News UK Burnout advert 'irresponsible'

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/06/28/uk_burnout_advert__irresponsible_/1

EA has been bitch-slapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for irresponsible advertising.

 

37 complaints? That sounds like nothing to me. I figure they get that many complaints just for your average mcdonalds or hamburger helper commercial.

 

This is just the media trying to make a mountain out of the violence and illegal activities portrayed in videogames. If they had their way we wouldn't be able to do anything illegal in a games, all we would be able to play is nintendogs.

 

i remember a case like this in the US where it took over 5000 complaints just to pull down the sign. Whats up with Britain getting their panties in a wad over all this anyway?

 

this **** is getting out of hand.

 

It's a good thing it was banned, the statement "Inner peace through outer violence" is fallacious.

Think about it.
Did any person's violence ever achieve inner peace?

Maybe after they'd been in jail long enough to think about their actions, but not otherwise.


H.B.

 

Well...

If you crash your car with extreme violence. You will probably be resting peacefuly afterward...


Something like this

 

It think its ridiculous this advert is banned and yet motorway billboards etc, which cause distractions and ACTUAL car crashes every day are still allowed...

 

The ASA's jurisdiction merely makes sure that adverts are: "legal, decent, honest and truthful" so an ad. can be all of those and still distracting enough to cause someone to crash.

I don't think that EA's ad. come under truthful nor decent.


H.B.

 

another game to be banned?
it can defined as " sustained and cumulative casual road rage in the way in which these accidents are committed, and encouraged"
This game can be blamed on the rampant increase in accidents.
BAN IT!!!!!! /sarcasm

 

There is no point in banning something just cuz it had 30 complaints....probably most of them where from the same place ) . And the guy who crushed the car....well I think he would have crushed it for another slogan had this not been present...

 

ASA haven't banned it at all, merely issued an opinion that it was irresponsible. EA then chose to recall it.

 

<DevilsAdvocate>I'm not sure that it's entirely true to say we've got a growing nanny culture. Really, if you think about it, a lot more is acceptable now than it was in the 50s for example. And I think it's probably necessary for government to put the brakes on things a little as game and film manufacturers are consistently pushing the limits of what society finds acceptable.

Sure we can winge about being told by the powers that be what is and isn't acceptable, but equally I'd say that everyone on this forum, no matter how open minded, has certain limits and will be exceedingly offended by something. And I would suggest that you generally should have the right to go about your life without offensive things being put right in front of you. And if the advert offended 37 people enough to get off their collective arses and complain about it, it probably offended a hell of a lot more who couldn't be bothered. When something is thrust into your living room like advertising, it has to be acceptable to the vast majority of people. If it's something like a game that you have to go out and buy, knowing full well what the content is, then obviously the bar can be raised a fair bit higher.</DevilsAdvocate>

 

Gotta agree with Hugo B. "Inner peace through outer violence"is a stupid slogan. Whilst it may sound all fancy and 'Konfusush say' (sorry about spelling) and aptly sum up the ideal of the game, taken out of context its incredibly stupid. The ignorant masses, and unfortunatley the UK has lots of them, wont assosciate it with "just an advertising slogan" and will probably take it as written law (worst case scenario).

I really cant see how someone in EA's marketing department didn't go "you know this slogan may give out the wrong idea and suggests that violence is a good thing". Dont get me wrong i love a bit of violence in my games as much as the next guy but the slogan doesn't say VG violence it just says "be violent and aggressive and have inner peace". Not smart, not cool.

 

This is gonna be one of those years where there are gonna be a lot of complaints about videogames because there really isn't much for the news and gov to complain about. Its something to kind of bring the polititions "into the home" when they start talking about stuff like this... I know the article in question is over in England, but just wait, it will start to ramp up over here as well, especially since this is an ellection year.

 

i agree with inner peace through violence only if it is fictitious violence. especially in games.

 

Hmm, I remember when you had the option of turning damage off in a game, be it gore or cars blowing up. What happened with that?? Give me back the option to choose my level of violence.. THX

 

give me the option of putting the violence level through the roof.

 

PCBS.

 

I vote we change the topic to be about the link in the article. I don't think I've lol'd like that in a long time.

Not to be outdone by Coke when Pepsi started a marketing campaign in Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead."