Duke Nukem Forever Ad Banned in the U.K.

[Andy Chalk]

Duke Nukem Forever Ad Banned in the U.K.

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A racy Duke Nukem Forever television ad has has been relegated to late-night viewing by the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority.

Seems a bit odd to be talking about this now, more than four months after the game's release, but the Advertising Standards Authority in the U.K. suddenly has a problem with a pre-launch ad for about-face [http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Xbox-360/dp/B002I0HAC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319059565&sr=8-1] after receiving 34 complaints that the ad was "sexist, violent and overly explicit and included imagery which was likely to harm children and vulnerable people."

The offending ad features strippers on a pole, a second or two of jubblies - with all the good bits appropriately obscured - the famous DNF twins about to engage in a bit of heated tongue-wrestling and of course some good old-fashioned videogame violence. Following the complaints, the ASA ruled that although the violent bits are okay, "the sexual imagery and content in the strip club scenes were overly explicit for broadcast" prior to 11 pm.

Watching it, I have to admit that, yeah, it might be a bit much for the younger crowd, although I'm a little surprised to see a U.K. agency going the "violence good, boobs bad" route. Isn't it usually the other way around over there? Regardless, the ad, which probably hasn't run since mid-June, is now banned from the airwaves prior to 11 pm, and the world is a safer place.

Source: The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/19/asa-bans-computer-game-ad]


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[Doc Theta Sigma]

God forbid children know what breasts are. They only had two of them at their beck and call until they were about 18 months old.

 

[TheSYLOH]

I think Duke Nukem Forever as a whole should be banned.
Not for Sexual or Violent Content, but for the excessive amounts of Gobshite Worthless Crap Content.

Don't ban Duke for being a sexual or violent game, ban it for being a shitty game.

 

[Catchy Slogan]

Honestly? I'm not surprised. The thing that's odd though, is that they aren't doing it from 9PM onwards, as that's when the watershed starts.

 

[Kopikatsu]

God forbid children know what breasts are. They only had two of them at their beck and call until they were about 18 months old.

Someone sounds jealous.

I think Duke Nukem Forever as a whole should be banned.
Not for Sexual or Violent Content, but for the excessive amounts of Gobshite Worthless Crap Content.

Don't ban Duke for being a sexual or violent game, ban it for being a shitty game.

Can't we ban it for all three?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I think it was banned to help prevent anyone else from buying the game.

It's a great act of kindness.

 

[EHKOS]

I thought Europe in general was ok with breasts. Meh, it was a shitty game, so I don't care either way.

 

[wooty]

What bullshit that is, ive seen a hell of a lot worse "sexual content" in ANY modern day pop video.

 

[gigastar]

On one hand, im not surprised in the slightest. The UK is full of people who have nothing better to do than write letters to ratings agencies complaining about thier rulings.

On the other hand, the TV adverts stopped circulating long before September hit.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I read this as "Duke Nukem Forever Banned in the U.K." and needed to read into it to see it was the ad.

The ad itself isn't banworthy... Also I thought Britain was supposed to be a little more liberal when it comes to nudity.

 

[DannyJBeckett]

Are you sure it didn't get banned because it was just a shit game? Based on whet we see in today's modern media, I think that explanation is more likely.

 

[Signa]

Can't we ban it for all three?

You do that, and then people will WANT to play it.

I'm not very strongly in the "I Hate DNF" camp, but playing it goes to show why it never got released. The guys at 3D Realms knew it was too shitty compared to what Duke Nukem 3D was, and needed to improve it greatly. It's just a same that the poor quality of the game now reflects on Gearbox instead of 3D Realms who are the ones that designed it so poorly.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Seems just a little bit late...I don't know how games are advertised in the U.K. but here in the U.S. I honestly don't remember the last time I saw a trailer for Duke Nukem Forever on the TV. I think it may have been the day the game launched when I saw the last one. Maybe a day or two after but I know it's been at least 2 months since the last time I saw a DNF add.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

"harm children and vulnerable people" wat. Duke Nukem may be a horrible game, but media.. enough vague and meaningless buzz words, Hm?

What is a "vulnerable person", exactly? Someone who is balancing on their head over a glass table while watching the ad, and could fall over at a sudden, unexpected noise from the ad, someone whom gets emotionally traumatized over seeing video games.. what?

Also, western society really has to get over this whole "violence good, boobs bad" mentality. It speaks wonders for our species when we can accept any kind of violence in the media, from stabbings to shooting people to hacking them up with blades, but yet.. we cow at the sight of a side boob being shown to our 10 year old - the same side boob they likely saw for about a year while sucking the nipple attached to their own mothers boob..

 

[ultimateownage]

It's not really a result of Britain's dislike of sexual imagery, it's just our love of writing stern letters. A lot of the anti-sex thing is probably American culture rubbing off over here.

It's not even banned, they're just upped the watershed. Considering it's an 18 game, I don't see a problem with that.

 

[Jamash]

Watching it, I have to admit that, yeah, it might be a bit much for the younger crowd, although I'm a little surprised to see a U.K. agency going the "violence good, boobs bad" route. Isn't it usually the other way around over there?

I think it's more that the violence is practically non-existent (or what little there is of it isn't bad), rather than the ASA saying "violence good, boobs bad".

From the violence side of it, all you see is a quick uppercut and some explosions. That's nothing and pales in comparison to the suggested sexual content.

If the advert showed scenes of violence that were as comparatively graphic and adult orientated as the sexual content, then I'm sure the ASA would have restricted the advert based on it's violent content as well as it's sexual content, but as it stands only the sexual content is strong enough to be of concern to the ASA.

That doesn't mean they think all violence is good, it just mean the violence shown in the advert isn't particularly graphic.

 

[hazabaza1]

I think Duke Nukem Forever as a whole should be banned.
Not for Sexual or Violent Content, but for the excessive amounts of Gobshite Worthless Crap Content.

Don't ban Duke for being a sexual or violent game, ban it for being a shitty game.

Heeeey, I was gonna say that!

 

[Woodsey]

There are more real, actually exposed tits on TV before 11pm then that.

34 people are pussies.

"although I'm a little surprised to see a U.K. agency going the "violence good, boobs bad" route. Isn't it usually the other way around over there?"

If I had to be fair, there's not really any violence in the ad. A few explosions but that's it.

 

[ckam]

I don't really think that this sends a good message... Oh, well. Fuck everyone.

 

[TimeLord]

I read this as "Duke Nukem Forever Banned in the U.K." and needed to read into it to see it was the ad.

The ad itself isn't banworthy... Also I thought Britain was supposed to be a little more liberal when it comes to nudity.

*strips off*
Sorry, were you saying something?

OT: Not surprising. The BBC will censor stuff and pull programs if they get complains in double figures. The UK are a bunch of complainers.

Yes, I am aware of the irony that I, as a UK citizen, am complaining.