Rule of Rose Pulled From U.K. Shelves
505 Games caves to pressure from mainstream media and politicians
Jennifer, in mortal terror at the thought of The Daily Mail?
Publisher of horror-game, Rule of Rose has bowed to England's mainstream media and calls from European Union rightwingers by announcing today that it will not be making the game available for retail in the U.K., saying:
SPOnG spoke to the Video Standards Council secretary general Laurie Hall this afternoon to discover how he felt that this decision placed the of rating games.
“A decision like this has to be the publisher's. However, actually pulling a game is – in my memory – a first. This kind of thing only happened previously when extremely violent games went before the British Board of Film Censors (B.B.F.C) – even then the games weren’t pulled. However, I don’t think that it puts the ratings system in doubt.”
The VSC is a non-profit-making company. One of its tasks is to develop and maintain a code of practice to promote high standards within the computer and video games industry and otherwise, to ensure that games are provided to the public in a responsible manner.
As Hall says, it certainly is the decision of the publisher (and actually the B.B.F.C) to make a call on whether a game should be available for public consumption. However, publishers only tend to make these decisions based on potential unit sales.
Apparently, the mainstream media can now do this job just as well though, as the refusal to sell the game legally almost certainly stems from two reports in The Daily Mail and The Times newspapers.
But it is not simply the newspapers that forced the point. Political pressure exerted including European Union Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini will also have contributed to 505's decision to take Rule of Rose out the back and shoot it in the back of the head, execution style.
In a fit of double-standards, however, Frattini told The Times last week: “It is first and foremost the responsibility of parents to protect children from such games…”, it appears that it’s not the case at all.
As this story was being written, the website for the organisation widely accepted as guiding authority on games ratings, Pan European Game Information (PEGI) was was still showing the game as due for a U.K. release.
Neither 505 nor it’s press agency in the U.K. were available to comment on the U.K. decision or further plans for Rose will be pulled from the rest of Europe.
The facts that the game – which has met with lukewarm reviews – can and most definitely will be purchased over the Internet complete with its new cache of ‘danger’, and that pan European ratings appear not to apply to U.K. retail bode ill for the future.
Equally unsettling for U.K. gamers who want to shop locally is the potential fallout from other games publishers who could view this mob-ruled chaos as just hard to contend with.
Whichever way you view it, it makes online delivery of games content look more and more appealing.
”Following discussions with our retail and publishing partners, 505 Games has taken the decision not to publish Rule of Rose in the UK at this time”
SPOnG spoke to the Video Standards Council secretary general Laurie Hall this afternoon to discover how he felt that this decision placed the of rating games.
“A decision like this has to be the publisher's. However, actually pulling a game is – in my memory – a first. This kind of thing only happened previously when extremely violent games went before the British Board of Film Censors (B.B.F.C) – even then the games weren’t pulled. However, I don’t think that it puts the ratings system in doubt.”
The VSC is a non-profit-making company. One of its tasks is to develop and maintain a code of practice to promote high standards within the computer and video games industry and otherwise, to ensure that games are provided to the public in a responsible manner.
As Hall says, it certainly is the decision of the publisher (and actually the B.B.F.C) to make a call on whether a game should be available for public consumption. However, publishers only tend to make these decisions based on potential unit sales.
Apparently, the mainstream media can now do this job just as well though, as the refusal to sell the game legally almost certainly stems from two reports in The Daily Mail and The Times newspapers.
But it is not simply the newspapers that forced the point. Political pressure exerted including European Union Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini will also have contributed to 505's decision to take Rule of Rose out the back and shoot it in the back of the head, execution style.
In a fit of double-standards, however, Frattini told The Times last week: “It is first and foremost the responsibility of parents to protect children from such games…”, it appears that it’s not the case at all.
As this story was being written, the website for the organisation widely accepted as guiding authority on games ratings, Pan European Game Information (PEGI) was was still showing the game as due for a U.K. release.
Neither 505 nor it’s press agency in the U.K. were available to comment on the U.K. decision or further plans for Rose will be pulled from the rest of Europe.
The facts that the game – which has met with lukewarm reviews – can and most definitely will be purchased over the Internet complete with its new cache of ‘danger’, and that pan European ratings appear not to apply to U.K. retail bode ill for the future.
Equally unsettling for U.K. gamers who want to shop locally is the potential fallout from other games publishers who could view this mob-ruled chaos as just hard to contend with.
Whichever way you view it, it makes online delivery of games content look more and more appealing.
Games:
Rule of Rose
Read More Like This
Comments
Joji 25 Nov 2006 12:05
1/2
Unfortunately the mob have won, but thanks to the wonders of the internet I can still get hold of a copy because we do live in the EU. Think I'll have to look to France or Spain.
Why is it that these politicians feel the need to protect children all of a sudden, and from a 15 rated game? Anyone young playing it probably won't understand it. Its the biggest lie going that games are only for children and the press keep falling for it everytime it seems.
If 505 had any sense they should take this case to the european court to get things overturned because deciding that James Bond is okay in violence terms but Rule of Rose is not is clear double standards.
Last and more importantly, I'd like to throw down a gaunlet to Spong and other press to get things straight and ask the question, are games just for kids or for all ages? The way this ban has gone it seems the former when we know its not. I'd love to hear what other industry bods and the press have to say on this. How about it Spong? This would make a great feature, and a good comparison to films is clearly needed to show how unfair this all is.
Well. I'll be off now and try hunt down a copy of RoR. Just as well I import games often, and euro copies have an english option already.
Why is it that these politicians feel the need to protect children all of a sudden, and from a 15 rated game? Anyone young playing it probably won't understand it. Its the biggest lie going that games are only for children and the press keep falling for it everytime it seems.
If 505 had any sense they should take this case to the european court to get things overturned because deciding that James Bond is okay in violence terms but Rule of Rose is not is clear double standards.
Last and more importantly, I'd like to throw down a gaunlet to Spong and other press to get things straight and ask the question, are games just for kids or for all ages? The way this ban has gone it seems the former when we know its not. I'd love to hear what other industry bods and the press have to say on this. How about it Spong? This would make a great feature, and a good comparison to films is clearly needed to show how unfair this all is.
Well. I'll be off now and try hunt down a copy of RoR. Just as well I import games often, and euro copies have an english option already.
DoctorDee 25 Nov 2006 12:25
2/2
While what has happened to Rule of Rose is clearly wrong, in that the press and an outraged but misinsformed euro-minister have spoken out about something they clearly know little or nothing about. As a result Rule of Rose has been made a scapegoat for largely groundless public concerns. But, you might do well to bear a couple of things in mind:
The game did not get glowing reviews, so if you hunt a copy down to see what he fuss is about, you may be disappointed to find that there is no big deal in terms of scandal or violence, and no big deal in terms of entertainment either.
The game was not BANNED. The publisher made a decision to withdraw it, we put a call in to ask them to explain their reasons, and they declined to do so. Maybe they thought they were displaying prudence to their shareholders, when in reality, they were bowing down to unreasonable pressure from self appointed guardians of morality.
The game did not get glowing reviews, so if you hunt a copy down to see what he fuss is about, you may be disappointed to find that there is no big deal in terms of scandal or violence, and no big deal in terms of entertainment either.
The game was not BANNED. The publisher made a decision to withdraw it, we put a call in to ask them to explain their reasons, and they declined to do so. Maybe they thought they were displaying prudence to their shareholders, when in reality, they were bowing down to unreasonable pressure from self appointed guardians of morality.