April 21, 2008 -
As police and city officials in Chicago deal with a rash of recent shooting incidents, the local Fox News affiliate has questioned the posting of ads for Grand Theft Auto IV on buses and buildings of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).And, just like that, CTA president Ron Huberman folded on the issue, telling Fox News through a representative that the ads would be removed.
It's not the first time that Chicago's buses have provided the setting for a GTA controversy. In 2004 Gov. Rod Blagojevich railed against transit ads for GTA San Andreas.
Over the years, GTA transit ads have come under fire in other cities as well. In 2006 Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and others forced the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to pull ads for GTA Vice City Stories. The transit chief there justified his decision by issuing a policy which equates M-rated games with X-rated movies.
In the past, GTA bus ads have also come under fire in Portland, Oregon and Denver.
GamePolitics is awaiting comment from GTA IV publisher Take Two Interactive. We also sought comment from the ESA, which referred us back to T2.
GP: The GTA IV transit ads shown by Fox News depict neither violence nor sex. Does the CTA reject ads for R-rated movies? Suggestive or violent television programs?
As I've written before, the video game industry needs to assert its First Amendment rights in these cases, which essentially come down to selective censorship by quasi-governmental entities.
UPDATE: I should add that in 2003 a group called Change the Climate successfully sued the MBTA when it refused to run ads calling for a debate on marijuana laws. In that case, the U.S. First Circuit Court held that:
There is direct evidence through statements made by MBTA officials that the reason for rejecting the advertisements was actually a distaste for Change the Climate's viewpoint.
This suspicion of viewpoint discrimination is deepened by the fact that the MBTA has run a number of ads promoting alcohol that are clearly more appealing to juveniles than the ads here.
Comments
Re: In Chicago: GTA IV Ads to Be Pulled From Buses as Transit
As for flat out lying, the Mass Effect thing's the only one I'm aware of. Mostly it's how they birddog their guests whenever they dissagree with the reporters. Oh, and how they fired a lady for not lying on air, and when she sued them, they won. That upset many people.
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Sohbet
It should also be mentioned again that Blago spent millions of dollars of taxpayer funds in his ill-advised crusade against games. All during a year of historic shortfalls in the state budget. To think, there was no other suitable alternative last gubernatorial election cycle.
I think he meant it to be sarcastic. but its hard to really tell with text. if he isn't being sarcastic, then your comment stands as is.
If the industry went around suing everyone that talked shit about them, they'd be no better than Jack.
I think it's ironic considering Portland has so much real world violence on the streets.
Actually, I think all of those people should lock themselves up- the world would be a much better place.
Why wouldn't GamePolitics be a reliable website?
THe industry has no BALLS!!!!!!
They'd be suing the shit outta these dirt bags right now if they had any guts.
Unless the transit authority has lots of other advertisers lined up to take GTA's place, though, it doesn't make good sense. Transit authorities, like any government agency, like money.
I don't know if the CTA accepts money for liquor or r-rated movies offhand, but if they do I don't think they can claim this move does anything.
It's called discrimination technically, but to put more of a point on it, there's also things like "Equal rights under the law" to consider. They won't all games but an r rated movie gets a pass?
BULLSHIT!
I still say the industry should be laying the legal smackdown on there ass.
Having news stories about how the ads were pulled off buses is going to give GTAIV more overall advertising (globally) than the ads would have achieved on the buses were they simply ignored by the press...
So basically I don't care about this. Once again the sensors achieve the complete opposite of their objective.
You can always advertise elsewhere.
Now if the government is preventing most or ANY advertising by you, you may have an issue at that point.
I am not sure this is worth pursuing.
GP: I have to disagree. This is the further demonization of games and, by extension, gamers. What's more, the bus companies are not private firms. They are quasi-governmental agencies, propped up in large part by tax dollars.
