Bully gets a T rating. No, seriously
by Ross Miller 
{ Sep 15th 2006 at 12:55PM }
In a move predicted by more than a few comments at Joystiq, Rockstar's controversial title Bully has received a T for Teen rating from the ESRB. Questionable content includes Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence. Go ahead, let that one sink in, we'll wait.What does the T rating mean, exactly? Most retail outlets follow one simple rule of thumb: don't sell Mature-rated games to minors. According to the ESRB's official ratings guide, "Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older." Come October, little Billy won't need to ask him mom or bribe a homeless man into buying the game, he can do it himself.
Wal-mart, after pulling Bully pre-orders a few weeks back (for various, disputed reasons), is now taking pre-orders on its web site.
With the political season in full swing, we imagine more than a few politicians will cite this case as an example of the ESRB's negligence, or how the ratings system is "out of touch with" or "destroying" American values. Keep in mind the game has no guns or knives, disproving the theory that this title is a "Columbine simulator" (as purported by anti-game activist Jack Thompson).
Bully will be released October 16 for the PlayStation 2.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pikachelsea @ Sep 15th 2006 1:08PM
Despite the absence of guns or knives, there is no doubt in my mind that Jack Thompson will continue to moan and complain about any game featuring "people getting owies", frowning at each other, and other such HORRIFIC game elements that are turning all our nation's children into serial killers one by one.
James @ Sep 15th 2006 1:09PM
Suck on that Jack!
1up_clock @ Sep 15th 2006 1:09PM
O-HOHOHOOO.
This will be an amusing final act to the media circus.
Neoxkc @ Sep 15th 2006 1:10PM
Put that in your pipe and smoke it Jack Thompson!
Pencil $havings @ Sep 15th 2006 1:12PM
and the average American shrugged. "Who gives a shit," they collectively sigh.
Derbeste @ Sep 15th 2006 1:11PM
Kudos to the ESRB. I think they just showed a little integrity in the face of pressure.
They could have just given this game an "M" even though it might not have deserved it just to avoid controversy, but they didn't. My respect for them just went way up.
Revolution @ Sep 15th 2006 1:11PM
HA! Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Jack Thompson! Hope that ruins your day, you self-riteous prick!
Derbeste @ Sep 15th 2006 1:13PM
Btw....I wouldn't say "Take that, JT!"
I have to believe that he will use this to his advantage. It's, by NO means, a set back for him.
Neoxkc @ Sep 15th 2006 1:16PM
@ Derbeste
I don't think anything will ever stop him. He lost support from the group he was claiming association with, he kept going. Stuff like this happens to him all the time and he just keeps on truckin'. This is common when you have a dumbass of his caliber.
Marty @ Sep 15th 2006 1:18PM
Bully is a Kiddy game!!!
PS3 is for TEH KIDZXOR!
SONY CATERS TOWARDS KIDS!!!
ok, Done with that.
Seriously though, I wonder how Jack will take it that kids can buy this themselves. And to Parents..... Just because a game is rated T, you still might not find it suitable for your child (if you spend any time raising poor thing!!!) It is up to you the parents to decide if your child/ren plays this game or not Quit trying to leave it up to the government.
any BTW, how come every time I post with my Hotmail account Joystiq it doesn't go through and I don't get my confirmation email!!!!!
juicebytim @ Sep 15th 2006 1:19PM
This is not surprising since the average PG-13 movie has all of those descriptions now a days. Think the ESRB is bad? Look at the MPAA, current and past. PG-13 movies slide by with alot of stuff that 13 year olds proably shouldn't be watching. Think about 15 years ago, when the PG-13 rating didn't even exsist and people like me grew up on movies like Fletch, which only had a PG rating when it should probably have been R. It's funny going back to movies that I grew up on and thought they were so innocent then, only to find all of the sutalties relating to sex or drugs now.
Andrew @ Sep 15th 2006 1:19PM
I find myself wondering... WHO CARES?!
this game just isnt exciting...
crono141 @ Sep 15th 2006 1:20PM
Check your bulk folder, Marty.
Then we'll go Back to the Future in my DeLorean.
MDS @ Sep 15th 2006 2:18PM
I believe that Laddy Jack will TRY to use this to his advantage, without little-to-no avail. It is very much a slap to his face that the ESRB went ahead and rated the game without the "input" that he sought to impose upon them. Looks like his subpoena duces tecum to get ahold of a pre-release copy of Bully and "properly" analyze it for rating is a wee bit moot now.
Quite simply, it's hard to have a "Columbine Simulator" when the main character doesn't have access to a gun. But let's not weigh down the hyperbole and rhetoric with lil' things like the FACTS...
Marty @ Sep 15th 2006 1:26PM
Nope, not in my bulk folder.
