Another point. When someone is bullied, parents assume the school has to deal with it, which is an easy side to argue for. And when they do try to solve the problem, they do so by punishing the bully. That has solved 1 of 2 very important issues, number 1 being the bully has learned a lesson out of the whole ordeal. But what about the bullied? The only thing theyve learned is that someone else can solve the problem for them. Dont you think someone should try and teach them how to manage the problem themselves, at least overtime? What happens when it keeps happening, just punish the bully everytime? It just isnt going to solve anything.

As for people who have taken their life due to bullying, its just so tragically unnecessary for that to have happened. Its a prime example of letting a solvable problem get out of hand, and its fucking terrible. We really live in a fucked up society if no one could have helped them; there are usually HUGE warning signs when it comes to a suicidal person. Im sick of people getting chewed out in this fucked up world

It's the Greenlight issue spreading. People seem to get so upset that someone could possibly want to make an emotionally evoking game on a sensitive subject. Whether it's more personal to them and they're lashing out, they don't see games as more than shootin' dudes, or whatever the case may be, it's pretty obnoxious.

Well, it's the sort of thing minority built it's reputation on... why not?

There are other minorities you know.

This reminds me of every third music video of a new band. Black and white, signs with some message and b-roll from a tour. I swear everyone has made this kind of video. Pull on my strings harder with a violin in the background!

On the topic of bullying, i hope you guys had parents like my mom that told me to fight back.

For the sake of those who are interested in this game and want to play it some day, I hope the gameplay is not hindered by all of these emotion-storms.

As for me, I don't really care for it.

Everything you seem to post is either hating on Patrick or the content of the site in general. You don't like the site? Go to a different goddamn site! Fuck off with this constant asshole attitude. Bullying is a big deal because kids are KILLING THEMSELVES as a result. Or they end up with depression and other mental illnesses. Judging by this sentence:

Guess what, everyone was bullied growing up, back in the day it is what made people stronger.

you were a bully growing up and now you're getting defensive. Bullies are destructive assholes who prey on anyone they deem physically or emotionally weaker than themselves and their way of life should no longer be tolerated in 2013. They're a huge problem in school. Hell, we just had 2 kids commit suicide my area because they were picked on incessantly. If you're not willing to admit it's a problem (and instead you INSIST IT'S A GOOD THING.) then I suggest you step aside and let people have a real conversation about it without screaming "BOO FUCKING HOO." You may enjoy the status quo but most don't. Especially those kids who dread going to school every day.

Funny thing about fighting back, when you're one person dealing with a swarm of people significantly bigger and stronger than you, fighting back somehow becomes very, very bad advice.

Also, some anecdotal advice, attempting to use a solid metal object like, say, a padlock, to even the odds is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

Discussing bullying on the internet is always annoying because tryhards always come in and try to prove how edgy they are, as if a lack of empathy and understanding makes them the coolest fuckers in the room.

Get a life, WOWnerd

I'm gay, I've been bullied, and I've been broken up by all kinds of stories of people killing themselves because of bullying. It's godawful, must change, and anyone defending it is a piece of shit, but I don't know if things like these help that much.

Like @joshwent said, if the crows are just two-dimensional bad guys with no character whatsoever, there's nothing interesting here. Making a game that explores the psychology of bullying is interesting, but it doesn't excuse the game if it's boring, and it doesn't actually provide any insight or answers by just saying "hey, bullies are real assholes, right guys?"

Particularly as someone who is gay, people who tend to pick on people like me the most were the people with the psychological issues, with the latent self-loathing and jealousy of gays being out while they were not. That's just one particular case, but there are other cases like that that are far more interesting than just telling a sob story.

Edit: I also find it an interesting juxtaposition for Patrick to be super intrigued by a game like this fresh off of his trip to an EVE Online fanfest, a game that is basically a bullying simulator.

Thank the Baby Jesus for guys like this!

Just speaking from my own personal experience here, but as someone that was bullied, and rather fiercely, throughout K-12, it was very, very difficult to see those that bullied me as anything other than obsessive monsters that thrived on making me suffer. Of course, I never knew most of them outside of the context of school, so I have no idea what their home lives were like and I'm sure that at least some of what I was put through was a result of their own problems, but from the perspective of someone that doesn't really know these people on that level, bullies are pretty much monsters.

