Overzealous/Reactionary censorship of Manhunt 2?

[: : Scott : :]

BBC Story.


I never understand how some people can feel right in justifying a campaign to ban something using the "Somebody think of the children!" argument, when the game is clearly marketed and labelled as 18+. It's not like they advertise it between CBBC shows or anything.

Anyway, banned. Crackdown was banned in Germany on release recently also under the 'Too Violent' banner. For the painfully lazy, here is the article with some interesting parts highlighted;

Originally Posted by BBC

Censors ban 'brutal' video game

British censors have banned a violent video game from the UK for the first time in a decade.

The video game Manhunt 2 was rejected for its "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying", the British Board of Film Classification said.

It means the Manhunt sequel cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK.

The parents of a Leicester schoolboy who blamed the original game for the murder of their 14-year-old son said they were "absolutely elated".


There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed
BBFC director David Cooke

The original Manhunt game was given an 18 classification in 2003.

Manhunt 2, for PS2 and Nintendo Wii consoles, is made by Rockstar Games.

The company has six weeks to submit an appeal.

The last game to be refused classification was Carmageddon in 1997. That decision was overturned on appeal.

David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said: "Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone.

"There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."

'Morally irresponsible'

The original Manhunt game caused huge controversy and was blamed for the murder of Stefan Pakeerah.

The boy was stabbed and beaten to death in Leicester in February 2004.His parents believe the killer, Warren LeBlanc, 17, was inspired by the game.

Stefan's mother, Giselle Pakeerah, had condemned the sequel, branding the gaming industry "morally irresponsible".

"We have been campaigning against these games for a long time and the BBFC made the right decision," she said.

Police said robbery was the motive behind the attack on Stefan in Stokes Wood Park on 26 February 2004 - and not the video game blamed by Stefan's parents.

Manhunt's maker Rockstar North has always insisted its games are geared towards mature audiences and are marketed responsibly.

Leicester MP Keith Vaz, who campaigned with the Pakeerahs against the original version of Manhunt, praised the decision to ban Manhunt 2.

He said: "This is an excellent decision by the British Board of Film Classification, showing that game publishers cannot expect to get interactive games where players take the part of killers engaged in 'casual sadism' and murder."

I like how they get to tell me what is "morally irresponsible".

[humndislocation]

Clearly the game is too dangerous for normal people to play. Only the advanced supermen and superwomen at the BBFC are capable of playing the game without turning into murderers.

What if the game were to get into the hands of people less middle class than them? It's a scary thought.

Besides, adults need to be told what they're allowed to play or watch.

[Keerin]

Idiots,

one or two sick individuals may be influenced to commit violent crimes by a video game but then surely the reports (often detailed) of murder etc and the glorification of serial killers in newspapers and on TV are just as influential?

[scottyboy]

i wouldn't be surprised if it was overturned. this is the first time it's happened in the uk for 10 years (10 years ago? what was that... playstation era?). pretty sure that part about manhunt inspiring the killing is bullshit as well. there was a lot written about it at the time: the killer had never played it, only the victim, unless i remeber incorrectly or it is a different incident.

[humndislocation]

Originally Posted by scottyboy

i wouldn't be surprised if it was overturned. this is the first time it's happened in the uk for 10 years (10 years ago? what was that... playstation era?). pretty sure that part about manhunt inspiring the killing is bullshit as well. there was a lot written about it at the time: the killer had never played it, only the victim, unless i remeber incorrectly or it is a different incident.

No, you've got it right, it was the victim that owned the game, not the killer. The media just saw an opportunity to sell papers/get ratings, and threw truth out the window, as usual.

[Pubic Wig]

Will some one ban those terrible Super Mario games that encourage gamers to stamp on plant life, throw hammers at blind moles and jump on turtles/tortoises and kick their shells???

The game blatently encourages cruelty to animals and any child who plays it will almost certainly grow up to tear the wings off of insects.



Yeah, Manhunt is a violent game, thats why its going for an 18+ rating. As Scot said, they are hardly advertising it in school cafeterias or between episodes of The tweenies.

[Rebelius]

if there's one way to make sure every "hyper-violent" teenage gamer in the country plays a game that would've been 18+ on the shelves, it's banning it.

[^_mincher_^]

I just read in the latest PC Gamer that the BBFC issued a report on how it was reforming it's censorship guidelines. Maybe this will be the way of things.

[Keerin]

I want to work for the BBFC, think of the perks! You get to play all these banned games, and for free!

[: : Scott : :]

Platform holders refuse to let Manhunt 2 appear on US consoles.


Poor R*

[drivelikejehu]

i bet this game would have slid under the radar but now all this nonsense with the ESSZBandQ (or whatever they are called) will probably just serve to exacerbate the situation because t will make young gamersd jonze for the game even more, I cAN just imagine myself as a ten year old kid with the knowledge that there is a banned game out there, saying that now its banned where the hell are they gonna get it? will a US copy work here?

[: : Scott : :]

Originally Posted by drivelikejehu

...where the hell are they gonna get it? will a US copy work here?

Doesn't matter, read my last post.

[scottyboy]

they're not the only ones. i wasn't at all interested in manhunt 2 before; now however i quite fancy finding out if it's really too morally reprehensible for my eyes. i'm not trusting the bbfc's opinion on the matter :P