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Halo 2 and San Andreas top watchdog group's "most violent" games list

  • By Curt Feldman, GameSpot
  • Posted Nov 23, 2004 4:29 pm PT

ESRB ratings and lax enforcement of ratings by retailers to minors blasted by band of parent, church, and women's groups.

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").

42 Comments

  • TheLagKing

    Posted Jul 28, 2009 10:12 pm GMT

    And although keeping those instincts at bay is a sensible move for civil societies, it still won't stop the occasional frustrated employee blowing off some steam. Nothing will.

  • TheLagKing

    Posted Jul 28, 2009 10:11 pm GMT

    That's like writing an essay on something you've never done a bit of research for. You might as well have picked a dozen games from a hat and then complained. Destroy All Humans was given an M rating but does that mean adolescents are going to try to conquer humanity? While you're at it, maybe you could form a petition set to ban pornography because it's illicit images might appeal so much to some borderline retards that they might actually go out and commit rape. If you yanks even looked into the motives behind your own massacre, you'd know that Harris and Klebold had a hate for humanity; not malleable minds easily corrupted by 1999's gaming section at the local shops. Why are they targeting games? Could it be the realism and that gamers tend to immerse themselves? I've seen movies (live acted and animated) about killing and raping women and men by the dozen, sometimes the hundreds, yet somehow an animated character blasting bad guys on your computer's monitor is just too convincing. Today's western society (particularly American) is far too frightened of what might happen. What if we were invaded by terrorists? What if another kid goes crazy and shoots up a school? What if tomorrow my head explodes? I think you get my drift. There have been people of all ages from all over the world killing each other since the dawn of mankind. It's our primal instinct.

  • godofwarfan3000

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 2:37 pm GMT

    so know mention resident evil being violent lol!

  • godofwarfan3000

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 6:11 am GMT

    if everthinck is going wrong the world blam everthing on games and dont do anything to stop THE REAL PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD!LOL

  • Samfisher_1

    Posted Jul 10, 2008 2:54 am GMT

    Halo 2?....Idiots

  • battlefieldguy9

    Posted Apr 29, 2008 2:23 pm GMT

    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?

  • geryboti

    Posted Apr 20, 2008 6:46 am GMT

    If Halo 2 is violent , then where is God of War?It should be then the most violent game of the millenia)

  • halo3forever

    Posted Feb 20, 2008 2:16 pm GMT

    Man these guys are a bunch of sissies.

  • fallconet

    Posted Jan 6, 2008 7:01 am GMT

    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.

  • tube_90

    Posted Dec 14, 2007 8:38 am GMT

    Where is ManHunt? Like Halo2 is on the list but no ManHunt. Even RedAlert 2 is more violent then Halo 2...

  • the_monkey_god

    Posted Nov 26, 2007 7:31 am GMT

    What a bunch of losers!

  • HummaKavula

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 2:14 am GMT

    LOL, Halo 2.

  • RockaWuzHur

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 7:21 am GMT

    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"

  • RockaWuzHur

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 6:55 am GMT

    Sissies

  • Scotty678923

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 1:31 pm GMT

    Anti-social? Millones of people play Halo 2 and 3 onlie to gether and have fun. Now how do you call that anti-social?

  • Bart247

    Posted Sep 30, 2007 10:06 am GMT

    One problem. Shadow Hearts: Covenant is rated T for Teen. The original Shadow Hearts is rated M for Mature.

  • Hopeflame

    Posted Sep 19, 2007 5:32 am GMT

    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 ^_^

  • Scotty678923

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 7:16 pm GMT

    And they said mortal kombat with a C. If you are saying names of brand games spell it how it its spelled

  • Scotty678923

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 7:09 pm GMT

    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

  • Scotty678923

    Posted Aug 29, 2007 6:59 pm GMT

    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

  • Stabby

    Posted Aug 4, 2007 2:43 pm GMT

    LOL! These people who self claim to "know better" can't even get the games right lol!

  • Aero-Sayou

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 2:24 am GMT

    Hahaha.. This makes me angry and laugh at the same time! Seriously, Halo 2? What the hell?

  • miningguy

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 8:35 pm GMT

    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.

  • franc0-shade

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 4:22 pm GMT

    Anyone remember Thrill Kill on the PSX?

    That was violent!

    So much so the PAL release was cancelled.

  • timdabrat

    Posted Jun 25, 2007 8:59 pm GMT

    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.

