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A game called 'Manhunt 2' is too violent? No way... |
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Written by Branden Hart
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Tuesday, 30 October 2007 |
The wait is over. After months of controversy, Rockstar Games' “Manhunt 2,” a game that puts the player in the shoes of an inmate at an insane asylum, hits store shelves today for the Wii, Playstation Portable, and Playstation 2 game consoles. Finally, child advocacy groups and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) are sending a message to parents and the world that I can fully support: this game is NOT intended for children.
Instead of sending this message all along, however, groups the world over have worked to ban the game – and we all know how well banning violent entertainment has worked in the past. The British Board of Film Classifications banned the original version of the title outright, and upon seeing a modified version that had been purportedly “toned down,” maintained the original ban. Of course, that won't help – not only will Britons be able to order the game from overseas merchants, there is allegedly an unrated version of the game that has been circulating the Internet since August.
So now it is, as it should be, up to parents to decide whether to let their children play the game (and of course, game merchants to make sure it is not distributed to anyone outside the recommended age range). As with any violent video game, we have to come to grips with the fact that market demand will win out in the end, violent video games are here to stay, and that means parents need to pay very close attention to the kinds of games their kids are playing.
The average age of video game players is not teenage – it's closer to 33, according to the Entertainment Software Association. Many people that age want to experience in video games things they have no chance (or desire to) experience in real life, be it driving a high-performance automobile around a track at 240 miles per hour or torturing someone with pliers, and parents need to remember that just because games that cater to those desires are on sale next to “Fluffy Marshmallow's Wholesome Complacent Adventure Time” doesn't mean they are appropriate for children.
Aside from that, I'd like to make an example out of Mr. James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, one of the many so-called “child advocacy groups” up in arms about the game, who said in a statement about “Manhunt 2”, “In my opinion, it's the most senselessly violent and offensive thing I've ever watched.”
Special message for you, Mr. Steyer: if this game is the most senselessly violent thing you've ever seen, you need to tune in to the news more often.
[CNN, ESA]
Branden Hart, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, is a supervising editor at Educational Testing Service. |
Comments
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I applaud you for this article good sir, you are a warrior and a poet. Parents need to step up and take control of the media their child imbibes. We Don't need bans, we don't need a nanny state like some would suggest. all we really need is responsible parents
Posted by UnforgivenIII, on 10/31/2007 at 13:10
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