Bully Launches, Controversy Revives

It's not the first time when a Rockstar game gets criticized for its violent concept, nor the first time when people gather together, hoping to ban a R* game. Actually, it's not even the first time when the recently released Bully: Scholarship Edition (for Wii and Xbox 360) enters the smack talk and people want to see it banned. But it's always nice to see such reactions and analyze them.

Actually, Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Wii and Xbox 360 is nothing but a revamped edition of the game launched in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 – then, similar criticism was received from the ever-present Jack Thompson, some teachers organizations and other groups. Now, things are the same: according to theglobeandmail.com, an international coalition of teachers are urging game retailers not to sell the game:

"We're asking retailers to be responsible," said president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation Emily Noble. "Yes, they can sell it and make a buck out of this, but is this the kind of marketing that they want to be [doing], selling games that glorify violence? What it does is it encourages kids to target other kids, to be a bully with other kids."

Bully: Scholarship Edition features a teenager who adjusts to life at his new school by harassing others, which the organizations say glorifies bullying. The abuse includes dunking pupils' heads in toilets, photographing them naked and physically assaulting them. Teachers are also targeted – not naked, though. However, contrary to the claims of the detractors, the aim of Rockstar's game is to rid the school of bullies rather than perpetuate the practice.

"This young person being confronted with all that seeks the one remedy that he appears to have access to," noted McGill University assistant professor Michael Hoechsmann, an expert on violent games. "If there was a peaceful schools committee at the Bullworth Academy, maybe Jimmy would have joined the committee."

Well, yeah, that's a point of view. However, it's strange that the teachers teamed up to fight against the violence in Bully but said nothing about the fact that you will have to take naked photos of your colleagues. Oh, yeah, I forgot: that's totally OK.

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