ESPN's First Take criticizes Kobe

[BballTim]

What if it were a zombie first person shooter?

  You'd have a tough time getting through airport security.



  Sorry, wrong thread.

[Greenbean]

Really? hating on kobe bryant for being in a advertisement for a video game that contains violence? come on now! thats not just low thats just stupid.

Have you guys seen the commercial? He and the rest of the people arent just promoting playing the game. They are taking part in war...in plain clothes...with silly smirks on their face.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CALLOFDUTY?v=Pblj3JHF-Jo&feature=pyv&ad=7241155292&kw=black%20ops%20commercial


Yes it is a video game but this portrayal of the game blurs the line between fantasy and reality even further. There isnt even a clip of the game shown in the spot!

I am 24 years old by the way. No kids. I love video games...I love violent video games.

However when I was a kid and there was a commercial for Mortal Kombat where Michael Jordan was ripping a real person's heart out with his bare hands, I think my mother would have thought twice about letting me play that game. It was bad enough the violent content but now the video game company is trying to put the game in a real life context. Risky move on their part. They must have a thin legal department.

[Greenbean]

Just now saw there is an article by Tim Keown on ESPN's Page 2 denouncing Kobe for this also.  Man, what is wrong with people. Its a video game.  Are people really that stupid they can't seperate a video game from real life?

Seriously, are we now gonna say that kids are gonna pick up guns and shoot people because they saw it in a video game?  Guess personal responsibilty is a thing of the past.  Just blame whoever, or whatever else you can for your wrong doings.

The commercial doesnt show the video game. It shows real people with real guns. People that kids look up to. I get what you are saying and i agree to an extent. However this wasnt a conventional video game commercial. It is very edgy and I am surprised to see an athlete like Kobe agree to it.

Edit: Just to add. I really do agree with you that it is awful parenting to let your kid be influenced by media rather than the lessons of the parent. However, there is a huge percentage of the population who let the TV (and now the internet) babysit their kids. So what is the easier thing to fix? Parenting in America or not airing the ad?

[Fafnir]

Much ado about nothing.

[blake]

Wow...I'm pretty amazed at how this is even an issue.  I'm guessing that the company that creates the video game has some kind of tie to ABC and Skip talking about this has completely to do with programming rather than an issue he really cares about.  Having Jimmy Kimmel in there also helps this neurotic thought process.  Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant are perfect guys to have in the commercial though.  Hits the target audience for that game perfectly.

[Evantime34]

The following is a rant:

I think it is a great commercial from an advertising perspective. Has recognizable stars acting as if they were playing the actual game. The most important part of the commercial from an advertising perspective is that they don't show anyone actually getting shot. This is key to the commercial experience, because just like in the video game violence in the commercial doesn't actually hurt anyone.

When things like this come out there are always cries of "what about the children", well if the children have proper parenting this won't effect them. If people expect guidance from a commercial or a video game then our children are already doomed.

I think it's much more harmful for children to see a charge of rape get dropped before going to court to due to a cash payout is more damaging to children than a commercial.

Also did Skip Bayless say bad things about Jimmy Kimmel? I doubt it. NBA and NFL players are held to a standard for reasons I can only guess at (but that is another rant for another day).

People should hate Kobe for his whining to the refs, rampant uncalled fouling on defense and his cocky jerkish attitude, not because of a commercial.

[guava_wrench]

Only would have been bad taste if Delonte was in the commercial and not Kobe.

I have no issue with it.

With that said just for the record, I hate that game, and I hate Kobe.

How about Gilbert?

[guava_wrench]

Just now saw there is an article by Tim Keown on ESPN's Page 2 denouncing Kobe for this also.  Man, what is wrong with people. Its a video game.  Are people really that stupid they can't seperate a video game from real life?

Seriously, are we now gonna say that kids are gonna pick up guns and shoot people because they saw it in a video game?  Guess personal responsibilty is a thing of the past.  Just blame whoever, or whatever else you can for your wrong doings.

The commercial doesnt show the video game. It shows real people with real guns. People that kids look up to. I get what you are saying and i agree to an extent. However this wasnt a conventional video game commercial. It is very edgy and I am surprised to see an athlete like Kobe agree to it.

Edit: Just to add. I really do agree with you that it is awful parenting to let your kid be influenced by media rather than the lessons of the parent. However, there is a huge percentage of the population who let the TV (and now the internet) babysit their kids. So what is the easier thing to fix? Parenting in America or not airing the ad?

Kobe is smiling while doing it. It is a clear reference to how real the virtual environment feels.

It is a small minority of Americans who are squeamish about war movies and video games, so I don't see why Kobe wouldn't do it.

It isn't clear that the commercial creates any violence problems in viewers whatsoever, so why not air it?

The worst part of these discussions is people who talk about kids watching it and kids being influenced. That is often just projection. Provide some evidence that kids are affected any worse than adults before falling back on those arguments.

People also need to wake up to reality. Kids have been playing war games even before we harnessed electricity. Provide some empirical data before endorsing censorship.

[Celtics4ever]

I hate Kobe and any Laker scum and this vid did not bother me in the slightest.

[Finkelskyhook]

I'm for seeing anybody from the NBA in any type of commercial as opposed to the narcissistic messiah.

I don't take shots at Kobe.  I love players who play hard, play to win, and are more consumed with winning than commercializing themselves.

