Some politicians in Australia are taking issue with the official government rating given to Rockstar's controversial Bully, or, as the game is now known outside of the North American market, Canis Canem Edit.

The West Australian is reporting that New South Wales Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt is concerned about what she considers an overly-lenient rating given to Bully by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC). Ms Tebbutt urged parents to keep the game out of the hands of their children, and has requested that the country's Attorney General review the classification.

"I'm concerned that its message for violence is undermining what we're doing in schools to counteract bullying," she said. "I also want (the A.G.) to assure me that everything that needs to be taken into account has been taken into account in this classification process."
( Read more... )

Just got word from the ESRB:

Rockstar's upcoming Bully has been assigned a T (Teen 13+) rating with content descriptors for Crude Humor, Violence, Sexual Themes, Language and Use of Alcohol & Tobacco.

Currently, on the game's official site, Rockstar is displaying an image of Bully bearing the familiar T (13 & older) rating.

There has been much speculation that the game would receive an M (17 & older), but we can put that to rest now.

While you may have heard a thing or two about an upcoming game called Bully, you probably don't know as much about what's being called "the anti-Bully game."

As reported by GamaSutra, Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, in cooperation with eight other colleges, has announced development of a game designed to teach 10 to 12-year olds anti-bullying skills for the real world.

The game project is being carried out with input from teachers and students. It examines a variety of bullying scenarios and is designed to help kids learn how to best respond.
( Read more... )

From the Could Be a Rumor Department...

A story on EuroGamer says that Rockstar is changing the name of Bully to Canis Canem Edit, Latin for dog eat dog. It also happens to be the motto of the fictional Bulworth Academy, where the game takes place.

Eurogamer is citing Rockstar itself as a source, although no individual is named. GP is withholding judgment on the veracity of this one.

Additional info from Computer & Video Games says that the change is for the European market only. Bully will still be Bully in the U.S.

John Callaham of Firing Squad has scored an interview with Jayne Hitchcock, the online safety expert who decided to give Bully a wedgie yesterday. Among Hitchcock's comments:

"...bullying is so prevalent today and is a real life problem that many kids and teens face. Some victims of bullies have committed suicide and I would hate to see that increase or the victims retaliate against their bullies because of this game."
( Read more... )

"It's a sad day when video game manufacturers play on the fears of kids and teens..."

So says a nationally-known Internet safety expert who has joined those expressing concern over Rockstar's upcoming release of Bully.

As detailed in a press release, Jayne Hitchcock, president of Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA), believes Bully may spark copycat violence.

"How long will it be before we hear on the news about a victim of bullies who is inspired by the new game and retaliates using a baseball bat? There is a tremendous probability that this new game will send out twisted messages, possibly even influence victims of bullying to resort to violence as a means of defense. Games can and do make impressions on young people, especially when they play the games over and over."
( Read more... )

GamePolitics has confirmed that the Peaceoholics, a Washington, D.C.-based community group, will stage a protest demonstration outside the Lower Manhattan offices of Take-Two Interactive later today.

Ronald Moten, co-founder and chief operating officer of the Peaceoholics, confirmed to GamePolitics last night that group members would board buses this morning for the trip to the Big Apple. The Peaceoholics are cooperating with anti-game activist Jack Thompson on the action, which is designed to draw attention to the upcoming release of Bully by Take-Two subsidiary Rockstar Games.

The grass roots community group is quite active in the D.C. area on anti-violence initiatives, including a failed 2005 attempt by City Councilman Adrian Fenty to regulate the sale of violent games. Thompson and the Peaceoholics teamed up to stage a similar demonstration outside Take-Two headquarters last August. That effort received coverage by New York television stations and newspapers.

It's the most vilified game that no one has ever seen.

We're talking about Bully, of course, Rockstar's controversial title scheduled for October 17th release. As we edge closer to the game's launch, Rockstar is beginning to pull the curtain back a bit.

A new Bully trailer showed up on YouTube yesterday and logged over 300,000 viewings.

The brand-new edition of Game Informer has a cover story on Bully, with some revealing insights. For example, Rockstar producer Devin Winterbottom tells GI, "It's not Grand Theft Auto in a school, which is really the most baseline thing people think about it."
( Read more... )

Controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson has indicated that there will be a demonstration, apparently against the upcoming release of Bully, this Friday outside Take-Two Interactive's Manhattan HQ.

According to a terse e-mail from the activist lawyer, the protest will be staged by " a group of children protesting Take-Two's targeting of kids with their adult entertainment."

Thompson, who cc'd Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau on the message, did not respond to GP's e-mail request for more information. As reported previously by GamePolitics, Morgenthau' office is conducting a grand jury investigation into Take-Two.
( Read more... )

If, as Wal-mart officials maintain, Jack Thompson's Florida lawsuit wasn't what motivated the retail giant to block Bully pre-orders from its website last week, what is?

