[Games] Grand Theft Skateboard

by Nick Judin
November 22, 2006

Platform: PS2 | Xbox

The good men and women of Rockstar constantly counter some of the vilest critics and staunchest opponents the interactive media industry has ever faced. They do this with modesty, grace and—from the looks of it—little effort. Why is it so easy for a simple game company to rise above enemies who (according to certain sources) have Almighty God on their side? Maybe it’s because all they’re concerned with is making video games, and they know good and damn well nobody can do it quite like they can.

A source of the controversy surrounding “Bully” before its release was a lawsuit brought by Jack Thompson. Thompson, a Miami attorney who has made a specialty out of demonizing video games, called the game a “Columbine simulator.” He took Rockstar to court, arguing that the game violated Florida’s public nuisance law. Last month, Judge Ronald Friedman ordered Rockstar’s parent firm, Take-Two, to show him an advance copy of “Bully” so he could make a decision in the case. After viewing a couple of hours of the game, Friedman determined that it was not a nuisance. “There’s a lot of violence,” Friedman said of the game in court. “A whole lot. (But) less than we see on television every night.”

Thompson keeps some distinguished company in bashing video games, ranging from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., to Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., to Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. “This is a silent epidemic of media desensitization that teaches kids it’s OK to diss people because they are a woman, they’re a different color or they’re from a different place,” Clinton said of “Grand Theft Auto,” which is from the same maker as “Bully.”

In March, Lieberman and Clinton joined with Brownback (and recently defeated Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.) to call on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study whether video games cause children to be violent. If the CDC can prove that games cause violence, then courts might agree to ignore freedom of speech and allow some games to be restricted or banned.

The problem is that studies on video games and violence are inconclusive at best. Some show that games might increase violence, while others show games have little or no impact. “The fact is that there isn’t a lot of very good research to back these claims up,” Jonathan Freedman, a psychologist at the University of Toronto, Scarborough told Salon.com. “The argument is very weak.” It’s unlikely that the CDC will be able to settle the issue, but one thing is certain: As video game use has exploded among young people and adults alike, violence has steadily declined.

Studies aside, I’ve had it with this bullsh*t. It’s one thing to suggest that parents should keep an eye on how their young children entertain themselves. But calling for a jihad against video games, calling them “virtual Columbine simulators,” is just sick, and it needs to stop. The 2008 elections are approaching, and Clinton is a possible candidate. If she does run, remember that she’s the kind of person who likes taking the side that sounds good, the side of moralizing pricks like Jack Thompson, whipping up hysteria on scant evidence to show that she really, really cares about children. It’s a scam, and we shouldn’t buy it.

The truth is that “Bully” is no different from Rockstar’s other top-notch titles, except perhaps that it is less violent. Sharing the same approach and look of its much more violent cousin “Grand Theft Auto,” “Bully” proves that it’s the basic formula of the series—not the over-the-top violence and criminal aspect—that makes “GTA” so endearing.

The game starts out with Jimmy Hopkins, a 15-year-old delinquent, being dropped off at Bullworth Academy, a hardcore boarding school with an overzealous faculty and more than a few “unusual” students. Throughout the game, Hopkins will have many encounters with the different cliques and groups that dominate the halls of the school.

“Bully” shares its “go anywhere, do anything” feel with “GTA,” though the extent of the trouble you can cause here is limited to trivial offenses. (The violence never goes further than a shot from a slingshot, and no one is ever seriously hurt in the game.) You can run around the school and town, running errands, playing mini-games and doing missions. The mission system is handled like any other free-roaming game, with one exception: The time system of day/night is much more important in “Bully.” In the morning, the player has classes. He can choose to skip these, but it is considered a “crime” to be outside while classes are in session. This can be somewhat constricting, especially considering that at 2 a.m., the player must be asleep or he’ll collapse. Most of the classes are short and fairly easy mini-games: chemistry is a button-prompter similar to “Shenmue,” art is a remix of “Qix,” but English involves a surprisingly difficult set of anagram puzzles. Once the player finds time, he can proceed in the storyline by taking one of the many missions available. The missions are diverse and entertaining, from sneaking into the girls’ dorm to taking on the football team.

There are cliques in “Bully” analogous to the gangs in “GTA”: bullies, nerds, jocks, greasers, preppies and townies. The storyline and theme of the game are derived from these high school stereotypes. Nerds spout D&D; lore as they fight; preppies threaten to “beat the poor out of you”; greasers sport leather jackets and oiled hair while they have climactic bike races down narrow alleyways. The plot follows Jimmy’s rise through the school hierarchy by alternately befriending the right people and crushing his enemies. The characters are hysterical. Even NPCs with no relation to the plot have names, personalities and lines all to themselves. It’s the depth of every student at Bullworth Academy that really makes “Bully” an amazing, entertaining game.

Graphically, “Bully” shares many of the problems of its predecessors, though there are definite signs of improvement. My biggest gripe is that the clothes and hair options seem a bit uninspired. I ended up wearing the original clothes for most of the game. The biggest improvement is the environment. “Bully” takes place over a full school year, and it really shows. Fall is sunny, with multicolored trees and a special, decorated Halloween event. Winter is snowy and frozen, making it difficult to see. Then spring comes, and everything returns to life.

The sound is perfect. Each voice actor is well suited to his or her role, and the music, a classical score composed just for the game, entirely suits the look and feel of “Bully.” There are plenty of great lines, and they’re executed flawlessly, really adding to the humor of an already funny game.

“Bully” is a deviation from Rockstar’s tried and true formula. It doesn’t offer near as much freedom, isn’t as epic and isn’t as fast-paced. But “Bully” has a charm of it’s own, and it is truly fun to play. Oh, and by the way, it won’t turn you into a killer.