Friday, June 29, 2007

Man Hunt 2: What’s all the Hype about?


If you consider yourself any sort gamer, then I’m sure that you have been keeping up with all the hype surrounding the upcoming release of Manhunt 2 for the Nintendo Wii, on July 10 2007.
The game is about an Amnesiac scientist and his psychotic killer of a companion from an asylum and their momentous killing sprees. I assure you, you won’t be seeing this game lining the walls of your local Wal-Mart. In fact Manhunt 2 has been banned in the United Kingdom but given the go-head within the U.S. Market with an Adult Only rating due to its level of violence. Look I’m not embarrassed to admit it, but just the cover art alone freaks me out. It looks like something out of a Rob Zombie movie.

Even before receiving the AO-Rating for Manhunt 2 for the Wii version, it was already gaining negative momentum with Anti-Gaming groups due to the system’s use of violent gesturing in order to control the game’s characters. Gamers use motion –sensing controls to stimulate chopping, hacking and stabbing motions to kill their prey. Shall I dare ask “where is the fun in that?” What is the motivation driving the fascination behind the violence? Should we as a responsible society worry about those who find amusement in simulating the dismemberment of human beings?

Is all of the negative attention that the game is receiving hindering the potential sales of Manhunt 2 or elevating the anticipation of its release among the curious? All I know is that here at DVDBoxOffice.com the pre-orders have been soaring. (Especially from those living in the U.K!)

1 comment:

Brandon said...

Here we go again! Yes it is true that some video games are violent - yet a games magazine based here in the UK stated and I quote

"Games don't kill people, people kill people!" Unquote:
Source: GamesTM Magazine

When is society going to realise the fact that its only that a video game nothing more, games doesn't tell the person to go out in to the real to commit what they have played in a game - it's down to the individual who plays the games to decide whether to act out what they have just played. If they are going to start banning games because of certain content what's next, movies and music they define more graphical content than video games. The issue here is about responsibility nothing more nothing less! Manhunt 2 and other games has age restrictions on them for 18 years and older (Mature ratings in Canada) yet why is it being banned here in the UK? Is it due to the fact that the UK are so wrapped up in red tape with situations going out of control with the recent incidents regarding teenage violence? Guess who receives the finger of blame video games! ?How about the media and others look around the corner regarding the positive side of video games entertainment, no mention of that in the press; Second Life, Educational games for special needs etc.

If media and others wants to ban Manhunt because of the content then it's the media that needs to wake up because games as far as research is concerned violent content has no relationship with violent crime; it's the minority few who have committed the crime and pinning the blame of what they did 3 hours earlier playing a game called Black or Socom? Those who commit these crimes are just tarnishing the brush of blame onto video games maybe one reason is because of societies ill grip to gain control of the situation and tackling the social and moral difficulties thus noticing the situation and to have the decency of raising there hands in the air and say "Sorry, our fault we are t blame" until that happens and video games receives the credit they deserve more games will be banned because of the content, which is highly unfair on the industry that are only trying to promote a sense of fun and fair play! If they are going to start banning Manhunt2 than why not ban cigarettes or alcohol that destroys more lives than video games put together, it's down to choice at the end of the day, whoever commits those crimes will be dealt with! So come on video games industry lets do some of our own educational teaching to educate!

Video games are not to blame especially Manhunt2, yet if that's not the cause of violence in today's society the question still remains who is?