In UK, GTA 4 Commercial Avoids Official Censure
In UK, GTA 4 Commercial Avoids Official Censure
July 30, 2008
A TV commerical for Grand Theft Auto 4 has dodged the censorship bullet in the U.K.
As reported by gamesindustry.biz, the Advertising Standards Authority declined to act on complaints about the spot, seen at left:
17 viewers took exception of the ad... Ten viewers complained about the violence, while seven took exception to the time of the broadcast...
"Although some viewers may object to the nature of the game, the ad itself did not feature sequences that were likely to have a direct harmful influence on children or young people," said the ASA.
GamePolitics readers may recall that the ASA similarly cleared a TV spot for Bully: Scholarship Edition in a ruling earlier this month.
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Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:44pm
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:42pm
Andrew Eisen: Note to JT, it is not illegal to sell kids a ticket to R-rated movies.
Andrew Eisen: Note to JT, it is not illegal to sell kids a ticket to R-rated movies.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:39pm
Cheater87: Jack said we would be better with no rating sytem.
Cheater87: Jack said we would be better with no rating sytem.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:35pm
Alareth: So what was the introduction used for Jack?
Alareth: So what was the introduction used for Jack?
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:31pm
JDKJ: Heard one, you've heard 'em all. He repeats the same act, with the same half-truths, over and over.
JDKJ: Heard one, you've heard 'em all. He repeats the same act, with the same half-truths, over and over.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:31pm
Andrew Eisen: Using a credit card as age verification is not illegal. Hope Mark called him on that and his made up statistics.
Andrew Eisen: Using a credit card as age verification is not illegal. Hope Mark called him on that and his made up statistics.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:30pm
Alareth: Jack is special, his mommy always told him so.
Alareth: Jack is special, his mommy always told him so.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:29pm
Andrew Eisen: JT lied about that APA causation thing again. Wonder if Mark called him on it.
Andrew Eisen: JT lied about that APA causation thing again. Wonder if Mark called him on it.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:04pm
Andrew Eisen: Follow the JT/Methenitis debate on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtdebate
Andrew Eisen: Follow the JT/Methenitis debate on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jtdebate
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
I can´t believe they just need like 20 whinners to remove an add. I´m glad they don´t have any excuse to try to remove this one.
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
The number of people who complain to the ASA is irelevant to its consideration, but the figure is always published. They only need 1 complaint to act, but - interestingly - a large number of complaints does not seem to infulence their decision. Probably because the existence of mass comlplaints usually suggests a organised mailing complaint from an interest group.
For the record the ASA is largely a self regulatory body in the same vein as the MPAA and ESRB.
Two vehicles explode, there is the brief sound of gunfire, and the main character breaks into a car. Too right they'd dismiss the complaints.
As someone living in the UK, I feel I should explain :)
There are some sad induhviduals here that feel it's their duty to complain about every single advert that goes on TV.
They got one removed because a dog seemed to be shivering. That's really about all I can say about the matter without getting depressed about human stupidity.
so they've avoided a censure or censorship? i'm confused.
Ah censorship, protecting the sheeple from wool products.......how...unpleasant....
I is fuzzy brained mew =^^=
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
Are you kidding me? Wow... Thanks for the intel Steve. I never knew, but wow... Mankind does not deserve their position in this world... I... wow... Okay, I am speechless... I think mand kind needs a survival of the fittest type event to happen, because there is a lot of fat that needs to be cut.
This is like Hillary Clinton putting blame on game developers for kids playing violent video games when the parents shouldnt have kids in the first place if they refuse to actually parent them. If ESRB isn't good enough, you don't deserve to have kids.
In Australia, their politicians don't even know what a Wii is as we saw last week I believe...
In the US again, we have McCain that doesnt own or know how to work a cell phone, doesnt know how to use a computer well enough to send email, and yeah... pretty much any newer technology or somewhat new technology. That is host MOST of the US government is somehow. This world is a very sad place, and we need younger people to be a part of running these countries. We could really cut through a lot of this bull.
I also love the "psychological studies" the politicians pull out of their rear that say violent video games creates violent kids. Last I checked, bad parenting does, which would include violent kids being allowed to play violent video games.
Why, so we can fuck up other planets too? There's a reason we only live about 75 years apiece.
What the hell dude, do you know anything? Lets start with this, what would an object that weights 100lbs on Earth weight on Mars? Go get an education before posting, especially if you dont have the balls to put in your name or a username that represents your name. Look, I can do that too!
Wow, that was just about the biggest piece of fail I've ever seen. Nowhere in his post did he mention anything about "weight" and it's difference on different spacial bodies. And I put my name in, unlike you. Coward.
At least DeepThorn attempted to end his post on a positive note, which is something that more than a few people are incapible of doing.
Good job UK for standing up to 34 of your most uptight citizens. About time.
Man that game looks awesome, I'll certainly have to buy it, wait I already did, and beat it.
"Although some viewers may object to the nature of the game, the ad itself did not feature sequences that were likely to have a direct harmful influence on children or young people," said the ASA."
Translation: The ad itself did not feature sequences that could in any way have a direct harmful influence on children or young people".
It's bad enough that the scaremongers ignore the research that suggest that there are no harmful effects from games, but now they are claiming that the ads are just as bad... Next we can expect them to demand that sleeves for game packaging be white with the title written in a non-offensive pink font to stop it turning the kids into mass murderers. Then you will have to bring your game home in a brown paper bag so no-one has to see it.
I wonder how much money is spent on investigating these complaints. They should have a filter at the ASA that says "If complainer's age is greater than 40 and topic is video games, send to trash because they don't understand what they are complaining about".
It saddens me these adverts for GTA were absoultly nothing and people were complaining about them due to the fact that they did not like grand theft auto.
There are times when said complaints are justified and the ASA does deem to act upon them, but most of the time it is just frivelous complaints about nothing,