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Yes, we know, it's more Jack Thompson than you care to stomach. But it's also a hidden camera view inside the contempt of court hearings. If you can get past the terrible first three minutes of the video, which concern the cameraman being late to the hearing, and the godawful audio, then you'll finally be rewarded with a few shots of Thompson looking like he has an Xbox 360 power brick up his ass, a bailiff who looks like he could be taken out by a strong cough, and one of the squeakiest chairs in the world. Things finally get interesting around 9:20 when Thompson starts holding up his stupid sign (how long until someone Photoshops this?), and the judge gets very pissed off. Thompson does look like the surliest mofo on the planet, and the only game he's probably ever played must have been checkers. We have no doubt he was around when they invented it. On second thought, he probably decried it as the devil's tool, since it mixes colors, and he went on a campaign around his neighborhood on the back of a horseless carriage telling people to stop playing it.At 14:20, the genius cameraman (or the guy next him) has his cell phone goes off, and he has to bolt from the room. That's about as action packed as this video gets. Please, invest in a microphone so we don't all go deaf. Then again, that's about the last Thompson video we'll be watching unless he's a playable character in an upcoming fighting game.Video is after the jump, enjoy the new legal hotness.
Boy on boy kissing in Bully
Bully hero Jimmy Hopkins is bisexual, or just experimenting, based on videos starting to surface. Looks like the controversy about Bully was a bit premature, as Hopkins obviously prefers to make love, not war. This is not "Hot Coffee" by any stretch of the imagination -- just kids kissing.Now before everybody goes crazy, depending on your moral sensibilities, there are two videos after the break. Gamebrink's version is quick like a band-aid, with one smooch session. Of course, GayGamer's version has Jimmy going back for seconds -- nope, thirds -- wait, fourths.The game is rated T and the box clearly states that there are "sexual themes." Players can also go through Bully without ever having to kiss a boy if they don't want to. Hopefully, the negative hype about Bully is so played out that this surprising content won't cause a frenzy about youth corruption or some such nonsense. Once again, it's kissing -- everyone stay calm.
The Political Game: The Bully bash
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games:Is the Bully controversy overdone?When was the last time a video game got the attention of British Prime Minister Tony Blair? Name another game title which spawned multiple protest marches, or got tagged as a "Columbine simulator?"You can't, because it never happened. Not until Bully came along.Calling the game a "Columbine simulator," of course, is pure, unadulterated nonsense. It's just a slogan, designed to be memorable and help drive an anti-game agenda, much like "Hello, Moto" was created to pitch you a mobile phone.But setting aside the game-hate coming out of Miami for just a moment, let's focus on the rest of the world. Frankly, no one should be surprised by the negative reactions to Bully among non-gamers. There are several factors at play here.
UK's Currys finds Bully too spicy
Oh bother, somebody didn't send the memo that Bully is tame to the British. After various U.S. press outlets, along with wire service Reuters and the pinnacle of print media USA Today, gave Bully a collective hall pass, it looks like a few people across the pond don't read those venerable institutions. The UK Sun is reporting retail store Currys is refusing to stock Bully's British version, Canis Canem Edit -- which is different in title only -- stating, "We're a family-friendly retailer. We don't think this game is appropriate for our stores and have decided not to stock it."The ESRB gave Bully a T rating in the U.S., which taking into account how puritanical the states are means Canis Canem Edit is kosher for the pre-teen UK set. Tipster Geoff says that Currys was, "One of the retailers who stopped selling Manhunt in this country, along with Woolworths and Game. All three retailers were stocking Manhunt again within three weeks of the 'ban'." Of course, this "family-friendly" retailer currently sells the 18+ game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Bully being controversial is so passe at this point that the game may sell based on its merits rather than ridiculous pre-conceptions. Guess we'll find out how U.S. gamers feel about the game tomorrow, Currys has till the British launch Oct. 27 to decide if the mean Bully will hurt their bottom line.
