October 12^th, 2005 (1:59pm) - A new petition asking Rockstar to stop the development of Rockstar’s Bully has made its way online by way of a mother who’s teenage child had committed suicide after being bullied. Rochelle Sides, the mother of the child, has already received 369 signatures for the online petition, which is directed towards Rockstar president Sam Houser, asking him to "reconsider the release of this game."

"We would like for you to understand the ramifications of your soon to be released video game titled Bully," the petition begins, before going to reveal a number of US statistics on bullying - including the fact that at least 16 children commit suicide each year due to bullying. "We ask of you as an adult, as a member of this society, to stop the release of this game," it reads. "If one child sees the violence portrayed in your game as an avenue to end his/her plight with bullying, will all of the money you have made be worth it? How much is a child’s life worth to you?"

Interestingly enough, one of the names listed on the petition is none other than that of Florida attorney Jack Thompson. Mr. Thompson has already made an effort to hinder the release of Bully by attempting to sue Florida game retailers from stocking the game.

One thing that should be taken note of is the fact that no one outside of Rockstar has actually played Bully in order to judge the game accurately. The individuals who are speaking out against the game are simply going by screenshots they have seen in magazines or online games sites, or somehow coming across a brief description of the game and judging the game on those materials alone. Furthermore, it seems that these individuals fail to take note that Bully is likely to receive a "M" for Mature rating. This means that the game should not be sold to any children under the age of seventeen and is meant for a more mature audience.

It seems that these conservative individuals feel as if they are benefitting society by shielding the general public from the "evils" found in these videogames. Well, perhaps they should escape the sheltered lives they live, take a break from the mid-day soap operas and take a look at the world around them. Violence will forever be around us. Chaos will forever be part of human life and the more we censor and shelter ourselves from certain things that exist in this world, the less and less we hold on to our individuality as human beings since there exist individuals in this world that wish to decide for us and limit our freedoms.