Videogame ad suffers Manhunt 2 blowback

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By Stevie Smith Jun 28, 2007, 12:39 GMT

Following the recent contentious banning of Manhunt 2 by the UK's BBFC ratings board, the videogame industry once again finds itself the target of controversy this week with news that the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now banned an ad campaign for Burnout Dominator, a racing title produced by Electronic Arts that is already available at retail.The billboard advertisement in question, which displayed a smashed and burning car, was created by ad agency Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam and has been publicly positioned across the sprawling London Underground rail network, where it has since prompted 37 specific complaints to the ASA concerning its imagery and the potentially violent message it conveys.The complaints voiced specific concerns that the imagery used in the ad could be seen as condoning dangerous driving and antisocial behaviour as well as promoting both violence and vandalism. The core gameplay structure of Burnout Dominator (and all the games attributed to the Burnout series) is to win high-speed street races while smashing opponents off the road in spectacularly violent fashion. A related article published by Guardian Unlimited reports that the game’s publisher, California-based Electronic Arts – the world's largest third-party videogame studio –was in fact pre-warned by the UK’s Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP) that its ad campaign could well be perceived as condoning violent conduct. Despite CAP’s advice, Electronic Arts released its Burnout Dominator campaign without first implementing recommended changes, claiming that the imagery was clearly connected with a fictional videogame experience and in no way supported and encouraged actual real-life violence.However, following the public complaints directed against the Underground ads, CAP’s sister organisation, the Advertising Standards Authority, has now issued a full ban while claiming the imagery used was "irresponsible" and could well cause "serious or widespread offence," while also potentially promoting a "violent lifestyle, antisocial behaviour, or dangerous driving."Electronic Arts has said that in the future it will work fully with the Committee for Advertising Practice in order to avoid causing any similar offence.

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skitzoOct 4th, 2007 - 12:40:55

I'm playing manhunt 2 now. I heard that the U.S release is on OCT 31.
I'm from the philippines, I'm just wondering why it's already out here.

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