Gaming. That fat juicy target of the uninformed masses. Rockstar Games. The well known name that is not even the most controversial of games developers, but fame brings flack, it would seem.

Manhunt 2 release date delayed for the UK yet again. Why oh why has this happened?

The BBC runs a story on the Manhunt 2 saga.

In 2007 the game was actually cleared for certification and release, but that decision has been overturned by the courts.

Why? FUD, I’ll bet. The Video Appeals Committee has cleared the game for release, but the British Board of Film Classification has successfully argued that the game has been cleared for release on a misinterpretation of the law.

HOLD IT! A board of Film Classification complains about violence in a game!? Wow, let me recall such peaches as Kill Bill, Full Metal Jacket and of course Boondock Saints. Those are a spread of the type of violence that can be found in films, it would be far too easy to simply list the most gory movies released in any case.

Anyone remember Devils Rejects?

And if I am listing US made films, believe you me, the UK movie industry is not shy to maim and kill in the interest of entertainment, even if it is in the name of comedy as is the case with Hot Fuzz.

My Personal Take? I won’t play the game, my wife and I have a strict policy on sex and violence in our games and movies. Say it is because of our choice of lifestyle.

But it is our choice.

If the Film Classification Board decides that the violence in Manhunt 2 is over the top, fair enough. I call for consistency all through their portfolio though. What is good for the goose, is good for the gamer.

This decision is borne out of their inability to grasp, and their misunderstanding of, the gaming culture – fed in no small measure by the hype politicians create around gamers and gaming influence every time they need votes.

That is all.

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