Gamertell

The ongoing fight to ban violent video games by non-gaming communities worldwide has resulted in more advertisements for upcoming video games being stopped or removed. Besides TV commercials, the latest ads to be banned are from the sides of buses in Chicago.

One of the ads yanked from the sides of a buses and buildings is the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV ad, according to Game Daily. This occurred following a weekend of violent shootings and isn’t the first time GTA ads have been removed.

It’s also not the first time any ad has been removed for being potentially too violent. Some never made it to air, including a March 2005 Xbox 360 commercial from the “Jump In” campaign which featured shoppers at a mall having a shoot out using their fingers as guns. I’m not sure how that could condone violence but it was pulled. Watch below and tell me if this video is too violent for television.

Another game ad being pulled is Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, which I don’t get. How is an image of both Kane and Lynch standing over their latest victim, who happens to be a woman with duct tape over her mouth, going to drive local youth to chaos?

But, according to British news site Lifestyle Extra, the the public was “horrified by the graphic depiction of violence toward women in the poster, television and magazine adverts for the 18 rated ’Kane & Lynch‘. Dozens of people said they found the ads ‘distressing’ and believed they condoned violence towards women and were to be seen by children.”

The Advertising Standards Authority claims to have investigated 26 complaints about the posters and magazine ads, then determined both breached the advertising codes.

“We considered that the depiction of violence in [the poster], which showed a gagged woman being brutally handled by two frightening and intimidating looking men, was unsuitable for a poster which would be seen by children. We concluded that it was irresponsible and likely to cause distress,” an ASA representative told Lifestyle Extra. “We noted that the demographic profile of the magazines that carried the ads was predominantly adult males and that only a small number of children were likely to see the ads. We considered, however, that the graphic and shocking image, which would be seen as condoning and glorifying real violence, was likely to cause distress to some readers and was unsuitable for children to see. We therefore concluded that the placement of the ads was irresponsible.”

Edios’ U.K. Marketing Controller, Jon Brooke, told Game Daily the ads were placed where they belonged and were modified for the area demographics. The list goes on: Ads posted within the game world are being pulled for our health such as the Sprite ad in NBA Street: Home Court, a pizza ad in Everquest II, Coca-Cola ad in Football Manager and ads for Subway in Counter-Strike.

What’s next? Yanking gaming magazines off the stands? I’m personally floored that our society has become so sensitive that any image or advertisements that even hints at a violent intent or looks malicious in any way can be pulled in the name of safety. 

Read [Game Daily] Read [Neatorama] Read [Lifestyle Extra]

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