Rockstar is one of the most celebrated video game developers in the world, creating blockbuster franchises like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. These iconic games have players exploring massive worlds as they play through darkly comedic campaigns that satirize different eras of America; they also allow players to spread violence and mayhem as they wish, making them as controversial as they are popular. This controversy came to a head in the mid 2000s when Rockstar announced their next game wouldn’t take place in a crime-ridden city: it would take place in a boarding school.
Bully was released on October 17, 2006 on the PlayStation 2. Players take on the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a juvenile delinquent who has been expelled from a handful of schools who now attends Bullworth Academy against his will. As Jimmy tries to take over the different cliques of the school, players can explore the campus and surrounding town, play minigames to attend classes, pull pranks, skateboard, drive go-karts, and more. Bully was widely praised by critics, but had an army of detractors before it even hit shelves.
Some Groups Were Worried Bully Promoted Violence to Children
Given the violent and sexual content of Grand Theft Auto games, there was immediate uproar when it turned out that Rockstar’s next game was set in a school. The game was banned in the country of Brazil for a decade, while similar calls for total censorship were made in Florida—where lawyer Jack Thompson dubbed the game a “Columbine simulator”— and in the United Kingdom, where store chains like PC World refused to carry the game, all before the game was even released.
Bully sold well, but not well enough to justify a second game beyond Scholarship Edition, which brought remastered visuals to more consoles like the Xbox 360. A sequel was briefly in development, but cancelled after layoffs at Rockstar around 2009. The game ended up not being a “Columbine simulator”, but rather a whimsical yet dark satire on American schools, how bullies are made, and how a bully can turn himself into a hero.
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