The synonym of success at Sony is PlayStation 2, the company’s best-selling console and of all time in the industry. The system accompanied us for 13 years, since production did not stop during that time until it surpassed the mark of 160 million units sold throughout the planet. Furthermore, the catalog was so absurdly large that it was impossible to choose what to play.
It is estimated that more than 4,000 video games were released on the platform, but none ever caused as much of a stir as Rule of Rose. A true legend of the medium that today costs an arm and a leg to get second hand on eBay. Prices are absolutely skyrocketing for the survival horror that 505 Games published in Europebut without knowing the enormous debate that would arise as a result of it.
And Punchline’s work was not exactly a walk in the park, as it allowed us to control Jennifer, a 19-year-old girl who ends up trapped in an orphanage. The children who live there are anything but friendly. and the setting is absolutely suffocating. Throughout different levels, psychological fear is strongly imposed, so the symbolisms take on a vital aspect.
Many accused Rule of Rose to address topics such as pedophilia or a very inappropriate erotic treatment of the characters, which began to raise blisters. Too many people did not look favorably on that video game that, after all, would be displayed on the shelves along with other titles from different genres. The popular Italian magazine Panorama decided to do a report on the matter and dedicated the cover of its November 2006 edition to it with the headline “Whoever buries the girl alive wins“, in reference to the trailer published to promote the game.
The balloon of indignation inflated to political heights. The mayor of Rome at that time, Walter Veltroni, decided to carry out a harsh statement against the virtual project:
“There is no way for a violent game to be sold and distributed in our country […] This game should not enter Italian homes. “Our young people are going through difficult times, with violence present daily in the media… Young children have the right to be protected from violence.”
Given the commotion that was being generated, Sony decided to wash its hands of this matter, since at first it was the Japanese company itself that intended to publish Rule of Rose in the Old Continent. Thus, Corrado Buonanno, head of Sony’s Italian division, announced a total separation.
“Probably, the sense of what is acceptable in Japan and what is acceptable in Europe are different, so our Japanese division did not feel the need to block this game. But from our point of view, this game is not suitable for the Italian and European public due to its content”.
It would be November 26 when Rule of Rose would reach the stores and on the 16th Franco Frattini spoke. The European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship wrote a letter to the senior government officials of Europe to expose the problem that was about to explode. Frattini’s objective was for the interior and justice ministers to address the issue at their next meeting in Brussels.
“Shocked” by the “obscene cruelty and brutality” of the cinematics of Rule of Rose, the politician urged a conversation between governments and the video game industry to “explore the usefulness and need for a voluntary code of conduct on the production of interactive games for children.” It does not seem that Frattini was very aware of the existence of the classic PEGI classification in Europe, which awarded a +16 and the symbol of violence on the title page.
In seeking for companies to exercise self-control over their productions, Frattini expressed that “these types of ‘recreational’ games are terrible examples for our children and can provoke or encourage violence or bully behavior… or suggest that this is “normal behavior.” 505 Games made the decision that Rule of Rose would not be published in the United Kingdom -Atlus was in charge in the United States-, but Laurie Hall had another opinion.
“I have no idea where the suggestion of sadomasochism in the game comes from, nor of children buried underground. These are things that have been completely invented“explained the general secretary of VSC, the supervisory institution of PEGI. However, Rule of Rose It ended up reaching the public, but its PAL run was extremely limited.
What is the script twist in this story? Well, the article written by Panorama was completely plagiarized by the author Guido Castellano. It was Chris Darril, creator of the Remothered saga, who was able to obtain a copy in advance and published his review on a forum. Castellano came across it and had no qualms about publishing it as if it were his own handwriting, putting special emphasis on the most macabre parts. Therefore, a journalist’s malpractice sparked a controversy that surely would have gone unnoticed.
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