Predictable Bully backlash makes same old mistakes

New Rockstar Game. New uproar. Old news.

Posted by Staff
Predictable Bully backlash makes same old mistakes
The absolutely predictable backlash against Rockstar’s upcoming Bully game has begun, with the mother of a murdered teenager being used by newspaper hacks to generate headlines.

“I find it shockingly irresponsible, not only from the point of view of violent media but also because of the issue of bullying, which is in the public eye because of the effect it has on young people's lives,” said Giselle Pakeera, mother of the boy murdered by another boy who had played Manhunt quite a bit. “People have been working very hard to stamp out bullying in schools, and now we have a game called Bully. I don't think they should be allowed to release it. This flags up a very important issue, that the computer games industry is not fully regulated. There needs to be an independent watchdog regulating the production of such games.”

And so from falling victim to an appalling tragedy, Giselle Pakeera has taken it upon herself to talk about videogames and videogame content, no doubt under the guidance of The Guardian’s Stephen Ward. She makes direct reference to Rockstar’s Bully, a game which to date, has been announced along with the following text:

Bully takes the Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, innovative, original gameplay and humorous tongue-in-cheek storytelling to an entirely new setting: the schoolyard. Bully is the brutally funny debut title from Rockstar Vancouver and is expected to hit retail shelves in October 2005.


How it’s possible to glean such a concise view on the nature of a game from the above release and a few images is no doubt something the hoards of typists employed at Future Publishing’s games magazine factory would be keen to learn.

And the final, awful thing about this story? Surely it’s the staggering and unmissable irony that sees such headlines plastered across the more respectable elements of the press serving only to provide Rockstar with the free marketing is has lived off over the past few years.

Bully is due for release in October. We’ll bring you full, detailed impressions in the coming weeks.
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Comments

OptimusP 19 Aug 2005 18:30
1/6
Let's see, this game is probably rated (like in ITS SAYS SO ON THE FRIKKIN BOX!!!) 17+ sooooo.....

Quite some gamepress like this game for the innovation they put in it and some short-sighted woman (who probably had a former holl in her bank account) starts whining about the concept of the bully. Don't buy it for your kids...simple, you see them playing it, take it away, you're the parent you know... you're allowed to do that...

And if your kid has a mental disorder or no anger-control then their shouldn't even be a bloody console in the house...

We want the money, we like the money, its for the money, lalalalaaa
Joji 19 Aug 2005 22:18
2/6
Sing it with me, ''We don't need no... edu cation''.

LOL, can you guys and dolls really say you are all surprised by this kind of self righteous bs? No, me neither.

Those who don't understand gaming depsite it's huge hollywood busting worldwide success would rather just produce their doom mongering garbage in a futile hope of getting their own way an shut us down.

Now that descriptive wordplay cut from Rockstar about The Bully is all they have to go on, but according to the press that enough of a case for war on Rockstar and invading their place, to ban a game that's not even out of the door yet. Fairplay Rockstar f**ked up on the GTA Hot Coffee stuff, but like Mr Bill Clinton you admire them trying to blag their way out of it somewhat. You live and earn....sorry learn..lol.

This time with the Bully, Rockstar deserve a break. Let them do their work and when The Bully is out all the back-stabbing monkey press can come, play it and then judge. Rockstar have been living off of GTAs success for ages now so it's nice to get something new from them.

Meanwhile real bullies in schools etc get away with real bullying and little is said about that instead. Now how do such objectionists know what is gonna be in the Bully? That's right they don't know, this is all based on speculation and previous Rockstar games which are only related by the developer and nothing more.

Perhaps there is someone who's being bullied out there that might just gain some courage from this game to deal with their problems better. Stranger things have happened, if it were to happen I doubt would see it covered in the gutter press.

Good luck with The Bully, Rockstar. I'll be keeping an eye on it since I'm a big Skool Daze/Back 2 Skool fan.
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PreciousRoi 20 Aug 2005 08:25
3/6
Go Rockstar, Go!

Someone needs to prescribe this chick some valium or something.

People who want to rely on regualting the games industry need to rewatch Willy Wonka and take some responsibility.
tt_rage 20 Aug 2005 19:43
4/6
I'm pretty certain it was discovered that it was the victim who was playing Manhunt, not the murderer.

Yep, a quick internet search later:

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Aug/bga20040805026359.htm

So it's been established that Manhunt had nothing to do with the motivation of the murder, yet people are still trying to pin the blame on the game and ultimately the company that made it.

People are going to kill people if they have the mind to, and you can't put it down to just one thing in their life. Little Johnny wasn't going to be a saint until the computer game from the devil turned him into a mass murderer - there are other issues at work here. Ultimately the buck has to stop with the parents. It's not the TV's job to raise children, or the games console's, or even the teacher's.

Enough rambling.
horngreen 20 Aug 2005 21:19
5/6
I believe it was David Cross in his stand up act who said "And what video game was it Hitler was playing before the holocaust?"
I'll Eat Your Soul 20 Aug 2005 22:04
6/6
Actually, it was her son who owned and played Manhunt, not his murderer.
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