Return of Bully means more controversy

by Justin McElroy { Mar 4th 2008 at 9:50AM }

Color us not at all surprised. With this week's release of Bully: Scholarship Editon, we're seeing a return of the controversy that swirled around the game upon its original PS2 release in 2006. Emily Noble, president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, called for the game to be removed from shelves this week, saying "We're asking retailers to be responsible. Yes, they can sell it and make a buck out of this, but is this the kind of marketing that they want to be [doing], selling games that glorify violence?"

McGill University's Michael Hoechsmann provided a more rational take, calling attempts to ban the game "flailing at windmills" and saying "As tempting as it may seem, I'm not so certain that banning this will somehow result in a more peaceful and more loving school population."

Though we're sad to see this silly controversy rear its head again, we do want to give big ups to Hoechsmann and reporter Jill Mahoney for providing a dissenting opinion.

[Via GamePolitics]

Tags: bully, bully-scholarship-edition, michael-hoechsmann

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Hot$auce_Magik @ Mar 4th 2008 9:57AM

Once again a case of people making judgements on a game, without actually playing it. Apparently killing old women and stealing cars is acceptable to this woman, but schoolyard hijinks is not.

When is this stupid shit going to end?

jack shaftoe @ Mar 4th 2008 10:35AM

Yeah, but lest you forget, "stinkbombs", as they are so misleadingly named, can clear out a classroom for hours and cost children time for learning and waste taxpayers' money!!!

Roto13 @ Mar 4th 2008 11:39AM

I doubt GTA is acceptable to these people either, but yeah, they're completely ignorant.

James @ Mar 4th 2008 10:00AM

What a moron... Are retailers actually marketing this game? Isn't that Rockstar's job to do the marketing? And she's the president of a teacher's federation?

Nigeria: the graphics have amazing gameplay @ Mar 4th 2008 10:10AM

You can't spell contro without versy.

Also, whenever I see the word "flail" I automatically think of the Wii.

BigD145 @ Mar 4th 2008 3:17PM

I think of D&D.

JPN @ Mar 4th 2008 10:33AM

The thing that cracks me up is that anyone who is worried about this game is so out of touch. I mean, we're talking about slingshots and some boarding school. Really, boarding schools should be more pissed about their depiction.

If the game featured students threatening each other on Myspace and Facebook, stealing their parents' prescriptions, and underage drinking, then maybe that would be a little bit more modern and they might have more of a point.

Kassu @ Mar 4th 2008 10:35AM

Here we go again, as if people were running out of ways to make a complete ass out of themselves.

Tim @ Mar 4th 2008 10:38AM

I think the term Hoechsmann was looking for is "Tilting at windmills." Way to ruin a Don Quixote reference, dude.

Syrant @ Mar 4th 2008 10:41AM

...yeah, I think I'll ignore it this time around.

Jason @ Mar 4th 2008 10:55AM

One sentance.

Play the game before you make judgement.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:31PM

It bugs me when epic short statements are misspelled: it's a complete love-hate situation (it's "sentence").

Void Munashii @ Mar 4th 2008 10:55AM

Now if only Jacko will voice in on this again we can have a total flashback.

Dan @ Mar 4th 2008 11:04AM

JT is being disbarred (fingers crossed)

Blazur @ Mar 4th 2008 12:02PM

Urge to kill rising...

Kujel @ Mar 4th 2008 12:22PM

This is why I advocate the extermination of all non-gamers.

PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:14PM

i could bet anything that she has never even played or seen the game played. she just hears hearsay about it and wants the publicity. i mean its slingshots and stinkbombs for crying out loud, things that any normal kid has seen or been doing for years anyway. i mean if it was like a school shooting simulator or something ok pull it but this is harmless. save ur breathe for the real issues like your kids looking up napalm recipes on the internet to blow up his classmate that called him a toad face in gym class.

SID SPACE @ Mar 4th 2008 2:28PM

In other news: Emily Noble, president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, proclaimed to the world that she was a stupid bitch that likes to get behind empty causes.

In a recent interview regarding her position on the matter, she stated "The game is called Bully, right? So it seems logical that it must be about torturing school children and causing general grief to adults. Have I played the game? No. But I always like to judge things before I look into them. It's just faster that way."