Video Game Ads Cross the Line.

[Raijin Z]

I've got a NOVEL IDEA! Instead of bitching about an advertisement on a forum completely unrelated to the company who has apparently offended your sensibilities, why not write to the comic publisher and Namco themselves? I'm sure if enough people intelligently voiced their displeasure, the companies would think better of releasing potentially volatile materials in apparently inappropriate product lines. No, most people just sit around the coffee table or the church meeting room and complain about the world without doing anything. By the way, online petitions are not the way to effect changes.

[liquid_sky]

THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT. Kids should NOT be exposed to this stuff via advertising which makes negative behavior appealing or even rewarding in ANY capacity. ESPECIALLY ads that advocate homicide. Ideally, the parents are there as a buffer for this material, but it is not an ideal world. And it is FOR THIS REASON that companies MUST be more responsible for their advertisments, or again, I'll start marketing my "Get AIDS quick" Starter pack for kids. I don't see many beer ads in comics, or hard liquor, or cigarette ads. Why should this be any different?

 

Because the demographics of comics include all sorts of readers. If it were an issue of a magizine known to be for kids and just kids, i wouldnt like it. But the issue is that comics are read by all age groups, esp. the alpha male who likes guns, football, and violent videogames.

[StanJr]

Yes liquid but it is FOR THAT reason, that comics have such a BROAD audience that advertisers must be ALL THE MORE careful when placing ads. Otherwise it would be A-OK for Playboy to put ads in comic books, the same for Michelob and Marlboro.

 

And Raijin, worry you not, the wheels are in motion regarding your advice and have been since yesterday.

[liquid_sky]

if playboy would have put ads in comic books, i would have read more as a kid

[Starscream]

Spank my ass and call me Billy:!: I stand corrected. It was Carruth. I get all of those NFL players mixed up......But, the DTR ads are still cool.....

[The Night Phantom]

The placement of that ad in a comic book is argueabally marketing to younger people who should not play the game, but then again alot of older people read comics, just like I read sports magaiznes with alot of hard liquor ads, yet minors can read the same magazine as well.

Kids should NOT be exposed to this stuff via advertising which makes negative behavior appealing or even rewarding in ANY capacity. ESPECIALLY ads that advocate homicide. Ideally, the parents are there as a buffer for this material, but it is not an ideal world. And it is FOR THIS REASON that companies MUST be more responsible for their advertisments, or again, I'll start marketing my "Get AIDS quick" Starter pack for kids. I don't see many beer ads in comics, or hard liquor, or cigarette ads. Why should this be any different?

 

Because the demographics of comics include all sorts of readers. If it were an issue of a magizine known to be for kids and just kids, i wouldnt like it. But the issue is that comics are read by all age groups, esp. the alpha male who likes guns, football, and violent videogames.

This line of reasoning is analogous to saying that the MPAA should rate a movie G so long as it contains some material suitable for young children, even if other material in the same movie is definitely in NC-17 territory. Hogwash. If the general presentation really is for a general audience, then the entire presentation must be.

[liquid_sky]

even childrens movies have somewhat suggestive things in them

[CPUWIZ]

Do the people here that have a problem with the AD let their children watch South Park, like they let them read comic books that are geared to adults ?

 

Just curious ...

[AtariX]

I bought DTR the day of release. Great game and a blast to play(pun intended). DTR hit the US charts at #8 the month of its release and sold something like 108,000 copies. DTR is one of the better games on the Xbox, in my opinion.

 

As for the ad, it makes me laugh and I think that is the intention of the ad. Can you honestly tell me that you think the intention of the advertiser is to promote “real violence”. LOL...come on.

BTW...Namco is doing nothing wrong and thus they owe no debt to your kids or the public for a wrong doing. It is up to you, to decide if you want you or your kids to play the game. Thank goodness that we live in a free country, where we can think for ourselves. BTW, you are taking the ad way to literally. Have you seen the ad to The Thing? Oh my, it has two real humans holding guns pointed at each other, someone call Joe Liberman!

