New Zealand bans video game

A computer game that encourages players to kill all in sight in ever more gruesome ways has become the first video game banned in New Zealand.

In a 12-page statement issued Friday, New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification said the game "Manhunt" depicts horror, cruelty, crime and violence in such a manner that its availability was likely to hurt the public good.

Chief censor Bill Hastings said that computer games generally appear to be getting more "edgy" _ but that "Manhunt," for the PlayStation 2, goes further than any that's been referred to his office. "It's a game where the only thing you do is kill everybody you see," he said. "You can choose to kill 'mild,' 'medium' or 'hot.'"

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Weapons used ranged from glass shards to garroting wire, plastic bags and machetes. The game has a mature rating. "You have to at least acquiesce in these murders and possibly tolerate or even move toward enjoying them," Hastings said.

"Manhunt" had been banned from sale or rent in New Zealand for its likely effect on "players of any age," Hastings said.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

The game was developed by Edinburgh, Scotland-based Rockstar North, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software in New York. They are "the same people who brought us Grand Theft Auto," the classification office statement said.

The Grand Theft Auto series is the subject of a $246 million lawsuit filed in the United States by families of two people shot by teenagers allegedly inspired by the game. The suit claims marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software are liable for $46 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, along with retailer Wal-Mart.