Opinion: Video Game Ads Gone Wrong

Bad ads!

Video game ads have had a long tradition of being, well, kind of bad.  That's not to say that certain advertisements and campaigns haven't really helped light a spark for some games (as reluctant as some gamers might be too admit it) but the vast majority of ads are sophomoric and almost distressingly aimed at a teenaged audience by men no younger than 40.  We dare anyone to go back to their gaming magazines from the '80s or '90s – some of the ads are almost painful to look at!

However, beyond ads that are merely terrible, there have been a handful of advertising campaigns that have managed to dredge up real controversy.  In some cases, the lasting memories of these ads are greater than the games they were advertising for.  Here's a look at some of the more infamous gaming ads to ever be created.   

This list is by no means complete... if there are any omissions you would have liked to see here, please let us know in the comments section!