NYC politico demands Sony pay $20k for PSP ads

Councilman says guerilla publicity campaign encourages graffiti, urges massive donation from the game giant.

When a series of bizarre graffiti pieces incorporating drawings of the PSP began showing up in cities across the country, most gamers immediately smelled a(nother) viral marketing campaign. Those suspicions were confirmed a few weeks ago, when television ads featuring similar art began running. Just before New Year's Eve, Sony admitted to the BBC that it had hired graffiti artists in seven cities to paint the art on legally licensed walls in an effort to target "urban nomads."

However, the fact Sony went by the book isn't good enough for a New York City official. Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. told the New York Post that he wants Sony to take down the ads and pay $20,000 to the city's anti-graffiti program. "Children are impressionable, and if they see a wall with graffiti on it and they don't know that it's done with permission, it could very well lead to them believing that it's OK for them to do it," said Vallone. Sony defended its use of the space, saying it was merely a "different" approach to advertising.

The flap over the PSP ads isn't the first time games and anti-graffiti activists have locked horns. Last August, the organizations Keep America Beautiful and the National Council to Prevent Delinquency lambasted Atari for publishing Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, claiming the game would spark an increase in graffiti.

137 Comments

  • ZEELIX

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 9:06 am PT

    i love graff. besides looks cool and they paid for it. they shouldnt have to pay 20000 thats stupid.

  • sancezz

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 9:04 am PT

    yes, kids are really that stupid...maybe HE was stupid enough at that age.hell..i think he still is. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE CHILDREN. Providing they're brough up well and don't suffer any trauma, i doubt they're going to go "ooh..graffiti! must do that myself! I'm influenced by everything and everyone and have no mind of my own!"

  • ghsacidman

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:31 am PT

    Stupid police..... Why is it people today can't just stfu. The only reason that cop even cares about kids and graffiti, is because it got his name on the 10 O'Clock news.

  • Hrainian

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:01 am PT

    Why don't we make an angry mob and go on a rampage?

  • outsidethewall

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 7:50 am PT

    If I owned a building in New York, I would get some people to tag my building all over, just to spite him.
    Private Property means "It's mine, I can decorate it how I want"

  • Link564

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 7:43 am PT

    That is true and what say sony didnt do the grafiti tthe kids are still going to do grafiti

  • spr4yp4int

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 7:21 am PT

    BLAH BLAH BLAH.
    US Politicans IQ is the same as that of a goldfish.

  • PaladinX05

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 7:12 am PT

    What the hell, Im starting to think tha if you are a liberal and from New York that you have like some personal vendetta against gaming, I mean first we have that spawn of satan Hillary Clinton tring to ban games, who will probably run for president (heaven help us) and now this guy saying that Sony should pay NY $20K for something that wasnt illegal, they followed everything by the book moron, therefore Sony did not do a damn thing wrong. I think politicians need to worry about some bigger things in the world rather than attempting to amek a company pay for something that was done legally.....yeesh what the hell has this world come to.

  • juvinwo1

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 7:05 am PT

    lol the people in new york are stupid, there is no reason for sony to pay the money, the fact that all the liberals are just trying to raise more money, when they should be more worried about the fact that their kids are STUPID enough to believe that graffiti is OK and dont these politicians have anything BETTER to worry about?? how about getting rid of all the illegal aliens in NYC, getting rid of the crime, how about supplying better educational programs?? hmmmm these guys are idiots and anyone who agrees with them should sit back and think about all the things that your tax dollars could be used on, but are instead being wasted by paying these guys to think of stupid crap like this.

  • cikame

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 6:48 am PT

    i like graffitti, well...GOOD graffitti, stupid chavs around here just get out a pen n write 'state 22' everywhere, but when i was young i went to central bristol and in a car park was this proper artisitc dwarf...or imp, or something but it was cool to look at because whoever made it was talented and thats stuck in my mind, i'd rather see stuff like that than a plain wall thats for sure

  • dryden555

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 6:03 am PT

    I'm in NYC and the "graffitti" actually looks like an ad for the PSP and its located in places where there are other poster ads. So basically the ad campaign is underwhelming

  • Game-o_O

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:35 am PT

    Wow, I love how the council guy completely forgot about the First Ammendment, "Freedom To Express Ones-Self" ? And it was done legally. Don't worry people, its just the goverment people trien to get in good with the public, its the ellection year. 'Peter Vallone Jr.', maybe you should get a life, you can join the anti-games people like Jack Thompson. --- Kids being influenced? Yeah, right. [bull****] Oh some guy posted about GTA:SA being the retailers fault, instead of the parent. You need to face reality, its always the parents fault. --- "A persons personia is developed by their surroundings". Then again, lets just claim all kids are innocent and helpless. --- Thats right children, all adults thing you're worthless & disobiedent.

