Manhunt 2

[Mike]

Manhunt 2 has been banned by the BBFC for being too violent and damaging (this is the one that featured a blood bath in Manchester Cathedral). Rockstar games have just won an appeal to get this game on general release which may or may not be a good thing for public interest.

I suppose it depends if you think that 'unbalanced' people are unable to tell the difference between fiction and reality!

[stimpsonslostson]

I was working in blockbuster when the first game came out (and when there was a news story about a teenager severely injuring his friend by hitting him with a claw hammer- a direct reenactment of the game). This sort of game is not really my bag (I don't especially like hostel, saw, etc as films either- just not my taste).
We had massive problems with the games- kids sending parents in for them was the worst. We'd always explain the issues and ask for id, but many parents would say that "its what my child wants- Its not worth argueing with them, I'll never get any peace!" It didn't help having the sun sending in kids to buy the game to see if we were adhering to stadards of practice!

re: the content
I think its down to parental control- the game is an 18, so should be available to ADULTS who are making an informed decision, but only to such people. As a retailer our responsibilty was to not give the game to a minor, but where it went from there was not strictly our responsibility- I occaisionally refused the sale/rental to adults I thought were not responsible, this was often greeted with abuse etc... which kinda told me something about the people involved!
I think this can only lead to a wider examination of media/cultural influences on society and the actions of a few impressionable/irresponsible/ stupid (delete as appropriate) individuals.
P

[Mike]

Manhunt 2 has won an appeal at court to get released under an 18 certificate. Now I hope that all the parents will stick to the film classification and not buy it for 12 year olds!