Manhunt 2 banned in the UK (both PS2 and Wii versions)

[Madame Adequate]

So wait, are they going to ban boxing? Wrestling? What about boxing games? Rugby is pretty violent, and it looks fun, are they going to ban that too?

No, it's not just because "it's violent". It's because of the overwhelming emphasis and focus on the violent infliction of sadistic cruelty.

It's a matter of degree, not an absolute. It's not "all violence is bad, so it all has to be banned." It's a case-by-case matter: "is the violence, in this instance, so extreme and dealt with in such a way, that it warrants the prohibition of the title?"

In Nintendo and Sony's case, they don't allow AO games on their systems at all.

I find this pretty weird, since plenty of game are legally restricted to over-18s, in a lot of countries. But Sony and Nintendo will pull any title that gets the equivalent rating in North America? Quite a strange system, in my opinion.

No, they don't care about it being A/O in and of itself, they care because a huge number of retailers like Wal*Mart, Target, and so forth refuse to sell A/O games (Don't ask me why). That's a massive dent in their potential sales.

Edit: I think A/O may actually be more akin to R18 in the UK than merely 18; 18 translates more directly to M rated.

I was going to post how I agree with this point, but on second though...
What if someone made a game that promotes racism? Or one where you play out the holocaust? I think there is a line even for free speech. I haven't actually played Manhunt so I can't say if it crosses that line, but I wouldn't say they had no right to ban it.

I also think there is a line for free speech - when it becomes an unfounded criminal accusation, or is very likely to incite immediate panic. So, no slander/libel, and no yelling "fire" at the movies. Other than that, I can find no reason beyond personal distaste or fear of offense to ban or censor things. My personal distaste is not sufficient, and we have no right to never be offended by things.