Vice City sparks protest in Boston
This started out just concerning Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, but the people concerned decided to blow it out of proportion, or so it seems. Here is what happened:
The Boston‘s public transit system, which is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, helps augment income by accepting advertisements from various companies to promote their products. One such company is Rockstar Games, which entered into a contract with MBTA to put up poster ads of the said PSP title. Then out of nowhere, local advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, suddenly held protests demanding that the ads be brought down.
Aside from the other hundred signatories, 60 influential people signed the demand letter including the mayors of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts legislators, religious leaders, top healthcare professionals, children’s advocates and academics. Their “collective wisdom” states, “Advertising on the MBTA enables Rockstar Games to reach countless children, those who ride the trains and those whose neighborhoods the trains pass through.”
Not contented, the advocacy group also demanded MBTA to not accept advertising for M-rated games in the future, as well as R-rated movies and music CDs with explicit lyrics. Interestingly, the Boston police themselves joined the protest together with outspoken critic Jack Thompson.
MBTA Director Daniel Grabauskas promised to look into their agency’s ability to block violent contents in the future, but refused to pull the advertisements as of the moment, citing First Amendment concerns. The GTA poster ads had raised U.S.$ 115,000 for MBTA and the contract with Rockstar Games will expire by the end of this month.
Via Joystiq
This started out just concerning Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, but the people concerned decided to blow it out of proportion, or so it seems. Here is what happened:
The Boston‘s public transit system, which is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, helps augment income by accepting advertisements from various companies to promote their products. One such company is Rockstar Games, which entered into a contract with MBTA to put up poster ads of the said PSP title. Then out of nowhere, local advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, suddenly held protests demanding that the ads be brought down.
Aside from the other hundred signatories, 60 influential people signed the demand letter including the mayors of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts legislators, religious leaders, top healthcare professionals, children’s advocates and academics. Their “collective wisdom” states, “Advertising on the MBTA enables Rockstar Games to reach countless children, those who ride the trains and those whose neighborhoods the trains pass through.”
Not contented, the advocacy group also demanded MBTA to not accept advertising for M-rated games in the future, as well as R-rated movies and music CDs with explicit lyrics. Interestingly, the Boston police themselves joined the protest together with outspoken critic Jack Thompson.
MBTA Director Daniel Grabauskas promised to look into their agency’s ability to block violent contents in the future, but refused to pull the advertisements as of the moment, citing First Amendment concerns. The GTA poster ads had raised U.S.$ 115,000 for MBTA and the contract with Rockstar Games will expire by the end of this month.
Via Joystiq
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