Bully has an interesting history. Although announced long ago by Rockstar, very few details have been released about the game. However, that didn't stop eager politicians to decry the title, knowing only that it was about bullying and by the same developers who make Grand Theft Auto. Anti-game activist Jack Thompson cites the game in nearly every press release and publicized letter, calling it a "Columbine simulator."The now PS2 exclusive has been unveiled to the mainstream press, and it turns out the controversy is a tad overblown. The New York Times and Rocky Mountain News discuss (and laud) its punishment system, which forces the character to do menial tasks for breaking the rules (e.g. mowing the grass, shoveling snow). In essence, the game pushes you to be a good student, earn a kiss from a girl, and stand up to Bullies.
USA Today and Reuters, both of whom were allowed to play the game, and found the rewards more plentiful when your character goes to class -- you learn how to make fireworks, you play word jumble, and you increase your literacy. The latter results in increased likelihood you can talk yourself our of trouble and woo women.
"You need certain rules in a boarding school," said Rockstar's Rodney Walker. "We want you to feel like you're in school, that constant pressure of class."
Another point made is that fighting is rather tame. There are no blood, bruises, guns, or knives. While fighting is a part of the game, Rockstar made a point to note that exploration is the primary goal. And there are punishments for fighting. One interesting feature noted was the ability to end a fight by simply apologizing.
Did Rockstar play the safe route with this game? Indeed. Will there still be controversy, and will politicians still correlate this game with the downfall of Western Civilization? Most definitely. But will it be fun? We'll find out soon enough.
[Thanks, Mike Fink and Jay]
Read -- With Bully, Rockstar Looks to Beat the Grand Theft Auto Rap (NYTimes)
Read -- 'Bully' hits schoolyard, for good or bad (USA Today)
Read -- "Bully" video game to be released in October (Reuters)
Read -- 'Bully' lies in wait (Rocky Mountain News)
_thumbnail.jpg "I Am 8 Bit: 2008")
(Page 1) Reader Comments
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Stupid hot coffee ruining future games.
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I'm not an anti-violence nut, and I think the rating system is good enough to not warrant all these crazy game laws, but there really is no need to put GTA style violence in a school.
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Actually, this game sounds like the fruition of combining adventure games with action games (adventure in the sense of The Longest Journey & point and click stuff).
It's sounds interesting, but, like the post stated ... the question is if it's fun.
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Rockstar Table Tennis isn't all about hookers and the mob, so why would Bully have to be an over-the-top violent game?
Anyway, it sounds cool the way it is. If the game turns out well, it could become an instant classic just as GTA has.
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I wish gamers wouldn't always be so biased and quick to laugh at critics and shower this thing in flowers before they really know nothing about it.
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This is why I play video games? Does anybody else see a problem here?
I'm not worried about the game being too violent. I'm worried about it being excruciatingly boring and highly annoying. I mean, their stated goal is to make it feel like school. And I don't know about any of you, but I didn't like school.
I guess, finally, we have a game that all the Lisa Simpsons of the world can call their own.
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There's a game called Brain Age, that is basically homework, tearing up the sales charts right now in case you haven't heard.
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Now that more details are out, I see two problematic paths for the game. First, the media still covers it as "Columbine Simulator" simply because it has children and violence, regardless of the context.
Also, because the game is so tame, there will be less interest in it. Personally, it doesn't sound that interesting. People like playing taboo games, so something that seems like a watered-down GTA for kids, doesn't seem like it'd appeal to many people.
On top of that, I'm sure it will seem like a cop out to a lot of people. Along with Table Tennis, this game looks suspiciously tame, i.e. self-censored. Even though I think Rockstar lost a lot of credibility, at least in my eyes, with their handling of Hot Coffee, I really think we need games that are uncompromising. We need games to push the boundries of the rating system. Bully was not that game, because its subject matter would generate an inordinate amount of controversy. But we do need games that test the ESRB and mainstream opinions.
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So out of all the people who stood up to bullies during their school years, how many of them turned it into a psychotic murderous rampage? 2.
And out of all the C student, goof-off, drunk drivers out there, how many of them made it into the Oval Office? 1
Not very good odds for either scenario.
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The people to blame for Columbine are Clebold and Harris. End of story. Just because you can't get your pound of flesh for retribution, its no reason to drag other people into it. They knew exactly what they were doing. I'd also recommend watching 'Elephant' if you want to learn a bit more, though its not concentrated on being as true to life as possible.
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Part of the reason that Harry Potter is so popular with adults as well as kids is that they are a chance to revisit your youth. Not just revisiting your youth, but revisiting it as it should have been – revisiting the idealised/fantasy version of school that we have in our heads.
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From a game design perspective, taking on bullies is way more satisfying than being one. How do you structure the gameplay off taking lunch money off kids? Where's the challenge? Making it about getting back at the bullies means each bully is like a boss - a lot easier to hang a game on a series of boss fights.
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Where were the politicians and family groups then?
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GTA got more public outcry than other games because it took place in a world that resembles the one we live in. If Fable took place in Downtown LA, it would have gotten the same attention of GTA.
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