14 DAY TRIAL // First, there was Bully, the movie, in 2001. Next - Rockstar's Bully, the video game. These titles have one thing in common - controversy. While the film was about some teenagers planning to kill a friend just for fun, the second was "real-deal bullying". And now the game will be released for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles. But game shops kind of disagree.
Although the game is a 15-rated title, UK game retailers PC World and Curry's have refused to sell the upcoming title, stating that it is a "violent new video game which is set in a school and encourages players to act out assaults on pupils and teachers." The National Union of Teachers have joined the club, too, as they are calling for a wider ban as the organization's general secretary Steve Sinnott labels the game "an encouragement to violence and intimidation."
As you already know, Rockstar's GTA franchise and the Manhunt series have always managed to produce huge scandals and controversy - it seems that this is the developers' second nature. Bully continues Rockstar's tradition of violent games, invading a very "sensitive" area: the schoolyard. The story follows Jimmy Hopkins, a renegade, a pupil who was expelled from every school he's ever attended. As a mischievous schoolboy, you'll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around, Bullworth Academy. This game was released for the PS2 consoles, one year ago, but the Wii and Xbox 360 versions are planned for a March release.
The double-port features four new classes, eight new missions and more. What do people say about it, then? Well, here are some examples:
"We're disappointed this game was created in the first place. Some mindless people thought this was a fun, interesting piece of software to create, but it undermines all the hard work that organisations like ours are seeking to do." - Niall Cowley, of the charity BeatBullying.
"We're deeply concerned that all the work in cutting out bullying and cyber bullying in school does not seem to have made any impact on the consciences of the makers of this game" - The National Union of Teachers.
However, Rockstar have another opinion about this, as a spokesman declared: "It is not a game about playing a bully. It is about the trials and tribulations of a boy in his first year at school. He protects children against other characters. People have to be able to make their own decisions and to judge for themselves, with an open mind."
This sounds like a new law suit. So... could this be Rockstar's idea of a good marketing strategy, or these guys really believe in the freedom of... everything? Guess we'll never find out the truth, but we'll keep you updated.