I commend this man, but... I'm disheartened to think of what will happen to his reputation- he's saying the right thing, had the right idea, but zealotous religious groups, misinformed parents, scapegoat-searching cops and pompous politicians who think getting the ACLU pissed off isn't anything are going to peck at this, and he'll STILL be right- they will not have adressed the issue, and it will not have gone away.

Since when has anyone advertised for an AO-rated game?

Dave: Indeed, I liked this one as well.
Though more important, I thought, was this line:
"By overplaying the importance of this not-most-important factor… you have not addressed the more important root causes. In fact, you have done a disservice."
That's what so few people understand - by chasing after things that are not definitely the cause you do harm by squandering resources that could be spent elsewhere, and by letting yourself think the problem is solved when in fact it's as bad as ever.

Goood for him. As reward for his zeal, I promise to pay the whole $1.50 for the T stop near my house instead of cheaping out with $1.25 (the fee at most other stops).

"Granauskas wrote that he has begun the process of amending the MBTA’s advertising guidelines with an eye toward banning future ads for M- and AO-rated games."

But advertisements for R-rated and NC-17-rated movies can stay? Why do these people continue on with such a blatant double standard? And don't bring out that tired old "interactivity" excuse. The ads themselves are no more interactive than those for movies, and from what I've heard, they are no more violent.

While I applaud Grabauskas for standing firm, I'm worried that eventually he'll either be forced to cave in or the politicians will replace him with someone that will. But when (it's obviously not an "if" anymore) they do, he will still be right. Even with all the influential figures shouting against him, he will still be right.

It's just like Harper Lee said: "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conciensce." Obviously, this man's conciensce told him what we've all been saying for a long time: This GTA-scapegoating is total BS. And I'm proud of him for standing up for what he believes in.

I think it sucks that the video game industry has to give in to these anti-game jerks all the time. Why do they bow to people like Jack Thompson? Why do they allow people, who use them as scapegoats, to win without a fight? They shouldn't be allowed to win that easily!!!!!!!!!!! The video game industry has to fight back and stop these jerks. Violent video games have every right to advertise anywhere they want to. Whether it's the subway, milk cartons, cereal boxes, billboards, or public parks. They have a right to advertise anywhere they want to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really like Grabauskas' responses to this issue. Is there anywhere I can read his letters in full?

Yep. This guy deserves a f'ing medal for HONESTY.

He alone has succeeded where so many others cannot.

@On Target:

A bus ad? Hell, when I was a kid it was the bus DRIVER that used to freak me out.

@On Target:

Yeah, they couldn't even get the friggin' game right. The kid was scared by Hitman, NOT Prince of Persia (which was the one they filed the complaint over).

So are they also going to refuse to advertise for R and NC-17 rated movies?

[...] Sources: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/11/lette... http://gamepolitics.com/2006/11/25/boston-transit-chief-bitter-but-says-... [...]

Violent ANYTHING should NOT be able to advertise anywhere it wants, Daniel. Imagine ads for gang violence, or school shootings on milk cartons or cerial boxes. Heck, why not advertise drug smuggling and illegal border crossing on billboards and busses. Shouldn't anyone with a desire to here a hit-man [or is that hit-person?] be able to find a suitable ad while riding the MBTA, perhaps reading Boston Now or the Metro, instead of a copy of Soldier of Fortune folded so as not to reveal the cover to prying eyes poised to say it if the see it? Sure, Daniel, players of violent video games have their rights, as do gansters, mobsters, killers, psychopaths, deviants, perverts and the morally depraved, to do whatever they want in a Democratic society - as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others. And that is the part of Democracy that, sadly, far too may people miss: your rights do not give you the right to step on my rights. So Daniel - the ads have got to go, and not because violent video games are bad, just that promoting them is. Read up - violent games increase the body's fight or flight reaction, a known first-step toward violent behavior. It is not that every violent game fan will engage in the next school massacre, it is the fact that every school massacre was perpetrated by someone into violent fantasy games or other behavior deemed "anti-social."