BBFC responds to ‘Manhunt 2 vs. Hostel’ debate

Following MCV’s

exclusive interview with BBFC senior examiner Gianni Zamo

, fellow examiner Jim Cliff has spoken to consumer site Spong about the Board’s decision to ban the game from sale in the UK – and has answered of the reoccurring questions surrounding the debate.

When asked at GameCity how a game like Manhunt 2 could be denied a release when supposedly equally grim movies such as Hostel are permitted, Cliff responded:

If the majority of Hostel was the same as some of the most violent scenes in it, it’s entirely possible it could have been banned. But it’s not. Most of the running time isn’t violence, that’s mainly crammed into a few short scenes. Also, in Hostel you are very much required to identify with the victims more than in most games.”

Cliff also commented on whether he believed parents understood BBFC games ratings:

I think it depends on whether they’ve played games before. They understand ratings on video undeniably. Ninety-seven percent of British parents are familiar with and understand our ratings.

When it comes to how they apply to games, I think that the biggest issue is with parents who’ve never played games and are either not interested in what their kids are playing, or don’t feel they would be able to understand, and so they don’t take an interest.

And I think it’s not necessarily that they’re not interested in the ratings, it’s that they don’t know how they would apply to games. They don’t know – whereas they might know what a 15 film is like, they’ve got no clue what a 15 game is like. And so it’s much harder for them and if their kid says that’s fine, then they think it’s probably fine.”