There's an Initiative to Ban Smoking in All Video Games

Smoking has been fairly prevalent in pop culture. Even after they've been banned from most media advertisement, actors have been smoking on screen for generations now. The same is definitely true for video games. While cigarette companies can't exactly advertise for cigarettes in games, smoking definitely has a presence. And I'm not talking about the VapeCube. Whether you're a Metal Gear Solid fan or a Final Fantasy fan, you've seen some of the coolest characters light up a cigarette or cigar and go to town. And now, The Truth Initiative is trying to put a stop to it.


I don't think Mortal Kombat technically counts here.

An organization called the Truth Initiative is calling upon video game developers to ban smoking in all forms from video games permanently. But what brings this up all of a sudden? Well, this year, there was a survey that found children think characters who smoke look more badass. Not only that, but they look so cool because they're smoking. That means, for the Truth Initiative, that it should be done away with completely in games.

Personally, I don't really buy into their campaign. It's not because the vast majority of my contacts in the gaming community don't touch the stuff either. That's anecdotal evidence, so it's not worth considering. I'm not a fan of their smoking ban because of the source behind the research it's based on. You see, the survey in question was conducted by the Truth Initiative themselves. And if there's one constant in the research world, it's that biased research lead to biased results.