Woylez

TearsandScreams

Hutch

If that made sense.

That Girl Hates You

Article-wise, this is more idiocy from parental groups that have no idea of what they're campaining about. Rockstar shouldn't have to had changed the name of the game to somefakelatinname, but should have kept it Bully. Sad.

pangelboy

I got bullied endlessly as a kid in school for years, until I realised that all I had to do is tell them where to stick it. They'd be so shocked that their favourite punchbag just told them in graphic detail exactly what he'd been doing with their mother/sister last night that they wouldn't know what to do.

Kids that get bullied bring it on themselves for not standing up to the bullies. Nuff said.

Nayl

Unlike america, we in britain take bullying seriously as it has lead to a few suicides in teenagers. Because of this we simply don't see the funny side of the subject. We certainly don't see a game release as being even slightly as important as a human life. We respect the opinions of anyone who has lost a child to the act and hence the outcry.

All rockstar have to do is change the title back to Canis. So who in their press department decided to do otherwise. Maybe that's the story you should be looking at.

penhalion

from what i gather... if the parents interfere in any way with this state-sponsored compulsory gaming program they are sent to prison or punished in some way?

x23

CyberSkull

But it's the Video Nasty debacle all over again. I made a point to watch every single nasty to see what the fuss is all about, and there's absolutely no pattern in the genres. What they really did was to look at the cover of the movie and if had a violent cover art or violent title, it was labeled as a nasty.

zlimness

Stupid reactionary right-wing nonsense. Well done in not understanding the subject of the game you were talking about. I'd expect this from the Daily Hate not The Telegraph.

SPni

dsvella

Mattz

dowingba

Totally free publicity.

Altima NEO

That said, it's a game. Bullying is not acceptable, ever, but this is a video game and I'd rather someone be a bully to a video game character than a real person.

Zunnoab

I also hope that Rockstar's achievements ain't something stupid like beating people up for fun or kissing boys causing more of a headache then I allready got over people like JT and anti-bullying groups.

Irenicus-the one and only

Awwww.

V1L3

Just when I felt I lost all faith in humanity Enigma and V1L3 restored it lol

Irenicus-the one and only

I had no clue the game was like that ... since it didn't look interesting to me. So I never read up on it. I also didn't think you were a bully blah blah, since when Rockstar showed the game to the Forida judge, he thought it was fine and Wacko Jacko had no case. So I knew it was something different than what it may appear at first glance.

But, now that you describe it... it sounds fantastic. And I wish I didn't overlook it, but at least I can see it with upped graphics on the 360!

EnigmaNemesis

"During the game the player is not encouraged to attack innocent bystanders or undertake acts of "bullying", and is not rewarded for doing so. The "missions" the player undertakes are generally about thwarting acts of bullying, exploitation or discrimination. Violence towards innocent bystanders such as school girls and smaller school children causes authority figures such as prefects, teachers and police officers to chase and apprehend the player-controlled character, Jimmy."

Nice one, OFLC.

Still, I'm not giving any credit to Rockstar on this one. Maybe if they spent as much time working on their in-game camera instead of thinking up new ways to piss people off, Manhunt would've been nigh-playable.

V1L3

BAN THIS SICK FILTH!!!

Pftt, for those non-UK readers, the Telegraph is reactionary right-wing rag of a newspaper. It's full of reactionary tripe like this, because a good scare story sells copy.

This isn't a big deal - it's happened before in Blighty, and it'll continue to happen because there's several generations for whom videogames are an unknown, and therefore an easy target for scorn.

Jonman

I hope you will enjoy it as much as me man.

Irenicus-the one and only

I feel they just see "rockstar" and "bully" together and then gets crazy. But Rockstar have themselves to blame for that as much as the people asking for a ban for not taking their time to play it.

I hope the politicians and nay sayers would take a sec to listen and that rockstar would take a sec to explain the game for them. Anyway, I think I'm done here, and hopefully I can keep myself away from these threads, they are getting old and I am getting annoyed.

Irenicus-the one and only

/clap

This comment wins!

EnigmaNemesis

I never played it, but man you just sold me on it. I am definitely going to get it now!

EnigmaNemesis

Witzbold

I agree about the title. Why did Rockstar decide that the title "Bully" was appropriate for the game when "Dog Eat Dog" for which seems to describe the story perfectly from what you have told me, would have been much more appropriate?

Anyway, I can only guess the details of the game narrative since I've never played it. But one thing that I feel obliged to point out is that (if popular culture is anything to go by. I could be completely ignorant), there are many more social structures in the US schools than there are in the UK schools. UK schools don't have "Jocks" and "Cheerleaders", for example. So it's altogether possible that some of the relationships between social groups in Bully's school don't have any relevance in UK culture, which could lead people to raise questions as to whether Bully is distorting how schools are betrayed. Just throwing that in there.

