Florida AG concerned about Wii Manhunt 2

[8th lutz]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_ent...newstop;title;3

 

Earlier this year, Take-Two Interactive filed suit in a Florida court to prevent activist attorney Jack Thompson from disrupting its planned releases of Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt 2. Thompson countersued and the pair settled, with one condition being that Thompson could not sue to stop the distribution of its games.

 

That might not be the end of Take-Two controversy stirred up in The Sunshine State this year, as GamePolitics is reporting that the Wii version of Manhunt 2 has Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum "concerned."

 

In a yet-to-be-aired interview with Fox News, McCollum reportedly balked at the way the game might utilize the motion-sensing Wii Remote to have players virtually stabbing, clubbing, or strangling opponents. While GamePolitics didn't mention any official action McCollum would take regarding the game, it did cite sources as saying the attorney general was "looking into" the Wii version of the game, but not focusing at all on its PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable counterparts.

 

A representative of McCollum's responded to the issue by saying that he "is concerned about any games which may instill violence in children, particularly games that encourage children to engage in violent behavior, even in simulation." The rep also said he stressed the importance of the parental role in keeping negative influences away from children.

 

I got a problem Mccollum with being concerned about the children for playing videogames. First off Manhunt is not made for kids, and the 2nd thing is its the parents job for determine what games that his or her kids should play. Video games have a rating system and it the parents job for using judgement for deciding what games their kids should paly. If a 8 year kid wants to play a game that for a rating that no one younger then 21 should play the gameand the parent allows the kid to have game, then the parent is a moron. The person responsible in that case the stupid parent, not the video game companies.

[Atari5200]

oh no, can't have the parents start actually parenting, we can't have that. I hope the game gets made and sells millions.

[Starscream]

Why do they even bother putting ratings on games if no matter what, we gotta worry about the kids?

[christianscott27]

Why do they even bother putting ratings on games if no matter what, we gotta worry about the kids?

 

Because many people still view video games as a kid oriented industry. We've all come to accept that there are R rated movies for adults and G movies for kids but those bright lines dont seem to exist when it comes to games, at least not as far as politicians are concerned. You can go into blockbuster and find any type of movie you want, its clear that some arent for kids and nobody has a problem with that, but go over the game aisles and people assume every game on the shelf is targeted at their 4th grader. We'll have this problem until the culture accepts that adults play games too.

 

Besides "protecting the children' is 2nd only to tax breaks for polticians looking for a sure thing.

[AtariJr]

idk.. the blood shot eye with burned flesh around it on the cover with im sure screenshots of the chainsaw action of people being beheaded ...hmm.. id think that would be enough clue for a parent what target market Manhunt 2 is going for on the Wii. i mean common. you can tell just the same way by looking if a movie is wrong for a kid , so why not a game. if a game company gets sued for this, the parent who bought it for them should be counter sued.

 

thats it, im going to force a 3 year old to watch Pirates in the theatre, and then sue Disney for making a Disney movie thats not meant to be watched for kids ... jackasses.

[+remowilliams]

Because many people still view video games as a kid oriented industry.

 

Besides "protecting the children' is 2nd only to tax breaks for polticians looking for a sure thing.

 

Exactly. Some people have a hard time with the entire concept of 'adult video game entertainment'. i.e. not everything in society has to be safe for kids.

 

That and the fact that nobody is responsible for their actions anymore, and nothing beats a rallying call of 'THINK OF THE KIDS!!'. Except maybe 'PATRIOT ACT!' or 'ANTITERROR!'

 

Anyhow, once they see the blurry mess the graphics will be on the Wii, they shouldn't be concerned anyway.

Edited June 7, 2007 by remowilliams

[Jess Ragan]

It's awfully hard to pick a side in this one. On one hand, the folks at Rockstar are tremendous assholes for making violent, exploitative trash that gives the industry a black eye. On the other... you've got the attorney general and various Florida politicians invalidating the constitution and exploiting the children they claim to protect to advance their own careers. And of course, you've got those other assholes who ignore the important issues this thread addresses and take cheap swipes at the Wii because it's lacking the Johnny Mnemonic cable that plugs directly into your brain and gives you orgasms every time something on the screen explodes. Who do I hate more...?

