Violent game ads.... I've only seen them in 2 places.. A) TV (rarely - where I live, in MA), and B) ones and gaming magazines, online gaming sites,etc.... I've never seen a violent game ad on a billboard, or anywhere like that.... I think this may be a new moral panic, because his description of 'violent game ads, everywhere' sounds fictitious. Meanwhile you get constant annoying ads with misbehaving kids in them for eastern bank, new york life,etc during Red Sox games, every single commercial break...... And no one is complaining... But that is another story...
This "AD Paranoia" is one of the things that brings up irrational claims of "Violent games being marketed to kids"... It's like to the anti-gamers, if kids can see an ad, it's marketed to them... When the 18-35 demographic is the age group the games are really being marketed to. There is not a single bit of proof that these ads are targeting kids, no single advertiser confirming this. Only Anti-gamers assuming it... It's irrational...
A moral panic started when ads for some violent game (I Think GTA) were found in a Boston Subway.. They were taken down, thanks to the mayor whining.... The whole irrational claim that violent games are being marketed to kids was brought up... The whole attack started again, complete with the media lies spreading all over the place.... One ad... In a subway. It wasn't like it was in a daycare center!
HELLO! More than kids go through a subway! In fact the last 2 subway stations I visited when going into boston for sporting events, I saw not a single kid! Not one... All adults..... I personally didn't see any ads for any games on the subway.. Now let me show you how bad a subway station is... They are crowded like crazy, very little room to move. Not a place to take a 10 year old... The subways themselves are the same way and rock around a lot... It's easy to trip and fall.... It's not a place to bring a kid... So why all the complaining when ONE AD for a violent game comes up?
Similar panics show up when any kind of thing that is associated with 'harm to children' is advertised on TV at any time before midnight... You get tons of right wing groups whining about "Family hour violations". They complain the instant anyone advertises a violent game, wrestling, etc, during family hour... Which by definition is 8 PM, but they always make it look like it's any time kids could be up (6 am - midnight) They want these ads pushed to 3 AM. Not joking... So that any time these ads show up, no one will see them...
HELLO! Even I don't stay up that late, 2 AM sometimes.... You think that something like this would make the game makers lose a lot of money.... I think it's intentional... This family hour crap is insane.... More than kids watch the TV..... Just because a kid could see an AD, doesn't mean he will go out and become addicted to GTA.....
Other times, there is complaints about Violent game ads during sports games..... I've personally never seen a violent game ad during a sports game, ever.. In fact the last time I saw an ad for a violent game on TV was when Vice City came out in 2003... Not once have I seen the 'rampant violent game ads' on TV since then.. .Granted I don't watch a lot of TV. But I used to watch a lot more, wrestling, sports games, Horror movies, Ghost hunters. I never noticed ads for any violent games during those things since I saw the GTA : Vice City ads. Granted those were advertised like crazy. But that's the last one I saw that was Advertised like that. Hell, I didn't see a single ad for DOOM until 1997! 4 years after it was made...
I think it's a moral panic and shouldn't be taken seriously... They only people saying violent games are marketed to kids, have very irrational ways to back it up. It's always something that doesn't make sense. These are the things I've heard lately.
A) "All the 'ads' everywhere"
B) "My kid could buy bulletstorm so violent games are marketed to kids"
C) "Look at all the Lego Games" - this one wins it....
D) "Games are being marketed to kids due to the fact that kids are in game stores and can see the games"
E) "All the game ads during family hour!"
F) "All the game ads during a sporting event!"
The whole family hour "violation" thing pisses me off. Family hour is an hour that all the prime time channels had a responsibility to show only kid friendly stuff at 8-9 pm... It was mandatory then but not now. A court overturned it... Now it's something some networks do, other don't.... So all the complaints about violent ads during the warped version of family hour that is 6 am to midnight is mostly nonsense.... Brought up by the PTC... Again...
There is no law mandating family hour. There shouldn't be. You cannot attack game companies and advertisers for violating something that certain groups think is illegal but isn't.... It's optional now... And extending the period from 1 hour to 12 hours is insane.... The problem is that parents use the TV as a babysitter. That shouldn't be the case.. They don't watch the kids.... They don't Watch what they are doing. None of the TV ad nonsense would be an issue if irresponsible parents did...