Raian1

Irenicus-the one and only

Irenicus-the one and only

Bully does make you think twice, basically you start at this school, your parents don't want you and dumps you there, the teachers treat you like shit and the older kids beat you up and makes fun of you, you are the victim.

Then you fight back. I never felt like I was playing a bully in the game. And if you treat people bad for no reason they respond and you have the older kids and teachers acting as police in a game of GTA. And if you are nice and give gifts etc you get compliments and if lucky a kiss :)

The story is very deep for me. I feel bad for the little kid people make fun off that grows in character and the kid that you also hang out with that does bad things cause he feels bad, and act out as many kids do in real life.

I told you that I could give you an example, in some moments of the game it felt like the movie "stand by me" and other great movies and books. The soundtrack in the game is also really great, no rap beats a la GTA. Voice acting is also great. Maybe this clip helps a little [www.youtube.com] I bet there are many other clips too for you to check out.

You do bad things in the game yes, and you do good things. But it never feels like a game where you are just out to hurt people, you are not a serial killer or a mob boss, gangster. I reccomend the game to anyone I know. I do think bullying can be in the form of entertainment, movies, books, music and games too. This is not a "reminder", nothing more then a movie about slavery or world war 2.

Irenicus-the one and only

pikachumariachi

Bullying can be mentally scarring for children. At that age, you don't have the knowledge and understanding to just brush off someone's insults and beatings. Self-confidence falls, it becomes harder to socialise, bullying can potentially ruin someone's life. The fact that bullying is more common than child molestation does not make it any more acceptable, and it certainly doesn't make it any less damaging to the victims.

Which raises a valid question. I have never played Bully, so I don't know how the game progresses, but do the victims of bullying show any realistic reactions to being bullied? Do they cry? Do they pee themselves? Do they hide away during recess? Do they hate themselves for being bullied? In short, does the game explore how they feel as the victims? The developers cannot expect the player to feel sympathy for the victims when they do not show any long-lasting signs of hurt.

There are lots of people who work hard to promote support for victims against bullies, but they aren't getting any help when a video game depicts violence as a normal part of school life. It's not causing children to mimic the behaviour in the game, but it's not teaching them that bullying should not be occurring in schools. Bullying happens, but we don't need a reminder of that in entertainment form, thank you very much.

Raian1

And please stop using terrible examples that can not be compared with being a bully, get bullied or playing bully. I get what you are saying but this is bully, and bullies are something we all meet in life and experience and it ain't the same as molesting children. We all get bullied sometime as the character you play gets to deal with in the game, being beat on and made fun of.

This game is not GTA, manhunt or even close. But if you don't wanna buy it thats fine, telling others is also fine, thats freedom of expression, which this game also falls under'.

Irenicus-the one and only

I'll care when Amazon.co.uk, Gamestation, or GAME refuse to carry the game.

Mister Adequate

pikachumariachi

I hate Rockstars strategy, if it is intentional. They are ruining it for everyone else.

fenderfuel08

It's true that there's no evidence that a video game can lead to violence, but then this isn't really about the simple notion that actions in a video game can be mimicked. There are acceptable and unacceptable practices in every society, and what people are worried about is that the video games in question are blurring what we understand to be unacceptable. "Bully" might not encourage students to become bullies by mimicry, but it certainly isn't going to deter students who are inclined to be violent away from behaving rationally.

And its true that parents should prevent their children from playing games like this if they deem them inappropriate. But the concern itself should be accepted by posters here as something more than an ignorant hate speech, if only to recognise that moral boundaries are being crossed in the game (it would be more obvious if the game was actually called "Paedophile").

Raian1

Put the game on sale. Let the public decide whether to buy it. If they think parents will monitor what their kids buy, then there should be no problems.

Ryumeka

Same topic has been discussed since the first tale, the first book, the first song and the first movie.

We still have laws, and bully's can not only be and will be suspended they can also be taken to court if the bully.

Also, I do think people have the right to fight for the game not being bought by people as well as the age you need to be to play the game, but they don't have a right to get it banned.

You use the example of a horrible action, there are some exceptions of course. Depending on how they play and are portrayed.

Irenicus-the one and only

Then if they are "concerned" they should do their jobs as parents and prevent them from getting a hold of it.

not ban things because you don't agree with them, when there is no 100% factual evidence it causes this form of behavior.

EnigmaNemesis

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)

Maybe its because with violence embedded in most Western action games, we are content with seeing violent actions that can be related to the real world. But with sexual actions, of which Western society is far less tolerant, I honestly can't see gamers here sticking up for the game release, and I think that's something of a hypocrisy. Given that bullying is much more common than psychopathic murders and child molestation, who's to say that its not destructive to let players who are of the same age as Bully's main character bully people in-game?