 

JR

[Lord Helmet]

I was at a local GameXChange the other day, and some grandma had some kids there looking at games. When they went up to the counter, one of the games that the kids had picked out was GTA Vice City. The clerk warned the woman, saying that she had to give the approval for the kid to purchase a game with violence, sex and drug use in it....She just looked at the guy, and said "What? Oh, yeah its ok."

 

I wanted to tell her how stupid and irresponsible she was.

 

The clerk said that it happens all the time.

[+remowilliams]

I wanted to tell her how stupid and irresponsible she was.

 

The clerk said that it happens all the time.

I've see that happen almost everytime I wander into some place that sells software. I've seen precious few parents who actually bothered to read a game warning/rating, look at the game content pictured, and then think it through.

[PressureCooker2600]

I, for one, can't wait for Manhunt 2. I LOVED the first one...and I'm glad its going to be on the PS2.....i'd like to try the Wii version out, to see the differences.

 

Manhunt 2 and Guitar Hero: Rock the 80s are my two most-anticipated games. I'll be virtually non-existent when they come out.

 

And no telling what happens when Fallout 3 and Starcraft 2 come out.

[Atari5200]

It's awfully hard to pick a side in this one. On one hand, the folks at Rockstar are tremendous assholes for making violent, exploitative trash that gives the industry a black eye. On the other... you've got the attorney general and various Florida politicians invalidating the constitution and exploiting the children they claim to protect to advance their own careers. And of course, you've got those other assholes who ignore the important issues this thread addresses and take cheap swipes at the Wii because it's lacking the Johnny Mnemonic cable that plugs directly into your brain and gives you orgasms every time something on the screen explodes. Who do I hate more...?

 

JR

 

Your kidding me right? There are movies that are more explicit than these games yet, it's ok because you have the mighty R rating or NC-17 that protects kids??? C'mon, don't be dumb here, and anybody who expects the government to protect them needs to go to the looney bin. It's the parents responsibility if they don't want their kid to see the content to filter it. It's the vendors job to make sure they are not selling the game to a minor without parental concent. It's the same with movies and TV so why would it be any different for the gaming industry? I am a parent and do you think i'll let my kids play games like GTA? Maybe when they're 13+, it's not hard to teach kids that games are games, they do not reflect real life, games would have just as much impact on people than movies which is why it's ridiculous that when some kid goes psycho that video games are usually the first to be blamed.

 

For f*cks sake, even the porn industry doesn't take as much flack as video games.

Edited June 7, 2007 by Atari5200

[warmachine]

For f*cks sake, even the porn industry doesn't take as much flack as video games.

 

That's because people want to forget that it exists. It's a lot easier to belive that little jonny is

using a wiimote to simulate shanking someone in the gut or choking someone then to belive

that he is jerking his chode to videos of gay men having sex with farm animals on his computer.

[Segataritensoftii]

I think the main reason for all this controversy is that all these people still think Video Games are still kids stuff. They just can't accept that the gaming population has grown up and moved on.

[warmachine]

I can see what their bitching about, but it still doesn't make it right.

 

The majority of gamers are still children and teenagers. video game companies

bend over backwards to please this demographic because they make up the bulk of sales,

so in effect, video games are still viewed as childrens toys.

 

There are games made for a more mature/adult demographic, but due to lax parenting skills

and a general lack of caring about their children. most parents will buy a game for their child

just to get the fat little noise maker to shut up, and be *gasp* surprised when they hear their

child cursing like a gangster or prenending to kill people.

 

What it comes down to is that most parents today are freaking lazy.

They're too lazy to care about the video games that their child plays.

They're too lazy to care about the clothes that their child wears.

And they're too lazy to give a crap about what and how much their child eats.

 

So long as the fat little imp from hell shuts up so that the parent can watch the

latest episode of survivor, american idol, or dancing with the stars, parents really could

care less about their child's behavior, unless the child does somthing that makes the parent look bad,

then it's someone else's fault.

 

"That game shouldn't have been sold in stores."

"There wasn't a label that said that "Pimp Smackin' Ho's" was an adults only game."

"Why didn't someone tell me that feeding my kid big mac's everyday would make them into a lard-ass?"

 

The way that parents choose games for their children, is the equivillant of putting a liquor cabinet in their childs bedroom

and not expecting them to wind up drunk one day.

 

Due to lazy parents playing the victim all of the time and asking for the government's help,

the government will cave in and instead of telling these worthless parents the obvious like,

"Raise your children better you lazy slobs". The government just tries to regulate the problem away

because telling parents the truth will piss them off and they will vote for someone else in the next election.

