CBS tosses their hat into the Manhunt 2 debate
by David Hinkle 
{ Oct 30th 2007 at 10:55PM }
CBS anchor Katie Courc thinks that Manhunt 2 is very dangerous. Why? Well, because the vicious acts of murder that are portrayed within aren't carried out in the usual manner, as a player presses buttons on a controller (you do press buttons in Manhunt 2 for the Wii, by the way), but by "wielding a knife, an axe, and a glass shard" to dispatch their opponent. We haven't seen the box for this thing yet, but it would have to be pretty big to include all of these things.But, what really gets us is the mainstream media's assumption that kids just walk into stores every day and purchase games that are rated "Mature." Even if this happens, and the kid takes said game home and plays it, what about the parents? Are they so absent-minded and uninterested in their child's life that they won't hear the curse words coming from their TV or hear the sounds of these murders (gurgling and the like, we imagine), let alone spend a few seconds to ask what they're playing or, dare we ask, watch their kid play it?
You know, we can understand your stance against violent media in general (well, maybe not everyone's), but the detachment is there. You're holding a white Wiimote and nunchuk, it's not like you could honestly think that you're some crazy psycho killer out there performing murder with no repercussions for your actions. If the game came with a life-sized dummy that you had to choke from behind with the cord connecting nunchuk and Wiimote together for points, then we might be willing to entertain the mainstream media's concerns.
It all comes down to the parents.
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Edge @ Oct 30th 2007 11:20PM
Here is a solution. If you kid shoots up a school, the parents are held equally responsible, charge for charge. Screw this "I just can't control my kid" crap. You can and you will.
mr_sauce @ Oct 30th 2007 11:20PM
People from the news media need not to do reports about video games because they know nothing about them...Just makes them sound stupid!
mobilesworking @ Oct 31st 2007 1:27PM
"It all comes down to the parents."
As always, etc., ad infinitum. This is only the latest example of a cynical pandering for ratings.
Chris @ Oct 30th 2007 11:36PM
my crap weighed 8.5 courics last night!
marc @ Oct 30th 2007 11:42PM
maybe katie "is it sweeps week?" couric should check out some of the programming on her own network? all you need is a tv - no id required.
Sonic_13 @ Oct 31st 2007 12:04AM
These reports are always so exaggerated. Perhaps there is one psycho kid who acts like real life is a video game, but these reports make it sound like an entire generation of children will now turn into vicious murderers.
I also don't respect these reports because they never mention the obvious aspects of how the game is rated M for adults and that parents should do their job as parents and control the content their children sees and interacts with.
I bet many of the outraged parents are just stupid. They buy a M rated game called Manhunt 2 and then are outraged that it is violent and harming their children. HELLO! Don't buy the game for your kids in the first place.
Elsnerma @ Oct 31st 2007 12:22AM
Manhunt 2 Best Buy Exclusive:
FREE Knife, Axe, and Glass Shard Wiimote attachments!
Yesssssss!
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 31st 2007 12:55AM
God, I miss Dan Rather. He wasn't perfect, but he'd sure as Hell have never covered this kind of crap. This kind of sensationalist trash belongs on Fox. Not CBS.
Dan @ Oct 31st 2007 8:58AM
THE GAME IS NOT FOR KIDS
DUMBASSES.
eesh.
Ben @ Oct 31st 2007 9:36AM
I agree with you marc. I've seen some pretty messed up stuff on CSI and they're showing that three nights a week, not to mention syndication!
sn1per420 @ Oct 31st 2007 9:53AM
^^ But, But... Kids are walking into best buy's around the country and just buying these games!
Seriously, whatever happened to actually GIVING A SHIT about what your kids are doing, who they're hanging out with, etc.
The TV/Wii is NOT a babysitter, and not all videogames are aimed at 12 year olds.
lpburk2 @ Oct 31st 2007 10:27AM
If Dan Rather had covered this, he would have at least taken the time to print up a fake memo claiming President Bush was somehow involved.
Jimmijam @ Oct 31st 2007 10:34AM
As much as violent games are a reality (and here to stay), so are neglectful parents. Yes, they are a reality and sadly they are here to stay as well. Blaming it on neglectful parents is just as bad as the media blaming the gaming industry. It's just more blame with no solution.
This bizarre phenomenon where we, for whatever reason, feel vindicated by simply pointing fingers other than ourselves.
