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My Favorite PS2 Game
- Thread starter Mandi
- Start date
Mandi
New member
New Zealand has banned Manhunt from the country. The game, the latest over-the-top, violently obnoxious game from Rockstar, puts gamers in the shoes of a man who escapes the death penalty only to have to work his way through a city of thugs, killing as gruesomely as possible to satisfy the bloodlust of a deranged director. Besides the excessive violence the game manages to use just about every unmentionable word that's not in the dictionary. The New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification classified Manhunt as objectionable because it determined that its availability was "likely to be injurious to the public good." The office says the only way to prevent the "injury" is to ban the game. While I don't agree with the ruling, the office did seem to put some thought into it. Here's some of its reasoning:
... the freedom of expression is outweighed by likelihood of injury to the public good that could result from this game's availability. The length of time it takes to complete the game, and the necessity to repeat the killings in ever more gory fashion on each level if one does not complete that level at first attempt, increases exposure to material that initially disturbs, but which must be accommodated, to complete the game. A player's power both to initiate violence and to control the level of violence is part of the process by which this accommodation is made. To succeed in this game, a player, regardless of age or maturity, must learn over an extended period of time to acquiesce in, tolerate, or even enjoy, the violence he or she inflicts.
The ruling makes it illegal to own Manhunt. Anyone caught with the game faces a NZ$2,000 fine; if you show it to a minor you can get a year in jail and a $20,000 fine. The same holds true for people selling or advertising the game. While I rarely agree with curtailing freedom of expression, the ruling raises an interesting question: Is there a line that gaming companies shouldn't cross? Are there games that shouldn't be made? I think the answer is yes, but where should the line be drawn?
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Dec/bga20031223023210.htm
... the freedom of expression is outweighed by likelihood of injury to the public good that could result from this game's availability. The length of time it takes to complete the game, and the necessity to repeat the killings in ever more gory fashion on each level if one does not complete that level at first attempt, increases exposure to material that initially disturbs, but which must be accommodated, to complete the game. A player's power both to initiate violence and to control the level of violence is part of the process by which this accommodation is made. To succeed in this game, a player, regardless of age or maturity, must learn over an extended period of time to acquiesce in, tolerate, or even enjoy, the violence he or she inflicts.
The ruling makes it illegal to own Manhunt. Anyone caught with the game faces a NZ$2,000 fine; if you show it to a minor you can get a year in jail and a $20,000 fine. The same holds true for people selling or advertising the game. While I rarely agree with curtailing freedom of expression, the ruling raises an interesting question: Is there a line that gaming companies shouldn't cross? Are there games that shouldn't be made? I think the answer is yes, but where should the line be drawn?
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Dec/bga20031223023210.htm
