As gamesindustry.biz reports, the Manhunt 2 hearing kicked off today with Rockstar seeking a reversal of the BBFC's decision not to grant the game a certificate. The Video Appeals Committee heard from two expert witnesses in defence of the game, Tiga president Fred Hasson and psychologist Guy Cumberbatch. Hasson, having played four levels, revealed that he was surprised how tame the experience was: "I expected it to be a lot worse... I can't believe that this has been singled out as something that is worth banning," he snorted incredulously. The BBFC wanted to know if he stood by an accusation made previsouly that the banning decision had been inspired by Daily Mail scare stories. He did.
Cumberbatch, meanwhile, revealed the results of a survey he carried out in which 86 respondents with experience of 18-rated movies and games, played Manhunt 2 for 15 minutes:
The respondents were then asked whether they thought Manhunt 2 was more, less or equally as violent as other games or films. While 68 per cent thought there were other games equally as violent, 80 per cent said there were equally violent films. According to Cumberbatch, a number of respondents spontaneously suggested "people are going to be disappointed" at the level of violence if the game is released.
This will possibly not go down as one of the great art vs establishment face-offs. Not for Rockstar the epoch-shattering Lady Chatterley decision, the mocking humour of Bertolt Brecht's communism trial, the agenda-setting collision of Christian morality and confrontational modern theatre that was the Romans in Britain private prosecution. No, just a couple of blokes in a room saying 'actually, it's not that violent'.