Today, I'm fairly well-adjusted and am living a decent life with a good job, which, from the sound of things back home, is a far cry better than how some of the people that used to torment me turned out. I guess that, in its own way, is a form of revenge. Though I won't lie, I occasionally still fantasize about clubbing one particular bully with a baseball bat. I know it's not healthy, but then, neither is being on the receiving end of bullying for the entirety of childhood and adolescence.

I really am curious to know how this game will end. They could just pull the power fantasy twist where the bullied finally takes it out on the bullies, but that's the easy out.

@marokai: We can't just generalize EVE as a bullying simulator since if that's the case we can pretty much call every other game out there that has a persistent and competitive aspect to be a bullying simulator as well such as popular, multiplayer shooters. Though I can see your point but it's not the entire goal of the game to bully. That's just comes off as being very dismissive.

I was pushed around when I was younger, but I fixed the problem by standing up for myself. Just sayin.

A friend of mine did that in high school, made the guys look like a bunch of idiots.

Then later that day, they jumped him in the parking lot and repeatedly slammed a car door on his head. Just sayin.

Lesson learned - never stand up for yourself. Instead, go running to mommy/daddy/teacher/etc, because then you won't get jumped afterwards. Bullies always learn their lesson when the mommy comes to the rescue.

Really, what is your point?

Doubt this game will grab my interests beyond simply discussing it. It is fascinating to see stories being told through different perspectives. Good for Minority Media, good luck to them.

Anything that brings light and conversation around the subject cannot hurt.

That things are not always as simple as what the person he responded to made it seem?

Fairly obvious.

I think the point is that it isn't always as simple as "stand up for yourself".

So they're making Bully 2?

That's why if you can't handle the heat, you get some help instead of trying to take on the bullies when it's going to lead to you getting your ass kicked.

I was bullied a bit as a kid, but I spend more time looking in on those situations. Because of my relationship with my father (who was much more than merely a "bully") I took to defending people who needed the help, and honestly it always ticked me off that the kids being bullied wouldn't just go ASK FOR HELP. Being bullied sucks, I know, I've experienced some pretty rough stuff but I was pretty tough in more ways than one so I could stand up for myself. But I wouldn't have hesitated to ask for help if I needed it. I think if we want to help people who are being bullied, we need to get them to seek help instead of just focusing on the assholes. They aren't the only part of the equation and ultimately putting the solution in the hands of those being bullied would be so much more useful.

Everyone knows that bullies are assholes. More people need to step in, instead of just trying to get the bullies to "knock it off." Honestly the sickest part of watching a kid being bullied is all of the cunt faced cowards who just fucking watch. It's not the fucked up idiot who's just too immature to treat anyone with respect, probably because their parents are idiots as well, that really bother me. Those guys are easy to deal with. It's the little weasels that just sit by and watch.

When I was in high school, I was often the only person stepping in to help with this kind of shit. I ended up standing up to literally the entire football team between classes at some point, entirely on my own. I've even seen kids being assholes in the middle of a class with no one, not even the teacher, doing anything until I got out of my seat and got in the prick's face.

You want to make a game to push a good message about bullying? We don't need to understand where the bullies or the bullied come from or how they feel, because either you are neither a bully or the bullied or you are and already know that shit. There's a ton of material out there already that touches on those subjects. I want to see more people encouraging people who aren't directly involved, the onlookers, to grow a pair and step in, even if you might get hurt or look like an idiot or be seen with the weird kid that no one likes just because he never says much.

If you're being bullied, seek help. I got shit for a few little things, and eventually got a decent bit of shit on the odd occasion because of my sexual orientation. But none of it went very far because someone did something about it. It's not going to be the bully, and chances are they are bullying on the victim because they are confident that the victim couldn't really directly and effectively fight back so it probably won't be them, so seek out help. And if you see some asshole mistreating another person, step the fuck up.

@freedomtown Actually, the reason why bullying is more of a "thing" today's society is because the exceptionally extreme examples are much easier to spread through certain channels. Sure, you could argue that people need thicker skin if it's just some idiots calling you names. But some bullying, a lot in fact, goes beyond that. No one likes being bullied. Hell, even after boot camp, your unit hazing you is going to make you fucking miserable, no matter how hard you think you are. It sucks. Now, in that situation, I'd argue it's different because I see the purpose of that and I understand why it happens so long as it stays within the limits of reason. But when you're 13 years old and every fucking day some asshole is just hammering on you? That's not something you can just "deal with." Maybe you could, maybe I could, but not everyone can.

