UK's Advertising Standards Authority has clamped down on Midway Games TV ad, which it believes could "encourage and condone" violence.
An ad for action game Stranglehold has been banned in the UK after complaints were considered by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The advertisement shows a shoot-out between four men, and two complaints were received; one viewer believed it glamorised violence, whilst the other was concerned that it was being shown before the "watershed" hour of 9 p.m.
Clearcast, the UK company responsible for prescreening television ads, had deemed that the Stranglehold ad was acceptable to be broadcast after 7:30 p.m. It argued that the violence shown was stylised, unrealistic, and had a fantasy quality. It added that although bullets were constantly flying through the air, no one was hit, and there was no blood or gore shown.
However, the ASA believed that, "the voice-over, which stated, 'Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option,' suggested that it was honourable to seek revenge and that violence was an acceptable solution to a situation."
It concluded that the ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.
"two complaints were received".... Your kidding right? They banned a game comercial because of 2 people? Where are the governments when hundreds of people complain about an IMPORTANT issue like say hunger, war, school funding, crime rates,....I could go on and on?
I'm pretty sure that the trailer for "No country for old men" has more realistic and "unsuitable" violence than a dam video game! its only the nut jobs that actually think, after killing some people in matrix style slow motion, they will go out and do the same in a school or the street! COME ON CENSORS! Look at the internet? more and more young people are aware that the world sucks ass and violence is everywhere, so what they gonna do? ban an ad for a game...because thats gonna stop young kids seeing violent things in movies and on the internet.
"glamorised violence"? Pretty sure every action scene you see in TV or anywhere in entertainment does this A LOT.
UK kids can play only tetris or ballance . i'm surprized that they didn't ban pac man... that game instigates to canibalism :| just kiddin'
there should be commercials airing now that say something like, " Everyday thousands of ideas and concepts are killed everywhere by censors and over reactive citizens. Stop the violence and do your part. Help protect freedom of speech." Or something like that
Clearly humanity is broken or f****d up in some way. There must be something about us that likes violence and shooting.... otherwise we wouldn't make and play games (or films) like this. So how the hell can we go on to ban the very things that we create.
well... my my Europe has gotten soft.... I take back all the mean things i said about Canada... they are gonna end up 2nd on my bad### list...
shoot out.... your joking... everyday on cable they have rated R movies so its just another way to attack video games about violence. this is so stupid, i can barley hold it in.....
acej2000 said - "The glamorization of violence is a beautiful thing in video games, it's art and should be seen that way." Man, you are absolutely right! This is what I don't get, Porn on the internet is free and explorable and open to anyone and thats not considered harmful but when A japanese guy gets into a shootout and says violence is his only option, thats harmful? Get the F#CK outta here! Thats major BS!
"I saw this commercial once; afterwards I ran out my house with a shotgun, shot 2 pedestrians; broke into a house, found a rocket launcher, stole a car, ran over a cop, shot a rocket at an ambulance WHILE driving, went to the mall, I entered the movie theater, saw "P.S. I Love You". What a Day...." Sounds like you were just playing Grand Theft Auto after seeing that commercial...but not when you saw "P.S. I Love You". That was just you going to the movie
@Kingjames11 Marching over it's citizens in the name of censorship? Hello? The US is just as censoring as the UK is. We censor sex, they censor violence. Which would you prefer? I am pretty sure out "Forefathers" didn't have all of the gun problems that we have now in mind when they wrote the constitution. Back then, guns were all about self defense, not school shootings etc. And if you think allowing guns is going to do ANYTHING to stop our Government you are way wrong. Our Government wouldn't be even remotely hindered at doing whatever they want just because a few loons are packing AK-47's in the forest. For us to stand a chance we would need to add the "Right to bear tanks/missiles". That aspect of owning guns has already been removed from us, why not finish off the job and ban them from criminal use as well?
"I saw this commercial once; afterwards I ran out my house with a shotgun, shot 2 pedestrians; broke into a house, found a rocket launcher, stole a car, ran over a cop, shot a rocket at an ambulance WHILE driving, went to the mall, I entered the movie theater, saw "P.S. I Love You". What a Day...." That's just sick. Especially that last thing you did.
