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In North America, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) classifies video games into suitability-related groups and has been doing so since 1994. In the original standards used by the ESRB, games were rated as being either inappropriate or permissible based on the content including “Animated Blood and Gore / Violence” and / or gambling. It wasn’t until (presumably) 2003 that these standards were revised to include ESRB content descriptors for things like nudity, sexual content, “crude humor,” and the use or reference of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco.

Interestingly, the employment practice of these content descriptors is extremely simple, and the maturity rating is assigned to a game is entirely based on the occurrent instances of the above-listed red flags, regardless of tone or means of portrayal. So a game made entirely to promote an anti-smoking cause (like “Easyway to Stop Smoking” shown below, via YouTube) should be rated, presumably, as “Mature” if it used literal smoking imagery. Similarly, an educational game about surgery would also be rated as “Mature” if it contained realistic depictions of blood.

I make these points to emphasize the following distinction: these classifications aren’t moral presumptions or disclaimers of socially objectionable content. The ESRB system exists to aid consumers in deciding what to buy in an attempt to prevent mature content from reaching young video game players. That some retailers prohibit the sale of Mature-rated games to minors is their own voluntary practice.

That being said, tobacco-loving protagonists abound in popular games, and have drawn plenty of criticism - mostly on account of the assumed target audience being impressionable youngsters. Here’s my rough list of cigar/cigarette smoking characters in video games:

Probably the most well-known example of a tobacco-using main character in video games is Snake from Metal Gear, probably on account of the (abundant and well-written) dialog concerning the topic of tobacco addiction, and also the clever ways in which smoking becomes necessitated in the game series. Interestingly, the character’s “health” depletes as he smokes, creating not only an engaging cost-reward dynamic, but also satisfying the unspoken moral imperative of portraying smoking as unhealthy.

This dynamic is used similarly in the (equally?) popular game Bioshock: cigars/cigarettes are available to smoke, but the act isn’t necessitated. While smoking, the player receives a benefit in one area (termed “mana") while suffering a depletion in health.

It should be noted that the ESRB has classified each of the above-listed games as at least “Teen” ("Contains content that might be considered unsuitable for children under 13 years of age."). Also, it is perhaps worth noting, that each of the above-listed games include some form of combative violence and gun play. This suggest that the use of tobacco isn’t worth risking on a hopefully “All-Ages” title, or perhaps the associative characterizations derived from a cigarette smoking protagonist are congruent with those heroes which wield guns*. Other potential examples of this same reasoning exist in the field of youth-marketed detective games, wherein the many protagonists exemplify several familliar Holmes/Marlow-esque traits, but either suck lollipops (The Touch Detective games) or simply talk in gruff voices (such as Jack French), apparently causticized by something other than tobacco or whiskey.

The ESRB and their supporters agree that kids younger than 13 shouldn’t play games where tobacco is used or referenced because it’s harmful and habit forming. A 2008 study conducted by Information Solutions Group for RealNetworks’ RealGames division further explores the relationship between video gaming and other “bad habits,” including smoking. From the study:

“Of the 2,784 survey respondents reportedly watching their weight, 59 percent agree playing casual games provides a positive distraction from snacking and/or overeating, resulting in a reduced likeliness to overindulge.

Of the 1,324 survey respondents who reported being smokers, 42 percent agree playing casual games provides a positive distraction from smoking, resulting in a reduced frequency of tobacco use.

42 percent of those who feel that playing casual games distracts them from smoking reported using game play as a means to reduce their smoking.”

See Also:

Supplemental notes:
Some well-known heroes from popular culture who smoke. These, of course, are few of many.
- Holmes,
- Marlow,
- Everyone in The Lord of the Rings,
- The Saint,
- James Bond,
- Tom & Jerry,
- The Flintstones…