Kevin Cheng
IDC 1001H
Professor Wollman
November 25, 2013
Violence in Advertising
Posters advertising violence are seen everywhere from newspapers to public transportation. Often these instances are marketed in a way that highlights the violence in the medium of entertainment that is being advertised. An example of this is advertisements for Grand Theft Auto V. One of the advertisements promoting Grand Theft Auto V features a man with a tattoo across his neck that says, “Cut here.” Another one on the Corner of Lafayette and Bleeker features several different scenes from Grand Theft Auto V, one of which includes a man with a gun in his hand. The question of why such instances pique the attention of the public reinforces the concept that humans are obsessed with violence. This can be attributed to the success of countless video games that have been released. The anticipation for Grand Theft Auto games was ridiculous, with regards to all of the hype that the game received before its initial release on September 17th. Sales of a billion dollars in three days is no laughing matter, it also puts Grand Theft Auto at the pinnacle of reception of any form of entertainment. What is it about violence that attracts so much attention? Is it the need to satisfy the primal urge for violence by living vicariously through video games or other mediums of entertainment?
A study by the National Coalition on TV violence reported that 70% of the 150 games they surveyed included high levels of violence. With video game development further progressing, video games will have better graphics than ever before. Blood and gore will become more and more realistic. An instance that comes to mind with regards to blood and gore is the Mortal Kombat video game series, a series that was so obscene and violent that it caused a need for the video game rating system. The popularity and success of games similar to Mortal Kombat further the human obsession with violence; advertisers then exploit this obsession.
The phrase “Sex sells” is one that is commonly heard and associated with marketing strategies that feature attractive men and women to get the attention of the possible consumer. However, “Violence sells” is not something that people usually say much about. Both are very important issues that have to be addressed, because they affect and influence people that are exposed to their influence. The prevalence of violence in video games is present from even the most basic video games that children play. These games even reward the player after they kill or defeat an opponent. Violence is not something that should be encouraged with positive reinforcement. By rewarding the young gamer after he or she kills his or her opponent, it causes he or she to think that violence is ok to practice.
Art is said to represent the zeitgeist of the times. With respect to this, advertisers appeal to the zeitgeist of the times with the art that are their advertisements which are specifically created to cater to this love of violence. The growing concern for the prevalence of violence throughout the world is highlighted by the prevalence of violence in not only the video games people play but also its prevalence in other media that people use to entertain themselves. Everything people watch or play with features some form of violence. This is furthered by the concept of how conflict makes things interesting and fun to watch. People would be completely bored by a show where a family is completely perfect in every way, because there would be nothing going on. Advertisements that reflect these shows and give sneak peaks about them that often feature conflict, fighting, and guns just to name a few examples.
According to an article from the American Academy of Pediatrics, media violence is a major contributing factor to the real life aggression and violence. Children learn from observing, imitating and adopting behaviors. Violence in the media is not something that the public would want future generations to be imitating or adopting and practicing. Guns are shown in a way that makes it seem that they solve so many problems in the media. Guns are often also a symbol that represents power and as a weapon to instill fear. This general image of the gun is not one that should be fostered.
The issue of violence in the media also causes people to see the world in a negative manner, with the preconception of it as an extremely dangerous place. With regards to this, people will be more likely to be fearful of their safety so they will be more likely to carry a weapon with them. This in turn causes people to be more susceptible to acting rashly with their possibly concealed weapon. The NRA has used the argument that the only way to protect oneself from a bad guy with a gun is to have a good guy with a gun. This argument is very heavily flawed with how easily someone can cause peril harm to another with such weapons.
Films in the media often do not address the issue of violence as it stands. Violence is glorified and the aftermath of it is not addressed. Violence causes pain and suffering, loss and sadness to those impacted by it. However in the media, when a bad guy is killed how often does the media talk about how they were affected? Their death is just treated as collateral damage in the journey to accomplishing something.
Foremost, the influence of violence in the media desensitizes the public to violence. It is not at all uncommon for an advertisement to have weapons or explosions from the movie or media it’s promoting. With regards to these instances, people do not even hesitate at all while viewing them. Violence is so prevalent and prominent that people do not even seem to care enough to bother considering the brevity of the actual consequences that would occur with the violence in the media.
Advertisements cater to the zeitgeist of the times, and currently feature large amounts of violence. This violence heavily influences the public and causes people to become desensitized to the violence or even sometimes questions their outlook on the their safety in the world. The influence the media has on the public is immense and should be more carefully regulated to facilitate a safer world. The exploitation of violence in advertisements is an issue that must be addressed if there is any hope for a more peaceful world.
Works Cited:
Anderson, Craig A., Douglas A. Gentile, Regina M. Milteer, MD, and Donald L. Shifrin, MD. “Media Violence.” Media Violence. American Academy of Pediatrics, 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
“Violence and Video Games.” Violence and Video Games. Game Zero Magazine, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
