The Florida Attorney General, Bill McCollum, has jumped on the anti-
Manhunt 2 bandwagon, focusing on the Wii version.
Talking to Fox News' anchor Orlando Salinas, he has apparently expressed concerns about the interactivity involved with the Wii Remote. The game mechanic will require players to simulate acts such as slashing, stabbing and sawing. The PS2 and PSP versions, by contrast, are receiving no attention from McCullom.
It's expected that the footage will air closer to
Manhunt 2's July 9th release date. McCollum's exact word's are not yet known, but his press secretary did issue a suitably vague statement reading:
“Attorney General Bill McCollum is concerned about any games which may instill violence in children, particularly games that encourage children to engage in violent behavior, even in simulation. He believes it is important to help protect children from influences which may introduce violence into their lives and stresses the importance of parental involvement in the efforts to keep these influences out of our homes and away from our families.”
Followers of anti-gaming crusading will be unsurprised to hear that SPOnG's pal
Jack Thompson has his fingerprints all over McCollum's comments. He was also interviewed by Fox, and in May he wrote a letter to McCollum and Florida Governor Charlie Crist warning them of
Manhunt 2's evils.
Jack Thompson's feelings on the subject are well known to SPOnG. In a recent e-mail to us which detailed copy he's sent to the Federal Trade Commission, Thompson said, “...this murder simulator is available on the Wii motion-capture gaming platform, which allows anyone to move ones physiognomy to rehearse the killing. Maybe a corporate officer of Take-Two has to be killed by a copycatting gamer for this company to 'get it.'”
As far as we're aware, the 'physiognomy' is the face - we're unsure how the Wii controller can be used with the face. We are also unsure how the Wii is a motion-capture device. We also think that it is incitement to violence to suggest that someone 'has to be killed'.
SPOnG checked McCullom's website, and although he's happy to rattle off consumer warnings on subjects ranging from insurance to modelling, there's no mention of
Manhunt 2.
SPOnG contacted Nintendo to see what the platform holder has to say on the subject, and was told, “The game is/will rated accordingly based on its content - we are making no further comment at this time.” Rockstar responded similarly, telling SPOnG, "no comment."
To find out more about
Manhunt 2, see SPOnG's
dedicated game page and
preview.Source: GamePolitics