Teachers groups seek to ban newest 'Bully' videogame

Rockstar Games, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt, launched a new edition of its videogame Bully on Tuesday as a coalition of teachers groups around the world attempts to ban it.

Bully Scholarship Edition, created by Rockstar Vancouver, is rated "T" for teen and comes with a warning it includes "animated blood, crude humour, language, sexual themes, use of alcohol and tobacco, and violence."

The main character is a student named Jimmy Hopkins. He attends a boarding school and tries to navigate through its inevitable social pitfalls.

"All the mayhem, pranks, nerds, jocks, crushes, clueless professors and despotic administration that made the original release great -- now with added education!" says the video's website.

Teachers' coalitions from different countries, including Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., have launched a campaign against the game, saying it glorifies violence.

Emily Noble, president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, told ctv.ca she is concerned.

"It's the re-release of 'Bully' ... that glorifies, from our perspective, violence and bullying. And that the way to deal with when you're angry and upset is to bully other people," she said. "Enough is enough. It's time teachers spoke out and up."

Although there are no definitive studies linking videogame violence with bullying, some experts say bullying, and in particular, cyberbullying, is one of the biggest problems affecting school-aged children today.

Various kinds of cyberbullying -- threatening behaviour via cell phone, text messaging, instant messaging, online social networks or other electronic communications -- has become a more popular form of bullying in recent years.

Will campaign boost sales?

Retailers such as Future Shop and Best Buy are stocking and selling Bully Scholarship Edition in anticipation of its popularity.

Future Shop salesperson Angle Naldoza from Vancouver's West Broadway store said several customers -- mostly teenage males -- have asked for the game. The store was expecting a shipment Tuesday and will put it on the shelves as soon as possible.

"It will probably sell out in about three days to a week," said Naldoza.

One observer suspects the teachers' call for a boycott may actually play into Rockstar's marketing.

"I think what is happening specifically with 'Bully' is that parents and the teachers who are upset about this game are reacting more to the marketing strategy of the game itself ... than the actual content of the game," CTV technology columnist Kris Abel told CTV.ca.

In the game, the player goes to school and takes classes -- and has to make choices between being a good student or a mischievous student, he said.

If one were to market "Bully" that way, "I don't think it would sell very well," Abel said.

"But if you're marketing to kids, and you specifically create a campaign that's going to incite a reaction from parents and teachers -- any time you upset authority figures, you're going to get good sales from kids."

Abel thought "Bully" was an inaccurate title. "A more appropriate title might be 'School Life' or 'Surviving High School'," he said.

In many teen-rated games, the weapons can involve chainsaws and guns. Bully's worst weapon is a slingshot, he said.

But Noble said "Bully" gives the impression that the bullying of disabled students, overweight girls and teachers is okay. "Our members have said, 'look, enough is enough,'" she said.

Noble said parents must educate themselves as to what's on their childrens' video games.

"Whether it's satire or not, we need to help kids distinguish those fine lines," she said.

Rockstar media relations in New York denied a request for an interview.

The new version of Bully, which was first released in 2006, is made for Xbox 360 and Wii game systems.