14 DAY TRIAL // It's appeal day today as Rockstar plunges into the world of legal issues, contesting BBFC's decision of refusing Manhunt 2's certification. However, the producer's representatives didn't hesitate to retaliate claiming that the censorship board cares more about its reputation than the interests of gamers worldwide. We've seen some mighty fine verbal duels in Eurogamers' piece of news on this interesting matter.
For example, Geoffrey Robertson, Rockstar's legal representative mentioned "There you are, seven of you - not one of you has experienced, I'm told by the chairman, computer games, or are a gamer." He was referring to the BBFC members, that didn't quite dig his statement. So, the board decided to reply claiming that they've actually played computer games, Manhunt 2 included. You should also be aware of the fact that Robertson started the appeal labeling the British Board of Film Classification - "British Board of Videogame Censors".
He continued by saying that "There's no evidence that playing interactive videogames leads to a propensity to act them out in real life. We wonder why Manhunt 2 has been singled out for special treatment". As the appeal went on an on, Rockstar's representative named the BBFC members "ignorant" when it comes to computer gaming, also stating that the board is the author of the last years' silliest censorship-related decisions.
Robertson continued to defend Rockstar and Manhunt stating a general truth: the fact that millions of gamers play videogames and they're not murderers. If one exception (in a million) happens, they may look into the facts and try to find a connection between the crime and one of Rockstar's games. You might remember the big scandal generated by the murder of Stefan Pakeerah, a British teenager. At the time of the tragic event, there were many claims that the crime had been caused by the excessive play of the first Manhunt title.
However, the police found out that the killer didn't even own the game, so there's no real reason of blaming Rockstar's game for the murder. Stay tuned, as we'll keep you posted as we get new info on the appeal.