The BBFC, Censorship and Manhunt 2

This week the video game Manhunt 2 was refused a certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, due to its extreme, bleak and unrelenting violence.
The Manhunt series has never been far from controversy, particularly when it was cited in a murder trial involving two teenage boys. The game was “cleared” of being a factor in the killing, but the reputation has remained.
Many commenters in the games and media world have decried the BBFC’s actions, with terms such as “nanny state” being bandied around. Now, I have not played wither Manhunt game and have no desire to do so, but I do have some inside knowledge of how video games are classified for sale to the public.
The certification is handled by PEGI, a European independent body, and the BBFC if the game contains considerable cinematic elements. Both have published guidelines which are freely issued to all game companies. In other words, Rockstar Games know what the rules are about what can and cannot go in a game.
So this was not an arbitrary act of censorship or the result of a campaign by Daily Mail readers, it was the BBFC following its own rules. They do not go around banning games at random; this was only the second game refused a certificate in the history of organised rating.
Another important point is game retailers’ continued refusal to make a concerted effort to enforce the games’ age ratings. It is still easy for a ten year old to buy an 18-rated game, or to persuade a parent to buy it for them, as many people still view games as something for children and disregard the warnings. Insisting on ID for 15 and 18-rated games would reinforce the message that the products are not for children, although retailers would lose sales so they are reluctant to do it.
As an adult who enjoys gaming, I do wish the industry would sort itself out and stop obsessing over pushing the boundaries of violence (and increasingly sex, especially in Japanese import games.) There is so much more to games than testosterone-fuelled killing spree simulations, and plenty more avenues that could be explored.
Aren’t games supposed to be fun, anyway?

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Welcome to The Burrow of the Radical Rodent.
At the moment I’m 27 and living in the Midlands.
I’ll be using the Burrow to explain some of my views on Feminism, Socialism and whatever else takes my fancy. However, beware, the Radical Rodent is, well, radical, and not everyone will agree with what comes forth from this Burrow. Feel free to comment – I’ll aim to show a representative selection of comments, providing they are more enlightening than “you suck”. Those comments get fed to the badger…
Other woodland creatures will be joining me to spread their views from time to time.

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