Bully discussion draw laughs in British parliament
Amid discussion of issues such as the Iraq war and postal service reform on the British parliamentary floor, MP Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) found time yesterday to question prime minister Tony Blair about the the violence found in Bully (known in Britain as Canis Canem Edit). Vaz expressed concerns about scenes of "teachers being head-butted and the aggressive use of baseball bats" and asked the prime minister to convene a meeting with industry stakeholders to discuss the game.
In answering the concerns, Blair mentioned he had not yet seen the game, an admission that drew a sustained, ten-second bout of chuckling from the parliamentary audience (Oh those wacky Brits). Blair went on to say he appreciated Vaz's concerns and that "the video games industry, or at least a substantial section of it, has made significant advances over the past few years," in addressing such issues.
This is not the first time Vaz has raised concerns over Bully. Back in December 2005, the MP called for the game to be banned after reading a preview on Rockstar's web site. Vaz has also pushed for legislation requiring larger rating labels and direct government regulation of the industry.
(Via MCV)
Watch - Video of the exchange (jump to time index 46:38)
Read - Transcript of the exchange