[CPUWIZ]

I bought DTR the day of release. Great game and a blast to play(pun intended).  DTR hit the US charts at #8 the month of its release and sold something like 108,000 copies. DTR is one of the better games on the Xbox, in my opinion.  

 

A lot more than 108,000 !

[Chris++]

if playboy would have put ads in comic books, i would have read more as a kid.

 

LOL...no doubt, Liquid. I remember how awesomely mysterious and alluring the "naked ladies" in Playboy were when I was a little boy...there's some secret about how to sell things to young kids here, but it's eluding me...

 

Raijin: Way ahead of ya. Do you really think an insufferably verbose word-spewer like me wouldn't take an opportunity to write and bitch at someone?

 

 

CF, who's evidently all about the emoticons today

[AtariX]

A lot more than 108,000 !  

 

Ya, that 108,000 are the NPD numbers from August. I'm sure they are much higher by now. Hopefully this will mean a sequel for Jack Slate and Shadow. It would be nice if the sequel could use more of the graphical power of the Xbox.

[Inky]

even childrens movies have somewhat suggestive things in them

 

No kidding...

 

There was an episode of Animaniacs (actually quite a few have innuendos).. A walwrus says 'Well I never' to which Slappy Squirrel responds 'You should, it's fun!'

[Scot from S.C.]

Okay, I have read through this thread and some good points have been raised by both sides concerning this issue. I agree that mature ads should not be placed in a children's comic book like Mickey Mouse or Pokemon or whatever younger comics are out there now. However, if this ad appeared in X-Men or something even more adult oriented, then I think that you should reevaluate your stance. There is plenty of killing, sexual themes, etc. in those books, so why would you be offended at the ad in that context?

[liquid_sky]

i dunno... i read quite a bit of x-men as a kid... now if it were something like spawn, id understand.

[Raijin Z]

Yeah, but back then they didn't KILL people in X-Men. That comics code authority bullshit got tossed out none too quick.

[StanJr]

They still don't do that much killing or the like in most mainstream Marvel comics. Marvel HAS released a seperate line of comics (calld MAX) geared toward adults, but that isn't where I saw the ad, if it was, I would just shut up. I figure if you are 18 and stupid enough to think shooting people is cool, then you'll end up in jail where you belong.

 

AtariX. The ad makes you laugh. So you must think killing people is funny? I know that it is NAMCO's SOLE intention to sell more games by any means necessary. And despite everything else, a statement like "its better to shoot somebody than to get shot" carelessly promotes violence, maybe not to you and me, but there are plenty of very impressionable teenagers and even adults who do not have our rational capacity. The use of real bullets and a real hand in the ad only serves to further blur the line between reality and fiction. Its just a dangerous and irresponsible thing to do. It's much like me telling one of my fourth graders that he should hit another kid in the eye, because its better than being hit in the eye by the other kid. Doesn't make the violence acceptable or justified.

 

As for taking it too literally, well no kidding, but the odd thing is the minute I read it, my honest reaction was "are they saying its ok to shoot people now?" That's how the ad comes across. I'm just reading the words and looking at the image. That is the message they send.

[AtariX]

StanJr, where are you getting "its better to shoot someone than to get shot"? I'm looking at the ad you are referring to right now and nowhere does it say that. Also, where in my post did I say that killing people is funny? I said the ad made me laugh. If you have some kind of anti-gun or anti-video game violence agenda to promote, then just be up front and say so. Don't go around making stuff up to promote your agenda.

[StanJr]

Dude, I don't have an agenda, other than holding people and corporations accountable for their irresponsible actions.

 

The ad says "Sometimes it's better to give than to receive" and there is a handful of bullets. Unless the point of the game is to hand people bullets in exchange for goods and services, the ad is saying that it is better to shoot a person than to be shot. If that is not a promotion of violence I don't know what is.

 

Violence in video games is fine, and fairly unavoidable, but when a level of extreme violence such as that exhibited in Dead to Rights is marketed to children, I call that irresponsible. Children have no concept of life and death. To them ALL killing is just pretend.

