GTA ad may promote violence - watchdog
Saturday 7 Dec 2013 7:22 a.m.
The offending image
A Grand Theft Auto advertisement that signalled where to decapitate one of its characters could promote violent behaviour, an advertising complaints board has ruled.
The advertisement showed a cartoon Grand Theft Auto Five character pointing two fingers at a dotted-line tattoo on his neck with the words "cut here" and was placed on two New Zealand news websites.
Three people made complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), describing it as "offensive, aggressive and intimidating" and saying it should be kept to R18 websites.
The complainants said the advertisement was "distasteful and sends a message to viewers that stealing cars and cutting throats are synonymous".
The ASA complaints board upheld the complaints, saying the tattoo on the character's neck was likely to be interpreted as a reference to decapitation.
"While in cartoon form, such imagery still leant support to unacceptable violent behaviour," the board said.
In responding to the complaints, lawyers for the advertisers Take 2 Interactive said the type of tattoo in the advertisement was not uncommon.
They said the illustration showed a "somewhat unusual but not unique tattoo" and are not to be taken as literal instructions to behave in certain ways.
"The advertisement is not one which is suggestive or an affirmation of criminal behaviour and in particular does not condone or allow a participant to consider self harm," Take 2 said.
"It is a character in the game pointing to his tattoo in the game and saying `check this out'."
The ASA ruled that the advertisement should be removed from the websites.
NZN







