Gamers hit back at Wii MadWorld ban merchants – deservedly so
MadWorld looks set to be a highly controversial game when it is released on the Wii early on in 2009. In fact the game has already caused controversy when a British media watchdog called for it to be banned back in August. Fortunately, gamers are a vocal bunch and expressed their opinions on the matter in force.
When The Daily Mail, a notoriously right-wing and reactionary newspaper in the UK, found out about the forthcoming MadWorld in August, it began spitting its usual bile. The publication’s main complaint seemed to be that the violent game would be released on the Wii, a console more associated with young kids and old grannies.
Mediawatch-UK, a self-appointed watchdog that tries to control what adults can and can’t see on television, commented on the game, seemingly without knowing anything about it. The organization’s director, John Beyer, said that he hoped the BBFC would refuse to give the game a rating, effectively banning it in the UK.
This, of course, didn’t go down to well with gamers who feel they should have the right to make their own minds up on such matters. And those gamers didn’t take the matter lying down, instead writing to Mediawatch-UK in droves to express their outrage at the inane and unqualified comments.
Game Politics reports how Mediawatch’s current newsletter refers to the matter and how the organization received “a rain of hostile emails from gamers” in the aftermath. The full passage reads as follows:
Within hours of these remarks being published a rain of hostile emails from gamers poured into our office telling us to “shut the f*** up”, suggesting that we have “got our knickers in a twist”, demanding, as though we were on trial for an heinous crime, to know what right we had to impose our “narrow minded bigotry” on them and stopping them playing an “adult” game of their choice.
Others, of a more sober character, asked reasonably why we should be so concerned about games when there was so much violence in films and on television! We were also accused us of being “cowards” for not responding properly to belligerent strictures and one ‘emailer’ observed glibly that “violent acts are not a symptom of video games and films, but rather the human condition”. Another said: “If you don’t like violent content, don’t view or use it”…
Feature articles, grossly exaggerating the significance of our comments, were written in computer game magazines exonerating the multimillion pound games industry and headlines were achieved on Google News UK and dismissive remarks made in The Guardian newspaper.
Seriously, what did Mediawatch expect? All of us gamers who enjoy our freedoms and want to partake in our hobby without needless censorship to just roll over and die? The rant sounds like pure sour grapes, with Mediawatch happy to dish it out but not to receive any negative criticism.
Maybe if Mediawatch-UK had actually played the game and knew what they were talking about before blindly commenting on something that has nothing to do with it, then the reaction from gamers wouldn’t have been so harsh.
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9 Responses to “Gamers hit back at Wii MadWorld ban merchants – deservedly so”
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November 12th, 2008
I haven’t been impressed with a Wii title since Super Mario Galaxy… this game really looks like it has some potential. I really dig the art style.
While it’s fine to try to stop underage children from playing these sort of games… Do they really think it is ok to regulate mature, responsible adults from content that they do not practically like? If the game offends you then simply don’t play it.
November 12th, 2008
Barney offends people too. Some would say the dinosaurs never lived, and its offensive to their believes to have a purple one for kids. Others would say its an insult to their intelligence to show a dinosaur that is purple on TV.
Ban it!
Movies rated PG (or whatever rating would be comparible in other parts of the world) contain language middle school, if not high school, students would get in trouble for, if the wrong teacher overheard.
Ban them all!
And speaking of schools, I think every high school in the world shows the version of Romeo and Juliet with the nipple.
Well, there’s only one option. Ban Shakespear!
There are so many worse things in life than a violent video game.
However, I may agree with one thing they said. “Feature articles, grossly exaggerating the significance of our comments, were written in computer game magazines…” This was true, because ANY significance given to words from someone that suggests a ban on a very unrealistic video game, when that space could be used to write about, say, the porn industry, should not be taken seriously.
What is it, Mediawatch? Do you have more against video games than people being paid to preform sex in front of a camera to be sold to viewers? Is a single violent video game more worth your time than the dozens of shows on the air in many countries that feature real people getting “shot” (acting like it anyway, but we’re talking about more cartoony people getting killed in a video game)?
Is a video game more important to Mediawatch than these things?
Or do they lack the logics to write about the most important things FIRST?
In either case, do what they say hold any significance at all? Is there ANY situation with how they act toward this game, wishing it to be banned, when there are certainly worse things out there on TV and movies, that they should be taken seriously?
November 12th, 2008
So young…….so angry………….DAHMN that rap music!!!
November 12th, 2008
We ask for a RESPONSE Matt, not a statistical 50 page report. Good grief! Would you mind summarizing or paraphrasing next time? thank you.
November 12th, 2008
@ Dave Parrack………Hee hee hee I’m back ugly
It seems that your atrocious attempt at ip blocking has become an utter failure……….you can drain your tears now :p PWNED!
November 12th, 2008
@ The Future of Sega: My offer still stands. If you truly have a PS3, than what’s you’re ID? I will play you in any FPS. Let’s see what you have to say after I give you a headshot and a tea bagging.
November 12th, 2008
@The Future of Sega
Forgive me for writing too much for you. If its too hard, you can always skip my response, if you dislike how (much) I write.
Now that we have this login system, there is only one Matt, so you’re not at risk of skipping a short one that you may like more.
November 13th, 2008
LOL I can’t believe some people and there power hungry crap.
November 14th, 2008
@ Barnabee Jones……..Okay, you’re on dude. I challenge you to a dual. But you can leave the homosexuality out. I can clearly see that you have a fetish in rubbing your balls in other people’s faces.
Rule of thumb: Keep your cock to yourself :p
@ Matt……Lmao @ “Forgive me for writing too much for you. If its too hard, you can always skip my response”…….I have no trouble reading, but when I find an intersting topic that catches my interest, I quickly want to see the response of readers.
I’ll put it this way…….if you saw a rollercoaster that looked interesting and everyone riding on it were estatic, would you want to ride that roller coaster after waiting 3 hours for repair of the ride?
Hmmm that was a bad analogy. Basically what I’m saying is that long responses (in paragraph form) kill the interest of readers. Particularly erm….Ivan.
That moron always goes about ranting about PS3. He provides unnecessary statistics which no seems to care about because only an idiot would take his word for fact