U.K. Government Declines Manhunt 2 Petition

[Andy Chalk]

U.K. Government Declines Manhunt 2 Petition

An electronic Manhunt 2 [http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Manhunt2/]in the U.K. has been declined by the government.

In June, the rejected [http://www.bbfc.org.uk/]Rockstar's upcoming Manhunt 2. While such action is extremely rare, the BBFC said the decision was unavoidable due to the game's "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing."

Following that decision, an "e-petition" was created on the U.K. PetitionOnline.com [http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp], but are reviewed for merit by the U.K. government. The e-petition system was launched in November 2006 and is currently still in public beta testing while the system is tweaked to accommodate users and address technical issues.

The petition, which garnered over 3000 signatures, read, "The BBFC have recently refused to rate the videogame "Manhunt 2". As such, adults in this country will never be allowed to play this game. Adults should be allowed to make their own decisions with regard to what videogames they want to play. We all understand that this game is extremely violent and unsuitable for children. As such an 18 rating should have been applied."

In response, the Government wrote, "The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) considers all works - whether film, video or game - submitted to it against a set of guidelines (available on its website - www.bbfc.co.uk [http://www.bbfc.co.uk]). The guidelines take into account the law and also public opinion. This means that the guidelines can and do change periodically, reflecting changing public opinion. The BBFC considered Manhunt 2 and concluded that, within the current guidelines, it could not be given a classification. The BBFC takes its responsibilities very seriously and it uses its powers to reject works extremely rarely. Details can be found on its website. There is an appeals procedure which the game's producers are apparently pursuing. The Government is satisfied with the BBFC's procedure and with the provisions for appeal, and will not be intervening in this process. The Government has recently announced a review aimed at helping parents ensure that their children are protected from exposure to inappropriate material in games. This is not intended to restrict the choice of material available to adults."

Following the U.K. ban, Manhunt 2 received an Adults Only rating from the ESRB [http://www.esrb.org]in North America, effectively banning its sale in that region as well. A modified version with some elements of the game removed was later submitted for consideration and was granted a Mature rating, clearing it for sale. The BBFC has not yet ruled on Rockstar's appeal of the ban or the updated version of the game.


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[Jeff Richey]

A (A) Adult rating in the United States doesn't effectively ban a video game in the United States, the ESRB being a voluntary rating system unlike that of the U.K. As deserving of a Adult rating "Manhunt" may or map not deserve I find it rather alarming that the BBFC would outright reject a game title a rating. It's is essentially rating consumer content by what "they" (the BBFC and supposedly public opinion)believe is acceptable for a adults media consumption. "Manhunt" isn't exactly the "Anarchists Cookbook" and I find it odd that they would restrict a game outright. But then again I'm not from the U.K.

I wonder however what would happen if the game was made available via online download? Or if someone in the U.K downloaded it online illegally? Regardless of the legal ramifications from illegal downloading etc could the person be fined or even jailed for playing a unrated/banned game? I'm not familiar with the U.K policy on this.

 

[Andy Chalk]

That's a bit of a red herring. While an AO rating doesn't actually ban a game from sale, it does result in virtually the same thing: Major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target won't touch AO games, which drastically curtails a game's retail sales opportunities, and both Sony and Nintendo have in-house policies which prohibit the approval of AO games for publication on their consoles. What you end up with is a situation in which AO games can only practically be released for the PC and are only accessible via direct order.

Is it an outright ban? No. Does it create an environment in which any attempt to publish a mainstream AO game on any kind of large scale is financially suicidal? You betcha. And in the world of videogames, where budgets are growing explosively and a single flop can spell the end of a developer, that kind of risk is out of the question in nearly ever instance. It can't be called a ban because this is the land of the free, home of the brave, freedom of speech, First Amendment, blah blah, and we have to pay lip service to those ideals, but that's exactly what it is. We just have to couch the idea in more palatable terms so we can stay warm and comfy in the belief that the U.S. is the one true beacon of freedom in the world.

 

[Geoffrey42]

A (A) Adult rating in the United States doesn't effectively ban a video game in the United States, the ESRB being a voluntary rating system unlike that of the U.K.

It is not intended to ban, but it does EFFECTIVELY ban a game. The console makers respond by refusing its publication on their machines, and large retailers like Wal-Mart refuse to carry it (PC or console). If you cut off 90% (Source: anal extraction) of the retail channel, what DO you call it, if not an effective ban?

Sure, online doesn't care, but online is not a large enough portion of the retail channel to counter the Adult rating's impact on the rest of the channel. Plus, even if you want to claim that you could still buy it at Gamestop/EBGames, etc, when was the last time you walked into one of those stores to view their expansive PC gaming section?

Intent is one thing (An Adult rating is not an intentional ban), but effect is another entirely. It's what actually happens. In this case, an effective ban.

Edit: b10 by Malygris

 

[Andy Chalk]

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