Florida court OKs Bully
Destructoid has the scoop straight from the Florida courthouse where Judge Ronald Friedman has just declared that he will not honor Jack Thompson's request to restrict sales of Bully in advance of the game's shipment next Tuesday. The ruling comes after the judge viewed a demonstration of various parts of the game by a Take Two employee for two hours and determined "there's nothing in the game that you wouldn't see on TV every night." He added that he would not approve of the game for his children, but that fact alone "shouldn't mean that the game won't ship."While the case could still be appealed, Destructoid notes that Thompson expressed no interest in doing so because any appellate ruling would come after the game was already in stores. So while this doesn't necessarily mean that our favorite lawyer will "drop the whole thing," as he put it, it does mean that the path is clear for the game to reach stores.
Miami judge orders Take-Two to bring Bully to him
Earlier today, attorneys representing Take-Two Interactive -- publisher of Rockstar Games' controversial video game Bully -- along with lawyers representing retailers Gamestop and Wal-Mart squared off with Miami attorney Jack Thompson in Florida's Third District Court of Appeal. Game blog Destructoid had someone in the courtroom, blogging the goings-on. They briefly recount the day's events culminating in Judge Ronald Friedman's ordering of Take-Two to produce Bully by 3PM tomorrow, so he can view the entirety of the game (played by a Take-Two representative, of course) and determine if Thompson's claims that the game is a "public nuisance" have any merit. Destructoid promises four more pages of notes, detailing all the nitty-gritty, so keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, GamePolitics blogger and Joystiq columnist Dennis McCauley received an email from Thompson, gloating, "This is a huge victory against the violent video game industry, regardless of the ultimate ruling on the injunction."Maybe, maybe not; that all depends on what the judge thinks of the game's content. If Bully isn't as violent or inappropriate as Jack Thompson would have us, and the court, believe, and is instead a "snarkily clever social commentary," then what? Then there's no restraining order preventing the sale of the game to minors and Thompson says he'll "drop the whole thing." If Judge Friedman does find a problem with the game, then ... eh, let's just think positive thoughts, okay?Read - GamePolitics.com's note from Jack ThompsonRead - Destructoid's man-on-the-scene report
Dissecting Rockstar's formula: Joystiq previews Vice City Stories (PSP) & Bully (PS2)
The headquarters of Rockstar Games, a thin 6-story building squeezed between Best Buy and Adidas, stands just north of where Broadway cuts through Houston Street flowing downward into a mecca of trend -- or shopping for trends -- known as SoHo. A few blocks away Sony has erected one of the world's largest PSP displays (seen here), which towers over the intersection of Lafayette and Houston. But it's not just neighboring downtown-Manhattan real estate that connects Rockstar and Sony.
Grand Theft ... Nintendo? [update 1]
MTV (yeah, really) has a great GameFile piece up right now that speculates on the upcoming battle between the Nintendo Wii and the PS3. But though the rest is interesting, we only had eyes for one little thing that Reggie Fils-Aime let slip:"We're reaching out to every publisher, frankly every day. I'll be spending some time later today with the folks over at Take Two to see what type of support they can give our console. ... The fact is there will be M-rated content on the Wii console."This is either the sign of the apocalypse or the red carpet down which the Wii may strut to console wars victory. Take Two Interactive is, of course, the publisher behind the impossibly popular Grand Theft Auto franchise -- a franchise that has never appeared on a Nintendo console, though GTA has surfaced on the GBA.We'll give you a moment to consider that one. It's okay. We'll wait.
Winner of strongest fall lineup is ... PS2?
