And with the return of Rockstar we also get the return of Jack Thompson and British MP Keith Vaz - who also participated in the Manhunt debacle - jumping on the train to abuse Bully. The criticisms for Bully came from the way it presented teachers, sexual content and bullying. It was for these reasons the game was renamed as Canis Canem Edit in the UK. Bully received a T-rating and parents, Thompson, Vaz and others argued that it wasn't suited to that age range. In Bully, the protagonist can kiss both boys and girls, which was a subject of dispute but the ESRB said they accounted for the bisexual content when they rated the game. The game was also banned entirely in Brazil for the same reasons that Thompson and Vaz were so outspoken against it. Needless to say Thompson failed to get the game banned in Florida and it was only removed from shelves in very select stores in the UK. For anyone who has played Bully, they know it is like a high school version of Grand Theft Auto but much less violent and more tongue-in-cheek. The game is really not worth any controversy, the violence is minimal, the sexual content is optional and the presentation of teachers and parents is simply a form of humor. Something many politicians and media outlets seem to lack.
Journalism student from Ireland. Interested in video games, books, rock music, films, comics, TV and wrestling - the basics! Check out my Twitter for PS4 screenshots and random comments!