Finally,
NORMLChange the Climate successfully sued the MBTA on this very issue in 2003.Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Yeah, this from a person who apparently isn't paying much attention to the fact that the industry has been whopping Censor ass in court for the past 5 years.
Save your self serving rants for the brain dead minions in your church group.
That is what I would be doing.
As for cases where Fox NEWS has said some bad things about a single Videogame and exagerates to a point where they are lying and the politicians get into the game too, well the Videogame Industry just has to say to itself "OK, enough is enough, we are not going to be treated like this anymore" and start to stand up for itself.
Did they actually enter into a contract to display the advertising or was this a "coming soon to busses everywhere" thing? If they had a contract, then on the surface, chicago would seem to be in breach of it.
I don't see this as a First Amendment argument. There really isn't a law against pulling the ads. It could be seen as unfair especially if the city is seeing problems before the game is even released.
If he is, then he needs to mark it /sarcasam or face my half asleep, exhausted tech support rage
I took for sarcasm because I don't think anyone could say that seriously. But my rage is the half asleep, just woke up, tech support rage, and so is more optimistic about human nature. I'll snap out of it in about 45 minutes or so.
And besides, as I have often said anyway, Chicago sucks.
Spongebob, Hannah Montana, Mario Party, etc will always sell. The industry will do just fine without violent games.
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Papa Midnight
I wonder if 'Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood' has anything to do with this. I tell you, You want a commerical-free childhood? Get rid of the TV, the internet and lock yourself up ant home and NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE AGAIN! NEVER TALK TO ANYONE! DON'T READ ANY BOOKS! THROW THEM OUT! And there you have it. A 'commerical free childhood' and a 'commerical free life.'
Warren Lewis
The idealists can say it's unfair, and it is, but the pragmatists can also realize that there's nothing much to gain from pressing the point.
I understand the argument about picking your battles but this kind of case could really be a HUGE blow to the "violent video games are evil" crowd.
In order to have this kind of discrimination upheld the CTA would be required to show there is a COMPELLING state interest in this kind of restriction. Which means they'd have to bring in real, honest to God, evidence that violent video games lead to violent behavior.
As we all know the evidence of that is...sketchy...at best. So if Take Two or Rockstar were to fight this we could finally get a court ruling that says something to the effect of:
"The connection between the advertisement or playing of violent video games and violent behavior is simply too tenuous to uphold regulation of the medium. The state has shown no compelling interest in this kind of content based regulation."
It would be a major blow to the regulation supporters. It would create a pretty iron-clad precedent that would stick barring some kind of real evidence that there is a connection between violent behavior and violent video games.
They absolutely need to fight for this issue. It's not about minors seeing their ads since there is nothing on the ad that is suggesting violence. There are plenty of other M rated games that are and will continue to be advertised on public transportation. The issue should be that extremely violent movies like Saw can run ads without controversy on public transportation, and the violence with GTA IV will never be near as graphic as what Saw can be, yet get pulled due to media hype and scare tactics. I am guessing it is because the stations know they will lose hours of tv watching to this game. At least 15 hours for every copy purchased. Thats a lot of tv we aren't watching.
*Sigh* Yet another part of my hometown, Chicago, that I can't support. Thankfully I can feed the birds at the parks, they're at least neutral on the videogame issue.
one person thinks it should stay and everyone else wants them down? a little bit uneven air time.
that and mentioning a bunch of killings in the city before hand.
EA should have sued Fox over the Mass Effect slander to send a message that this kind of crap is not acceptable. but it is Fox so what do you expect.
I suggest an alternative angle that still proves they've got some cahones on 'em.
Sue CTA for misrepresentation of their product, aka advertising.
Those signs on those buses had to be approved BEFORE the contract for advertising was signed and CTA received funds. What went on the buses was no surprise, it was just Faux News making noise and the city of Chicago bowing down. Make them pay monetarily. Make this kind of action VERY costly to those who do it.
The State under funds them
The Buses are desperate
Can you say stupidity?
Poem by the StealthKnight