Playing Bully

Residents say what they think about a new computer game where players score points for tormenting their classmates.

Bully your way up the ladder. No, not in the boardroom, but on a new computer game called Bully in which players take on the role of a school bully.

A game that has participants scoring points by tormenting classmates and kicking each other in the head — is this entertainment?

The hero becomes anti-hero and vice versa. What next — a smiling and dashing Darth Vader game?

Lines between entertainment and the propagation of violence have been blurred for many years.

Taking the joke straight into the classroom could encourage young children to try out the tactics in real life, according to charities in the UK. So, how wise is it to parody such borderline criminal activity?

Gulf News spoke to residents on where entertainment is going.

Fiona Wilkins, a British homemaker with two children who are still toddlers, felt like most that computer games like Bully would be teaching children the wrong values.

"Games like these would make children more violent. If I could, I would ban them from my house. If people don't buy games like these, they won't be able to sell it. We should be able to affect the market."

According to Fatima Shah, an administration manager from Sudan, and Hana Abdullah, an accountant from India, there is already enough violence in most games and any new ones are completely unwelcome.

"I'm not sure if I would be buying a game like this. It encourages wrong values," said Fatima. "But it really is up to the families," said Hana.

"If we explain things to the child and clarify what is accepted and what is not, chances are the children will understand."

‘Unacceptable'

B. Jones, another British homemaker with a small child, was appalled at the news of such a game being available on the market.

"I totally disagree with this kind of entertainment. If children think a game like this is acceptable, they won't know the difference from right and wrong. I disagree with anything to do with violence."

"Even cartoons that have characters saying things like ‘shut up' are obnoxious. There is no way I would allow any such product near my children. I would cringe."

Not all respondents found the prospect of a bullying game repulsive. Joby Mathew, a logistics executive from India with a small son, saw nothing negative about the concept.

"It sounds like an interesting game. Why not play? I don't see any problem in playing a game like this. I would play it myself."

Surprisingly, it was a young UAE national girl of ten, Biddoor Hassan Abdullah, who also found the prospect intriguing.

"I play football and other sports on the computer. I have seen something like this on television. I want to buy it. It seems interesting. As long as there is not too much violence and hitting, it would be okay to play. It's good to see myself fighting on screen."

Unimpressed

A 13-year-old UAE national boy, Mohammad Mattar Al Amry, a student of Rashid School for Boys who listed Counterstrike as one of his favourite computer games, seemed refreshingly mature.

"This does not sound like a good game. I don't like to bully anyone nor do I like to see anyone being bullied. I wouldn't play this game even if I saw it being played at a friend's place."

Mohammad Akram, a sales executive from India, thought there should be some kind of age limit on who could play games like Bully.

"I'd like to play it myself, but it is not good for children. When they see something like this on screen, they will do the same thing in real life. As a game it is harmless, not a problem, but children may feel influenced to repeat things in real life."

Ghazala Aftab, a general manager and grandmother from Pakistan, loves to spoil her grandson, who is hooked on computer games.

"My grandson is one of the millions of computer aficionados in the world. We have all the games possible at home, but I wouldn't want my grandson to grow up learning to bully kids. I wouldn't buy such a game for him and neither would I let his parents buy him something like this."

"Personally, I would be interested to see the game for myself to judge it better."