Gameworld Network has pieced together an outline of 10 upcoming PlayStation 2 titles, tagging the list "10 Reasons Not to Sell Your PS2 Just Yet." With the exceptions of Dawn of Mana and God of War 2, all of these titles will hit US retailers by early November -- and seven are exclusive to PS2. Starting with Rule of Rose's release next week, there's practically a must-play title dropping for PS2 every week through November 7: Rule of Rose (September 12) Okami (September 19) God Hand (October 10) Bully (October 17) Final Fantasy XII (October 31) Rogue Galaxy (October) Guitar Hero II (November 7) Can anyone show us a console/handheld with a stronger fall lineup? Nope, we didn't think so ... Sony might have lost points because of a pair of disappointing PS3 announcements, but that's not gonna affect PS2's continued dominance leading up to the holiday season. [Thanks, Matt]
Colleges band to make anti-bullying game [update 1]
Nine European universities, coordinated by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, have united to create a virtual bully simulator that will help kids cope with bullies and develop strategies to deal with confrontational situations. The program is being headed up by Heriot-Watt computer science professor Ruth Aylett and features universities from UK, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. According to Gamasutra, the first tests of the software are being planned for early 2007 for UK and German children aged 10 to 12. Using video games to educate is a great idea, but we wonder if the planned project has anything to do with next month's release of Rockstar's controversial, though reportedly tame, title Bully (now Canis Canem Edit in Europe). We've sent off a few questions to Dr. Aylett, and we'll update as soon as we hear from her.[Update: Here is our interview with Dr. Aylett.]See Also:Slate author: Madden taught me football[Via Gamasutra; thanks, cringer8]
Bully no more! Call it "Canis Canem Edit" in Europe
Speaking to EuroGamer, Rockstar has announced that they have changed the name of their infamous schoolyard game from the controversy-attracting Bully to the tamer, more cultured Canis Canem Edit, or "Dog Eat Dog" in Latin. While not confirmed, we suspect one of the most prominent reasons is that it's much harder to write a clever protest chant with a six-syllabled Latin phrase.The name change will not affect the launch date; Canis Canem Edit is still planned for an October release for PlayStation 2. According to CVG, the title is only changed in Europe. Why they wouldn't bring the title overseas, where the controversy is even more pronounced, is currently beyond. We'll try to get a hold of Rockstar and find out.Continue reading for a recap of the story so far:
Wal-mart stops Bully pre-sales under pressure [Update 1]
[Update: John Simley from Walmart media relations contacted Joystiq to clear up the ciircumstances behind the Bully pre-order situation. Simley said that Wal-mart policy is to not carry any unrated or Rating Pending games for pre-order or sale, in-store or online. This decision was made recently, Simley said, but just reflected on the web site starting this week, hence the pulling of Bully pre-orders. The policy is in response to consumer's concerns, Simley said, and had nothing to do with any letters or lawsuits from Jack Thompson.]UK news site The Register is reporting that Wal-Mart has stopped taking pre-orders for the controversial game Bully after a lawsuit filed by Jack Thompson in Florida circuit court named the retailer as a defendant. Thompson targeted the big box store for "recklessly pre-selling Bully to children with no age rating having even been affixed to the game."Though Wal-mart wouldn't confirm to The Register that the halt was in response to the complaint, the timing is certainly suspect (we're still waiting for a response to a request for comment from Walmart). Thompson has also reportedly sent letters to Amazon and Toys R Us requesting they stop taking pre-orders for the game.Thompson's argued that pre-selling Bully to children is "akin to a pharmaceutical company selling a new and controversial drug without prior FDA approval." This seems a little ridiculous to us -- assuming the game is rated M before its release (a relatively safe assumption), any store that took pre-orders could simply refund the money and refuse to give the game to any unaccompanied child that comes to pick it up. Preventing the 83 percent of console game purchasers that are adults from reserving a game just because children may try to get it seems to us like too draconian a response.
Bully controversy gets thoughtful consideration
For those of you who weren't satisfied by last night's bluster-fest of an interview on G4, the Rocky Mountain News' FreePlay blog has an interesting summary piece on the controversy surrounding Rockstar's recently resurfaced game Bully.On one side are bullying experts and school board members who think the game will lead directly to an increase in violence in schools. On the other side, industry/social critics like Clive Thompson and Alice Taylor argue that these games are simply misunderstood by a generation that didn't grow up with them.The Rocky handles both sides with respect and thoughtfulness, and even throws in some good historical context -- after all, the classic novel Ulysses was once derided for its sexual content. Or, as Adam Sessler might put it, there was media controversy "before Pong."[via Kotaku]
First Bully game trailer now up
When the clouds open up, boy do they unleash some hell. Bully news seems to be coming at us in spades lately, so now here's the latest: A trailer for this once mythical game is now up and ready for your viewing pleasure.Take a look at the game that will surely cause many to get upset for absolutely no reason at all. Our first impressions lean toward a modern Dennis the Menace. Check out the hi-res versions on IGN here or the YouTube link here. What do you all think?