One answer may lie in June 14th's contentious House subcommittee hearing during which chair Cliff Stearns (R-FL) grilled several video game industry executives including Wal-mart's Gary Severson. Here's what Rep. Stearns had to say to Wal-mart during that hearing:

"I'll start with the questioning. I went, Mr. Severson, I went to the Wal-mart website, where you sell Grand Theft Auto and it's rated "M" there on the the website... (the website said) by ordering this item you are certifying that you are 17 years of age. If you agree to the above terms click 'I agree.' If you click, 'I agree,' you can get this pretty easily."

Stearns next launches into a somewhat confused explanation of last year's Hot Coffee scandal:
( Read more... )

You can't get double-talk cheaper, anywhere.

Wal-mart, that bastion of low prices - and low wages - appears to be doing the corporate P.R. two-step in light of its decision to stop pre-order sales of Bully from its web store, Wal-mart.com. The move came shortly after controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson filed suit against the giant retailer and Bully publisher Take-Two Interactive in a Florida court on Wednesday.

The suit and the pulling of the game are not related, according to a Wal-mart P.R. spokesman, who claims that the mega-retailer coincidentally just happened to implement a policy not to pre-sell unrated (or RP for "rating pending") games on the same day that Thompson's Florida case was filed. GP's very limited review of Wal-mart's website this morning, however, quickly turned up several such games for sale, including Crackdown, Phantasy Star Universe, and Justice League Heroes.
( Read more... )

Like many gamers, controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson is hoping for a sneak peek at Bully.

Thompson's interest in the much-discussed game however, is hardly that of a fan.

In a lengthy, rambling suit filed earlier today with the Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Thompson has demanded that publisher Take-Two Interactive supply him with a copy of Bully "so that its content can be fairly assessed by someone, prior to its commercial release, other than a) a hand-picked member of the media and b) the ESRB with its history of, at best, ineptitude in analyzing the content of Take-Two products... If Bully is indeed safe for children's play, then petitioner (Thompson) will be the first to say so."

The request that a game publisher supply a multi-million dollar development project to an outside source for evaluation is unprecedented, and is certain be turned down, if not ignored completely. Attorneys for Take-Two will no doubt move for a dismissal of Thompson's suit.
( Read more... )

Will we be talking about Bully every day between now and its October 17th launch?

Seems like it.

There's a trailer now available for the game. The short video clip seems to depict a story with a fairly complex plot and some interesting characters.

Oh, and wedgies.

GP: Thanks to reader Matt Parsons for shooting us the video link!

A psychotherapist in Tauranga, New Zealand is calling for a boycott of Rockstar's upcoming Bully.

As reported by the Bay of Plenty Times, Augustina Driessens fears that the as-yet-unrated game will provoke youth violence.

"They [children] will go and get this video game and they'll all go and watch it and what will we get? More violence," she said.

"They're already beating old people up and it's not even safe to walk in the street anymore, so it has to go back to the parents. It's not good, it's terrible. Let the parents take responsibility and teach them bullying is not acceptable. What's the matter with these people?"

An official at Tauranga Boys' College, Rob Naumann, compared Bully to another demonized game, Dungeons & Dragons:
( Read more... )

Not to sound like a parent here, but, "Wake up! Get out of bed. I'm not telling you again. If you don't get up now, you'll have to make your own breakfast... even worse, you'll miss the GamePolitics Sunday Editorial Roundup..."

We'll start on GP's home turf this morning, where Philadelphia Daily News columnist Jenice Armstrong writes that Rockstar's upcoming Bully is a bad idea. As Armstrong correctly points out, there has been an epidemic of gun violence in the City of Brotherly Love recently:

"We're nearing the end of a bloody summer... Come fall, once school is back in session, the last thing this country will need is yet another violence-promoting video game aimed at young men. I'm referring to 'Bully.'"

"I haven't seen it yet. The new game has been shrouded in secrecy... Although I'd prefer to learn more about the game before knocking it, I understand (Miami School Board) and other critics' negative reactions...
( Read more... )

Too short, too much talking over one another, not enough shaving...

That was GP's take on yesterday's G4 game violence wrestling match between Adam Sessler, Mark Friedler and Jack Thompson.

But make your own judgment. Joystiq has the video.

Game-bashing attorney Jack Thompson writes in to let us know that he will be a guest on G4's Attack of the Show later today.

Given the timing, the obvious assumption is that Thompson's appearance relates to Rockstar's announcement of the October release of Bully.

Thompson adds, "Not bad for someone who, according to bloggers at Game Politics and elsewhere, has nothing relevant to say in the culture war battle over violent games... Oh, and so much for the patent lie that I am afraid to confront my critics. I've confronted more critics than Northern Israel has confronted Hezbollah missiles."

Catchy phrase, that. Rolls right off the tongue.
( Read more... )