Recently the Guardian reported that the Advertising Standards Authority has decided that a Modern Warfare 3 ad should not be shown during daytime hours.  Previously the British Board of Film Classification had given the MW3 ad a PG certificate, which meant that it could be played during the daytime so long as it was not played during programs believed to appeal to youngsters under the age of 16.  The ad’s classification also enabled stores to play it publicly on their screens.

Due to two viewer complaints however, the ASA has ruled that the ad should not be aired during daytime at all, and has banned it from television before 7:30 PM.  The ads stated that children between the ages of two and four had viewed the ad during a football game and were frightened by the scenes of explosive destruction in New York City and London.  Needless to say, this is pretty ridiculous (especially given that there were only two complaints—and aren’t parents responsible for monitoring what their children see to begin with?), although we can only hope it means that more people will take an interest in the game that was apparently just too hardcore for British daytime television viewing.