A Call of Duty advert has been banned for trivialising sexual violence, as per the decision of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK. The advertisement in question featured a woman being threatened by an armed man before switching to scenes of combat. The ASA received complaints that the ad was distressing and likely to cause offense.
The game developer, Activision Blizzard, defended the advert, stating that it was intended to reflect the harsh realities of war rather than depict sexual violence. They argued that the scene was brief and not explicit, fitting within the game’s age rating. However, the ASA ruled that the portrayal of the woman’s distress was presented in a way that trivialised the issue of sexual violence and implied that it was a normal part of war.
As a result, the advertisement has been banned in the UK, and Activision Blizzard has been advised not to depict scenes that are likely to cause serious or widespread offense in the future. The company has stated that they will take the ASA’s feedback on board for future marketing campaigns.
The decision highlights the delicate balance that companies must strike when portraying sensitive issues such as sexual violence in their advertising. While it is essential for media to address challenging themes, there is a fine line between raising awareness and trivialising the gravity of such topics.
Sources Analysis:
ASA – The Advertising Standards Authority has a reputation for enforcing advertising standards in the UK. As a regulatory body, it aims to ensure ads are responsible and do not cause harm or offense.
Activision Blizzard – As the developer of Call of Duty, the company has a vested interest in defending its advertising decisions to maintain its brand image and appeal to its target audience.
Fact Check:
– The ASA banned the Call of Duty advert – Verified fact. The ASA’s decisions are public and can be confirmed through their official statements.
– Activision Blizzard defended the advert, stating it reflects the realities of war – Unconfirmed claim. While the company’s statement can be verified, the intention behind the advert may be subjective and open to interpretation.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Call of Duty advert banned for trivialising sexual violence”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.