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."
Even before the ESRB assigned Bully a "T" (13 and older) rating, the Australian OFLC rated the game "M" for "Moderate Themes, Violence, Sexual References", which, under the Australian system means the game is recommended for players older than 15. No legal restrictions are placed upon its sale, however.
New Zealand rated the game "R13" with the descriptor "contains violence", which means it's sales are restricted to those 13 and up.
-Reporting from Canada, GP Correspondent Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes
