As video game technology advances, new realms are opened for debate: What content should be permitted and how should offensive material be handled?

Video games are becoming a marketplace for advertisers trying to reach gamers, drawing mixed reviews from teens.

John Smith, a senior at John S. Davidson Fine Arts School, says that sometimes, potentially offensive material is done just for profit but that at other times it can be an artistic statement -- but it should be given the proper rating.

"People come across offensive material all the time in real life," John said.

Teens also come across ads in real life, while watching TV or just driving down the road. The prevalence of video games enticed businesses such as Axe Body Spray and the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama to place ads on virtual billboards in games.

Massive Inc., an advertising subsidy of Microsoft, lists young adult males as the target audience for potential clients on its Web site.

Its site says gamers respond positively to ads and had increased brand recognition.

Justin Brasch, 16, a sophomore at Greenbrier High School, said he's no fan of ads popping up during the game.

"You notice it, and it gets kind of annoying. It takes away from the game," he said.

He plays first-person shooter, shooters and puzzle games, but that doesn't mean he thinks violence should be part of younger gamers' playing experiences.

"I'm not OK with it when I see a little kid shooting people's heads off," he said.

Paul Perry, 17, a junior at Greenbrier, also believes in monitoring younger gamers. He plays all types of games, he said.

A game commonly found at the center of debate on violence and offensive material is Grand Theft Auto , which is notorious for its hidden sex scene and for violence toward innocent bystanders.

"They just go too far with everything," said James Evans, 18, a 2008 Harlem High School graduate.

James, a fan of old-school Pac-Man and Nintendo 64 Mario games, says most games are just too violent.

"If it's going to offend anybody, they shouldn't put it in," he said.

Paul also owns LittleBigPlanet, a Sony game recalled by the company this year over concerns that Quran scripture incorporated in the music could offend Muslims.

It doesn't offend him, and other games he has played had religious chanting in the background.

"I can see how people can be easily offended," he said.

John mostly plays Nintendo DS, platformers and puzzle games. He occasionally plays shooter games, but he doesn't draw an association between actions in video games and real life.

"It's just another art form," he said.

Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.