Chicago Pulls GTAIV Ads from Buses
Posted by Shawn on Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm under Take-Two, Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar, Gamer Life, Sony, Microsoft, Game Platforms, Games, Game Consoles, Game Companies
Tagged: ads, Chicago, cta, Grand Theft Auto IV, gtaiv, rockstar, shootings and take two
Responding to pressure from a Fox News expose, the Chicago CTA president Ron Huberman has pulled advertising for GTAIV from public transit. This follows a weekend with over two dozen shootings on record. This move isn’t unprecedented in Chicago and is similar to moves by other major cities including Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon and Denver.
GamePolitics has put together an article on this assumed link between violent video game ads and violent crime used as an excuse to censor game ads. GP sums up the situation quite nicely:
The GTA IV transit ads shown by Fox News depict neither violence nor sex. Does the CTA reject ads for R-rated movies? Suggestive or violent television programs?
As I’ve written before, the video game industry needs to assert its First Amendment rights in these cases, which essentially come down to selective censorship by quasi-governmental entities.
Get the facts and opinions on GamePolitics.
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April 21st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I can't see them pulling the ads they've posted all over NYC (and even at the Lincoln Tunnel in Jersey) just because Liberty City was modeled after NYC.
In the end I don't think the CTA should have caved to Fox News. If it was CNN or a more reputable news source, then fine, but not Fox News. They basically cost who knows how much in advertising for the CTA and probably a penalty for ending their advertising contract with Rockstar.
And are we really supposed to believe the recent rise in violence in Chicago has to do with a bunch of pictures on a bus?
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
Yep, that's what FOX Noise usualy wants you to believe. I do agree the CTA shouldn't have given in to those feces smearing monkeys. I'm sure they deal with enough crap from angry citizens and didn't need more unnessesary stress, but if they had just waited longer those attention deprived monkeys at FOX would have found something else to slam.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
It's good to know that there are idiots in Chicago too. For a minute there, I thought they were all in my neighborhood.
May 4th, 2008 at 6:13 am
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