  • blue_mage1

    Posted Jun 23, 2007 4:19 am GMT

    Halo 2 Should be removed from the list. I think that sci fi violence is easier to swallow than manhunt's 'snuff film violence, which would put GTA:SA and Halo 2 at the bottom or off the list.

  • niteofthehalo

    Posted Jun 22, 2007 8:13 am GMT

    i agreee wit verdugo...halo 2 is te least violent game....and ive been playin vid games for a while so ive seen a lot

  • verdugoRE4

    Posted Jun 22, 2007 3:16 am GMT

    Halo 2 is the least I would expect on that list. Violent my ass.

  • taino1128

    Posted Jun 19, 2007 6:50 pm GMT

    Halo 2 are you kidding me. Its fake blood and your killing aliens.

  • Stammalamma

    Posted Jun 19, 2007 5:58 pm GMT

    Shows you how much they know about video games when they don't even know which ones they're even talking about.

  • VGLeo34

    Posted May 12, 2007 3:10 pm GMT

    Christian Nut Jobs are weird. They can only talk about jesus. Once I met one she asked"What's your hobby?" I said"I play and create video games" she gave me a long lecture on how videogames ruin the soul and how more gamers should go to church and worship something instead of worshipping some comunist video game company, I think she meant nintendo

  • Noventus

    Posted May 9, 2007 8:40 am GMT

    Classic case of "fear of the unknown", just because these people are too stupid to understand how the games industry works or probably even how to play them, they blame it for everything that is wrong with the world, when Elvis first came on the scene some religious groups called him evil because of the way he danced and swung his hips as if he was possessed, one day when gaming is as standard a media as movies we will look back and laugh at these pathetic witch hunters who condemn everything that their primitive minds cannot grasp.

  • KING_JORGE_619

    Posted Feb 11, 2007 3:25 pm GMT

    really people just because we play violent games does not mean we will do those things besides we will be too busy playing violent games than doing violent things

  • Dagamemonkey

    Posted Jan 11, 2007 4:34 am GMT

    Oh, boo-hoo. It's not like violence hasn't been around for some time in other mediums like movies. In fact, movies would probably be worse than video games because you have real actors and actresses. I think these people are just picking and choosing what and who they want to blame for the problems in societies.

  • Bonzeemer

    Posted Sep 14, 2006 6:20 pm GMT

    Halo 2? That is the least violent game I know of. The xbox live idots on Halo 2 are more violent with they're words.

  • mr_pops238

    Posted Sep 14, 2006 4:59 pm GMT

    lol. They know nothing about games. They made tons of spelling/grammar errors and they put halo 2 on that list.

    halo 2 is not violent. Its an average fps with unrealistic cartoon graphics.

    Games dont kill people. Smart people kill stupid people(jack thompson etc).

  • HACHET_MAN1

    Posted Aug 29, 2006 3:41 pm GMT

    STOP WITH THE PROTESTING JUST BECUSE I PLAY GTA GAMES DOSNT MEEN IM GOING TO DO VILENT THINGS!!!!!!!

  • Vader54321

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 10:09 pm GMT

    The human mind does what it chooses and it has nothing to do to what the child has been exposed to (to some extent). Thats my opinion. I played violent video games when i was about 10 and now im 16 and never had any affect on my life. Its the more younger youth that we need to watch out for. And these groups are mad about 12 yearolds playing violent video games. Give me a break. Heck when I was 12, I never had a thought in my mind about doing something violent from what I saw in a game i just played. I could go on forever but ill stop here and check up on this forum.

  • Tinkertown

    Posted Jun 29, 2006 2:02 pm GMT

    It was typical this was coming. FOR CHRIST SAKE JUST STOP WITH THE VIOLENT GAME PROTESTING. Without video games we wouldnt hae much in this world. You would actually think that violence would teach i child a lesson. Mothers go "Oh it will scar my child for life as he has seen such violence of a video game" give me a break. if its that bad take the game away! Only those who are dumb enough would be influenced by a video game.. i can understand if its like a five or six year old but who would be stupid enough to let a kid do that anyway!

  • finalalchemist

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 9:23 pm GMT

    Amen to that SwedeMerc

  • SwedeMerc

    Posted May 20, 2006 3:14 pm GMT

    OMG... stupid soccer moms. Kids can tell right from wrong, keep games out of the hands of murderous psychopaths!

  • Failed2Live

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 4:34 pm GMT

    Yeah, well I think they are getting carried away considering that the parent of a child should be responsible enough not to let their children play M-Rated video games...

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