And not all bullying is easy to deal with. Some of it is ridiculous. It's not just in the movies that assholes tie up kids and shit like that. I've seen a kid having a panic attack because he was tied up to a pole and couldn't move anything but his head. That shit is terrifying for some people. My father once forced me into the corner of a couch to the point I was basically like a tight wad of paper. It was painful, and it was hard to breath, and at the time I was claustrophobic which immediately put me into a pretty intense panic attack. Which he proceeded to tell me was "just a game" and I needed to stop being such a "baby."

There's no excuse for that behavior, and there's not much you can do to not be affected by that. I managed to turn it into something good for myself in the long run. I forced myself to get over my claustrophobia, and now I'm mostly fine. But it was a miserable experience and it never should have happened to me and it should never happen to any kid, at the hands of anyone, father or peer.

People are assholes, and to dismiss that as something someone needs to just deal with is fucking stupid. They aren't doing anything wrong, and you're saying it's on them to just buck up and deal with it? I don't think you really understand what bullying is. Bullying is when someone spends every day convincing you that you are worthless, that you are a disgusting pervert because you're gay or that you're ugly just because you aren't a creepy skeleton that starves yourself or just going beyond hassling, beyond teasing over little things, and just attacking someone on a regular basis, often physically.

When you're talking about some jock athlete asshole or rich prick that thinks he's all that beating up on and abusing some quiet, timid kid and all you have to say is "deal with it," doesn't prove you to be a bad ass or a hard ass or whatever the fuck, it just shows you have no actual connection to reality.

"What, your government, with a military, is oppressing a bunch of untrained and unarmed civilians? DEAL WITH IT YOU PUSSY." That's about the logic you seem to be holding on to.

School guidance counselors love dispensing that sort of rhetoric, which is really unfortunate. It's basically like telling someone with chronic depression to think happy thoughts.

The idea of being against bullying is ridiculous. Everyone is against bullying, it's like saying you're against the Nazis - well okay, thats really great but so is everybody else.

It completely misses the point. Bullying is a byproduct of many, many things that are wrong with our colture, from horrible parenting rto economic hardship. There are lots of cultural conditions that can transform a child into a 'bully'. Those same exact circumstances may transform another child into a saint. It's all situational.

I think people get frustrated with the 'war against bullying' because it doesn't stand for anything. It's not addressing under-fed children, it's not addressing alcoholic fathers, it's just saying 'DON'T BE MEAN TO US'.

It's horrible to hear about bullying situations that end tragically or with death. Sickening. Unfortunately, it's not going to end just by the general public condemning bullies. I think the video linked above is great, and sheds some light on why this isn't as straightforward a problem as a lot of people think.

If you've been bullied, you know what the best way to get back at those people are? Forget about them. Have a good life. Be happy with yourself and your actions. And if you see them again, grab a beer together.

@joshwent: Misbehaved is past tense and implies a singular action of negative behavior. Bullying is repetitive action of ill behavior toward another person for no apparent reason. You call someone a bully because you WANT to "turn the heat up," you want this person to stop behaving the way they are. Because the word "bully" has such a negative meaning behind it, people who are called so might be more inclined to discontinue their bullying. It's inappropriate to make light of the situation by not "heating it up" because then there is no consequence for this sort of awful and hateful behavior. Yes, if there are circumstances at home that are causing one child to bully another as an outlet for their own frustration and anger, those problems need to be explored and remedied, but by no means to we give the bully a pass for mistreating others because they will continue to do so unless told otherwise. She claims that America is a nation of fear. Guess what, bad shit has been happening all over the world since day one, that is nothing new. Sure with the internet and social media, certain hot topics spread like wild fire; but raising awareness on a subject of this magnitude that has been affecting young people for as long as they've existed can only be a good thing.

This ladies ignorance is appalling! She says in regards to bullying victims, "'and now we're not teaching kids, 'you know sometimes you just... I know you're feeling bad and let's help you get over your feelings. But this situation is going to go away if you deal with your feelings and recognize that feelings come and go, and your experience with that doesn't mean that's who you are."' Let me paraphrase: "If you think happy thoughts, you won't get bullied." WHAT?! is this woman RETAR... *ahem*... out of her mind. To stop bullying, you don't tell the kid who's getting bullied to "deal with it" while waving a finger at the bully saying " you're NOT a bully, just don't misbehave, okay?" Bullying victims are victims because they lack the means, be it physically or emotionally, to defend themselves--therefore, they must rely on the help of others.

