Leland Yee, California state senator and former child psychologist, has urged parents to boycott Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii, PS2) in a recent press release.

Senator Yee expressed alarm not only at the mature content of Manhunt 2, but at the controversial game's holiday budget price as well.

According to Yee, Manhunt 2 retails for US$ 29.99 (the price of the PSP version; the Wii version sells for US$ 39.99) - a tempting offer for minors to buy and play a game loaded with graphic violence. The California state senator issued a word of caution to concerned parents about the "purveyors of violence":

It is imperative that parents avoid purchasing this game for their children and always review the video games their children are playing. Ultra-violent, interactive video games such as Manhunt 2 can have negative effects on our children.

Senator Leland Yee is another outspoken critic of games with mature and controversial content. He is also the author of the California Assembly Bills that forbid the sale of M-rated video games to players under eighteen years of age. The bills were signed into law back in October 7, 2005.



Buy: [Manhunt 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Manhunt 2 (Wii)]

Common Sense Media, an organization that reviews games for the benefit of parents and guardians, has joined the protests against the ESRB decision to give Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii) an M rating. Their protests echoes those of Leland Yee, senator of California who recently demanded that ESRB reveal their reasons for giving the game its new rating.

 

Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer gave a statement summarizing the already popular issues surrounding the violence of Manhunt 2, then directly threatens to undermine the ESRB if they don't provide the reasons for overturning the rating. Steyer's demands are the same as Yee's:

It is clear that by lowering the rating, the ESRB has all but ensured that the game will be marketed and sold through channels popular with kids and teens – and, despite industry claims to the contrary, kids under 17 can and do purchase M-rated games. Before Manhunt 2 is released for sale, parents deserve an explanation – they need to know the facts about this grossly violent game before it goes on the market.

By failing to explain their decision and, in turn, provide the transparency that consumers need if they are to trust the ESRB’s ratings, the board threatens to undermine a ratings system that has many positive aspects and that could serve as an important tool for parents.

The statement seems to be directly in contrast to the ESRB's previous statement stating their position on the matter, suggesting that it may indeed be a direct challenge:

Publishers submit game content to the ESRB on a confidential basis. It is simply not our place to reveal specific details about the content we have reviewed, particularly when it involves a product yet to be released...

It is a parent's rightful place to make choices for their own children. The ESRB and console manufacturers provide families with the tools and information to help them do so.

Common Sense Media launched a video game education campaign back in May with Best Buy. The campaign's goal is to inform parents about the games they buy for their kids on Best Buy's website. Will the protests present more problems for Manhunt 2 before its release on October 31? Updates as we get them.

After ESRB president Patricia Vance released her statement standing by ESRB's decision to re-rate the controversial Manhunt 2 to Mature, California senator Leland Yee had this to ask: "What is ESRB trying to hide?"

Yee recently questioned ESRB's move to grant Rockstar's Manhunt 2 (for Wii, PSP and PS2) its much-desired M rating, suspicious about what he apparently deems as a shady dealing between ESRB and Rockstar.

To be more specific, what upset Yee was that the ratings board refused to disclose the details why they changed their minds and took off Manhunt 2's previous Adults Only rating, letting it slip by with M for Mature.

It should be noted at this point that Vance already explained the reason behind ESRB's secrecy: game content is confidential, especially if the game in question is not yet released. Simply put, ESRB does not have the right to disclose such details.

It looks like the Manhunt 2 controversy just won't die down, at least not yet. With the way things are going, Manhunt 2 may just be the tip of the iceberg, and the attention may soon shift to yet another game. What do gamers think? What do you think? Do hit the comments button below to share your thoughts.



Buy: [Manhunt 2 (PSP)]
Buy: [Manhunt 2 (Wii)]

After Leland Yee and CCFC's (Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) demand for an explanation why Manhunt 2 was re-rated to Mature - despite the fact that Manhunt 2 was already modified to fit the standards - ESRB now decided to break its silence and released a statement regarding their decision to take off the Adults Only rating from Rockstar's controversial game.

Here's an excerpt from the statement of ESRB's president Patricia Vance:

Upon reviewing the modified version of Manhunt 2, the ESRB assigned a rating of M (Mature 17+) with content descriptors for Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs. This is a very clear and firm warning to parents that the game is in no way intended for children. As always, we urge parents to strongly consider the ESRB rating in their decision about whether a game is appropriate for their children.

Publishers submit game content to the ESRB on a confidential basis. It is simply not our place to reveal specific details about the content we have reviewed, particularly when it involves a product yet to be released...

It is a parent's rightful place to make choices for their own children. The ESRB and console manufacturers provide families with the tools and information to help them do so."

So there you have it, straight from ESRB's Vance herself. She does make a good point in saying that its up to the parents themselves to regulate their children's games, and they are already given sufficient aids to make sure that the kids play with media appropriate for their ages, such as child locks or password protection.

What do you guys think? Do you agree with ESRB's official statement? Hit the comments button below.

Read Vance's entire statement in the Read link!

Looks like the controversy isn't over yet. In fact, the manhunt has just started. Leland Yee, California senator who made the 2005 Video Game Law, is demanding an explanation for ESRB's decision to give Take-Two Interactive's Manhunt 2 (for the Wii and PSP) an M rating, joining the protests raised by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Yee is suspicious of the correspondence between ESRB and Rockstar, claiming that their rating system can't be trustworthy for as long as the decision to make it so was held behind closed doors.

Not only is Yee demanding the ESRB to reveal what had led them to change the rating, but also to reveal all the correspondence that was held between them and Rockstar. He stated in a press release that:

Parents can’t trust a rating system that doesn’t even disclose how they come to a particular rating. The ESRB and Rockstar should end this game of secrecy by immediately unveiling what content has been changed to grant the new rating and what correspondence occurred between the ESRB and Rockstar to come to this conclusion. Unfortunately, history shows that we must be quite skeptical of these two entities. [...] Clearly the ESRB has a conflict of interest in rating these games. It is time to bring transparency to this rating system and for the industry to be held accountable.