Manhunt 2

Rockstar Games has recently lost its legal battle to release the game Manhunt 2 in the UK. A high court judge ruled that the game must be re-evaluated by an appeals committee for its certification. The game had already been classified with an 18 plus certificate by the Video Appeals Committee (VAC). After this decision the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) appealed to have the decision over turned claiming that they had not made their decision in line with new guidelines for violent games.

History of the Ban
This story goes back to the dispicable murder of 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah by 17 year old Warren Leblanc. Leblanc lured Stefan to Stoke Woods park in Leicester on 27th February 2004 with the intention of stealing £75 from him so that he could clear a debt to a local gang. Leblanc attacked Stefan using a claw hammer and knife he had taken with him. He was found very soon after the attack by two police officers and immediately confessed to what he had done. Leblanc was later convicted of murder and given a life sentence. The judge, Michael Stokes, said that he should serve a minimum of 13 years of this term. Stefans parents were, quite rightly in my opinion, upset by this sentence and feel that justice had not been served on Leblanc who could be free in 2017. Stefans parents claimed the original Manhunt was to blame for Leblancs' state of mind as he was unhealthily obsessed with it. After the court hearing they called for the game to be banned.

Detective superintendant Bob Small made a statement after the case that the motive for the attack was robbery and stated that there was no evidence that an obsession with the game was involved. Leblancs defense QC, Roderick Price, also claimed in court that the motive for the attack had been through fear of owing money to a local gang. A representative for the Entertainment and Leisure Software Association gave their sympathy to the family but totally rejected any link to the game.

Current Legal Battle
Manhunt 2 was classified as 18 plus by VAC and cleared for sale in the UK after it had been banned in June 2007. The BBFC were not happy with this decision and went to court to have the classification over turned claiming that VAC had made a gross misinterpretation of the law in their decision which did not take into account new guidelines relating to violent games. The BBFC originally refused it a certification stating that the game had “sustained casual sadism” making it unsuitable for public release. Rockstar claim that the move is an expensive waste of public money forcing a re-classification that has already taken place. They also claim that there is no more violence in this game than in other games or films that currently have an 18 certificate. The game is already on sale in other regions including the US where similar claims have been made regarding other games such as Vice City. There has been no timescale for the VAC to complete its re-evaluation but they are quite obviously being told that they expect to return a ban for the game.

Are Games to Blame
I find it hard to believe that games such as this are to blame for the violent activities they are associated with. Society has blamed horror films before them but I feel that the people who carry out these voilent acts must be pre diposed to violence. I feel sorry for the parents of Stefan Pakeraah but I can't lay the blame for Leblancs action at the door of games companies. I have watched many a horror film over the years and played some of the violent games but have never felt the urge to act the scenarios out. Millions of other people have also played the games but it seems to me that they are being punished for the one or two incidents that make headlines.

With that view in mind I hope that the Manhunt 2 game overcomes this current legal battle and goes on sale in our country. I have a feeling however that certain portions of our society will not stop until this game has aquired a ban that it does not deserve deciding for the rest of us what is suitable for us to view.