You've all heard about the outrageous banning of
Manhunt 2 by the British Board of Film Classification, as
announced yesterday. You should also all be aware by now that European members of the Destructoid community have
had enough and will soon mount our
official response very, very soon. The news has lit a fire underneath me, as it has my fellow British editor,
David Houghton and between us, you can expect some brand new items regarding the fair and just treatment of videogames in the near future.
But to business. Yesterday, I emailed the BBFC, the group who tested and currently refuse to rate Rockstar's Manhunt 2, to share with them my impassioned thoughts on the issue. More or less restating the comments from my original news report, I did not hold back in my remonstration of the decision. The BBFC, through their Policy Chief Assistant J L Green, has sent me a reply, contained after the jump, in which they detail how they tested the videogame and where you can go if you wish to view the BBFC's extensive guidelines for yourself.
More after the jump.
Firstly, this is the email I sent to the BBFC. As stated earlier, it was a reworked version of my post-jump thoughts on my original story concerning the banning. Included for completion's sake, you may wish to skip this email if you've read the first story:
My name's Jim Sterling, a videogame journalist who works for Destructoid.com and who had to report for his site earlier today that you'd decided to effectively ban Manhunt 2 in the UK. I find this news depressing beyond all reason. I didn't even like the first Manhunt, but for this game to be banned because a select group, a small part of the population won't let us decide what media we can and cannot handle is just a shocking example of how farcical this country has become.
Hardcore pornography is legal, movies show shocking and deplorable acts time and time again, but because this is a videogame, we in the United Kingdom have suddenly been told we're not allowed to experience it. This is the kind of sickening double standard that an industry that rakes in more money than Hollywood has to deal with and we, the consumers, are the ones who get punished. What will it take for this childish and reactionary prejudice against videogames to end?
To claim that this game is harmful is a statement of purest arrogance. I would optimistically hope that the BBFC actually played this game before banning it - are your testers harmed in any way, shape or form by what they saw, or believe they saw? Evidently not, if they are not in therapy currently and were mentally capable enough to ban the game, so what justification do you have to just assume that everyone else is too weak to handle playing it? That's an insult to adult gamers up and down the country and I choose to take that insult personally. I'm 23 years old and I don't live with mummy anymore, I should be able to make my own decisions about what videogames I can safely play.
It just fills me with an icy dread that this is merely the beginning. Once an action is taken and succeeds, it becomes consequentially easier for that action to happen again and again. I hope Rockstar fights this and I hope Rockstar wins, not just for its own game, but for every game that could potentially fall victim to the whims of the few.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a game to import.
On principal alone.
Thank you for your time and for any general, copy/paste reply I may recieve,
Jim Sterling
Editor, www.destructoid.com
Indignant and emotive, yes, but you guys know how I roll by now. Enough about me though, here's the main event, the BBFC's official, Dtoid-exclusive response on this issue:
Dear Jim Sterling
Thank you for your email and your interesting comments.
The BBFC has considerable experience in classifying games, and we employ
several highly knowledgeable and experienced gamers as examiners. Although
it was not possible to play the game in its entirety, a significant sample
of MANHUNT 2 was played and examined by a number of our examiners, both
gamers and non-gamers, before a classification decision was made. We also
have access to various cheats and 'God' modes, provided by the company, to
enhance greater access to all parts of the game. All our classification
decisions are made in line with our published guidelines. These guidelines
are available on our main website - http://www.bbfc.co.uk - under the
section entitled 'downloads'.
You will find it useful to read our press release regarding our decision on
MANHUNT 2. This is available on our main website - http://www.bbfc.co.uk -
under the section entitled 'news', and then 'press'. The release is dated
19 June 2007.
You also like to read our recent video game research published earlier this
year. This study is also available on our main website under the section
headed 'downloads'.
I can also assure you that this response is neither a 'general' one nor a
cut and paste job.
Yours sincerely,
J L Green
Chief Assistant (Policy)
I thank Mr. Green for his personal (and amusingly sarcastic) response to my email, but what do we think? Did he answer the questions this issue raises to a satisfactory level? Considering many of my points were not addressed in the least (I seriously want to know what damage was done to the BBFC's testers), I have to say that I'm not entirely satiated by what I have been told.
You can guarantee that more comprehensive answers on not just this issue, but many issues involving the unbiased and equal treatment of videogames will be actively sought out from this point forward. Stay tuned to Destructoid for upcoming news regarding just how these answers are being searched for.
Remember, this is not just about Manhunt 2, this is about videogames.
Contest:
2:55 PM on 06.20.2007
| 
If the game allowed you to beat to death children, then use their dead bodies to beat other children to death, I would consider that ban-worthy.
