Halo 2 and San Andreas top watchdog group's "most violent" games list
A five-member coalition representing a number of parent, church, and women's organizations, plus a New York City council member, issued what it calls a "10 Worst Violent Video Games" list today.
The list is designed to help convey the consortium's plea to the game industry and retailers to better manage game ratings and the sale of products it feels have "blood-soaked and anti-social" content.
Led by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, the group consists of the ICCR, the National Council of Women's Organizations, Mothers Against Violence in America, Center for Advancement of Public Policy, Justice, and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. New York City council member Eric Gioia also joined the group in today's statement.
The group's demands are straightforward: It requests that the industry more accurately label games and that retailers separate adult-only content so it cannot be purchased by minors.
"We call on the marketers and sellers of video games to: publish standards for marketing video games that encourage or reward players for performing acts of violence and brutality, and that depict images demeaning to women and minorities," their statement reads. The groups also ask publishers to "place M-rated games in a location separate from other games in stores; post signage describing the video games ratings systems; and evaluate and report on their enforcement and compliance programs of policies to prevent minors from purchasing violent video games."
The games the group singled out as the year's "Worst Violent Video Games" (at bottom of the page) are all rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB and are not supposed to be sold to children under 17. Besides containing Postal 2 and Manhunt, which both came out in 2003, the list also misspelled and misidentified a number of games, including "Gunslinger Girls 2"--presumably the import Gunslinger Girl Vol. 3--and Hitman: Blood Money, which won't be out until spring of 2005. The list also contained Shadow Hearts, which was released in 2001. Presuming the group meant Hitman: Contracts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, respectively, the rest of the coalition's list consisted of: Doom 3, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and Mortal Kombat: Deception (which the group spelled as "Mortal Combat").
38 Comments
this is really messed up. I mean they ARE right to a point. manhunt and postal are pretty dang violent. the solution would be something like a T 15+ rating. then hl2 and halo 2 could receive that and postal manhunt would be rated M and seperated in gamestop. now I'm not to worried about this, but there solution seems kind of weird. we really just need another rating. E= G T= PG M= PG-13 and R. whats with that?
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
If Halo 2 is violent , then where is God of War?
It should be then the most violent game of the millenia
)
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Man these guys are a bunch of sissies.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
most violent games list to me means the most must own games list, though i know iknow ,violence doeesn't guarantee a good game! i just mean if in a game you must kill,it have to be violent because killing is a violent act, we can also think about it from this sight that as the killing violence in games increase may be the good effect on children decrease because they'll findout how killing can be painful , disgustful and hard overally.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Where is ManHunt? Like Halo2 is on the list but no ManHunt. Even RedAlert 2 is more violent then Halo 2...
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
What a bunch of losers!
Login to rate this comment
/ (+3)
LOL, Halo 2.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Im sick and tired of these losers b*tching about violence in video games! Its always some kid that does something violent and stupid. But because that kid is to stupid and ignorant to take responibility for their actions we have to hear this $hit from Jack Thompson, Hiliary Clinton and other annoying anti-game groups. I wish that video games could just be video games instead of "columbine simulators" and "Sadistic pleasure portals"
Login to rate this comment
/ (+4)
Sissies
Login to rate this comment
/ (+3)
Anti-social? Millones of people play Halo 2 and 3 onlie to gether and have fun. Now how do you call that anti-social?
Login to rate this comment
/ (+2)
One problem. Shadow Hearts: Covenant is rated T for Teen. The original Shadow Hearts is rated M for Mature.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
if there gonna moan about games they might as well do there homework and spellings...... Viva la Postal 2 the only gmae i like the first melle wepon ^_^ oh and condemed ^_^
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
And they said mortal kombat with a C. If you are saying names of brand games spell it how it its spelled
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
Halo 2 what the hell its just has small bits of blood and some swaring thats all. Half life 2 just cuting therw head crab ifestid people would be a lital bit but nothing like manhunt or Sanandras. Halo 2 and half life 2 where the most wated for games at the time and I was wating for halo 2 for a long time evan befor 2004 came. So meny other people where wating for half life 2 for ages befor halo.
To me wating for halo 2 was like wating for the Iraq war to end
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
This make me angery back in 2004 I wateid for ever for halo two and now thies people come and complane about it. To me wating for halo 2 was like wating for the Iraq war to end
And so what if kids see thies there are some kids who are in the middle east who see this every day
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
LOL! These people who self claim to "know better" can't even get the games right lol!
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Hahaha.. This makes me angry and laugh at the same time! Seriously, Halo 2? What the hell?
Login to rate this comment
/ (+1)
the only reson halo 2 is on there is because i guess their kids play it and then they see blood in it (not really but they see guns i guess) and say its violent
i sometimes hate people who cant except that kids arent supposed to play games that are rated "m" for mature.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Anyone remember Thrill Kill on the PSX?
That was violent!
So much so the PAL release was cancelled.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)
Halo 2? Come on, that's as violent as star wars. Half-life 2 I guess with the cutting zombies in half with buzzsaw blades, San Andreas one could argue, but its about as violent as any pg-14 movie, Doom 3 I guess, but there are significantly worse games out there than this list.
Login to rate this comment
/ (+0)