The BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, has deemed that Manhunt 2 for both the PS2 and the Wii is not going to be for sale in the British Isles.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said:

Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board’s published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game’s unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified ‘18’ in 2003, before the BBFC’s recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category.

Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.

Rockstar does have an opportunity to contest the ruling and the only other game the BBFC has banned, Carmeggedon, was overturned during this appeals process.

Now, with the exposition out of the way, we can get to the important part. What I, a stranger with no credentials save this tiny space on the web, think of this issue. Well Dear Reader, let me tell you what I think.

I think that all forms of censorship are wrong. That’s right, I’ve taken the extremely controversial stance against censorship. While I have no problems with certain forms of entertainment being denied based on age, although that would perhaps be better handled by the parents, I think that to deny the entire populace the contents of any media is wrong. No matter what the message is.

Certainly, examples could be conjured out of whole cloth to strain the boundaries of my position, but ultimately it is not for any of us to decide what anybody else should be watching/reading/playing. That falls firmly in the category of ‘None of your damn business’. If anyone should start acting out vile things that they saw/read/played that would be a crime, punishable by laws that are already on the books. The people who act these things out are not stable and should be diagnosed and helped before they ever act, not prevented from seeing the things that give their illnesses an outward manifestation.

Society can’t bend over for the deviants. We can’t stop producing art of questionable morality because someone uses it as justification for vile actions. The vile actions would have occurred regardless. Blaming media is just an attempt to find a scape-goat; an easy, quantifiable solution to a larger and more complex problem. Ultimately we are each responsible for our own actions and to say that Manhunt 2 will cause violent crime is the same as saying that we are each no more than robots programmed by whatever we consume.

-UPDATE-

Rockstar has issued a statement about this:

We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of Manhunt 2. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision.

They go on to make some rational points, it’s intended for adults, it’s fictional, but I am pessimistic enough to believe it will have little effect and cynical enough to believe that the people who are scoring political points off this are already aware of those truths and don’t care.

-UPDATE 2: THE UPDATENING-

The CCFC (Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) wrote a letter to Ms. Vance, president of the ESRB (If you don’t know…), urging her to give Manhunt 2 an ‘AO’ rating. The thing that I love most about the ‘AO’ rating is that its like banning the game without all those nasty cries of censorship. Almost all retailers in North America refuse to stock ‘AO’ games, making sure that developers will self-censor so their product will still reach the market. Just like movies and the dreaded NC-17 rating.

Citing the oft-heard “think of the children” ploy, the CCFC maintains that ‘M’ rated games are freely available to and marketed towards children. They also take exception to the Wii’s control scheme as it would be applied to the game, forcing you to make approximate motions to saw through craniums or apply pliers to a victim’s junk.

They completely fail to mention that you can lock out games on the Wii based on it’s ESRB rating, negating their entire argument if the lazy parent of the at-risk child can get off their ass for the five minutes it would require to read the manual and apply the parental controls.

Just to re-iterate my personal opinion, Manhunt 2 should not be played by children and parents should raise their own children instead of applying ridiculous standards to the rest of society.

-UPDATE 3: THE UPDATEMEGGEDON -

Well, Manhunt 2 has been given the dreaded ‘AO’ rating by the ESRB. In a statement from Take Two Interactive:

The ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO (Adults Only) for Manhunt 2.

We believe the process of rating videogames is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them.

Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2.

Now, not having seen the game I have no idea whether the rating is appropriate or not. Given the subject matter and the content of the first game an ‘AO’ might be the right call. The only problem I have is, as I pointed out earlier, the ‘AO’ rating carries the stigma of an ‘NC-17′ rating in film. A lot of retailers are going to be opting out of carrying Manhunt 2.

To be honest, I’m of two minds on this. On one hand, strict anti-authouritarian that I am, I have a knee-jerk reaction against any act of censorship, real or perceived. On the other hand perhaps this will remind all the people screaming “Think of the chittlins!” that videogames are enjoyed by a vast audience over the age of 18.

I dislike the disingenuous posturing of advocates who loudly and at every opportunity proclaim that mature games fall into the hands of the young while failing to admit that there are parental controls on all consoles in the current gen.

I’m disappointed in all the retailers who sell games to minors in spite of the ESRB rating. When I was slinging games over the counter I took particular satisfaction in doing my job properly. I carded kids before I’d sell or rent them a game with an ‘M’. I’d inform the parent that the child was pestering that the game little Timmy wanted was not suitable.

I’m still not going to buy the game. The first one was a shallow stealth-action game. But I imagine all this controversy will drum up a few sales, just like the tempest in a teacup over the original Manhunt. I was working the counter when Manhunt was released and sales were very soft until the media started reporting on how incredibly violent it was. Once people heard that someone thought that it should be banned I couldn’t keep it on the shelves.

This free publicity combined with an ‘AO’ rating, whether deserved or not, might actually loosen up corporate restrictions on the sale of adult games. Publishers and developers are watching this very closely, and depending on the outcome, in one or two years (your development cycle may vary) we could see a new direction, a more adult direction, in the industry.

Perhaps Manhunt 2 will be the sign on the gate, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.”

Only time will tell.