A "Bully" computer game sends out the wrong
signals and should be withdrawn from sale, say UK teachers. They are
part of a global coalition concerned about the impact of the game, which
has been released in new formats. Bully: Scholarship Edition
"trivialises and glorifies bullying in school", say opponents from eight
international teacher groups.
UK retailers say they will not act as censors and will continue to sell
the game to children over the age of 15.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Scottish Secondary
Teachers' Association (SCTA) are part of an international group which
thinks the game could encourage bullying. Although it carries a British
Board of Film Classification (BBFC) 15 rating, campaigners fear Bully
could get into the hands of much younger children.
The game, designed by US-based Rockstar Games and which goes on sale in
the UK on 7 March, was originally launched in 2006 but has been updated
for the new generation of games' consoles – Xbox and Wii. It features a
teenager who adjusts to life at a new boarding school by harassing
others, including teachers. The abuse includes dunking pupils' heads in
toilets, photographing them naked and physically assaulting them.
NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott said: "At a time when there is a
growing concern about bullying in schools and the increasing violence
shown towards teachers, the idea of a game that rewards bullies and
those who engage in brutal and savage attacks is irresponsible in the
extreme. "I call upon Amazon, Game, Play and HMV to withdraw this
product from sale immediately."
The Australian Education Union's federal president Angelo Gavrielatos
said: "We were disappointed when the game was first released in 2006 and
we are appalled this new version is said to be more realistic, featuring
new methods to torment and bully".
Discreet marketing
The coalition of countries calling for the game to be withdrawn from
shelves includes Canada, South Korea and the Caribbean. "What a
distasteful example to show young people. The game undermines all our
work for civility, social engagement and peaceful resolution," said
Caribbean Union of Teachers president Adolph Cameron.
HMV told the BBC News website they would not actively promote the game
by placing adverts in national newspapers and that their approach would
be more discreet, but they would not remove it from sale. A spokesman
said: "As a retailer, we do not censor content that has been cleared by
the BBFC. "We do, however recognise the importance of merchandising such
games' titles responsibly and we seek to do this in a manner that is
sensitive to both its content and BBFC rating."
The Game group also refuses to withdraw the product from its high street
and online stores. A spokeswoman said: "In the UK, the BBFC and PEGI
(Pan European Game Information) are responsible for deciding what video
games can go on sale, and every game is given an age rating to reflect
its content. "This title carries a BBFC-15 rating, and we have extensive
procedures in place to ensure age restricted games are only sold to
customers who are the required age."
The Beatbullying charity group believes the game is sending out the
wrong signals to young people.
A spokesman said: "We should not be sending young people the message
that violence is the way to resolve bullying. "Beatbullying seeks to
educate young people that bullying is neither cool nor acceptable, and a
video game like this, which encourages, glorifies and rewards child on
child violence, does nothing but undermine all our hard work. "With the
release of Bully on the Nintendo Wii, young people will physically act
out the violence they want to inflict on a classmate and that is
frightening."
BBC News
6 March 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7281206.stm
