Banned!

In a shock move the BBFC has refused to give

Manhunt2 a classification in the UK. This has not happened since the 1980s. I may no go on to sound a bit old fashioned but I really do not care. I am glad the BBFC has decided to finally take a stand.

As a lover of the arts I fully understand the implications of increased censorship and the negative affect it can have and that imposing an interpretation on a piece of art and then deeming it unsuitable for everyone is generally not a good idea. However I think the BBFC in this case is justified.

The video game makers are becoming increasingly daring with their subject matters and it is becoming more and more unpalatable. For example prostitution, abuse of women, petty crime, gun crime knife crime, murder and rape are all becoming common topics in video games. I would severely question the effectiveness of the age restrictions on these games as they are often flouted. More recently we have had the Sony game where Manchester Cathedral is used as a background to gun fighting. This desecration of a church in a game is totally unacceptable and perpetuates violence.

I must now admit that there is little evidence linking violence in the media to actual realised crime of course there is not, how can you pin point one thing that causes violence. However it is my opinion that this exposure to children and young adults at worst influences them into a violent lifestyle and thus an act of violence and at best desensitises them to this violence. These games make crime especially worryingly rape and murder all seem rather blasé, scarily the norm.

In our increasingly violent society we should be making every effort to curtail the glorification on violence even if it is in an electronic art form. Even if there isn’t a link I am not sure I want to live in a country where children get their kicks from bludgeoning someone to death on the alter. (no link to Thomas Beckett intended)

I congratulate the BBFC for its sensitive, liberal and balanced recent history, this shock banning by them just goes to show how disturbing this video game must be. Let’s have violence in our society confined to the history books.