If the game took actual predominant political figureheads and killed them in vicious horrible ways, and encouraged your doing so, that would probably be ban-worthy, to an extent.
But like you said, we should be given the right to decide for ourselves. What they should do is push an extensive campaign to completely educate parents that this game is not for their kids, at all. Not just outright ban it.
Keep fighting.
Unless the testers eyes melted or they needed severe psychiatric therapy, i see no reason to not allow this game to be sold on UK soil.
I love how he had no bones with the importing though.
Nice.
Also: "You also like to read our recent video game research published earlier this
year." - Generally grammar helps you get taken a lot more seriously. Obviously no one told Mr Green that.
Pedantic yes but i tend to get picky about grammar and spelling when it comes to being contacted by people of authority.
I was tempted by "Bloody Bunch of Fucking Cunts" buuuuuut, I need to have my mature face on. :D
Unfortunately it either has to be all or nothing, and if the only other option is that a company can be told what it can or can not include in it's own work then I'm afraid I take the stand that there should be no censorship whatsoever!
'now if you'll excuse me, I have a game to import.
On principal alone.'
thats beautiful, truley it is. but...
'I can also assure you that this response is
neither a 'general' one nor a cut and paste job.'
sarcasim or sincerity? I can't decied. least they did reply..
While you may consider beating children to death with other children's corpses (IN A GAME) who is to tell you not to? Granted this is disgusting and very disturbing...
Granted these types of things should not be available to children and minors, but adults can make their own choices...unless we let things like this ban go without a fight.
Its the retarded parents that buy their little 10 yr old Tommy any game he wants for Christmas and then they get mad at the store/game company for letting her kid play the game....wtf, you bought it.
They should just enforce the age thing a little better and their should be no problems. Don't ban the game, that is just an all too easy out, for a simple issue.
The BFFA didn't provide any more insight as to why this is worse than the first than to say "It's worse than the first game" Ooo!
Also, where's the logic in banning a game anyway? With movies you're talking about a much less expensive proposition where someone can obtain viewing material that they might be deemed too young to see.
Movies are $10, DVD's are $20. If the ability to obtain this offensive material is what's under question there's also far fewer roadblocks to obtaining this material. Porn, liquor, and cigarettes are easier for a kid to come by than a violent video game. Why is that?
I'd buy a game that had a ragdoll cannon in it as a weapon.
/cues Drowning Pool.
Fuck the hypcrisy of the thought police and their ill-judged actions and fuck this stupid, rotting little island I'm forced to live on.
Not that I would have played manhunt 2 mind, the first was dire :)
This issue HAS no end until videogames are treated with the same respect and dignity as other artistic mediums.
As I say time and again, this is NOT just about Manhunt 2. This is about videogames. This is also something that which I am in for the very long haul.
MOAAAARRR!!
Postal movie and game is about to hit the media realms I see the latest version of the postal game headed for the same dilemma
The problem here is that the system in place to keep "adult" games out of the hands of children is worthless. Fix that system and you need not ban games for simply being too "adult."
Oh yeah, fuck it, I live in violence happy America, as long as there's not a stray tit in a game we'll be fine.
"Who the **** is Jim Sterling?
Yours sincerely,
J L Green
Chief Assistant (Policy)"
Right now, our goal is a very achievable one - bring mainstream attention to the other side of the debate. Give us our voice, after having our words taken out of context or outright ignored for decades.
Nobody is yet talking about changing the world. But it's baby steps that make the big steps happen.
i smell history in the making.
G4G unite!
Start negotiations with Rockstar to garner a bulk/cost deal for a shit-ton of copies.
Then Inform Richard Branson of the situation and try to convince him to buy 20,000 copies at a dicount.
Then distribute them to your Brittish bretheren. It would be the ultimate "FUCK YOU" to those twits.
several highly knowledgeable and experienced gamers as examiners."
I wanna know what kind of gamers they employed here. Any real experienced gamer will be easily used to the kind of violence, even extreme violence that is in these games.
Jim Im glad you did this. ESRB needs a letter to. This game is not AO. The need to be in the news and show they are in charge as Target is using a different company to rate games.
but as an adult, surley i should be making that decision, not them?
Exactly.
Baby Skull Seeking Bullets? I have to give credit where credit is due... Whitest Kids You Know great sketch comedy where they talk to supposed NRA member asking him to defend these new bullets that just came onto the market.
Whats the best way to load a truck with dead babies?
BBFC Gamer: Ah, now to play Manhunt 2! I'll just put away my copy of Viva Pinata and my copy of Poniez! for the DS and just snuggle in here for a fun, fancy free night of gaming.
[10 minutes later]
Oh... That's why they banned it. Never mind. Jim, this one's lost to you buddy.
;)