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Mainstream Coverage of Manhunt 2
Now that Manhunt 2 is out (and garnering little enthusiasm from gamers) the mainstream press is having their say on the title. Joystiq has a look at what ABC and CBS has to say about the latest assault on our nation's children. "'What sets this video game apart is that the player can become physically involved in the acts of violence,' Couric says. 'Rather than just pushing buttons, the player actually wields a knife, an ax, a glass shard -- to stab an opponent.' Ummm, no. Don't know who writes the copy over there at that ratings powerhouse, but that's just plain wrong. Although the PS2 version would be about pushing buttons -- unless CBS has discovered some new feature -- we're currently unaware of the Wiimote's ability to shape-shift into any of those items described allowing a player to "stab an opponent." Couric then says that research shows violent games cause children to accept violence as an every day part of life."
I'm an expert on neither games nor human nature. It's one thing if a game directs the user to use extreme violence to solve a situation, but it's another if the game gives an objective and leaves the 'how' up to the player.
Colin Dean Go a year without DRM
I don't blame people for not buying the watered down version, the uncensored version is out in the wild anyway.
After all the hubbub, that's the version people will want.
OTOH, having played it a bit, it's not much different to manhunt one, or any random horror movie. But then I'm not a tv/radio shock-merchant and I seem to have this rare ability to differentiate games from reality.
The fact that Miss Couric throws in the bit about children shows how much people are still just *not* getting it. Manhunt 2 is NOT for your children. It is rated as M (or AO for the original), don't damn well give it to them.
all this hype on how bad this game is! I want to see what everyone is talking about! I want to buy a copy of this game as soon as it comes out! it's such an alluring game being so, bad and all! ooooh it's soooo bad! gimmee gimmmee! Sarcasm turned up to 11. the sad thing is, is this is exactly whats happening. If I didn't know better I'd say Thompsons on Rockstars PR payroll team.
I saw CBS's piece last night, not knowing it would be on. It was just as fair and balanced as I expected.
They basically considered it a murder simulator. They pointed out that while violent games existed, this took it to a new level because you act it out. They did the "while there is no evidence yet linking games to causing violence, violent people often like games" kind of thing. They had a few little points that were good (like pointing out the game was rated M/17+, and that the Wii has parental controls).
But by and large the piece was terrible... as I expected. They talked about the game, but never mentioned that it was a sequel (that was up to you to figure out). They mentioned that it was banned in Britian, but not that many consider it tamer than the previous game. They pointed out it was from Rockstar who made the GTA games. They showed the movements you make with the Wii controller, but it's just flailing like in Twilight Princess... not "murder simulating" like they tried to insinuate (note: not a quote).
They didn't mention it was toned down. They didn't mention that it just isn't a very good game (have you seen the reviews? 40%-70%). They didn't mention it's a bit of a one trick pony (once the violence stop shocking you, there isn't supposed to be much there). They showed the game to some 20 somethings and said they were all shocked by the violence. They had a clip of someone saying games like this shouldn't be made.
They said that this would make the Wii more hardcore and less family friendly.
But they didn't put anyone pro-gaming on. If they interviewed me, I know what I'd say. It's violent. It's disturbing. It's a good thing someone made it. It's interesting. Someone should make something other than the Carnival Games and Wii Play. There is no great reason this shouldn't be available if someone wants to make a game like this. I have no interest in it, maybe if the violence was in another context. But I think this kind of game should be available. There no way kids should get to play it, but if you buy it for your 8 year old that's just you being a terrible parent.
It could have been worse. They could have shown someone saying WiiSports made their kid violent, and they had to ban their kid from playing Boxing in WiiSports (I've seen that, try telling your kids not to punch other kids... see if that helps).
Now to put things in context... they fear monger. Other stories included the terrible wild fires, how thousands of Iraqis were terrified about the damn that was in imminent danger of bursting (truth: hardly inspected, not in good shape, but not imminent danger of bursting).
CBS and the other guys like to fear monger. They have slanted stories with incredibly slanted titles. That's just how they work. It's sad, it's pathetic, it's true. My news comes from NPR, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the web. NPR is mostly neutral (slight bent), but don't fear monger much at all compared to the mainstream media. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are fake... if they have a bent on a story it's obvious and usually funny. The web gives me many viewpoints, on issues that the mainstream media doesn't cover (for various reasons).
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
As usual, in an effort to shift the blame from the parents to the game designer, the major new outlets get to spread misconception to the everyday citizen. I am only 19, but, my parents have been allowing me to play violent video games since i was 10. I'm not killing people, nor do i intend to kill people. It has always been the game designers, musicians, directors that are bad people. How about parents try and be there for their kids, talk to them, tell them that games aren't real. I know that i will allow my children if/when i have them in 10-15 years, to play violent videogames, not when they are 3 or 5, but when they are 13 or older, maybe even sooner if i think that they are mature enough. But it will be my choice, not the choice of some ill informed news outlet.
Manhunt is getting all the attention. It's getting people freaked out about a game training our future killers. I've yet to play it, though I would love to get a copy to try.
We have Clive Barker's Jericho that was released a week earlier. This game should have every group out there in an outrage.
It's violent and gory to an extreme. you wade through pools of blood and body parts in some scenes.
It deals with the premise "God" created something "before" humans. That alone should be enough to throw relihous groups into a tivvy.
It deals with paranormal. Each team member has spiritual powers and to boot they're funded by the government.
MINOR SPOILER: THere's posession in the game, your character "dies" near the beginning of the game, but his soul lives on. This allows you to posess and control the different team members, jumping from one o the other.
