http://www.gamepolitics.com/
http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/337331.html
[quote]According to Reuters, Rockstar will announce today that its controversial title Bully will launch in October.
Although the Reuters story does not specify a date, it is reporting that the game's main character will be a 15-year-old boy named Jimmy Hopkins. Weapons in the game will include baseball bats, stink bombs and bags of marbles.
Bully will feature animated violence, but no blood or deaths, and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.
GP: The lack of blood and death would generally be indicative of a "T" (13 and older) rating, rather than an "M" (17 and older). After all of the controversy surrounding this game, wouldn't that be an interesting development? Of course we don't know much about the rest of the game's content. Could "swirlies" be considered a form of torture, for example? Such content might earn Bully an "M".
"Finally 'Bully' can speak for itself," Rockstar spokesman Rodney Walker said. "People can look at the game and see what it is and what it's not... We think the school environment is a universal experience that so many people relate to."
UPDATE: Kotaku editor Brian Crecente has much more in the Rocky Mountain News.
So, what do you think the game should be rated? Personally, I don't think the game sounds horrendous enough to be piled with the GTA series, so I'd go with T. How about you guys?
Based on that piece, it sounds like "T" material to me. But then again, who knows how many people might try to be influenced by the game and boom... right back to what rating this game SHOULD have been.
The rating should be based on what the game's content is. No death and killing, then it should probably not be "M". No sexual content either as far as I can tell.
TEEN
Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
Sounds like a T game to me. Though I wouldn't doubt enough people will eventually complain, thus giving it an M rating.
Jack Thompson will eventually learn about a Hot Apple patch that lets you view a sex scene with the protagonist's sexy biology teacher.
It's a fact. Look it up.
Also: Will not be on the XBOX anymore.
I think a Teen rating is just fine. Though I can see politicians *****ing about this, I don't see it changing from T to M.
Technically, I think it should be E. Kids actually go through crap like that, so it's nothing they haven't seen before.
[COLOR="Yellow"]This adds to my point that ESRB's rating system should add something in between T an M, maybe something sort of equivalent to PG13.[/COLOR]
T is PG13
13-17 sounds like good enough years to be exposed to this type of stuff, so I don't see what the problem is. In a few years, when people from like the 70s run the government, this will all be seen as rock and roll, and nothing more.
Damn, the PS2 is still going strong: Okami, Guitar hero II, GoW II, Bully, Vice City Stories, Yakuza, Ape Escape: Million Monkeys, and more.
[COLOR="Yellow"]Don't forget G[COLOR="Yellow"]O[/COLOR]D OF WAR 2.
EDIT
Can't believe i forgot Final Fantasy XII.[/COLOR]
The PS2 will probably live on for another couple years. If not more.
T.
If kids at a "T" level find reason in this game to be more violent, they were already @#$%ed up to begin with.
GOOOOO PARENTAL NEGLIGENCE.
Hey, I thought this crap came out already... like, a long time ago. Shows how much I care.
I don't even see a reason for debate here. There's no reason to rate this Mature. Just because it's from the makers of GTA it's controversial. Come on, Rockstar made Table Tennis. It's not like every game they put out has to be ultra violent.
Finally a trailer comes out:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/746/746536/vids_1.html
The point is that there is a debate. England even wants (or wanted?) to ban it. :/
So from the trailer, it looks like you're the bully, but then there are bigger bullies? At any rate, like I said, if it wasn't made by Rockstar, there probably wouldnt be a request for a ban.
The same kids that are influenced enough to go around giving wedgies because they saw it in a game are just as liable to use a gun for the same reason. In that sense there are much bigger problems than this game.
So its a game about standing up for yourself and putting punks in their place. Builds character. And they want it banned. Go figure.
PS2 games won't cease for a loooong time if the PS1's lifetime was any indication. Hell, I predict that PS2 Simple Series games will still be in production by the launch of PS4.
T would be the best. M would kill it IMO. Not that I think its going to be the game of the year anyways, dont even know why its that bad.
If it's anything like real schools it'll be rated "M," just because of the constant swearing.
[quote]An M rating would never kill a Rockstar game.
I didnt mean game wise I ment rating wise, nothing that 13 + cant handle. Being M would just make kids want it harder, pointless.
[quote=Princess Fate][COLOR=skyblue]The point is that there is a debate. England even wants (or wanted?) to ban it.[/COLOR] :/
No, that was just the Daily Mail, England's worst "newspaper".