Rockstar Pissed Off at BBFC's Rejection of Manhunt 2

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Rockstar Pissed Off at BBFC's Rejection of Manhunt 2Posted 9:40am Mon Nov 26, 2007 by Shiva Stella Tags: Manhunt 2, Rockstar, BBFC, ESRB

I suspect it must suck if you're a member of the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) today, as Rockstar and the BBFC have engaged in a heated discussion regarding Manhunt 2 and the BBFC's refusal to certify the title - allowing it to release to gamers in the UK - at Rockstar's appeal of the decision.

Eurogamer has the full scoop and details Rockstar's defense of the BBFC's rejection of Manhunt 2 as delivered by Geoffrey Robertson, who suggested that the BBFC be renamed to the "British Board of Videogame Censors" (oh, snap).

Stated Robertson, "There's no evidence that playing interactive videogames leads to a propensity to act them out in real life. We wonder why Manhunt 2 has been singled out for special treatment."

He continued, addressing the Video Appeals Committee, "There you are, seven of you - not one of you has experienced, I'm told by the chairman, computer games, or are a gamer." In response one member of the panel did admit to having played computer games before and the panel did acknowledge that they had played Manhunt 2 (I'm curious as to if one of them has killed anybody yet).

Robertson concluded, "We [Rockstar] say [Manhunt 2] has been banned not because of any likelihood it will harm gamers, but because of the likelihood it will harm the reputation of the BBFC."

I must say, though, that Rockstar can't be surprised at the BBFC's rejection, as the ESRB had reacted to the material in almost similar fashion, at first rating the title Adults-Only until Rockstar made some "adjustments" for a Mature rating. You can read up on Manhunt 2 here.