's hardly going to be an enjoyable activity.
What a bizarre idea for a game...
Daniel
Carpe Diem
the bigger bullies in the Government are picking on the geeks who make games...
No wonder Rockstar made this game. For once, geeks could pretend to be the bully and see how the other half lives..
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable" - JFK
Man that would be a great game. For adults.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
There has been a lot of devolution going on in UK politics the past few years.
,many steps were made during the 70's and 80s to loosen up the censorship in the UK . Are we now taking another step backwards, if this comes to pass then I would say yes.
Some of it great , like the devolution of parliamentary powers . Others not so great , such as the New labour AKA: Old conservatives.
This type of censorship is totally unacceptable , we have a ratings system which is complied to by retailers , giving it an 18 rating is more than sufficient .
Devolution of public freedom
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
One politician raised the point that the game should be referred to the BBFC for classification. This is quite normal (though not usually mentioned in Parliament).
m
Commons leader Geoff Hoon said something along the lines of 'that decision should be made when the content of the game becomes more clear'.
Doesn't look like there will be much chance of it being banned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4380020.st
Rockstar games probably have low marketting costs because the people who are trying to shut them down are the best marketting team a company can hope to have.
If parents did their jobs and followed the game rating systems that are being spoon fed to them then there would be no problems anywhere.
Every time Bully comes up, there's always the instant response of "Oh, that's horrible! A game where you bully kids?!"
So many people seem to be missing the point that this game is about pulling pranks on bullies, not kicking Mortimer Snerd's butt and taking his lunch money. The idea is supposed to be that you get picked on, then you start fighting back on behalf of the little guys.
Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
From the article: "Do you share my concern at the decision of Rockstar to publish a new game called Bully? If you don't, I'll beat you up after gym class!"
xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
Why are they releasing a game like this? Is it their bread and butter to make their own lives as difficult as possible? How about the next game is one where you sit in a shack and send bombs via mail to unsuspecting institutions of higher learning? What about a game where you score points by mixing chemicals to produce the largest fireball? I mean, I'm all for gamer's rights, but at this point Rockstar is simply hurting the industry more than they're helping. Some things are best left untried.
Is it their bread and butter to make their own lives as difficult as possible? In a way, it is. They hardly have to advertise their games, because some Bible-thumpin' bloke who knows what's best for everybody will get the word out for them. The trouble they get from these people is probably greatly outweighed by the benefit of the extra press. (They say any press is good press.) Besides, it's their trademark or brand recognition or whatever. The same way you can look at animation and say "gratuitous musical numbers? big eyes? not japanese? must be Disney!" you can look at Bully and say "Rockstar's at it again." They push the "moral majority's" buttons and sell to the people who enjoy seeing those buttons pushed.
-1 Ignorant
I could have sworn I hit preview.
...then they better ban the sale of that movie as well, not to mention the Simpsons (Nelson).
Does the UK have a similar basic right analogous to the US 1st amendment? If so, I'd think that banning the game would be both wrong and against the intent of the law, but providing that it is not sold to minors would probably still be legal.
;)
I personally find the game ridiculous and tasteless, but in the US at least, I'd still fight for Rockstar's right to be able to publish it (and for stores to have to decide whether they wish to carry it).
My caveat is that while the concept of the "Bully" game strikes a little too close to home for me to enjoy, I do actually like the GTA series.
I know. I have weird double-standards in my tastes sometimes.
Mmmmm.... Pigeons. Sometimes, they come with notes attached...it's like...a fortune cookie with wings.
Given that someone was killed by someone who played Manhunt, I suppose people would point fingers to anything that Rockstar makes, including this game. Unfortunately, I predict this game will be used as a scapegoat for bullying soon after its release. However, a ban isn't going to work. Sure, you'll try to prevent the children from getting the game, but there will be other ways to acquire it, legally or illegally. If the game is a success in other areas but banned in the UK, then no doubt people will try to get it, even if just to say "Because I can." (Prohibition, anyone?)
Y helo thar
Shouldn't the British Government be less worried about a game setting a bad example, than by their own bullying of Iraqis twisting the minds of a generation?
I completely fail to understand how one video game will have a greater effect on a child than images of their own country triumphantly wreaking havoc during a war?
Kids thinking it's OK to hit other kids might be bad, but is kids thinking it's OK to bomb other countries any better?
May the Maths Be with you!
Bully just seems to be a modern version of Skool Daze and Bak 2 Skool. Did them games get this much media coverage because they contained a school bully which you beat up and knock out with a slingshot?
"Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses." - Arthur C. Clarke.
...but the comments there are pretty loaded.
"Do you share my concern at the decision of Rockstar to publish a new game called Bully in which players use their on-screen persona to kick and punch other schoolchildren?"
I'm sorry, but other schoolchildren? The players themselves will, by and large, be adults - not schoolchildren themselves. Sure, sure, we can all argue "but that's not what they meant - 'other' here refers to the in-game persona", but that sort of sneaky rhetoric doesn't fly with me. It's a charged statement meant to imply that we have to protect the children from this sort of thing, when they're not the target audience and they're already going to be restricted from purchasing it anyway.
And yes, the irony in my sig is intentional.
That green slime had it coming.
Apparently, the British have their own version of Jack Thompson. Once again, let's make the game companies responsible for the failure of parents to moderate their children.
The universe is made of atoms and empty space. All else is speculation. --Democritus of Abdera, 435 BC
Perhaps they think the game is violating truth in advertising laws by classifying itself as excellent or splendid, as in "did a bully job of persuading the members", or expressing approval, as in "Bully for you!"
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
Coming soon, from Rockstar Games: Rapist.
Whatever happened to the good old days when the most popular video games were mostly about taking on the persona of a hero, rescuing people or saving the world and such? Don't people want to be good guys any more?
I guess I'm just a crotchety old gamer. :-P
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
It's also a simulation of terrorism by rolling up innocent people into a ball, then hurtling them into space where they will likely be destroyed by a laser beam from the eyes of a giant humanoid alien.
--
"Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
"Open source is evil." - Microsoft
As a Parent who worrys about bullying of my children, the last thing the video games industry should be releasing is a game that in any way portrays Bullying as cool. People die through being Bullied, lets not have this game in the UK or indeed any country, Grand Theft Auto was one thin but this game pushes the boundarys to much. A big No No from me.
Which character do you think the politicians are more similar to?
Hmmm?
Now do you understand why they want to ban the game?
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
You keep using that word.. I don't think it means, what you think it means!
(yes, I know you were punning... *sigh*)
the more they want to prevent us from playing the game the more we want to play it, it's human nature. like Seifeld said once "if woman covered their heads (instead of breasts) we would be going down the street to pick up the latest edition of Heads" it's human nature to want what we can't get.
I wouldn't have heard about this game were it not for the negative publicity from people who want it banned.
Goes out of its way to feel sensitive towards those who want to blow up the kids in the schools. Banning Piglet and piggy banks.
What a screwed up sense of priorities. Worry about what the kids are exposed to only AFTER you worry about the kids getting blown up by a member of the religion of peace.
Government IS the problem.