With all the problems with the world, in society in general, yeah this ad really matters. This is ridiculous!
Humanity has always been stupid, now we just find new ways to show it. Every day I see this crap I die a little more inside. Just wait I'm sure it will get even better. Pretty soon it's gonna be all fluffy bunnies and flowers.
@kingjames at least us "redcoats" don't have to put up with an overbearing religion from a bunch of lunatics down south eh?
Violence is a part of history and humans in general. So why is it such a big deal when it doesn't hurt anyone in realty?
who would seriously be sad enough to go out of their way and complain about an advert? lmao. these 2 complaints obviously came from sad acts
The glamorisation of violence is a beautiful thing in video games, it's art and should be seen that way.
When I visited my cousins in England several years ago I rented the movie "Eraser", which was edited for violent content...this wasn't on network TV, mind you, the actual video tape had been edited... I just find the position of the ASA ironic. So violence is apparently not an acceptable solution to a situation? Then why did the British bomb and shoot thousands of human beings (many of them civilians) over the past few years in Iraq and Afghanistan? Hmm... at least Chow Yun Fat kills only bad guys and doesn't "accidentally" waste scores of little kids like the Coalition of the Willing has been doing since 2001.
Bgrngod wrote: The UK is a lot more strict about guns then we are in the US. Their practices (banning guns all together) is something that the US should consider doing. The Forefathers of the United States of America wrote: The Constitution and Bill of Rights. Apparently, they never wanted the New World to be just like old one, and by old one, I mean the one that belonged to those red coat wearing pansies. Here in the US, any invading force, even our own government, will be met with resistance should they threaten our liberties because its citizens have firearms. Meanwhile, the UK continues to suck, while marching over its citizens in the name of censorship.
Omg 2 people mad a complaint and that was enough???? You have to be kidding me, if there was a petition with hundreds if not thousands, you have more room to arguement, but 2 people....give me a break...CENSORSHIP is NOT DEMOCRACY ENGLAND!!!!!
@Sam_Lowery: Well, we all know that each person that complains represents 10 million people that were offended, but didn't complain. Or at least that seems to be the formula they use. Come on, UK.
'Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option." Sounds like the tagline for every single action movie ever made. Are they banning commercials for the new Rambo movie, too?
They banned it because 2 people complained?!? I bet a lot more than 2 people liked the commercial, but nobody calls a TV station to say what adds they don't hate.
What the craphole?! When will people, or should I say over incompetant parents learn that slow motion diving isnt possible in reality. They try to use anything they can to complain about VIDEO GAMES.
But if it was a movie trailer they wouldn't give a flying F*ck What is it with video games being the target for every freakin politicain and his brother. Jesus
and I also want to meet the guys that believe it possible to jump around slow-mo and shoot with dual-equipped guns.
I just wanna meet the two people who cared enough to be put on hold on the phone, waste their phone bill and complain. I wanna meet them and point and laugh.
they ban the ad, but sell the game. they show violent movies and shows, but don't show the ad. I'm wondering if its irony or is it just idiocy.
coldfire: Read the two posts again, CAREFULLY. They both know they're talking about Britain, not USA. I think you're the one who just made yourself look NOT SO SMART.
@bgrngod: As much ad we'd all like not being afraid of school shootings, crazed gunners, and the like, we have this little thing called the constitution, which clearly states people have the right to bear arms. Believe me, if it weren't written there, I'd be more than willing to send a bill to congress.
They didn't pull it down due to 2 complaints, they REVIEWED it after 2 complaints and decided that it was unacceptable to be aired. The UK is a lot more strict about guns then we are in the US. Their practices (banning guns all together) is something that the US should consider doing. Their gun crime is next to nothing, which explains the "knife crime" problems they are having as mentioned in an article the other day.
The kind of people who complain about these things seem to just sit around all day waiting for something to complain about. If you don't like it, don't watch it.
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