Bully will stuff you in locker in October
Reuters reports that Rockstar's potentially volatile Bully will be coming out in October for the PlayStation 2. The game, which is sure to get soccer moms and the like all up in arms about video game violence, is actually about a kid who is trying to fend off the pig-headed menaces: The game's main character is 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins, who must defend himself against school bullies at a fictional U.S. boarding school called Bullworth Academy, while dealing with characters ranging from nerds and jocks to authoritarian prefects. Weapons included baseball bats that break after several blows, stink bombs and bags of marbles that when strategically thrown will lay flat most pursuers. Now, as Rockstar says, the game "can speak for itself. People can look at the game and see what it is and what it's not."[Thanks, Shizzle]
Rockstar pulls plug on Xbox Bully?
TotalVideoGames.com reports that Rockstar has confirmed that their next controversial game, Bully, will now be a PlayStation 2 exclusive. The news hasn't really popped up anywhere else and the game's official site still lists Xbox as a platform they are supporting, so we'll have to see exactly where this goes. But, with more and more developers abandoning the Xbox platform as of late, this really comes as no surprise.If the news is true, would things be any different if the Xbox 360 were fully backward compatible? Does Microsoft even care? Bully seems like one of those games that could become a real hit for the PS2 and we're sure Microsoft would have enjoyed at least a taste of that success.
Bullies Move Out of the Schooyard into MMO's
As much as I spend most of my life trying to recapture my childhood, I always forget that there are some things about being a kid that really sucked. And now, it looks as if dealing with the local bully shaking you down for your milk money might not be the only thing kids have to worry about; according to this article in the Sydney Morning Herald, the bullies have now gotten computers & gotten wise, as kids are now apparently having to face harrassment from peers in virtual worlds such as WoW. So much for video games being a way to escape your problems...The article doesn't go into much depth, but it does bring up an interesting problem that game companies face nowadays; how to make their virtual communities 'safe' for kids to play in. WoW & other games, of course, carry a warning sticker for parents, but that wont' change the fact that as we speak, there is probably some poor 11-year-old, level 22 Rogue being shaken down right now for all his gold by a player named 'L33tballz1990'. I don't know how prevalent this problem really is, but I'm pretty sure that if it were around in my day, my parents would have made me pick up my sword & shield and go face down my bully...only back then I wouldn't have had the sword & shield, so maybe I shouldn't really be talking....
Has Rockstar gone soft?
Those who waited with baited breath only to learn that the new 360-exclusive game from industry badboy Rockstar is based on Forrest Gump's favorite sport reacted with mixture of why and wtf? The basic gameplay action of table tennis (or Ping Pang Qiu as it's known in China) has a long and storied history in the video game world. Nevertheless, I get the feeling that gamers expected more grit from the creative minds that made running over hookers a national pastime. Rockstar has taken enormous heat the past few years, as evidenced by this recent petition signed by Wailing Mothers Against Playground Cruelty. One has to wonder if the accumulated bad press, not to mention the disaster brewed by a certain incident involving overly-warm Folgers, played a role in the company's sudden enthusiasm for competitive table tennis. Maybe Rockstar is eager to prove that they don't need mature content to capture our imagination. Or maybe they're just relieved that Hillary Clinton can't make Pong 360 an election year issue. Far too many of us have praised the joys of classic arcade gameplay (and complained about the idiocy of edgy-for-edgy's-sake fare like True Crime: NYC) to prematurely bitch about a game that could turn out to be the King of Ping. That said, I would hate to see Rockstar trade in its bloody chainsaw for a pong paddle just to appease a few grandstanding pols and clueless parents. Somebody has to carry the torch for embedded sex and violence. You can't help but think that Rockstar is a little less Billy Idol these days and a little more Drew Lachey.
