The U.K.’s advertising regulator has banned an advert for computer game Duke Nukem Forever until after 11 p.m.
The Advertising Standards Authority says it received 34 complaints for the ad, which features thong-clad strippers and schoolgirls about to kiss. Viewers complained that the ad was sexist and violent, and contained overly explicit images likely to “cause children and vulnerable people harm,” according to the ASA report.
The spot was originally broadcast after 9 p.m. in June. Scenes included animation of pole-dancing strippers (with pixelated breasts and bottoms) interspersed with footage from the game. This included "aircraft firing weapons over a blazing city, a character being punched, and a robot marching through a street."
The game’s manufacturer, Take Two, argued that Duke Nukem Forever was a “cartoonish, over-the-top, humorous take on the first-person shooter videogame genre.” The game “deliberately distanced itself from the ultra-realistic, graphic, modern war games” they said, with a protagonist who was a “1980s, muscle-bound, ultra-macho figure of fun.”
The ASA conceded that the ad was not “overly sexist,” but said that it was “irresponsible” and likely to cause offense if broadcast before 11 p.m.
If you don’t think you’ll be offended by pixelated bottoms and lesbian teenagers, you can watch the ad here.