Yes, when dealing with the impressionable minds of children, we must choose a course of action that is flexible yet firm, but we MUST CHOOSE SOMETHING. Bullying is real, and it's bad.

STOP BULLYING OR I'LL GIVE YOU A SWIRLY! (do people still do that?... if you do, STOP) :)

You're oversimplifying things to the extreme.

The problem with bullying, aside from the bullying itself, is the number of people that are aware it occurs but don't do anything about it, or think it's some sort of rite of passage. The "war on bullying" is about raising awareness that this shit is not OK and that it shouldn't be tolerated.

hey stop being an e-bully. jerk off

Life is rough. Bullying happens and it sucks. So does paying taxes, car accidents and mortality.

Looking back on my late teens and early twenties, I invited misery through media. I wanted to watch shows, movies and play games that challenged my experiences in life. But as soon as I had to deal with the intensity of serious debt and the deaths of parents, that made a profound change in me.

I'm not against people developing a game that deals with hard subjects. But I for one play games to escape the bullshit that I have to deal with in the real world. I suppose it relates to your age and your experiences in life. If bullying is a profound issue for you, then hopefully these types of project will do you some good.

@hailinel: My guidance counselors were good about seeing both parties separately, then having a group session if they thought it was appropriate. I can't speak to issues of depression, but it would be horrible if somebody identified a child with the symptoms & didn't address the issue with the child's parents.

For me it worked when I pushed back against the assclowns who thought it was funny to pick on the quiet kid & by the time I got into high school I was able to help others who couldn't stand up for themselves. My point was that sometimes people don't know that fighting back is an option. I'm not trying to be dismissive, just saying that I didn't personally have serious issues when bullied.

Comes off a bit trite, and considering the fact that Papa y Yo rested, primarily, on its emotional qualities, doesn't bode well here. I.e.: if the game fails to resonate emotionally, and can't fall back on meaningful gameplay, why should I care? Perhaps I'm being harsh, but bullying doesn't strike me quite as personally, and doesn't feel as personal of a story, as the themes in Papa y Yo. Call it cautiousness.

I think this could be good. I've not played Papo y Yo, but I like what it's trying to say while at the same time remaining aesthetically interesting. Sure, the trailer seems to drop an anvil on you, but I'll reserve judgment when the game comes out.

On a similar note, I'm glad that games are tackling serious issues like this. I was a big fan of Depression Quest, and I await other games that tackle the hardships of life as well as the empowerment of escapism.

@zerov2:

Yeah, I know. If only the bullies would stop bullying people or something...

sarcasm bro, sarcasm.

Sounds like you weren't bullied as a kid.

As if bullying stops after adolescence.

The bullied grow up and get jobs, the bullies go into politics.

Talk about pandering...

Could be cool. Papo y Yo made some interesting choices and had beautiful aesthetics, despite its faults. Hopefully Minority Media can use mechanics to demonstrate an emotional journey even more successfully here. They are clearly thinking of even their enemies, with the crows being designed to have a certain uncomfortable vulnerability rather than being purely villainous.

Also, weird crusaders being contrary to avoid empathy and promote false rugged individualism are weird. Please go to a different website. You scare me.

I plan on bullying the people who like this game.

I suppose having been bullied was a requirement for working on the project?

They wouldn't lie about something like that, would they...

In my subjective experience, bullying mostly depends of the environment. I happened to go to three different schools in my life, and one of them was almost completely bullying free, the other I was bullied at, but when we reached high school, people seemed to mature and grow out of it, so it stopped.

This trailer is a bit pretentious, though. The best part of Papo & Yo was how it came out of nowhere.

Wah wah wah indie art, pretentious bullshit.. The only game I want that involves bullying is Bully 2.

I'm kidding, Papa Y yo was great. And I'm looking forward to more games that deal with serious issues.

I think this story will resonate with a lot of people because I think bullying is a more prevalent difficulty that people deal with. Comparing the severity of bullying and the harshness of an abusive family member is not what I'm arguing, but in regards to how many people have been affected by bullying, I think it is a much more widespread problem. The theme of this game will most definitely resonate with a lot of people.

Is it a requirement to have been bullied to work on this game? I jest but it is a bit odd that all of the head staff were all bullied. Maybe that's just because I was never bullied nor bullied others. In all seriousness this could be an interesting game and see how they tackle the subject. Hopefully its a better game then Papo & Yo in terms of gameplay.

Says the Mental Health Therapist.

So then I would know what is best right?