People have a right to be concerned, because whether or not it is a video game, there are just some actions that you don't try to realistically imitate for obvious reasons.

Raian1

TechnoPirate

MrLister

kathartik

Psychotext

There's a big difference between a game's content and a game's selling point. Both Rockstar and posters here on kotaku have been arguing that violence is not heavily promoted in the game, and while this may be true, when someone who has not read reviews or watched trailers looks at this game in the store, he's not going to take the title "Bully" to mean "a comedic romp as a fifteen year old boy comes to terms with life at school". He/she will expect Bully to mean what the title implies, and therefore buy the game on the basis of that title. Whether or not the game gives you the option to protect other students, needless to say the option to bully other students is going to be expected given the title. And you expect people not to be concerned over that!?

With that said, I can understand why the name was changed to "Canis Canem Edit" in the original release. Given that the title is ambiguous, the player is not given expectations as to what role bullying plays in the game. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for what Rockstar were suggesting in the article.

Raian1

Want a £1200 Macbook? Me and the lads just kicked the box around the stockroom floor. Bit scuffed but the Macbook's fine. That'll be £300 then....

peanutismint

Ouch Red. Those words. They cut me real deep.

Am I really overweight?

On topic: I personally prefer the name "Bully". The papers must have had a slow news day though.

Wuffles

We don't want our children to become bullies, y'know, b'cause a video game will be so much more efficient at shaping your child than actual parenting will..

Gofthick

red

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)

@red: Comparing the choice of colleges I got in the UK to the ones in Germany, it was a clear decision from my side. About the sea and women, you clearly are exaggerating. I don't want to expand on that to be honest.

Candlejack

I suspected as much, this Bully hoopla confirms it.

ShaggE

Gladman

Ashkihyena

@Candlejack: i dont understand. our colleges outside of a small circle of quality ones are mediocre. our seas are polluted and cold. and our women are uncultured, stupid and overweight. and even if you attack me for being cynical about my own country, then certainly nobody can claim any of those three things are any better than elsewhere. whoever told you that shit sold you a line.

red

@BTFzor_Freestyle: Yeah Jack, come on! :D

Irenicus-the one and only

Wait you came here for the sea?
Surely there are better places...

BTFzor_Freestyle

Green-clad Gamer Dude

Evangel

Maybe they hope doing its original name over there would garner "new" sales since some wouldn't realize they already played it too.

But who knows! Stick it to these hypocritical scum bags Rockstar!

EnigmaNemesis

Lets hope that the politicians and mainstream media atleast realise that the game is allready out under a different title and maybe even judge it based on playing the game. I know, not likely but I can dream.

@Ashkihyena: You are right.

Irenicus-the one and only

Raynre

Gwan101

Ashkihyena

O RLY?

So GTA, with it's hooker romping then killing and Hot Coffee fiasco is all nice and kosher, but Bully, well that just crosses the line doesn't it?

Sasuntsi|Davit

BULLY TAUGHT ME HOW TO KILL PEOPLE!

I WENT TO A SCHOOL AND SHOT EVERYONE JUST THE WAY BULLY TOLD ME, AND THEN I WENT TO FIVE OTHER SCHOOLS TO RINCE AND REPEAT JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT!

BULLY IS THE WORK OF THE SATAN!

BlackDove

Well they needed to do it before probably to profit, now that they already made their money back (and then some) on the game, they are sticking to their guns, cause they can afford to now.

Lets hope they do!

EnigmaNemesis

You got that right ... sensationalism in the cornerstone in most media now-a-days.

EnigmaNemesis

If they wanted a battle over the name they should have fought it to the end the last time, instead of doing it now.

It's just all so pointless *sigh

Irenicus-the one and only

Contra maudi

Coldbrand

Malyonsus

Neutral_Fanboy

Ashkihyena

kathartik

B, Rockstar why are you doing this? Whats the point? The title canis canem edit was even better then bully and fit well with such an artistic game, also it released under that name allready, so why confuse consumers in europe that knows the game under that name and not bully, and second why change the name so people can bitch about it not being banned when the old title would prevent that from happening.

*takes a pill for the headache

damn it, I said I was done with these threads.

Irenicus-the one and only

ca$h

bertfallen

Candlejack

hamandcheeseUK

Ashkihyena

Madhotdog

SanjiX

Jamaces

Ashkihyena

Stuff like this is the true downfall to societies!

Hellbent ideologies, instead of 'live and let live'!

Where did I hear that before? Oh yeah, the beloved countrymen, The Beatles! Looks like they were on to something some 40 years previous!

EnigmaNemesis

Maldron

GorbyGipper

BlackDove