Bully Gets Pushed Around

[lost]

Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6136770.html) is reporting that Rockstar Games' latest controversial has been getting a taste of it's own medicine from British MP Keith Vaz.

The Labour MP for Leicester East asked whether or not others shared his concern at a game that allowed children to beat other children. Beyond that he suggests that it should be treated as a violent film and sent to the BBFC for classification.

In their defence Rockstar stated: "Just as books aren't judged by their covers, video games shouldn't be judged by their titles or individual scenes."

Thing is, I'm seeing more and more games carrying BBFC age logos on them anyway. My copy of Burnout Revenge has the PG logo for example. Plus there is the tricky arguement of "Well if it's an 18 game then surely it'll be adults using children to beat children, that's better right?"

[LilEvilFish]

Rockstar? Are they still around?
I'm a bit tired of those guys, not in a bad way just like "Shh! Come back when you've calmed down a bit".
Vice City was great, but they seem to have lost the plot somewhat after that.

[edit] if they want to make a violent game, can they not acquire the road rash license from whoever? oh hang on.. no they'd put all burnout particle systems in, forget I said that.

[BigJonno]

The BBFC have had the power to rate videogames for years, though it's only recently that I've seen anything lower than a 15 or 18 on a videogame. (For all you non-brits, there are two rating systems in the UK that apply to games. PEGI is a European guideline system that not only offers an age rating, but has content indicators. As far as I know, it's not legally enforcable, but some stores will refuse to sell games to kids younger than the age rating. On top of this, the British Board of Film Classification can slap their age ratings on games, which are legally enforcable. Breaking these can mean jail sentences and fines for those involved.)

I would assume that Bully would pick up an 18 BBFC certificate anyway. It's not such a big issue over here as we don't have the situation of big stores refusing to carry products with certain ratings. It still saddens me that parents will still buy GTA for their 10 year old despite being told exactly what the game contains.

[Xaerin]

I do not think I have ever seen a BBFC rating of 15 or under on any game but they have deffinitely been slapping the 18s on for a while now, the original GTA and Soldier of Fortune come to mind.

edit: ok scrap that, I just hoked out the boxes for Wing Commander IV and 7th Guest and they are both 15s! WC4...now there is a game parents should be keeping away from their children.

[Akeldama]

Vaz has made an idiot of himself here. The game was always likely to be seen by the BBFC. He's just made his judgement based on seeing a screenshot.

I'm no fan of Rockstar's controversial game development policies, but at the same time the industry has to stand up against ill-informed opinions by people like Keith Vaz who can gain media coverage without being very well educated on the issue.

Here's the BBC Online story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4380020.stm) about this, interestingly there's more coverage of Rockstar and ELSPA's rebuttal. Must be some gamers at the BBC, or clued up Journalists.

[Stiffler]

On top of this, the British Board of Film Classification can slap their age ratings on games

Just a small clarification: The BBFC are required to certify games that contain certain content.
From the BBFC Website (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Customers.nsf/887207b9ed0ee93880256bb2002f1e41/80256a990051aca880256bae0033901a?OpenDocument)

Under the Video Recordings Act, video games are exempt unless they depict (a) human sexual activity, or acts of force or restraint associated with sexual activity, or (b) mutilation or torture of, or other acts of gross violence towards, humans or animals, or (c) human genital organs or urinary or excretory functions, or (d) are likely to stimulate or encourage sex, violence, or criminal activity.

I guess for those games that get a rating lower than 15, the publisher has just been playing it safe and submitted the game to the BBFC for certification.

[Stiffler]

I do not think I have ever seen a BBFC rating of 15 or under on any game

The Half-Life 2 retail box was rated 15.

I wonder what the BBFC are going to do with digital delivery?

[bKangy]

The Half-Life 2 retail box was rated 15.

I wonder what the BBFC are going to do with digital delivery?

Whinge and moan.

[Xaerin]

The Half-Life 2 retail box was rated 15.

I wonder what the BBFC are going to do with digital delivery?
Yeah. Keep reading.

As for the DD, require credit cards?

[Kelegacy]

I've excited about Bully and think it's a great premise. I was not a bully in school, nor was I picked on by bullies (as a jock I had certain priviledges) but I can appreciate what went on during recess, the little horrors that went on behind adults' backs.

I want to kill me some Nelsons.

[Klade]

Not sure what UK schools are like but in America adults have been using children to beat up other children for years. Its called sending your kids to junior high.

[Arcon]

The precise contents, "disturbing though they sound", and the degree to which it might be considered harmful to children were "not yet known", he added. Wow, someone waiting until the games finished before passing judgement? With Jacko popping up almost daily i forgot these people existed

[Heretic Machine]

It still saddens me that parents will still buy GTA for their 10 year old despite being told exactly what the game contains.

There is no evidence, or reason to believe that playing GTA would have a negative effect on what would otherwise be a perfectly normal child. Now you give it to a screwed up kid, then you might have an issue, but they are already going to have problems indipendant of what they are exposed to so that's a bit irrelevant. I played GTA when I was around that age, the original GTA. I watched Hellraiser when I was like two or three. It's not a big deal, and sheltering your children from it is not going to accomplish anything but further resentment from the child and fuel their desire to "break-out" of your restrictive enviroment.

[lost]

It doesn't matter if the 10 year old kid is going to get fucked up or not, fact of the matter is a 10 year old kid shouldn't be able to read/see/interact with anything that involves the killing of hookers, drive-bys and any game that failed to have "Straight Outa Compton" on its soundtrack despite being about gang banging!

[01010]

I remember this when it was called SkoolDaze on the ZX Spectrum. This is nothing new. Just goes to show how hysterical people are over stupid shit.

I remember playing Syndicate when I was 10 years old, going around and killing everyone (civillians included) and I've never so much as been in a fight in my life, let alone go on a murderous rampage.