Todd @ Sep 15th 2006 3:17PM
Wow ESRB, slacking much?
shivr @ Sep 15th 2006 1:30PM
I wish they had changed the name for the US version too... I'm sure all that latin would have made it much harder to debate, it sounds so much more dignified than 'bully'.
EnderAl @ Sep 15th 2006 1:41PM
It is kind of funny how the T rating and PG-13 rating are basically supposed to mean the same thing, but I know PG-13 movies can contain partial nudity (i.e. bare breasts). Breasts in a game (real or polygonal) would definitely require an M rating, and they would still cause a huge stink with a lot of people.
Fact is movies and games are held to different standards. The question is what (if anything) can be done about it? I'm guessing nothing except waiting for the culture to catch up with the idea that games (like movies) have an adult audience too.
ben @ Sep 15th 2006 1:55PM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! T rating? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Zertoss @ Sep 15th 2006 1:42PM
@12 juicebytim:
I know, right? And how often do you hear anyone complain about how movies these days are incredibly violent, full of foul language, sex, and drugs and still get PG-13 ratings because the F word was only said once and/or the S word was said no more than 3 times?
I went and saw Snakes on a Plane when it hit theaters. At my local theater, they will stop you at least once if you try to take a kid into an R rated movie. I've seen people get stopped more than 3 times though to listen to the staff wan them about the content. I've never seen anyone care, though. They just take their 8 year olds right in to see it. I did see one family leave during the SoaP sex scene, though. Boobies are a no-no.
If parents are just going to ignore the warnings, then what else can we do? Banning these movies and games outright isn't a viable solution, the industries would lose billions, and 99.9999999% of the people who see the movies or play the games don't go on to become killers anyway. So what other option is there? Should we start beating people who look like they might be parents trying to buy a violent game for their kids? Should orientation at the local GameStop include peeling the skin off the new employees before pushing them in a vat of salt to discourage them from selling violent games to minors? Maybe we should just ban people from reproducing, that way there will be no kids to kill each other!
Don @ Sep 15th 2006 2:08PM
The only unfortunate thing is that now activists will attack the ESRB, instead of just this game.
Of course, they were before.
OtakuCODE @ Sep 15th 2006 1:46PM
juicebytim: It's common for people to whitewash the past and forget how things were, but usually it covers a longer span than what you're doing! Movie ratings have gotten EXTREMELY restrictive. If there is a bare breast, it is instantly rated R. Previously, movies could have as many breasts as they wanted and remain PG-13 if the breasts weren't being touched. Since the MPAA doesn't ever actually tell anyone why they rate a movie a certain way, it is hard to say with absolute black-and-white certainty that their ratings have become more restrictive, but just go watch some 80s teen comedies. There's no doubt at all they would be rated R nowadays. When was the last time you saw a movie rated G? A movie has to be disturbingly retarded in order to get a G rating. If there is any time in the movie where you wonder if the main character is hurt or not, it will get a PG for featuring "jeopardy".
And just look at all the action movies that have a good story and might come across fantastic, but they edit it down to get that PG-13 rating and they turn out to be utter crap. Bully will be that way. If they'd pushed the limits like they usually do, got Todd Solondz to do the writing and story design, Bully could have been a masterpiece of drama and a truly visceral and true experience to play. But they cut it to T rating and it'll be a stupid little game. I think you'd get a better idea of what being bullied is like from watching Welcome to the Dollhouse or even Lucas.
The only media kids shouldn't be exposed to is disturbing stuff like Schindler's List and Hotel Rwanda and such. That stuff should not be shown to preteens. Teens are the perfect audience for it. Teenagers are emotionally developed enough that those movies will disturb and upset them, like they're SUPPOSED TO.
/looking forward to a future where games present real emotional experiences and have something to say
//and not believing the secret to developing a sense of morality and humanity is sheltering from life
OtakuCODE @ Sep 15th 2006 1:52PM
Zertoss: We should stop being so condescending to our fellow man. We should stop arguing that movies and games can rot the mind and warp the intellect of kids, and that parents aren't able to judge their own kids maturity. A lot of people say parents should be allowed to determine what their own kid sees... until those parents decide their kid is mature enough at 8 to hear some bad words (that they hear 900x per day at school) and see some simulated violence between actors. Then everyone gets up in arms and suddenly, the kid is supposed to be believed to be some mentally defective lump of flesh which is infinitely impressionable, while the parent is a monster.
Movies and games don't hurt people. Neither do books. Or radio. Or plays. Or paintings. Or dancing. Or singing. Or the thousand other things we've already went through as a species where people were insisting that kids would be somehow (never specified) 'damaged' or 'affected' by exposure to concepts and pictures and words.
Matters @ Sep 15th 2006 2:00PM
Does this mean that Sony fanboys in America will have to REFUSE to play this game because it some how makes them a kid unlike games rated M which make them less of a teenager? Isn't that what they've been telling Nintendo fanboys for the past 5 or 10 years?
