After completing an alternative medicine course I firmly believe that we are what we see, hear and eat. Therefore I thoroughly agree with your comments.

These type games are VERY disturbing. Our son, now early 20's was addicted to video games, started with race car games, them seek and find, then seek and destroy then a combo of all of the above. After school and his homework, he and his freinds would play all night. He always recieved good marks at school and always had a good attitude at home so we felt no harm done. After he got out on his own, he thought he could be a "gamer" all night like he did when at home. After a few years he has found that reality takes priority over being a gamer. He nor any of his friends are violent young adults. To the kids, these games are a form of entertainment, mind you I don't like them or play any at all. I think to make a big deal out of games can do more harm than good. As parents we see when our children are acting out something they have seen and it is our responsibility to curb their behavior. That is what being a parent is for me. We can not protect them from all the evils of the world, only do our parenting job as best we can.

Yes I agree, this is an appalling advertisment to be placed close to school routes and this is what you should do. These posters are blatantly promoting gun use and you and as many mums as possible should contact the advertising complaints commission and ask for them to be removed. If that fails to work then you will have to consider a different method of protesting. You will need some sheets of A3 paper on which is written "Not for childrens eyes" or something similar and tape them over the offending advertisments. Under no circumstances should you actually deface the advertisements as that would be criminal damage. By simply covering them you would of course be "fly posting" hardly likely to get you a criminal record. Good luck 'gie

I have to agree with you on the subject of these adverts. Why is it that the advertising of products and services for the over 18s is not restricted to media that are only available to the over 18's. I have also seen Grade theft auto 4 adverts on the TV before the watershed.

Oh come now - you see and hear worse than this in mainstream music! I happen to own this game (happening to be quite a fan of the GTA series - especially it's more recent years) - and to be quite honest, if you see this game and think that what happens in it is acceptable, you're already a danger to society. MTW - forgive me, but I really cannot comprehend how that poster condones gun violence! It's quite obviously an advert for a game - one may as well say advertisements for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (a mildly-popular FPS set in the US Special Forces of 2013) condone going to war! Of course some children will find it cool because it's not allowed - children also think fire and fast cars are cool, because they can't play with either! My younger brothers know about GTA IV - they also realise that it's a cartoon and that it isn't representative of life. None of them, in my honest opinion, are likely to go out and get involved in guns, or anything else portrayed in that game, because they understand the fact that it's a game and nothing more. I should add that the company that makes those adverts probably didn't have a say over where they're placed - chances are that's left to the company that places them. Synergie, you'll have to explain to me how that poster condones gun use, as I simply cannot understand where you've gotten that opinion from! To me, that poster advertises a game - the "Grand Theft Auto IV" in big letters pretty much confirms it. As I've said before, if you're liable to be swayed into gun use by the sight of that poster, you're already a danger to society. We see much worse from the like of "Fifty Cent" (or whatever they call themselves these days), yet these are ignored simply because they've not got an age rating. GTAIV is quite clearly an 18 - children are obviously not going to get hold of it by themselves are they? It's not the developers fault that a large proportion of parents in this country lack a sense of discipline (MTW not included in that majority, to her eternal credit).

I agree with a lot of what LordBelacqua says. It comes down to parental responsibility. Parents must be aware of the type of games their children play. You wouldn’t let young kids watch x-rated movies, would you? Having said that, it shows a great deal of hypocrisy that it is ok to advertise the likes of this game in the types of places it is, when there are so many restrictions on other advertising that is said to influence kids to their detriment.

Thanks for all the comments it really does help to hear different view points. Dan, I have tried but I can't get my head around it hun. How can anybody want to shot someone?! Even if just in a game? How can this be fun? Of course the poster condones gun use! It glorifies it! We will have to agree to disagree on this one mate. But I don't want my kids exposed to it and I have complained. Thanks for the advice Synergie x

If anybody else would like to complain about this advertisement, you can do it online. Copy the addy into your browser www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/

[quote][bold]Mumstheword[/bold] wrote: Thanks for all the comments it really does help to hear different view points. Dan, I have tried but I can't get my head around it hun. How can anybody want to shot someone?! Even if just in a game? How can this be fun? Of course the poster condones gun use! It glorifies it! We will have to agree to disagree on this one mate. But I don't want my kids exposed to it and I have complained. Thanks for the advice Synergie x[/quote] Oh, come now Becky (if I may go so far as to use your first name...feels terribly rude) - guns feature in a large percentage of video games these days, and no more is said about it - whether you're looking at the Medal of Honor series (WWII), Call of Duty (WWII-Modern Day), Command and Conquer (Cold War-2300's); these games are regularly advertised! I think this one comes down to a matter of perception. One could just as easily, in my opinion, argue that adverts for a racing game advocate youngsters driving cars at extremely fast speeds á la Gran Turismo through the streets, or that the Bugs Bunny cartoons advocate hunting! As for why would anyone want to shoot someone in a game - I can't explain it. I couldn't shoot someone in real life - but in a game, it's so obviously non-canon to real life that, well, why not? In the case of GTA IV, I appreciate it as artwork as much as a game (the graphics are a see-to-believe on an HD TV, I can tell you). It's expected - and a reason the game is an 18-rated one, just like all GTA series games. The entire premise of the game is around being a gangster (or in this case, a psychotic ex-military ukrainian illegal immigrant). If you think the poster's bad... Before I veer well away from the point, I'll have to ask you to explain how it glorifies guns, as I can't get my head around that just as you can't get your head around why I enjoy these games (it's mainly stress relief - you don't do my job without needing to kill something :P like your equipment or a computer)

You can call me Beckie Dan :) Ok so it's a stress relief kind of thing for you, I can kind of understand that. When I have PMT, or had a stressful day with the six toe rags (quite frequently!) I like to go for a brisk walk if I am up to it or spend an hour with my best friend. Sometimes I write to chill out or I cuddle my guinea pigs or the cat.

Ah, Just onother reason for parents to blame someone or something else. Just another reason to not accept responsibility for our own actions. You wonder why products cost so much? The insurance manufacturers have to pay, to pay off the fanatics in their civil court cases, thats why.

[quote][bold]Mumstheword[/bold] wrote: You can call me Beckie Dan :) Ok so it's a stress relief kind of thing for you, I can kind of understand that. When I have PMT, or had a stressful day with the six toe rags (quite frequently!) I like to go for a brisk walk if I am up to it or spend an hour with my best friend. Sometimes I write to chill out or I cuddle my guinea pigs or the cat.[/quote] Absolutely - it generally depends on the stress. Sometimes just curling up on the sofa with the dog is what I need (and she can usually tell when I'm upset, bless her, and clambers up on my lap, rolls over and lies there like a baby - she'll do anything for her tummy rubbed). I think certainly, if it's an aggressive stress, video games manage to work it out of me after an hour or so.

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