PlayStation Move ad poster banned
Might condone racist violence, some complain.
See that poster there at the bottom of the page? The one advertising PlayStation Move? It's been banned.
The ad received eight complaints that the imagery showed graphic violence, which could be seen as encouraging violent behaviour and be unsuitable for children, reports Campaign (via Kotaku).
Two of the complainants mentioned the game player was white and the computer character being tackled was black, and said the ad might be seen to condone racist violence.
Sony responded by saying the poster was supposed to advertise the controller, not a game.
It also claimed to have "taken steps to ensure that the images were not graphic" and that they did not target or feature children within them.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) disagreed, and upheld complaints the images in the ad were likely to "condone or encourage violent behaviour," which could cause serious offence to the viewing public and that it was unsuitable for children. It has now been banned.
It did not, however, accept the complaint that the images were depicting a racist attack. The ASA said that while the men featured had "slightly different skin tones," the ad was unlikely to be seen as condoning racist violence.