  • Dave_petrucci

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:15 am PT

    HAHA! Take that marketing scumbags!

  • AceRampage

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:14 am PT

    They must think kids these days are becoming dumb...

  • joyer

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 4:44 am PT

    bah sony schmony.... to all those people who thought they were clever saying it was somebody making a satiric point about video games when this came out... your not as smart as you think you are... and no its not art or freedom of expression, its crappy advertisements, theyre not murals, they were stencils and crap ones at that. anyways the politican is a tool but advertising needs to be clearly stated as such otherwise it verges on subliminal advertising... crap advertising by sony pushing their crap device on the masses

  • crazyluc

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 4:41 am PT

    What I hat in life if when you make an effort to do something legally and they still come after you. I just can't believe it...

  • Cap_n_Crunch

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 4:41 am PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • Cap_n_Crunch

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 4:40 am PT

    Hypocrite. Funny how art can be accepted in one form and ridiculed and outlawed in another. These walls were legal "licensed" walls. Anyone who tags or has even the remote interest in graf knows that there is a difference between tagging public property and licensed/private walls. Most artists would kill to have a licensed wall to tag and be able to share their work, the solution is to ensure more licensed walls are available to showcase graf artists in their true form. Trying to fine a company like Sony over something like this just goes to show how the real issues in America are being tossed to the side and government is wasting time and effort on things like "graffiti prevention". Councilman Vallone needs to spend more time on serious issues. News flash Councilman, you live in Queens, and having been there I can say openly that graffiti is probably the least of your concerns, try the drug rate and murder rate, but i'm sure Sony is to blame for that too. Get over it and solve issues that need to be delt with and leave Sony alone. If a company goes about doing things of this nature in a legal manner and are still fined, why would they bother next time? Grow up and let it go.

  • Sabooya

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:45 am PT

    Jeeeese.... People are so greedy....

  • LordOfMidnight

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:35 am PT

    Yes, once again, let's blame someone else for the problems of the world.

  • ALLoY1717

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:24 am PT

    Well, the ads certainly wokred.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 2:51 am PT

    lol, It's just an ad, take it easy. It's not like there was a drawing of a kid smoking a PSP pretending it's a cigarette,

  • Silencer786

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 2:11 am PT

    hahahahaha poor sony

  • reallaughingman

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 1:59 am PT

    sony will spend a million on lawers befor they pay 20 thousand to the state. As i would if I were rich.

  • damagooon

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:51 pm PT

    lol trying to get Sony fined for that , is the stupidest thing ever. Theres no way they can get out it with. Those walls are LEGALLY ALLOWED to be painted with graffitti. Thats what they are for. Period.

    Any argument or disagreement against it , is completely irrelevant, since the law already granted it.

  • initiald411

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:29 pm PT

    once again everyone give it up for the most bored goverment in the world

  • mikekare79

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:16 pm PT

    Wow, I can't believe they did that. Try doing that to a Sony building, they'll have ou arrested. They should pay to remove that stuff. 20K is nothing compared to billboards and commercials.

  • initiald411

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 11:08 pm PT

    politicians from bush the the bottom are all bored ass people with nothing else to do but bother the game industry who cares about some damn advertisment when kids are shooting each other in urban gang wars and the threat of a terror attack is very real,i'm sick of stupid politicians with not a thing else to do but bag on what people like worry about other things like jobs,strikes and violence leave sony the hell alone,its just like them talkin about how kids are gonna shoot someone if they play gradtheft i've been playin violent video games since I was five and I am the least likley person to start or get into a fight never mind murdering somone,I swear if the u.s. goverment could pin sony with the reason osama is tryin to take out the u.s. they would this is all to point out how bored stupid and gay the u.s. goverment can be 20k go somewhere with that i'm outta here

  • Cartman86

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 10:24 pm PT

    Saying that little kids could see it and try and copy it is just stupid. Its basically like saying if I painted my house red little children would think of doing that to. You can't protect people from everything. Especially in this case. Where sony did no wrong. They payed someone to do it in legal areas. Even if some kid were to copy it it wont matter. NY has no legal rights here.