 

It's just like when jimmy carter basicly told americand that that they needed to drive less during the

fuel crisis of the 70's and well, we all know what happened to him.

[moycon]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/609927

 

$5 says they water down the game.

No way are they going to take the profit hit.

Many retails wont carry AO games, and then there's the bans that will cause futher sales loss.

[Lauren Tyler]

For the hundredth time as I've said countless times before, it's because the parents don't want to admit that they're bad parents. They want to turn the blame on the game makers since they're the ones who made the game. They don't want to say, 'Oh yeah, I did get the game, so I am responsible.' They don't want to accept any responsibility. And furthermore, video games alone do not make someone commit violent crimes or anything like that. It's based on their history, including how they were brought up, what might have happened to them, their mental health, etc. It's just a lot of people tend to use videogames as a simple scapegoat.

 

I thought Jack Thompson was the attorney in question here, but then I realized who'd want him as AG? Anyone want to start betting on how long it is before he gets disbarred permanently?

[rockman_x_2002]

For the hundredth time as I've said countless times before, it's because the parents don't want to admit that they're bad parents. They want to turn the blame on the game makers since they're the ones who made the game. They don't want to say, 'Oh yeah, I did get the game, so I am responsible.' They don't want to accept any responsibility.

 

 

No bets (but I do believe it will eventually happen). Just agreeing with this statement here. True, some games are not meant for kids. I wouldn't dare let a six-year-old play a game like GTA, for example. And I don't like the series myself, but that's my own personal feelings. At the same time, I feel that if you are say 17 or 18, and GTA is the kind of game for you and you don't mind the content, have fun.

 

But you are absolutely and 100% correct. Parents today just don't take responsibility for what their kids do these days. How some kids act is completely self-evident of this fact. The only hope is that we take responsibility as parents (those of us who are already parents, and those like myself who are not parents but hope to become one someday), and actually do something remarkably different from the norm:

 

Actually raising our kids!

 

</soapbox>

[moycon]

Actually raising our kids!

 

</soapbox>

 

Not enough people think like this. TV is the teacher in the house these days. How many folks do you suppose plop the kid down in front of the TV with a DVD? Even the videos that claim to be learning tools like Young Einstein etc... are crap. They dont interact, they don't stimulate a childs sense of touch, taste or smell, (A kid would learn more in an hour in the woods than watching 50 hours of that crap) but I guarentee more parent than not think thats whats good for their kid while they sit on their fat ass and read In Touch magazine. So it stands to reason, when the great home teacher (TV) has kids killing humans , even if only in a video game those parents get their undies in a bundle. Thats not what TV is for DAMNIT!!! Its for teaching my KIDS!!!!!!

Edited June 22, 2007 by moycon

[CPUWIZ]

So it stands to reason, when the great home teacher (TV) has kids killing humans , even if only in a video game those parents get their undies in a bundle. Thats not what TV is for DAMNIT!!! Its for teaching my KIDS!!!!!!

 

LOL

[AtariJr]

How could they "water down the game"? It's about killing people in inhumain ways lol. what is it going to be like that one Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode where everyone who was beheaded had rainbows come out of thier heads instead of blood (they had a very similar "not appropriate for our audience" type episode that made fun of people complaining about violence on tv). I think its very very funny that the rating system and many other people still see this as a kids toy, when you have companies like Sony and M$ who have been playing for the 20+ year old gamer for years. no offense, but if this is a KIDS toy, even games like Halo i woudlnt allow them to play. If this is true why dont we ban all games but Disney games and just call it the damn Nintendo Pico.

[AtariJr]

this was just released by ign... its officially delayed, and i have to say i agree with rockstar.. for once.

 

"June 21, 2007 - The inevitable has happened: Take-Two just issued a statement explaining the upcoming release of the currently AO-rated Manhunt 2 has been officially suspended. Originally scheduled for a July 10 release, Take-Two is reviewing its options following the UK ban earlier this week and the death sentence cast down by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

 

"We continue to stand behind this ordinary game," the publisher said in a statement, according to Reuters. "We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."

 

Not only will major retailers such as Wal-Mart refuse to carry an AO-rated game, Nintendo and Sony have said they will not allow such a game to be manufactured for their consoles."