 

All I am saying is NAMCO should be more careful about WHERE they place their ads and how they word them. And regardless of the audience, the message is still the same "Not only is shooting people acceptable, its better than being shot yourself." And I really don't think that is a message society needs.

[jlnsctt]

Hey Stan,

If that ad actually made atarix laugh, then wasting any more of your time responding to him would be silly.

Namco wasn't being "funny" in the ad....Only trying to sell games, by shock value.

I have no problem with the ad, but do have a problem with it being placed in a comic that has equal chance to be read by a adult OR child. If they were only trying to reach adults, they could have listed it in Playboy.....Was it there?

I also agree that it is the parents responsibility(yes, I am a father), to control the environment,and decipher right from wrong....BUT!!!

Like Stan, I also believe that corporations(And marketing departments ARE run by people just like you or I!), could use better judgement in what they distribute, as I CAN NOT follow my daughter around 24 hours a day.

Once again, I'm not trying to take away their freedom to advertize. I just hope that along with their freedoms, they won't compromise the values of right or wrong that I teach my child!

[Scooterb23]

I saw that ad...it must have just been the jaded side of me showing because it didn't even spark enough interest to finish reading the ad...

 

I saw the picture, kind of said, ok ANOTHER one of THOSE kind of games and moved on...yes the mag skewed to a younger demographic...

 

Glad to see you acting on your convictions Stan...if you believe in anything that strongly, it does you no good tyo sit idly by...

[Raijin Z]

Playboy is too "upscale" for game ads. Besides, it's not like everyone buys it anyway.

[IceCold]

The ad says "Sometimes it's better to give than to receive" and there is a handful of bullets.  Unless the point of the game is to hand people bullets in exchange for goods and services, the ad is saying that it is better to shoot a person than to be shot.

 

LOL, a game that you trade bullets in exchange for goods and services That made me almost fall out of my chair laughing

[The Night Phantom]

even childrens movies have somewhat suggestive things in them

There was an episode of Animaniacs (actually quite a few have innuendos)..  A walwrus says 'Well I never' to which Slappy Squirrel responds 'You should, it's fun!'

Exactly: such material is suggestive, not blatant like the ad StanJr described. Inky’s example sounds sexy because we”re dirty-minded adults. But “it” could just as easily be “eating chocolate ice cream” or “playing Yars’ Revenge”.

 

Frankly I’m not against children being exposed to sex and violence. I merely question the nature of that exposure. In recent years a friend was fretting over her older son’s imminent adolescence and wondering what to tell him about sexuality. I had a hard time giving useful advice because if he were my son, I would have started telling him years earlier. But I wouldn’t have started with G-spots and the prophylactics and the like; I would ease him into the subject starting with topics like where puppies come from and avoiding kissing someone you’ve just met (because you could send the wrong message about how you feel, plus that person might have cooties). Over time we could work our way to more advanced knowledge. But more and more, the general media expose children to advanced knowledge right away, before they’re ready; it’s like explaining about electrons and conductivity and IBEW bylaws and the workings of the retina and power generators when all a younger child needs to know about light switches is how to turn them on and off, plus something vague about “saving energy”. You can move on to the other stuff later.

 

Do the people here that have a problem with the AD let their children watch South Park, like they let them read comic books that are geared to adults ?

I have no children. If I had children at an impressionable stage, I wouldn’t have them watching South Park. Heck, I don’t let myself watch South Park. I tried a few times, and although the show has some good moments, I find it too crass and valueless to be worth my time. I would apply similar standards to comics and other media when raising my hypothetical children, just as I apply them now in the real world when dealing with other people’s children.

[sdstuff64]

The ad says "Sometimes it's better to give than to receive" and there is a handful of bullets.  Unless the point of the game is to hand people bullets in exchange for goods and services, the ad is saying that it is better to shoot a person than to be shot.

 

LOL, a game that you trade bullets in exchange for goods and services That made me almost fall out of my chair laughing

 

Ah man that's good stuff.

Stan you owe me a pair of pants.