[Greenbean]

Just now saw there is an article by Tim Keown on ESPN's Page 2 denouncing Kobe for this also.  Man, what is wrong with people. Its a video game.  Are people really that stupid they can't seperate a video game from real life?

Seriously, are we now gonna say that kids are gonna pick up guns and shoot people because they saw it in a video game?  Guess personal responsibilty is a thing of the past.  Just blame whoever, or whatever else you can for your wrong doings.

The commercial doesnt show the video game. It shows real people with real guns. People that kids look up to. I get what you are saying and i agree to an extent. However this wasnt a conventional video game commercial. It is very edgy and I am surprised to see an athlete like Kobe agree to it.

Edit: Just to add. I really do agree with you that it is awful parenting to let your kid be influenced by media rather than the lessons of the parent. However, there is a huge percentage of the population who let the TV (and now the internet) babysit their kids. So what is the easier thing to fix? Parenting in America or not airing the ad?

Kobe is smiling while doing it. It is a clear reference to how real the virtual environment feels.

It is a small minority of Americans who are squeamish about war movies and video games, so I don't see why Kobe wouldn't do it.

It isn't clear that the commercial creates any violence problems in viewers whatsoever, so why not air it?

The worst part of these discussions is people who talk about kids watching it and kids being influenced. That is often just projection. Provide some evidence that kids are affected any worse than adults before falling back on those arguments.

People also need to wake up to reality. Kids have been playing war games even before we harnessed electricity. Provide some empirical data before endorsing censorship.

Emperical data that what, kids watch TV and are influenced by what they watch? I dont have it in front of me but in short, advertising works on kids much easier than it does on adults.

To be clear I am not endorsing censorship of video games, I just found this commercial too over the top in its portrayal of real tangible and recognizable people casually shooting real artillery. You are right as long as the parent can successfully get the message accross that video games are just games, then I am fine with it.

And yes, kids have been playing war games forever, but the virtual is closing in on reality. There is no need for the advertising to actually bridge that gap with recognizable celebrities doing the acting and no reference at all to the virtual part of it.

I work for a big toy company. It is our requirement to responsibly advertise our products. They are children's products. For example if we design a toy with really small parts, we would be in violation of regulations to advertise young children playing with them.

Video games, now more than ever, are children's products. This game is sold right next to the Wii games. The message with video games with parents has always been, they are just games they are not real! How much tougher does it get for a parent to get that message across when their son's favorite basketball player is shooting real weapons with no reprocussions in a real life setting?

I am not saying that all kids are going to pick up M80's and start shooting because they dont know any better. However I do know this. If you ship enough of a product, Murphy's law kicks in. This company just made themselves more liable than they were before with this ad. It would be a good ad if it were airing at 1am on adult swim. This thing is literally everywhere and it is pretty irresponsible IMO no matter how cool I think it looks.

THAT was a rant and I really apologize! Im not usually the db in these discussions but I do have some insight and I am pretty disappointed in this ad.

[fairweatherfan]

The worst part of these discussions is people who talk about kids watching it and kids being influenced. That is often just projection. Provide some evidence that kids are affected any worse than adults before falling back on those arguments.

I liked Deadspin's take on it (caps in original): WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN BEING USED FOR RHETORICAL EFFECT BY ANOTHER COLUMNIST GROUCHING ABOUT POP CULTURE?

Children are neck-and-neck with patriotism for the laziest way to try and add false importance to something that boils down to a few people griping. 

Speaking as someone who's done some research on violent media-aggression links (yes they exist, the relationship is strong and consistent, but anybody who tells you they know exactly how they manifest in the real world is a liar), this is a big fuss over very little.  It is interesting to me to see the attention this ad has gotten for reframing violent video game play in this way, because it's a pretty good analogy for how first-person immersive media "works". 

[pearljammer10]

I thought it was pretty cool....Who gives a bleep if he chooses to do a sweet commercial? So ridiculous.

[Dybdal]

Really? hating on kobe bryant for being in a advertisement for a video game that contains violence? come on now! thats not just low thats just stupid.

Have you guys seen the commercial? He and the rest of the people arent just promoting playing the game. They are taking part in war...in plain clothes...with silly smirks on their face.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CALLOFDUTY?v=Pblj3JHF-Jo&feature=pyv&ad=7241155292&kw=black%20ops%20commercial


Yes it is a video game but this portrayal of the game blurs the line between fantasy and reality even further. There isnt even a clip of the game shown in the spot!

I am 24 years old by the way. No kids. I love video games...I love violent video games.

However when I was a kid and there was a commercial for Mortal Kombat where Michael Jordan was ripping a real person's heart out with his bare hands, I think my mother would have thought twice about letting me play that game. It was bad enough the violent content but now the video game company is trying to put the game in a real life context. Risky move on their part. They must have a thin legal department.

Yes i have seen it, and if you have a problem with the ad i think for morality sake, you should be on the fances every time there is a any pop culture icon in a movie wielding a gun, this ad dosnt run in the early hours of the day it runs while all the kids ad's dosnt for a reaon.

The game is rated to a certain age, the movies are rated to a certain age and so are advertisements, its not up to the TV/Movie or Game to put things into the propper context that job is squarely on the parents and no one else.

In fact i hope Kobe does it again! because its become a issue for him ONLY while the other celebritys havnt gotten any flakk at all.

[paul]

I think it sucks that Kobe would use his status in society to promote a product that makes society more violent, but then again, virtually the entire entertainment industry is violence obsessed, so it's hard to pick on Kobe specifically.