 

 

wow... BOTH nintendo and sony said they woudlnt allow this on thier consoles... and its not even rated AO for the ps2... odd.

[PressureCooker2600]

i think both versions got the AO rating.

 

Still pisses me off......I want my game UN-edited.

The way it was meant to be played.

[AtariJr]

i think both versions got the AO rating.

 

Still pisses me off......I want my game UN-edited.

The way it was meant to be played.

 

i hear you.. would be interesting if the original version got leaked on the web one day to see what it was like vs the version they will make rated M

[bretthorror]

I don't see what the problem is all around.

 

1) Scandal only develops into more games being sold and more money made.

2) If the game is rated AO, then by law a parent or an adult would have to get the game for any child to play. Make it a law that kids can not play the game or must have parental permission. I am an adult. You shouldn't tell me what to play within reason (and believe me, this is within reason). Any lawsuit that comes forth to Nintendo or Sony should be seen as frivolous on this account. It doesn't need to be banned.

3) Games and movies are no different. Release Saw uncut on DVD and you can sell it at Wal-mart for the same audience to buy. Release it in theatres and it gets NC-17 or X and no one will show it. See the hypocrisy here?

4) Everything like this gets attacked when it first comes out. People, remember the fucking FBI... FB fucking I was looking into NWA when gangsta rap started. Give me a break. KISS, rock n' roll, etc... When will people learn that everything goes about like this until it's accepted.

5) Anyone who says Rockstar is giving the gaming industry a bad name because of a violent game is retarded. Plain and simple.

6) Starscream was totally right, "Why do they even bother putting ratings on games if no matter what, we gotta worry about the kids?"

7) Why does everyone have to worry about the kids except for the Nightly News, A&E and The Bible (not to offend anyone, but it is really violent)? You can show corpses and anything you want on any A&E program any hour of the day. The Media harms everything more than helps. They attack a violent video game for being bad, yet rise campus murderers to a pedestal that rivals even the most violent and gruesome murders in history. On ABC the other night, they showed a commercial about a 20/20 or some other bullshit show coming on, and the interviewer asks a suspect if she typed "tips on killing people and get away with it" or something very similar to that into a Google search. In the commercial, they ACTUALLY showed that being typed into the computer. A&E programs I've seen have talked about going on the internet in the same way. This helps nothing and would be far more harmful than any game.

8 ) For the love of God, it's a game, movies are much more graphic and realistic and it's accepted there.

9) No politician gives two shits about the kids. They just want to advance in their job and try to get to be president or senator.

10) All these "religious" people attacking these games and other violent forms of media need to back the fuck up before they get smacked the fuck up. They aren't going to play the games. So, what say should they have? If I went to censor the Bible, then what would they say?

11) Unfair ratings. How many flicks with the amount of violence The Passion of the Christ get released R?

12) If some kid goes crazy after playing Manhunt 2, I guarantee you he would have went crazy somewhere along the line for another reason. Crazy people tend to go crazy. You have to be mentally unstable to emulate anything you've seen in the game. Kevin Williamson wrote it best in the Scream screenplay, "Now Sid, don't you blame the movies, movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative!"

13) The difference between M and AO can't be that much. Look at GTA... you probably can't do anything in Manhunt 2 you couldn't do in GTA that's not a bit more excessive. Just because it's gorier doesn't mean it will inflict any more "harm" on society than the game every kid owns for PS2 already.

Edited June 23, 2007 by bretthorror

[moycon]

How could they "water down the game"? It's about killing people in inhumain ways lol. what is it going to be like that one Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode where everyone who was beheaded had rainbows come out of thier heads instead of blood (they had a very similar "not appropriate for our audience" type episode that made fun of people complaining about violence on tv).

 

If I had to guess....Probably make it where you don't act out the killings with the controller. Maybe make it so you aren't killing inocent people and instead are killing mutants or robots?? I don't have the answer but rest assured it will be altered. If they were smart they would release two versions an AO and an M version, and who knows, maybe this is all for free publicity and they planned to release two versions all along. Sounds exactly like something Rockstar would do. Remember the last GTA? How many folks do you suppose ran out and snagged a copy when they found out they were about to be pulled and replaced with a version minus Hot Coffee???

 

this was just released by ign... its officially delayed,

 

Was the IGN release more official than the link I posts 24 hours earlier about the same thing??