Banning Bully
Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that a worldwide coalition of teachers’ unions is denouncing this week’s release of the video game Bully: Scholarship Edition for “condoning bullying in school.” The Wii and Xbox 360 game features a boarding school bully who harasses students by assaulting them, pushing their heads in toilets, and photographing them naked. Emily Noble, the president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation which is spearheading the protest, said the game “doesn’t help us as teachers in the work that we’re doing at school.” Teachers’ unions in the U.S., Canada, Britain, South Korea, and Australia, among other countries, want stores to ban the game.
Sam Houser, the game’s creator, defended Bully: Scholarship Edition, according to Canada.com. “It’s really difficult to make a compelling comedy action game about anything, let alone about the experience of being at high school, and we think we achieved something unique with Bully.” Noble believes otherwise, “What it does is it encourages kids to target other kids…” Michael Hoechsman, a McGill professor and expert on the role of violence in video games, doesn’t think a ban on the game will do much. “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.”
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Comments
This game may be silly, may lead to bullying, and may not be/do either. It seems to me that it is protected free speech, and as such we ought to leave it alone. Otherwise, what about first person shooter games (which I believe to be harmless)? Or the next idea that someone does not agree with? We have the First Amendment to protect unpopular expression, not the popular ones ....
Posted by: Tim | March 11, 2008 6:16 PM
Any game geared towards impressionable young children (and naive adults)that glorifies violence against innocent civilians is immoral, irresponsible, and dangerous.
There was a similar "mean" game that made sport out of vilifying Hispanics and African-Americans and was boycotted and eventually banned.
This game, with it's outrageous and ridiculous content is merely designed to instigate violence. It serves absolutely no other purpose than to find sport out of insulting, injuring, and poking fun at others.
We need to try and demonstrate more kindness and compassion; not killing, and confusion.
If my child was assaulted or emotionally harmed because a child or immature adolescent followed the actions depicted in the game, I would sue without hesitation.
Posted by: jacqueline ware | March 27, 2008 2:35 PM