Keeping it Real in Video Game Ads

You may remember seeing television advertisements for Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 2 (X360, PC) and Treyarch's Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (PS2, Xbox, GCN), both published by Activision, which featured somewhat misleading video footage. Commercials for the game included pre-rendered computer graphics which, while indicative of the games' themes and situations, did not actually represent the quality of the in-game graphics. The ads were interspersed with lauditory quotes from game reviewers, some of which cited the games' impressive graphics, leading many viewers to believe that the pre-rendered footage being shown was in fact taken directly from the game. Today, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority issued an adjudication to Activision UK upholding complaints made by television viewers that the ads are misleading. When consulted, the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, which approved the ads for release, stated that "it was their understanding when clearing the ads that the scenes shown were taken from the games themselves." As such, the ads have been deemed "unacceptable for broadcast" and "must not be shown again in their present forms."

The ASA noted that the ads did not include any indication that the images shown did not reflect the quality of graphics of the games. While the scenes used communicated the themes of the game, they were not accurate representations of the graphics in the games themselves. We considered that this was misleading. The ads breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising) and 5.2.2 (Implications).

The sequences shown in the advertisements were created solely for advertising purposes. The ASA's decision may have far-reaching effects on video game advertising methods, as publishers may be unlikely to spend money developing marketing footage that is not acceptable under the advertising standards of certain territories. However, the existing Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One ads will continue to be shown outside of the UK. The long term effects will probably largely depend on how forthcoming publishers are with their use of pre-rendered sequences. In the case of Activision's ads, message boards on various gaming sites had threads in which posters debated whether the ads contained gameplay footage or CG. Activision claimed to have acted "in good faith," and "had not been told that it was not acceptable to use material created specially for an ad in this way," but the reactions of many viewers suggest that, intentional or not, the footage was deceptive. Similar concerns erupted during last year's E3 when Sony showed extraordinarily realistic footage of an in-progress Killzone title under development by Geurrilla Games. It was eventually determined that the footage was essentially pre-rendered. Sony later admitted the trailer was intended to show the general feel being targeted for the final game. Shacknews has contacted Activision for comment on the matter. (Thanks GI.biz)