  • HeyzeusNYC

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 10:03 pm PT

    Man Graffiti is everywhere her in NYC Idk why this dude is all pissed off about... So the F*** what... PLaces that you mostly see graffiti is in Queens,Bronx, & Brooklyn. Whatever I hate council men they worry about the littlest things how about putting more cops on patrol and worry about gangs and violence instead of worrying about a SONY PSP ad... Me as a gamer I love the ad... some old lady in the train earlier today saw the ad they thought it was cute and she took a picture of it... Graffiti is Art .(Except those that can't be understand..lol)I think they should just leave up there no matter how hard u try to stop the vandilism more will keep coming back..

  • dmn_link

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:32 pm PT

    I see the grafitty every day here in manhathan when i go to work in the train stations.

  • Solarsonic7

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:26 pm PT

    *Yet another stupid poltician in the world.*

    Another one? I thought all of them were stupid.

  • CLONING

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    "Basinboy
    Shouldn't this guy have bigger problems to worry about then a company using graffiti as a way of advertisement? Honestly, I don't find it that big a deal. Maybe Sony should be forced to clean it up, sure, but 20k? Whatever, that's just stupid. Fix the bigger problems first before you worry about companies promoting graffiti."

    Its politics , dont even try to understand it !

  • Double_Zeta

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    Ah Sony.

    How you guys make me chuckle.

  • forever_blank

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:37 pm PT

    Still, I know what the politicians are saying.... it does kinda set a bad example, but none the less it is a good idea

  • raquor

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:36 pm PT

    IMO this is no different then putting up a billboard. Chicago has "murals" painted on the side of buildings in various places along the Interstates. This is just stupid, "oh no, "graffiti is bad" some little kid whose parents dont care what they do might grab a can of spray paint and paint some cool looking stuff on a wall somewhere and ..." BOOHOO...man...do these old geezers even know what a PS2 or a GameCube is/looks like? They oughta be strangled with a damn controller extension cable.

  • 777rak

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:31 pm PT

    Man that is sad Sony....

    Nintendo would never do something this Stupid

  • 24_KarroTz

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:15 pm PT

    Why would you waste your time over arguing about something legal?

  • 75X

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:55 pm PT

    If kids are that impressionable, then they shouldn't be watching TV.

  • stlcards00027

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:40 pm PT

    this is so freaking stupid. Why can't politician worry about what they are voted for to do. I doubt any one elected them to stop a company from advertising using graffiti.

  • omarguy01

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    what sony did was illegal, they have to suffer the consequences

  • nuit_b

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    acutally this is just a guy trying to get a quick buck anyway he can

    you know.... like the people who "slip up" in supermarkets to sue the company. they are scam artists. sony did everything legal, nothing wrong on their part

  • nuit_b

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:35 pm PT

    while graffiti sucks. sony did it by the book and walls that are for that crap. so they have done nothing wrong

  • Trygle12-hack

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:34 pm PT

    I just can't believe they would sink to something that low though!
    And Yes Children are VERY impressionable!
    AND I DISAGREE WITH THE OPINION THAT EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO ENSURE THE WELL BEING (Politicians) OF THESE CHILDREN ARE NOT ANNOYING! If you see a 10 year old buy GTA:SA with a parent that has little knowledge on the subject of the Game, Who is to blame? The Kid? No He is still innocent, or at least we think. The Parent? No the Parent can't tell either. The store? Probably! Half of the people that don't want stores to restrict sales are under 17 and want their game, do you see a bias there? While I agree that Jack Thompson is a tad crazy, I respect his efforts.

  • kaito2

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:30 pm PT

    I would also add that this has nothing to do with the local government. This was a mutual agreed upon arrangement between two private parties, Sony and the people selling the advertising space, and shouldn't have anything to do with the governemnt.

  • kaito2

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:30 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • sugarhigh4242

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    Nice point Kaito2

  • Trygle12-hack

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:26 pm PT

    Sony made them, Sony will pay for them, Got IT? GOOD!

  • Mit_Man

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:25 pm PT

    Handclap to Sony, that's a pretty cool advertising idea.



    Boo to New York. Suck it up and shut up, it was all done legally.

  • Agent_023

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:22 pm PT

    Children aren't anywhere near as impressonable as adults seem to think these days.

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