I’m not a fan of censorship, largely because acts of censorship are an overt statement that individuals can’t be trusted to make decisions for themselves; that the state needs to mother us. What’s interesting though is the double standards that exist in censorship. Nine months ago a computer game called ‘Manhunt 2′ was banned by the BBFC because of the “sustained, casual sadism” contained in the game.  ‘So what‘ it might be said, there’s no question that the BBFC’s description of Manhunt 2 is a fair characterisation of the game.  But what shouldn’t be ignored is that the same description could be applied to the Saw and Hostel films (and many others). They however had no trouble passing the censors.

Video games are an easy target largely because of those who play them; the young.  Games are an easy scapegoat for the violence that’s prevalent in society.  But the reality is that games are not the cause of violent crime.  From Doom (1993) to the Metal Gear series of games I’ve played a lot of games that could be classed as violent in content, just as I’ve watched a lot of films that would fall into that category, and oddly enough they haven’t provoked me to violence.

Games are not the cause of violence amongst British youth and the longer we hold them to be the cause the longer it will take for us as a society to really get to grips with the problem.

Fortunately in this instance the video appeals committee have seen sense and upheld an earlier appeal allowing the sale of Manhunt 2, but the fact the game was banned in the first place makes it very clear that the BBFC need to get with the times.