Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Video games are games played via consoles, computers and tablets, as opposed to Mobile games, which are accessed primarily through mobile phones/apps. In addition to this guidance, marketers are advised to read our Entertainment: General guidance which provides an overview of the most common pitfalls in media ads with links to various guidance notes.
Violence and Weapons
The ASA has historically seen a significant number of complaints about violence in ads for video games. In untargeted media, advertisers should be careful to ensure that any violent imagery, even when reflective of the content of the video game, is not excessive nor graphic. In 2013, the ASA chose not to uphold a complaint about a video game poster that featured a man holding a gun in each hand, with two people shown hanging upside down from a tree in the background. It considered that the absence of graphic violence meant that the image was unlikely to cause fear or distress to adults or children (Ubisoft Ltd, 9 January 2013).
However, a Youtube ad that featured images of a flayed corpse wrapped in barbed wire was considered too gory (Zenimax Europe Ltd, 18 September 2013). In addition, the ASA upheld complaints about a computer game campaign that showed a crying woman, gagged and obviously the victim of violence. The ads included the claim “Grittier and nastier in tone than anything you’ve seen before, the violence here is visceral, brutal and very, very real”. Although the ads portrayed a relevant scene from the game, the ASA concluded that the campaign was socially irresponsible, offensive, distressing and guilty of condoning and glorifying violence (Eidos Interactive Ltd, 9 April 2008). See Social Responsibility for more on this.
Marketers should ensure ads do not glamorise or condone the use of violence or weapons. As a general rule, marketers should avoid depicting weapons that are pointing directly or aggressively at the viewer because such images have the potential to be threatening and may cause unnecessary fear and distress.
See also Violence: Condoning or Encouraging, Weapons: General, Weapons: Firearms, Air weapons, Stun guns and Replica guns and Weapons: Knives, Martial Arts Weaponry and Crossbows.
Fear, distress and social responsibility
Ads that feature scary or distressing images or sequences from video games should be targeted away from children and should not be excessively distressing, along with being generally socially responsible.
In 2024, the ASA investigated an ad for ‘Call of Duty Modern Warfare III’ in the Playstation online store. The ad, which featured the image of a soldier in a skull mask, had been seen by the complainant’s child. The advertiser stated that the majority of console users were adults (that is, for the purposes of the Code, over 18) and that only users 18+ could hold a full Playstation account. However, an adult could set up a child account and apply parental controls which would limit the game content the user would see; they would, however, still be able to see all images on the landing page. The ASA noted that, although the complainant’s child had seen the image using a child’s account in this way, the image was not graphic, nor did it feature any violence, and therefore the complaint was not upheld (Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Ltd, 22 May 2024).
Similarly, the ASA also investigated two television ads for the first ‘Call of Duty Modern Warfare’ game. The ads featured photorealistic depictions of urban warfare, including gun fire, bomb blasts, helicopters crashing and infernos. However, the ASA considered the ads had not been scheduled for broadcast during a programme that would hold particular appeal to children, and therefore they had not been inappropriately scheduled (ITV Broadcasting Ltd, 8 April 2020).
See also Fear and Distress, Social Responsibility and Children: Targeting.
Misleadingness and other rules
The content of ads for video games should reflect the product and be representative of the gameplay. If in-play footage is shown, it should be footage from the game in question. It is unlikely that ‘cinematic representations’ of the themes of the game will be acceptable.
A qualification or small print such as “Not representative of actual gameplay” is unlikely to prevent an ad from misleading consumers.
Marketers are also reminded that care should be taken over the use of in-game purchases, and should be especially mindful of time-limited offers, random item purchasing (including “loot boxes”) and pricing. Our Guidance on Advertising In-Game Purchases contains more on this.
Lastly, marketers are reminded that overt sexualisation, objectification, gratuitous nudity and negative depictions and condonement of violence/assault against both women and men are all likely to breach the Code. See Sexualisation and Objectification and Sexual and domestic violence for further guidance and our Entertainment: Mobile/app games guidance for rulings in this area.
See also Entertainment: General, Entertainment: Music, Entertainment: Mobile/app games and Entertainment: Films and TV.