US Judge Sees Sense and Doesn’t Ban ‘Bully’
October 17th, 2006
A Florida judge has struck a blow against the needless censorship of games, by throwing out a complaint against Rockstar’s, soon to be released, Bully.
Attorney Jack Thompson has demanded a ban on the sale of Bully in Florida, claiming that it breaches a nuisance law that prohibits activities that can injure the health of the community (yes, even if you argue successfully that Bully is a disturbing premise for a piece of entertainment, it’s hardly a nuisnace to the community).
Thompson referred to Bully as a “Columbine simulator” which doesn’t stand up to any scrutiny. For a start, Bully doesn’t involve firearms. The most dangerous weapon that the protaganist has access to is a baseball bat. Columbine involved a group of reclusive youths from a firearms obsessed society living out a violent fantasy. Bully is about a downtroden pupil at a private school using his fists to firstly defend himself, then to rise through the ‘ranks’ until he’s the biggest bully in the school. And a bully is all he remains, not a murderer.
Judge Friedman said that, although Bully contains violence, the video game exposes players to less violence than they would encounter watching television. He spent an hour and a half watching a Rockstar employee playing the game before coming to a decision.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, Gaming
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