Nmaster @ Sep 15th 2006 2:04PM
Not smart ESRB...now it just seems like your TRYING to start a fight...
Matt @ Sep 15th 2006 2:07PM
Hahaha, suck it, Jacky Thompson.
Matters @ Sep 15th 2006 2:12PM
Who cares if the ESRB is attacked. They are a bunch of morons anyway.
Josh @ Sep 15th 2006 2:18PM
Slight correction - most retail stores carry M titles. They don't carry Adult Only (AO) titles. Halo, for instance, was an Mature rated title (which I believe sold quite well at retail ;) ).
The Teen rating though is a big stick in the eye to the anti-gaming sect. They want to compare Bully (I thought it was renamed though) to GTA. This will be a lot harder now that it's rated the same as The Sims.
Brian @ Sep 15th 2006 2:36PM
Who wants to bet Jack's frothing at the mouth right now?
josh @ Sep 15th 2006 2:29PM
i wonder if thompson will try and take credit for the fact that the game doesn't have guns in it, and try to say they took that aspect out because of him?
Chrysee @ Sep 15th 2006 2:33PM
Didn't they change the title of this game a while ago?? Or did I miss something in the meantime?
Matt @ Sep 15th 2006 2:39PM
I will add $50 to the pot, Brian. ;)
rockintom99 @ Sep 15th 2006 4:09PM
Oh SNAP! So Mr Thompson has been bitching about a T-rated game all this time? Good stuff :D
Lampbane @ Sep 15th 2006 3:31PM
Told you so.
I totally called this one!
peabrain @ Sep 15th 2006 4:28PM
MIKE PATTON IS GOD
i cant wait to play this game just for the soudtrack!
wahoo
MrTroy @ Sep 15th 2006 5:57PM
YES! This is exactly what I wanted! Now we get to see Jack truely work his magic... speak of which. Where is he?
Nathan @ Sep 15th 2006 7:26PM
I have a message for Jack Thompson. This rating decribes the content well and there has always been violence in schools before video games. Now quit being a steriotypical lawyer who screws up our country so he can keep his carrer going on something people who decide on this ignarant, and probably don't play video games. However, I'm sure your not going to read this, nor or you going to listen to what I have to say.
Rico @ Sep 18th 2006 9:52AM
Man, this really gives me the heebie-jeebies. I haven't played the game, but from everything I've read and heard this probably isn't something you want anyone under 18 playing. Young kids are impressionable, and the realistic games they're being served, when not strictly monitored by their parents, can shape younger children's thinking. Like I said, that kind of thing will happen when it's unchecked, but the same effect can happen if you're talking about a punk kid from down the street, or a good for nothing uncle instead of a video game.
The more disturbing aspect of this, to me, is that the video game industry has improved its stable of lobbyists, and is nipping at the heals of the music and movie industries, at least in terms of their sphere of "influence" in law-making circles.
sunnysider @ Sep 15th 2006 11:56PM
Rico: why isn't Bully "something you want anyone under 18 playing?" All of the detailed previews that have appeared the last couple of weeks reveal that this game really is not about being a bully. Your character, the protagonist, is NOT a bully. He is a troublemaker type who goes on panty raids and defends himself against bullies, all while trying to unite the different cliques of the school against the bullies.
That's really so objectionable to anyone under 18? Don't believe all the spin you're hearing from the reactionary mainstream media loonies...
EvilCat @ Sep 16th 2006 12:25AM
I'm sure Jack Thompson is getting his publicist on the phone right now and is saying, "Get me on Fox News right now so I can talk about how important I am and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Okay, that was said with a slight margin of error. As for the rating, kudos to the ESRB, at least they gave it the appropriate rating without listening to Wacky Jacky's on sided opininon. Besides, Rockstar has been quite open about the content, and I saw the previews. To be honest, the screenshots I saw and the previews I read, did not at all decribe/look like a "Columbine Simulator". However, I'm sure if he's reading this, he's calling me a, devil worsiping, terrorist. What can I say, he likes to steriotype groups he attacks so he can look good.
Wild Homes @ Sep 16th 2006 3:01AM
to ?
the name was changed for the European release only, I believe, to 'dog eat dog' in Latin. forgive me, I can't remember what the translation is.
this game receiving a T rating surprises me, but it doesn't improve my confidence in the ESRB. if there's a giant fracas about this game, the ESRB will just hang Take Two out to dry just as they did with Bethesda over the Oblivion user mod fiasco. the ESRB needs more comprehensive regulations about game content and ratings. and they need to stand behind those ratings more strongly and not wuss out and sell the developers down the river.
Hart704 @ Sep 16th 2006 4:47PM
I have tons of M rated games. Come and arrest me too! Come on! I'm beggin' ya, Thompson! Make me famous!