Mediawatch-UK Gets a Stiff Upper Lip to MadWorld’s 2009 Release

The upcoming 2009 release of MadWorld has conservatives in a swarm. The game showcases a black and white ambience only disrupted by red swirls of blood that fill the screen during combat. One of these conservative groups is Mediawatch-UK, whose campaign for decency and accountability in the media has a serious problem with MadWorld. This could block Sega’s title from reaching Wii owners in the UK. So, is it suitable that committees like this one ban media content, including video games, or are they overstepping boundaries in defining decency?

Mediawatch-UK also bears a secondary concern, that for the image of the Wii. They feel the release of the most violent game ever conceived will spoil the Wii by tarnishing its image as a family console. The 2009 release will take “brutality and exhilaration” to a new level by allowing players to kill the bad guys, like they’ve always done in video games. Jack, the protagonist, can impale, stab, chop up, and rip out hearts with a “before seen” arsenal of weapons.

The group has already made an official posting displaying their dread at the release of such a title. John Beyer, director of Mediawatch-UK said in an interview:

“This game sounds very unsavoury. I hope the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will view this with concern and decide it should not be granted a classification. Without that it cannot be marketed in Britain. What the rest of world does is up to them. We need to ensure that modern and civilized values take priority rather than killing and maiming people. It seems a shame that the game’s manufacturer have decided to exclusively release this game on the Wii. I believe it will spoil the family fun image of the Wii.”

Beyer alludes to the “modern and civilized values” while only answering with ambiguity. With remarks like that, Mediawatch-UK could ban any “unsavoury” content, which commits all existing video games to the list. This is surprising as a number of Wii titles containing considerable violent content have already been released or scheduled for the Wii. These titles include the Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop, No More Heroes, and the re-release of Resident Evil 4. These games, while enjoyable, do contain adult themes, violence, and gore.

Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing for SEGA of America, rebuts: “MadWorld pushes the envelope with its extreme content but takes a step away from the dark and serious nature of most mature games.” In a press release, a spokesman from Nintendo supports Sega’s content: “Wii appeals to a wide range of audiences from children and teenagers to adult and senior citizens, anyone from 5 - 95, as such there is a wide range of content for all ages and tastes available.”

In the end, I think that Mediawatch-UK should amend their mission statement to “overstepping boundaries regarding your sensibilities since the 60s.” To naysay a title even before it is released using ambiguities could lead to an unprecedented banning of media in all forms. Mediawatch-UK must think their citizens to be less than morally responsible. Why not ban games like Super Mario Galaxy, because it provides acid-trip virtual experiences of plumbers jettisoning around the universe chasing princesses, and fighting dragon-turtles named Bowser? Wouldn’t the Nintendo signature title contain a total lack of “modern and civilized values?”