There are quite a few references to the "first born", an Abyss, and all sorts of occult occurances.
Personally I love the game. The fights are intense, t he story is great, and the graphics are amazing.
Yet Manhunt gets all the acclaim and this little bombshell of offensive content goes completely unnoticed. I could be wrong though, since i've been too busy playing it to notice if it has been in the news or not.
The problem is that you're missing the point entirely. This has little to do with Manhunt, and has far more to do with censorship, violence in games, and main-stream portrayal of video games. This is what we call "precedence setting". While you might not care if they decide to ban Manhunt based on violence, something tells me you might care if they then decide that the upcoming Halo 4 (or God of War 3, or [insert bad-ass violent game sequel here]) game is excessively violent as well.
And before you come back telling me you never play violent games, it isn't so far to reach and say that Super Mario Bros., despite the lack of blood, still has the main character killing tons of seemingly-innocent wildlife. Sure, it seems like an incredible stretch, but you have to ask "where does it stop" once you start villainizing games and ignoring the fact that some games are made for adults as well.
So what if they decide its violent? Let them decide its violent, I mean the game was made for adults, not children.
The media is running around screaming "for the children!" Yet, it wasn't intended for children in any way shape or form. The designers of Halo, aren't out to go after the 8yr old crowd. Let them rate the game, since it should show about what age it is appropriate for.
However,
I do disagree with banning it from an entire country. Let the people be informed, then decide if it is right for them or not.
"It's bad because it encourages people to act out violence!"
Ok, as a kid I remember playing Cowboys and Indians, "sword fighting" with wooden swords or sometimes just plain old sticks and having full-contact water gun fights...sometimes conducted while riding a bike in a sort of "drive-by" fashion...not so much because we were trying to be cool and emulate gangsters, but for the simple fact that you could shoot them and they couldn't hit you very effectively.
These things all strike me as things that lead to *actual* violence, yet not once were we chastised for rough-housing growing up unless somebody got hurt (or if one of the mothers caught you swearing). However, waving a white piece of plastic around and around in yet another example of crappy Wii controls from an uninspired developer is going to make kids suddenly more prone to violence? Did I miss some fundamental shift in the nature of human development here?
I realize that most people informed on the issue are fully aware that there is no proven direct link between violent videogames and actual violence, and in fairness to CBS they alluded to that fact in their report, but it was glossed over about how this game is going to turn little Johnny into a killer. Sort of a "while there are no signs that link leaving an electric fan on at night will cause your death...ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THAT CHANCE? Listen to our thousands of anecdotal stories that make good cursory sense to those who know nothing of the way things work, because we know that's all the further you'll look into the issue!"
I know all news media is a pack of lies to get advertising money and anymore who you watch is just picking the pack of lies which you find most palatable, but it still saddens me to see that "journalism" has descended to such a pitiful level.
The game title doesn't matter. Could have been a care bears game and the media will find some way of convincing you it is deadly. If it isn't a murder sim, it's soo addictive that you'll forget to eat or sleep for three days and die. If it gets any coverage from the media, you can be sure that it will be something that can kill you.
The problem in question here is not censorship. It's media.
They have free reign to be completely wrong without any adverse reaction from the masses. One of the first news stories I remember was that killer African bees were coming and America was in danger. Never happened. Exploding school buses, nevcer happened. How many looming epidemics that never happened? I would have never guessed SARS killed less than 1% of infected people if it wasn't for South Park. Shooting at police helicopters during Katrina? Nope. Iraq WMDs, nada. Do they tell you what kind of missions shuttle crews are going on? No, but they will replay the challenger explosion and talk about the dangers of foam and heat shielding damage for hours.
I could go on for hours here, but I'm sure you get the point. Media doesn't care if they get anything right, they only care about it scaring you in to staying tuned until after the next commercial break.
That's only part of the problem. The other (bigger, IMHO) part is that these people are still equating the phrase 'video game' to the word 'kids'. The possibility that a video game could be made for adults is just as inconceivable as a porno film made for children to these people.
Last I checked, violence WAS an every day part of life. You can't watch the news without hearing about a soldier getting blown up or a local murder.
Even before video games, we had cops and robbers, coyboys and indians, eskimos and seals... whatever. After that we play organized sports. Anybody here who played football knows what I mean.
get on it chippie
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Let's be honest here.
The player uses the Wii controller to physically mime the slashing - the gutting - of his victims. To which the game responds with the appropriate animations and rewards.
Rockstar's PR made the player's emotional engagement with his on-screen character a selling point.
If this isn't a murder simulation, I should like to know what is.
I am reminded uncomfortably of the inability of anyone in the Bush Administration to say that the water torture is torture.
The gamer, it seems, is no less willing to resort to any evasion, any contrivance, to avoid saying that this is out of bounds - - whatever this may be.
Perhaps the use of the Wii controller to mime a rape?
The coward denies the truths which are self-evident to others. A refusal to set limits isn't maturity, it is the very definition of arrested adolescence.
No matter how thin you slice it...
The New York Times reviews video games. TIME magazine reviews video games. Both have had nothing but good things to say about Bioshock and Halo.
When scandal erupts around a video game, it is almost certain to be a Rockstar product. Race. Sex. Violence. It doesn't matter. Rockstar will push all the red buttons.
There's info out there explaining how to edit a file in each levels directory to remove the censorship on the PSP.
I don't have a PSP to try it though. Of course it's going to require a modded PSP as well.
Yes, actually I would. That would be a game for "Adults". What constitutes a "Mature" or "Adult" game currently means there is violence, and tits.
Apparently, the AO rating exists to prevent Adults (those 18 and over) from playing it as well.