Bully: When Does a Video Game Cross a Line?

Ever since video games became more than just two dots on a screen that you paddle back and forth, people have cried out that they're too violent, send the wrong message, or make kids lazy. The last two points are debatable, but game-makers will have to plead no contest to the violence factor, which is rampant in many of the most popular games today. But at what point does a game go too far?

Reports flooding the 'net claim that a group of teachers acround the world are requesting that a new video game, called Bully: Scholarship Edition, be banned from stores. According to the Globe & Mail, the game includes all of the teen angst and self-confidence issues that are often found in the high school scene, complete with fights (including shoved heads in toilets!), naked photos for laughs, and the like.

Let me start by saying that I've seen (or heard of ) some pretty violent video games involving everything from chain-sawed killings, to ripping someone's insides out, biting off heads, and even picking up prostitutes and stealing cars. When it comes to teens and pre-teens, I've always felt that, as long as they understand the difference between fiction and reality, these games are simply for the purpose of having "fun", enjoying comraderie, and perfecting hand/eye co-ordination. But when a game involves realistic situations tailored to a young crowd (the game is rated Teen for those 13 and up), a red flag goes up in even my typically open-minded head.

What's more, the game is apparently a sequel to the already-available Bully, which also caused a stir when it was released a few years ago, although it still managed to make its way to store shelves.

It's very unlikely that a kid will find himself in a lone dungeon with some weird creatures dressed in metal, so separating that fiction from reality should be a fairly easy task for any sane-minded kid. And being a gangster that pulls people out of cars and has random shooting sprees on the streets is pretty far-fetched as well (again, for any sane kid). I don't believe that participating in games like this will affect a child's mindset in the slightest. But when you're looking at a real world environment that's just like his, especially if the kid playing the game is typically on the receiving end of such bullying in real life, it's a bit disturbing. The issue, I think, isn't so much the violence as it is the probable ability to relate to these sensitive situations.

I won't make a judgement call on the issue without having actually seen the game (which the publisher, Vancouver-based Rockstar Games, claims is "one of the funniest games you will play.") Perhaps it isn't as bad as people think. But all I can think when I read things like this is thank God for good ol' Super Mario and clean, fun (and G-rated!) games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Violent Video Game Stirs up Controversy

Video game Manhunt 2, which is supposed to be available for the Sony PSP, PS2, and Nintendo Wii gaming systems next month, has been given the dreaded “AO” rating (“Adults Only”), which neither Sony nor Nintendo approves. In the UK, the game was actually banned.

For years, parents and adults, alike have criticized certain video games for being too violent. Despite this, game after violent game has squeezed its way onto store shelves. So what is it about Manhunt 2 that’s so bad? Heck, I’ve seen games where characters are chopped to bits by their opponents with raging chainsaws! USA Today provides a quick glimpse into Manhunt 2 killings, and apparently they involve things like private parts of the human anatomy, and hand tools. 'Nuff said.

Where does one draw the line? Chainsaws? Check. Murder? Check. Blowing someone’s head off? Check. This gets a Mature, 17+ rating. So at what point do you decide to slap on that 18+ sticker? Is all of the above not disturbing enough?

Some say in the case of Manhunt 2, the controversy has more to do with how violence is portrayed in the game, and not so much the violence itself: a “you-have-to-see-it-to-really-understand-it” kind of situation. The game follows a character who has escaped from an insane asylum as he goes about a killing spree of his enemies. The original Manhunt, released in 2003, received a Mature rating. Wikipedia describes it as being centred around a character on death row, sentenced to death by legal injection, but given a sedative instead by the sadistic doctor, who then forces him to engage in brutal killings for snuff films. Er, that actually sounds worse to me!

What’s even more disturbing, in my eyes, is the fact that the game is intended for the Nintendo Wii gaming console, which has not only found its main appeal as a “family” gaming system, but also requires full-bodied simulation of actions using a remote control! Warning: couples in a heated argument should not play this game!

Will Manhunt 2's publisher Take-Two Interactive and developer Rockstar Games push for creative freedom? After all, if you don't like it, don't buy it, right? Or will the company decide to rework the game so that it qualifies for a Mature rather than Adult rating? According to USA Today, a rework would cost upwards of US$1 million. It will be interesting to see where this controversial situation goes.