Rou

Before I begin, let me admit that I know in some ways this is hypocritical coming from a person who bitches as often as I do.

That said; let me move along to the meat.

Recently, to much fanfare, Take Two released their much anticipated Columbine simulator, Bully. The media, led by Herr Thompson, began assaulting the game in development stages. Multiple court cases were launched sight unseen. But, the game finally went public with a T for Teen rating. The “Think of the Children”™ crew gnashed their teeth and howled for blood.

The reviews came out and they were good. Not stellar, but good: 8/10, give or take.

More importantly, the reviews touched on the fears of the masses saying that the game didn’t seem over the top particularly. With a good review base and several decent recommendations, my girlfriend decided she wanted it. So I bought it for her. What can I say? I’m a softy for my game loving hottie.

Anyway, she played it through, thought it was fun, and had a good time. Watching the game, I was a bit surprised at how NONVIOLENT the game was. No deaths or blood, AFAIK. There was some basic assault and theft, but with criminal penalties for getting caught. All an all, pretty tame by any standard. Most importantly, a large portion of the plot is not BEING a bully, but instead defeating them or defending others. Ok, eventually you supplant them. But most of the time, you’re trying to deal with people bullying YOU. Not vice-versa.

All of which leads up to my next point. Since release I’ve seen dozens of articles about it, and about various groups still working against the sale of this game. One teen started a grass roots campaign to ban it in her town. She admits she never played it. Nor has she seen it played. Or even a trailer of it. She only knows about it from the media hype. She says that she was bullied in school and this game will promote that type of activity.

Similar tales can be found across the media. Stores that refuse to sell it to teens despite the rating. Store that have it locked up behind the counter, but have GTA and God of War out on the floor. Parent groups condemn the game as if it was the decline of Western society. Or demand governmental control of the industry.

I don’t get it. The game doesn’t warrant the reaction. More importantly, an hour sitting down playing it PROVES that. In some cases, it could just be people pushing a political agenda who just want to ride the publicity. But in many others, these people are ranting at shit they have no idea about. They’ve been scared into believing something that is false without any serious attempt to discover the truth. It’s fucking bullshit.