Manhunt 2

[Goldy]

Manhunt 2 has become the first banned game in Ireland. The game has also been banned in the UK saying the game contains "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone... which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing".
Here is also the IGN page on this topic.

Manhunt has been blamed for a murder in the UK a few years back i believe, but that game was never banned.

So what are your thoughts on this and other violent videogames? Can a videogame be blamed for someones actions?

[retrospect.]

coincidently, my roommate just spent 11 hours playing through 16/20 chapters of the first Manhunt today. Personally I'm straight up annoyed at the AO rating since it makes it impossible to get a hold of, but if that's how people think they're going to stop murders and school shootings I'm simply outraged at the irony of society.
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[Ujitsuna]

I heard about this, must be pretty bad to get banned here in the UK, as they're (usually) fairly relaxed about video games. However I still think it should be up to us as to whether we want to play it. I don't think I would've played it anyway, but still...

[Phamex]

Violent video games like that just aren't my thing. I tend to avoid them if I can. I don't even really like GTA, but it should be the individuals choice. And no, I don't think video games can be blamed for a person's actions. Video games and other media may give someone an idea of how to go about committing a crime, but that person is already determined to cause harm or break the law. If not from video games, they would have found their inspiration from somewhere else.
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[Tullaryx]

Hayashi it depends on what you mean by us? If you mean gamers who are 18 and older then yes we should be able to play it whenever we want. But then as gamers who are 18 and over even if it's rated AO for Adults-Only we should still be able to get the game.

It's not the rating itself that's the problem but the stores who sell them who have a policy of not selling, or at the very least not advertising AO titles enough, such rated games. It's like movies which are non-porn in the past getting an X-rating due to violence. Once it got that rating it wasn't allowed to be advertised in the papers or on TV. That pretty much killed whatever chance it had of being seen.

I don't mind the game itself being rated AO here in the US since I should still be able to get the game, but stores like Wal-Mart (which happens to be the largest seller of games in general) will most likely not carry the title. Shame about it being banned in Ireland and the UK instead of just getting an 18 rating.
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[Ujitsuna]

[Tullaryx]

Yeah, so you really shouldn't worry about not being able to get it and play. :)

I'd rather the industry rates it in this fashion as a form of self-regulation than have the government get involved.
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[Sniper_Zegai]

A freind of mine once said that anything thats is'nt forced upon you should be your choice. For example:

There is a comedian here in England called Roy Chubby Brown who sometimes makes racist jokes or should I say jokes based on race...anyway, he has a warning outside that says "Sexual and Racist humour will be featured in tonights performance" or something like that. The point is somebody cant read that and then walk out thinking "Oh my god I cant beleive that had recist humor".

Anyway what Im trying to say is I dont know what the government over here is trying to do by banning this game, end violence, bring law and order to the streets? Its a persons choice whether they or even their children are subjected to this video game, and I could'nt care less before but now this game is banned I just HAVE to get it imported and play it.

Technology is moving forward in film and in entertainment making the impossible more realistic with CG and modern make-up. Whats next? Banning films becuase they are too realistically violent? Why not ban realistic sci-fi films becuase it might convince mental patients aliens exist. There are probably more people who beleived there were aliens after watching ET than people who thought "I wanna murder my freind" after playing a video game.

P.S. I know this is off-topic but I just fell down some stairs, just thought Id make a note.
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[Sophita]

Does Ireland (or England, for that matter, which also banned it) ban movies like Saw or Touristas? Movies that are, simply, sadism?

Oh right! I forgot! It's only evil if it's a game. Something about the buttons, I guess.

It's not my thing, but it does seem very hypocritical if they don't ban all or nothing here. You don't get to have your bleeding stump of a leg and eat it too. :*laugh*:
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[Sniper_Zegai]

Its funny you should mention that Sophita becuase Manhunt is banned but there is a movie called Hostel. It basically has a TV advert of someone begging saying "Please NO, NO, oh god NO" its funny how this is'nt banned given the fact this is a TV advert that comes up without you asking for it as opposed to a video game that you have to go out and buy.
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[retrospect.]

On the subject of manhunt, I have to say I'm pretty fucking disappointed with the ending of Manhunt 1. it's about 45 seconds long.
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[Goldy]

Sophita, no Ireland has not banned movies for decades......Clock Work Orange and Natural Born Killers come to mind of movies that were banned but are no longer banned.

Again, these types of games do not interest me as i am mainly an RPGer but for those who do play these what are your views?

[Himuro]

Rockstar has now supposedly cancelled the game?
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She knows stuff.

[Tullaryx]

Actually, Rockstar can't do anything about the game's status outside of changing parts of it which has gotten it banned or rated AO. Take-Two on the other hand as publisher and owner of the game's rights has put the release of Manhunt 2 on hold. There's still a good chance the game will come out in an adjusted form which would bring its ESRB rating down from AO to M. The ban in the UK and Ireland is a different matter since a major overhaul of the game will most likely be needed to get the ban lifted.
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[Himuro]

And people wonder why I don't want Hilary to be president.
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She knows stuff.