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I think you'll find that's due to Japan having 260,000 locally based police officers, a huge amount of respect for that police force and a youth culture that isn't centred around vandalising people's property or assaulting old people....
Each district has what is known as a "Koban" or police box. it's a small police station housing approx 8 police officers. Each house on their beat, which can be as small as a kilometre is visited at least twice a year and a census conducted by the officers. In rural areas the Koban and it's local officer is a central part of the community.
Sorry, back to topic lol
That's a touching picture you paint of todays youth in Britain. I might remind you that this "youth culture" you refer to is something which the majority of people on this site enjoy, and to my knowledge anyway, doesn't involve vandalising property or assaulting old people.
My point is that if media effects adults minds in any great way, then we could expect Japan to have a greater number of rapes that other countries due to their media "encouraging" it. I can't remember the last time the police stopped a rape (bearing in mind that the vast majority of rapes occur between people who already know each other) so that isn't a factor. You mention social issues, but again, surely if this media had as big an effect as some claim, then there would be a substantial percentage of the population with rather disturbing views? But then again, I'm not making the claim that videos and videogames encourage adults to act in a way they otherwise wouldn't, so the burden of proof isn't on me. Anyone who feels that Manhunt is justified in being banned care to venture any scientifically supported reasons beyond "I don't like it" and variants thereof?
The difference between games like this and films like hostel, are the perspective. Hostel is a horror film about a guy who has to excape from some kind of sick place where people are torturing people. Ok, extreme, but it's supposed to scare you. The emotion it evokes (as amost pieces of entertainment strive to do, in some way, to get an emotional response) is fear and empathy.
Manhunt, on the other hand, is about revellying and enjoying the hunt / kill of others. Whilst thats amusing enough in fair doses, (I enjoyed entertaining myself on GTA by going on slaughter runs), manhunt specifically focuses on you the protaganist enjoying murdering. Different emotional response, and the levels to which Rockstar take it is what I think makes it an exception which is why it has been banned.
Bear in mind we live in a democratic society and have an opinion on everything, which is a good thing because we are supposed to challenge things. But we also need to put into perspective that the BBFC etc. are professionals whose career is looking at material that could be distrubing and evaluating whether it's 'too far' or not. Considering a lot of the stuff thats out there I think we have a lot of exposure to violence, sex already, so for it to have been banned it must have been pretty bad. I don't think it's a sign that our government is trying to censor things or that our civil liberties are being eroded.
You'd think, wouldn't you? But then I've watched most of the previously banned films, and whilst I agree that a lot of them should've been banned for falsely advertising themselves as a credible film (with the exception of Straw Dogs which is an awesome film), I cannot see why they should banned on issues of content. It's going to become acceptable and be released soon enough anyway, why attempt to delay people viewing it? Surely it's up to the adult to decide what they want to watch? As long as adequate information is given as to the content, and no-one is harmed in the making, I don't see the issue. Like I say, there are far more dangerous activities that everyone accepts as an adults right to choose to partake in. I suspect that the main reason for objections to such material are based entirely on personal (or collective) moral opinion, rather than any percieved dangers to those watching it.
Oh, and as for the kid being abducted, there was a game that used real footage of Jamie Bulger being kidnapped in it, which the publishers voluntarily withdrew from sale last week, if that's the one you're thinking of.
What the fuck? What game's that?
Law and Order. I actually came out ages ago, but they only noticed the other week, so I doubt it was to creat a fuss for marketing purposes.