Manhunt 2 to Hit UK Shelves: Bring Your Own Hockey Mask

by Jordan Yerman | March 14, 2008 at 08:30 am

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Fans of violent video games, rejoice: Manhunt 2 has received its 18+ calssification in the UK, clearing it for general release. This is not only of interest to gaming fans, though: anyone with a stake in rated entertainment should be paying attention to this. Even if you disagree with the direction this case has taken, to what extent do you want the decision of what you can and can't watch/hear/play in the hands of someone else, someone you didn't appoint or elect?

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC clearly wasn't happy about this latest chapter in the Manhunt 2 saga when he said, "We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk."

Cooke went on to say that the Video Appeal's Committee's decision to reject the BBFC's ruling against Manhunt 2 left the BBFC with "no alternative but to issue an '18" certificate to the game." The VAC voted to uphold Rockstar's appeal of the BBFC's original decision to deny the game a classification.

The pro-ban camp had a fairly weak argument in stating that the game would somehow cause societal harm; that argument seems based more on moral panic than any actual evidence. In any event, the pro-ban argument failed.
Previous coverage:
Manhunt 2 gets Adults-Only rating in US
Rockstar seeks Industry support for Manhunt 2
Manhunt 2 banned in the UK
But is it art?