‘Gears 5’ Will Eliminate All Smoking Depictions After Concerns Raised by Youth Anti-Tobacco Org

Fl0ydPinkert0n · Jul 15, 2019

"Gears 5" the forthcoming installment in the “Gears of Wars” third-person shooter game franchise, will be a smoke-free establishment.

The game, set for Sept. 10 release, comes from Xbox Game Studios and game developer The Coalition.
The decision to remove all smoking references from "Gears 5" came after not-for-profit anti-smoking organization Truth Initiative approached Turner, whose ELeague esports division has broadcast rights to the title, about making the change. Turner collaborated
with The Coalition to strip out smoking from the game.

Turner is promoting the partnership with Truth for this weekend’s ELeague Gears Summer Series Invitational. The esports tournament is taking place July 13-14 with live coverage on Twitch – the first time fans will see “Gears 5” in action.

In a statement, Rod Fergusson, studio head at The Coalition, said: “I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of smoking. It’s always been important for me to not use smoking as a narrative device, which is why we made the conscious choice to avoid
highlighting or glorifying smoking in ‘Gears 5’ and throughout the Gears of War Universe moving forward.” According to a rep for Xbox Games Studio, the decision was done solely by The Coalition.

Past “Gears of War” titles have included occasional scenes with tobacco use, with certain characters holding cigarettes or cigars. The removal of tobacco depictions in “Gears 5” has been months in the works, said Seth Ladetsky, senior VP, Turner Sports Sales
and head of Turner Sports Digital and ELeague sales strategy and revenue.

“This took a lot of time and a lot of good thinking,” said Ladetsky. “It’s the right image for ELeague — and the game itself — to project.”

Of course, “Gears 5” still includes a ton of shooting and, arguably, glorifies violence. The game is rated “M” (for audiences 17+) for blood and gore, strong language and intense violence, according to Microsoft.

Is there a double standard in keeping the violence while the parties involved congratulate themselves for their anti-smoking stance? For one thing, as the video-game industry has repeatedly noted, there’s no evidence of a causal link between violent
crime and gaming. Ladetsky said the elimination of smoking doesn’t change the nature of the game itself, and he cited research that shows a correlation between higher exposure to tobacco depictions in entertainment and a higher incidence of smoking adoption
among younger people. “As you remove these images, it does have an impact,” he said.

News that “Gears 5” is stubbing out smoking comes after
Netflix last week said it will cut out tobacco imagery in its originals rated for younger viewers, with the exception of maintaining “historical or factual accuracy.” That came after Truth released a report finding that tobacco use in TV series popular
among those aged 15-24 had surged in the past year — and that Netflix original series “Stranger Things” and “Orange Is the New Black” among the worst offenders for showing smoking.

Truth, which is dedicated to ending tobacco use among young Americans, has targeted smoking imagery in video games given their popularity among younger consumers. For example, 62% of esports viewers in the U.S. are 18-34, according to research by consulting
firm Activate.

“In the midst of the pervasive reemergence of glamorized smoking imagery in pop culture, we commend [The Coalition] for taking smoking out of ‘Gears 5’ and ELeague for featuring this tobacco-free game during this weekend’s competition,” said Robin Koval,
CEO and president of Truth Initiative. “We are hopeful that this decision will encourage other game developers and streaming tournaments to follow this lead and level up the gaming experience by going tobacco-free.”

https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/gears-5-xbox-smoking-eleague-truth-initiative-1203265854/

Just came across this article, and figured I'd share. I'm curious what other people have to say about this news.

On one hand, it's not a hard loss considering smoking has never been that prominent in Gears of War games anyways. The only character that comes to mind who smokes is

Michael Barrick (a DLC character in Gears 3). At the same time though, kids shouldn't be playing these games anyways because it's a mature rated game with tons of guns / bullets, blood, and gore.

Edit - Rod Fergusson has made a couple comments about this on Twitter:

To be fair, this isn't entirely accurate. I've been against smoking from the beginning and have worked hard to not make it a part of our franchise. Ever notice that the Dizzy concept art for Gears 2 has a cigarette but the actual character in the game doesn't?
I stopped it.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/1149821953487724544

It was never removed. It was never there in the first place.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/1149826003771904005

In regards to Barrick, he says:

That was a fight I mostly won and became a compromise. RAAM's Shadow was supposed to start with him lighting his cigar but I said "no" so they kept it unlit through the whole mission. Then as a token gesture from Jace he ended up lighting it. I wanted it
lit off screen but lost.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/1149824742125236225

And when it comes to no smoking, but chainsaw others in the game(s):

Because I don't want to contribute to the continued normalization of smoking whereas I know that chainsawing monsters will never be normal
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/1149824089843834880

:)

ThisGameIsSucky

I mean the game is rated M for Mature, or at least all the games in the series up to this point has been. M games have always been full of offensive content and most of the time its been for one reason or another, but normally justified. I could understand
it if the Leagues and Game companies were trying to reach a younger audience through this, its noble. But... its just not called for I don't think. Removing smoking from an already Mature rated game that's overtly violent at most times isn't gonna do much
for its social/advertising impact/image.

Its just like the Netflix and smoking thing over Stranger Things. I get that its all to pull back on sensitive content and increase the viewership for younger audiences... but its an unprecedented fact that like everyone smoked in the 1980's.

I'm all for the anti-tobacco stuff. It Is awful to see the long term medical effects it has on people. I just don't understand why campaigning groups have ramped up what they are doing concerning it so much recently.

RUBENSJUNIOR21

I think it's a very exaggerated attitude, it's just a game.

TDK Skin Walker

That's gotta be the dumbest thing I have heard all week. I heard Netflix will do the same with all shows in the future.

LiThIuMxFaLcOn

I don't like when they get rid of something in a game that's 18+. When people get all up in arms over something or get offended by something so they have to take it out of a game in the end. I don't smoke and I think it's gross so I don't care about that
at all but sometimes you give alittle and they'll take alot in the end.

DanMen334

I honestly think that games with +18 should not be censored of any kind are for adults, that bothers me

‘Gears 5’ Will Eliminate All Smoking Depictions After Concerns Raised by Youth Anti-Tobacco Org