The‭ ‬Advertising Standards Authority has concluded that videogame adverts in the‭ ‬UK do not breach the body’s guidelines for fair promotion.

The ASA’s review of the subject was carried out following recommendations set by ‬Dr Tanya Byron in her‭ ‬2008‭ ‬Safer‭ ‬Children in a Digital World report.‭ ‬The agency had monitored‭ ‬241‭ ‬game adverts that ran‭ ‬from April to June last year on TV and radio,‭ ‬at the Cinema,‭ ‬on billboard posters and print pieces.‭ ‬Only a single advert was found to be in breach of advertising.

The ASA‭ ‬also stated that a majority of the‭ ‬adverts made a clear reference to each product’s age rating,‭ ‬save for those appearing on radio.‭ ‬In regards to content,‭ ‬the ASA claimed that most of the adverts were complementary to the age-rating of each product.‭

“Depiction of violence was a strong theme,‭ ‬but it was often stylised,‭ ‬fantasy-like and‭ ‬clearly separated from reality,‭”‬ read the‭ ‬ASA’s report,‭ ‬which concluded that‭ ‬the‭ ‬time allocation and placement of the adverts were‭ ‬not considered to be an issue to resolve.‭

“The editorial content of some of the magazines examined contained images of violence more graphic than any of the images in the ads,‭”‬ the ASA said.

The results from the ASA go against the reasons for conducting its review,‭ ‬as Dr‭ ‬Byron’s report considered whether mature imagery‭ ‬from game adverts had been too frequently placed in view of children,‭ ‬and urged there to be a report to explore the issue further.‭

“The issue raised by Dr Byron of children's exposure to violent or inappropriate imagery in‭ ‬video games is an important one,‭” ‬says Christopher Graham,‭ ‬director general of the ASA.‭ “‬Our survey is encouraging as it suggests that video games are being advertised responsibly and in line with the codes.‭”

Last month EA was forced to remove its Tiger Woods‭ ‬09‭ ‬TV spot campaign after complaints that the footage had‭ ‬deceptively mixed footage from both‭ ‬360‭ ‬and Wii versions of the game.

Recently,‭ ‬the ASA stated that the controversial‭ “‬There’s probably no God‭” ‬bus ad campaign by the British Humanist Association‭ ‬was not in breach of the advertising code.