November 27, 2006
The recent controversy over GTA ads on Boston subway cars seemed both sudden and unexpected, but GamePolitics has learned that the issue is not a new one for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.As far back as February, Boston Common Asset Management, which describes itself as "a full service, employee-owned social investment firm dedicated to the pursuit of financial return and social change," broached the subject of restricting video game advertising on MBTA vehicles with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
A February 24th letter on behalf of the organization and its clients requested that an MBTA ad contract for the GTA series be allowed to expire without being renewed. A press release issued that day, which appears on the Boston Common Asset Management website says:
In light of the recent surge in violence in the Boston area, we feel it is particularly irresponsible of the MBTA to act as a billboard for products that promote urban violence. The advertisements have been running on the outside of MBTA Green Line trolleys and the Commuter Rail since January 3, 2006.
The ads mentioned would most likely be for the PSP title GTA Liberty City Stories, which was released October 24th, 2005.
In addition to Gov. Romney, the February GTA letter was forwarded to Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston and Kenneth Reeves of Cambridge. Both elected officials would go on to sign the November 20th letter from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood which jump-started last week's controversy.
Comments
This does poke a hole in the "this is the first I've heard of it" argument. His point about "the city should be fighting the REAL problems, not imaginary ones" is still valid though.
Grabauskas has made an attempt to deal with it, but he's not really in a position to put up a fight against this much political pressure. And he's not going to get that much support. The right of a company to advertise their product may be important but it's hardly the sort of thing that's going to get the ACLU steamed up.
A polite letter and discussion with the head of the MBTA would probably have had pretty much the same results, except more quickly and easily, but then the mayor wouldn't get his mention in the papers.
http://www.internetcases.com/archives/2006/11/seventh_circuit_1.html