Long time readers know that I have pretty strong opinions about “mature” games, violence in said games, and excuses for why kids commit violent acts inspired by Doom. It has been a long time since I could pull in Doom reference, so be patient, and work with me. Has it really been 14 years since Doom took the world by storm?
I am still catching up on a huge backlog of reading materials. Today I found this ditty about Manhunt 2 (PSP and PS2):
“… a quick kill with some wire cutters could involve a stabbing or cutting. Wait for the ultimate gruesome kill, thought, and witness a man’s testicles and pieces of vertebra being ripped from his body.”
“Manhunt 2’s content will no doubt set the mainstream media into a frenzy …” [source PSP July 2007, pp. 28-29]
Granted, this will be a “Mature” rated game, so any kids reading this blog should not apply for admission. I am not one to go into a censorship speech; everyone can be offended by something. In the case of Manhunt 2 and flying testicles, I am not offended, but is Manhunt 2’s content a little too over the top? I know there are plenty of R rated movies where flying testicles, castrations, and the like are implied, but I doubt they actually show the grisly goods on film. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. Not my taste, but thankfully we live in a country where we do not have to worry about censorship of gaming content that offends someone else.
I think this is a little too over the top, but I am sure that people want to play this stuff or there would not be a sequel to the original Manhunt. When is enough really enough? I think that game developers should be able to express their ideas in the same way that movie directors convey their stories. Nudity in games? It is about time for games to move past the “games are for kids” stigma once and for all. As long as the ESRB can keep game ratings comparable to movie ratings then I am all for flying testicles. Just for the record, in case it needs to be said, flying testicles (or any other body part for that idea) are not my idea of fun.
Brace yourself for the next round of game banning when politicians get wind of Manhunt 2’s over the top violence. Let’s just hope that someone with some common sense will realize that the game should not be banned. Enforce the ratings, so when the next Columbine is connected to Doom (or Manhunt 2), remember that these games are not made to be played by little kids.
