Why is it illegal to smoke in Gears 5? It depends on who you ask



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<img src = "https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/gearscigar-800×596.jpg" alt = "Do not expect more cumbersome cigar characters to appear in the gears upcoming games. "/>

Enlarge / Do not expect characters who nibble cigars to appear in the gears upcoming games.

The next Gears 5 will not have any on-screen representation or cigarette references, according to The Coalition's developers. But the precise sequence of events leading up to this decision is apparently open to discussion.

The smoke-free story drew attention over the weekend with a report in Variety that linked the decision to a pressure campaign from tobacco advocates to the Truth Initiative. According to Variety, the Coalition decided to remove the smoking references after Truth contacted Turner Broadcasting, which presented Gears 5 in the context of an invitational tournament filmed during his ELeague esports during the weekend.

This sequence seems plausible, especially since Truth is one of the main sponsors of the tournament, which is officially titled "Eleague Gears Summer Series Invitational powered by Truth". In addition, Truth has long lobbied media companies to remove references to smoking from their products, an initiative that recently led to changes in Netflix programming for youth.

For Rod Fergusson, head of the Studio Coalition, Truth said his victory was a win that he actually had no chance of winning. "Just to clarify, I've always been against smoking and pushed it back. gears since the first day, "Fergusson tweeted in response to the cover of the story Friday night. "There was no smoking to remove from Gears 4 or 5 because there have never been smokers to start with. And as long as I'm in control, there'll never be any. Sorry for the confusion."

"My father smoked," added Fergusson as an additional explanation in a follow-up tweet. "He died of a heart attack at age 38. I was 4 years old."

Before the coalition takes over Gears of War 4, the series featured a handful of leading tobacco references under the auspices of epic Games, then developer. COG Michael Barrick, for example, is rarely presented without a brand-name cigar hanging between his lips.

the Armament of war The series, which has always been rated M for Mature by the ESRB, is renowned for its great violence and gore that could make smoking on the screen seem like a minor problem. But Turner's vice president, Seth Ladetsky, told Variety that removing tobacco references would not have as much impact on the nature of the game as eliminating or mitigating the violence. "When you delete these images, it has an impact," he said about the influence of imaging on actual smokers.

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