Bully

[Lycaon]

New Bully Video Game Stirs Up Conflict

Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:04PM EDT

 

See Comments (3468)

 

It's not yet available, but Bully, a new video game from Rockstar Games (the U.S. distributor is Take 2, the same folks who brought you Grand Theft Auto) is causing uproar. The animated game, set at the fictitious Bullworth Academy, features a protagonist who is bullied, faces mean teachers, and encounters the nastiness of clubs and cliques. There is no beating them without joining them in this game set in a bully or be bullied world.

 

GameSpot, a gaming destination, reports that the Britain-based Bullying Online, an organization devoted to ending "bullying" on school grounds in the U.K., is seeking to have the game banned in the country. According to a BBC report, Bully will change the name of the U.K. release to the less offensive Canis Canem Edit (Dog Eat Dog). It is due for release on the PlayStation 2 on October 27.

 

Here in the U.S., members of the Washington D.C. based youth group Peaceoholics protested outside Rockstar Games' New York offices. And a Florida attorney, Jack Thompson, has sued to have the game removed from stores. In the US, the game has no rating yet because it hasn't shipped, but it's expected to receive an M for mature (over 17) audiences from the ESRB.

 

I watched the trailer for the game on GameSpot, and clearly it's a game about bullying that's similar in style and action to Grand Theft Auto. But this game is like your worst high school nightmare, with everything from wedgies, mean girls, and teases, to nasty cheerleaders and catty cliques. As the protagonist, you need to get strong fast as you rise through the challenges of girls that hit; mean, spiteful teachers; and gang plots to make your life miserable.

 

There are those who think that a game that makes "play" out of bullying is despicable. But in fairness it should be pointed out that this is not a shoot ‘em up game, and there are no guns or blood. Some experts believe it can be a healthy outlet for kids to get these sorts of fantasies out of their systems on the screen and not in the real world. On the other hand, the game shows that to survive the bully culture you need to become one.

 

What do you think? Will kids know that Bully is a game? Can they find it amusing and keep it in stride? Or do they learn that bullying is acceptable, fun, and even cool behavior? Would you let your teens play Bully?

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/1906

 

Been curious about this game ever since that reference about it in that post concerning Jack Thompson. What do you think about it, or Rockstar Games in general (should they have their own thread?)?

[Jont]

I kind of hoped when I opened up this thread that someone would tell me whether it's any good or not.

[Jables]

This game's been due for over a year now. I figured hippies & fundamentalists'd hold this shit up(my disdain is evidenced by my 11-month-old pre-order slip for this game). Kids should be raised to understand no matter what they play on a home console or see on ficticious tv is judged on a completely different scale to what happens away from there. Before you're say, sixteen you can't race F1, bend it like Beckham, aid or end an alien invasion by means of rts, fps, or puzzles, or (shock horror!!) visit acts of violence(gratuidous or otherwise) upon your fellow man. People raise their fucking kids with these things & don't expect knockback but it's fucking brainless. Blame the parents, not the developers. I grew up in a financial bracket that meant console gaming was an incredible privelidge, so it's easy then for me to keep that & reality at complete odds. Kids who spend as much time doing this as they do at school or whatever will ostensibly melt the two together. Sure, the content's a lot less surreal than GTA, hence easier to 'act out' at school, but like I said- It's all in the context in which it's presented, which, as custodians & patrons of children's welfare, is solely the parent's responsibility.

[The NZA]

continuing the sad trend of not telling Jont shit about the game's quality, i too have this on my rental list, hopin to check it out next week, and mail a burn of it to jack thompson, with "remembering the good times" onna box.

[Reverend Jax]

I wish they would release a school shoot-em up game. I wish you could have gone into schools in San Andreas. I wish they made more rape games. Incestual pedophilic rape games, with points score for tears of the victum shed. With cool marioesque sound effects. I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!!!

[Jont]

I wish they made more rape games.

 

I think that's the premiss of Wario Party on the Wii.

[Ganny McVagflaps]

It's rated T so I can't imagine it being too bad.

 

I wanted to rent it and see what it was like but the fucker is all out everywhere. If I can't get it by Friday I might just buy it.

 

Or I could play some rape games with Jax and Jont. Bags being the rapee.

[Lycaon]

It's rated T so I can't imagine it being too bad.

 

I wanted to rent it and see what it was like but the fucker is all out everywhere. If I can't get it by Friday I might just buy it.

 

Or I could play some rape games with Jax and Jont. Bags being the rapee.

What were the GTA games rated.

[Ganny McVagflaps]

They were all M (and the pre "New" San Andreas was re-rated AO after the whole hot coffee mod debacle).

[Ganny McVagflaps]

In light of

how long 'til the powers get a hold of it and re-rate it ala GTA:SA?

 

[CjDucky]

Not that this adds much to the game.. but Jim Norton and Steve from Opie and Anthony do voices for two of the characters.

[The NZA]

bwahaha nearing page 2 and jont knows less than he did before....anyway, Metacritic collectivley gave it an 8.9, thats usually a really good sign.

[APANCHALYPSE FOREVER]

This one looks awesome, but it's gonna have to wait! Marvel Ultimate Alliance is coming and I gotta get that!

[Ganny McVagflaps]

Yeah I'm getting that tomorrow. I feel sorry for Lego Star Wars 2 who's been getting my undivided attention for the past week, but if you love them set them free.

 

Plus Nick Fury isn't in Lego Star Wars.

[the division of joy]

got this game the other day... i really like it, but i dont think its going to be as long as i hoped... either way, its a fun play and its a really game.. i like how they pretty muched ripped the gta engine for it too

[The NZA]

yeah, except its rockstar, so i felt much better about the results - take Just Cause. Game's premise and all got me excited, but things like the glitches, hit/collision detection etc felt rushed & sloppy....this is Rockstar's bread & butter; they may be one-trick poneis with it but they get it right.