Unit 7 Assignment 2 research

Ethics and Legal constraints in games and animation

Controversy with the game Manhunt:

This game is well known for its controversy which is due to its level of graphic violence. This game was banned in several countries and was also implicated in a murder by the UK media- later the implication was rejected by the police and courts.

In 2007 Jeff Williams (a former Rockstar employee) revealed that the games staff were also somewhat uncomfortable about the violence level in the game. Williams also said that the game "just made us all feel icky. It was all about the violence, and it was realistic violence. We all knew there was no way we could explain away that game. There was no way to rationalize it. We were crossing a line."

Legal status:

New Zealand: The game was declared objectionable on December 11 2003. Possession is an offence.

Canada: Manhunt became the first computer game in Ontario to be classified as a film and was restricted to adults on February 3 2004.

Australia: It was refused classification (and effectively banned for ALL ages) on September 28 2004 by the Classification Review Board after having earlier received a classification allowing it to be purchased by those aged 15 years or older.

United Kingdom: The game received a British Board of Film Classification 18 certificate, legally prohibiting its sale to anyone under that age.

Germany: On 2004-07-19, the Amtsgericht Munich confiscated all versions of Manhunt for violation of representation of violence of the game. The court says it portrays the killing of humans as fun, and the more fun is the more violent the killing is. They also sensed a glorification of vigilantism, which they considered harmful person.

However, apart from Ontario, Manhunt had little or no controversy elsewhere in North America. The British Columbia Film Classification Office reviewed the game after the controversy in Ontario and believed it to be appropriately rated Mature by the ESRB and comparable to an 18A film rather than an R rated one.

This is an example of gameplay in Manhunt

Controversy with the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2:

Since its release it has been surrounded by controversy which is mainly due to violent depiction of a terrorist attack on a Russian airport. To give the players control of the game the developers given the players a warning prior to starting the single player campaign of the mission's "disturbing content", also can choose to skip the mission with no penalty. If the player chooses not to skip the mission in advance, they are still given the option to skip the level at any point. The player receives no penalty for skipping the level and there is no "score" calculated for killing the civilians or airport security officers; also, there are no specific achievements or trophies earned during the mission.

There are other controversies to do with this game which is:

• "Don't ask, don't tell" Easter egg- An Easter egg can be found when a trooper asks another trooper if he has "ever seen a grown man naked", replied by asking if he is "still gay?". Then after a few laughs the trooper says he's kidding and adds "don't ask, don't tell"- referring to the US military's don't ask, don't tell policy of the time which allowed homosexuals to serve in the military as long as their sexual orientation stayed secret.
• Javelin glitch- The Javelin glitch caused online opponents to explode upon death, killing anyone within 15 feet (and even further with the “Danger Close” perk).
• F.A.G.S. video- A viral video was released about an organization called "Fight Against Grenade Spam" or "F.A.G.S". The video depicts Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels delivering a fake public service announcement decrying the use of grenade spam, calling it "for pussies", before he is blown up by many Semtex grenades being thrown at him.
• Favela map painting- A YouTube video was uploaded called "Message to Infinity Ward From Muslims - رساله ل الشركه" saying that in a bathroom on the map, there is a picture frame above the toilet with writing that says "Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty". In Islam, it is forbidden to say anything about the Islamic religion in a bathroom.

This is gameplay of the shooting at the airport in Modern Warfare 2