Neowin.net - New Zealand Bans "Manhunt"

New Zealand Bans "Manhunt"

Posted by jdhas on 12 December 2003 - 18:32 · 23 comments & 2176 views

A computer game that encourages players to kill all in sight in ever more gruesome ways has become the first video game banned in New Zealand. In a 12-page statement issued Friday, New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification said the game ``Manhunt'' depicts horror, cruelty, crime and violence in such a manner that its availability was likely to hurt the public good. Chief censor Bill Hastings said that computer games generally appear to be getting more ``edgy'' -- but that ``Manhunt,'' for the PlayStation 2, goes further than any that's been referred to his office. ``It's a game where the only thing you do is kill everybody you see,'' he said. ``You can choose to kill 'mild,' 'medium' or 'hot.'''

Weapons used ranged from glass shards to garroting wire, plastic bags and machetes. The game has a mature rating. ``You have to at least acquiesce in these murders and possibly tolerate or even move toward enjoying them,'' Hastings said. ``Manhunt'' had been banned from sale or rent in New Zealand for its likely effect on ``players of any age,'' Hastings said.

The game was developed by Edinburgh, Scotland-based Rockstar North, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software in New York. They are ``the same people who brought us Grand Theft Auto,'' the classification office statement said. The Grand Theft Auto series is the subject of a $246 million lawsuit filed in the United States by families of two people shot by teenagers allegedly inspired by the game. The suit claims marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software are liable for $46 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, along with retailer Wal-Mart.

News source: New York Times

Wi-Fi radiates an Internet connection that multiple computers within 300 feet can share at fast speeds. Wi-Fi hot spots have cropped up over the last couple of years in coffee shops, hotels and airports in bigger U.S. cities.

Some small towns, including Half Moon Bay, Calif., and Athens, Ga., have started experimenting with Wi-Fi as a way to provide relatively cheap, easy access to high-speed Internet.

The 51,000 residents of Cerritos, located 26 miles southeast of Los Angeles, have not had DSL broadband access to the Internet because the city is too far from the telephone company's central office. Cable Internet access has not been an option, either, Hylton said.

Residents in Cerritos have asked city officials to find a way to bring broadband to the city for some time.

"We're pleased that our residents will at last have an option for broadband that will be more affordable than is currently available," Hylton said.

Hide additional information

About the Author
Full name: Unknown
Forum name: jdhas
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline

Total votes: 0

Bookmark on del.icio.us

Advertisement

#1 Posted by lnatan25 on 12 Dec 2003 - 18:41: Such stupidity! Who gives them the right to ban games? Who gives them the right to limit players?

(5 replies) #2 Posted by CraigMack on 12 Dec 2003 - 18:46: Spell the f'n country name on the headline right at least. Can I buy a vowel ?

#3 Posted by Tech_8356 on 12 Dec 2003 - 18:46: New Zealend dowsn't have some sort of Free Speech legislation does it? If not, they can do whatever they heck they want...things are very different in the US.....

#4 Posted by brutal on 12 Dec 2003 - 18:55: What? And this from the country that brought us Braindead and Bad Taste..

(2 replies) #5 Posted by TopMan on 12 Dec 2003 - 19:42: Come in Eastern Europe, come to the free world! Here you can kill someone and not go to jail!

(1 reply) #6 Posted by Xab on 12 Dec 2003 - 20:07: What a good move. Next they need to ban all of those dirty R-rated movies, because someone could watch them and try to copy what they see.

In fact, always better to be safe than sorry, let's go ahead and ban baseball bats. Sure, the majority of people using them to play baseball are fine, but one in 10 million people may pick one up and bash someone's head in. Let's just ban them all to be safe.

Come to think of it, all walls in homes should be made of padded rubber. Most of us wouldn't slam our own head or someone else's into our wall, but SOMEONE OUT THERE MIGHT DAMNIT. All hard-surface walls should also be banned. We clearly need more protection from ourselves!

#7 Posted by morgan99 on 12 Dec 2003 - 20:42: who gives a ****. if you want it that bad just import the stupid game

(1 reply) #8 Posted by G4M3R on 12 Dec 2003 - 22:31: I saw it on the news last night. I hope we are not going down the same road as Australia, banning or censoring games. Thank goodness for on-line shopping

#9 Posted by Opio on 12 Dec 2003 - 22:59: NZ isn't missing much.. this game is meh.

I should add that Rockstar sent out barbed wire chokers in their promo kits!

#10 Posted by krazeguy on 12 Dec 2003 - 23:12: Who saw the dude on Letterman last night who did the hakka?

It was on Prime (TV5) at 11:30pm if you didnt know.

Quite funny actually, might have been the same guy who got his letter read on CBS MAIL bag and it was all over the radio

ON TOPIC: This is the first game banned and I have heard it isnt very good. Im not too bothered cause we usually get the full versions of games not the 'edited versions' some places get.

#11 Posted by BeLGaRaTh on 13 Dec 2003 - 00:15: The game is a POS ... boring as hell ...

#12 Posted by x2cube on 13 Dec 2003 - 05:11: As a mother of 3 children ages 7-16 I'm proud that at least one country would ban a horrendous game like that. More countries need to take the right step forward and ban the games that are just not fit for humanity. I know I'm not letting my kids buy this game.

#13 Posted by Xab on 13 Dec 2003 - 18:11: Wow here's a brain fart for the responsible parent - don't let your kids buy it. Why prevent responsible adults from doing so?

#14 Posted by demorgoron on 19 Dec 2003 - 04:56: this game is more boring than postal 2

whats next the whos more violent in games awards?

[1]

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Scroll to the Top