Wryker @ Oct 31st 2007 10:47AM
I am SO furious that they made them re-tool Manhunt 2 to make it less violent! As a 41 year-old, I should have the right to CHOOSE which version I want. If adults are that stupid to let kids play games they shouldn't it's the parents fault - NOT the gaming company. I have 2 children and I wouldn't let them play GTAIII since I don't want them playing such a game (yet). But I'll play it! I had pre-ordered Manhunt 2 JUST because it had an AO rating. But Sony, Nintendo etc said "not on my platform" - how moronic - they need to understand there are adults who WANT AO games. There's a HUGE market the platforms are missing out on since they refuse to allow AO games....moronic...
Chris @ Oct 31st 2007 10:56AM
Sure, it's up to parents. But that's the lazy answer. It's harder than ever to control what kids see and do. The only way to be completely confident about the content they're exposed to is to inflict draconian measures on them about TV and computer placement, among other things. With freedom of information comes a greater likelihood of exposure. Just saying "blame the parents" is really ignoring how difficult this issue is. It's no better than the parents who just blame the games.
Chris @ Oct 31st 2007 11:45AM
@chris
It's the lazy answer for lazy parents.
Fact is, parents could only ever control so much, even back in 'the day'. I did all sorts of stupid stuff when I was younger. My parents taught me lessons and then trusted that I wouldn't go over the line. They allowed me to make judgments based on the values the taught. You cannot encapsulate youngsters from reality forever. They will find it, and it is better that they are armed with the tools parents have taught them.
What I really dislike is the focus on games like they are kids only material and anything that is a game is necessarily meant for kids. It is like being mad at Playboy because it is a magazine. Just because there are magazines for kids does not mean that Playboy is for kids. How come Couric doesn't talk about the slasher films (Saw, et al)? It is blatant hypocrisy rooted in ignorance.
DJ LINK @ Oct 31st 2007 2:55PM
I'm a parent. And you're right - it's "down to the parents".
The Wii has parent controls and parents should use them. Plus if they are worried about what they are playing they should monitor their kids at least sometimes.
Alcohol is a far more dangerous product for kids to get hold of than video games and I haven't heard of any recent calls to ban EVERYBODY from buying it!
Nucklez @ Oct 31st 2007 4:05PM
I am also a parent, and I've grown up playing video games. I won't even let my son watch me play RE4 or other mature games such as GTA. I wait until he goes to bed.
My neighbors kids, (7 and 13 year olds) were asking to borrow some of my PS2 games. Their mom told me to make sure they were rated Teen or less. I strongly agreed. Less than a week later the 13 year old comes to me and says "My mom bought me GTA:Vice City last night! It's awesome!" My best reaction was WTF!@#! Do parents just look at the media and pick out the worst games getting all of the attention for being bad, and not let their kids play games like Twisted Metal! I mean, common, get with it!
Dan @ Oct 31st 2007 4:06PM
It's NOT lazy to blame the parents.
It's lazy to blame the parents and not do anything yourself.
It's simple: don't buy the game for your kid. Where are they getting $70 for a game?
Even if they're old enough to have money enough to buy their own games... how the heck do they hide a TV from you? Is it impossible to stop by and check in on your kids for 5 minutes to see what media they're consuming?
PLEASE.
mr_sauce @ Oct 31st 2007 4:27PM
The ESRB and people who complain about violence in video games suck ass!! The original manhunt was way more violent than this one, so why didn’t that game receive an AO rating? The ESRB initially gave Manhunt 2 an AO rating just because of who published the game. If anyone else would have published that game it would have received an M rating. I feel that Nintendo Sony and Microsoft should step up to the plate and allow AO rated games to be published on their systems. That way you can tell the ESRB to go to hell! I don’t think that by letting AO rated games being published on their system would hurt sales of their machines at all. I look at it this way: for years people ie: politicians and news media, have been complaining about M rated games and violence in video games and what has happened? Every time a new GTA title comes out it goes on to sell millions. Halo 3, bioshock have M ratings and both of them have gone on to sell very well. If parents are buying M rated games for their children which very clearly states on the box that they are not intended for children under 17, I believe that if that same game had an AO rating on the box that they would still purchase the game. Congress always says that parents are not informed about the ratings and what their children are playing, but the movie ratings have been around for as long as I have been around, and by the way I’m 30 and parents still take their children to rated R movies and the last time I checked rated R means material not suitable for children under 17. So stop blaming ignorance for parents and let them and people who AO rated games are intended for make the decision on what’s suitable for them to play. If congress took this same stance with movies then a vast majority of movies would never be released, or they would be toned down to get a PG-13 rating which would not make them worth watching….How does a PG-13 Saw sound to you?
seetrapp @ Oct 31st 2007 6:22PM
David, you absolutely nailed it with the last sentence. Some people want the government to censor what art is published because they feel inferior as parents or, even worse, feel that others are inferior. They want the government to raise your children. That scares the f--k out of me.