Just Flight & Just Trains blogs

Over the last couple of weeks we have seen Sony developing a computer game that features a scene in which the user goes into a “real” cathedral in Manchester and wipes out the entire congregation with an automatic weapons and also the first game in ten years to be banned in the UK due to the unrelenting level of violence contained within it (considering the content of the first game I mentioned, the mind boggles at just how bad it must be in order to have been banned).
In the past I haven’t been bothered one bit about all the hype around violent games. I myself have played many violent games and had a pretty good time doing so. The media love writing about it and the game companies love the media writing about it as the sell a shed load of games off the back of it. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a lot of the articles are not “plants” arranged by marketing bods. The same thing has been happening with films since long before I was a twinkle in my fathers eye

It has tonight come to light that a computer game, albeit already on sale for quite a while, features an image of Jamie Bulger being abducted and references to the act are made within the game by one of the leading characters.
I have to say that the crassness and sheer bad taste of this does bother me, in fact it bothers me a great deal. Is it right to deliver “entertainment” or make profit off the back of such a thing? For me the answer is absolutely not. I will probably remember where I was the first time a computer game actually got to me and made me hot under the collar.

Maybe the banning of Manhunt 2 may make developing houses be a little more cautious when including violence in computer games, rather than actively encouraging it in order to sell more units which currently seems to be a common practice. Unfortunately I would doubt that this will be the case. I wonder how many under-18’s saw the feature on Manhunt on the news today and went online straight away and placed an order for it from the US or Europe where it isn’t banned? No doubt the ban will just end up lining the pockets of those responsible even more deeply than if it was quietly on sale in your local Game. I wonder if the person or persons who thought it would be a good idea to make a buck off the back of the killing of a two year old child can sleep at night?