fallenleaf Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 So I was browsing digg today and apparently there is a bunch of advertising for "Dead Space 2" on there right now. I hate how digg does this, to begin with, because they make it look like legitimate news or articles and not stories. But it's usually pretty obvious what is going on and they do mark them as advertisements where you can see before you click. The "Dead Space 2" adverts are pretty dumb and most look like the following: This is Totally NSFM. Not Suitable for Moms.deadspace2.ea.com— Pre-Order Dead Space 2 Today and Get Dead Space Ignition! or You Will Disappoint Your Mother If You Play This Gamedeadspace2.ea.com— The Dead Space 2 Demo is AVAILABLE NOW on XBox Live & on PSN! Download it Today! But the one that irritates me is this one: Don't tell Mom you're an atheist - or that you're playing Dead Space 2deadspace2.ea.com— The Dead Space 2 Demo is AVAILABLE NOW on XBox Live & on PSN! Download it Today When combined with their other lines this is offensive. For them to compare playing a fucking video game to the emotional difficulty with coming out of the Atheist closet, just drives me nuts. As well as their advice to not tell your mom that you're an atheist. You know, I fully believe atheists should be "out" with their lack of belief with their parents. And to suggest that you're going to disappoint your mother because of your lack of beliefs and to play on that worry... in order to make their game seem "edgy" just pisses me off. Coming out as an atheist to your parents is one of the hardest things about being one (assuming your parents aren't atheists themselves). It takes conviction and determination to do that. And it is something people wrestle with for a while because they fear disappointing their parents. I just feel so dirty to see it used as a gimmick like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viridia Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I think the whole Mom thing is just dumb. Their website is yourmomhatesthis dot com ._. I mean I guess. Is that their way of saying it's scary and violent? Ohhh how clever of them >_> I didn't know, however, they were using closet atheism in their ads as well. I agree that's a bit offensive, but I guess for some people it just wasn't too big of an issue. Maybe the advertisers/game developers were in the same boat once; I would certainly hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I loved the first DS, and I'm getting this one. Too bad with the ads though. I'm not sure that was necessary at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seriously Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 First and foremost, it's marketing. No need to take it personally. EA's done stuff like this before, just to gain attention, and so have other game publishers. I thought their youtube ad campaign was pretty funny, in an adolescent "let's-laugh-at-the-stupid-old-people" kind of way. If you don't know about those videos, they fooled some 40-50 year old soccer mom types into watching some Dead Space 2 footage, and they recorded their various freakouts. So, is their campaign ethical? Probably not. Is it offensive? Only if you really want it to be. Does it make a shameless appeal to a target demographic? Hells to the yes. Does it accomplish its intended purpose, e.g. to advertise the game solely with shock value? Yep, you just posted a thread about Dead Space 2. Free advertising for EA, right here. In other news, I thoroughly enjoyed the first game, and I'll definitely pick up the second on Steam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I enjoyed the first game as well, but I think the advertising is pretty stupid too. I think the video game industry definitely gets a bad rap when it comes to violence in the media etc...and there are plenty of good companies out there that make sure their marketing is not geared towards kids, but this blatantly is. I think this is just begging people critical of the gaming industry and just provides them with unnecessary fodder. The commercials are stupid and the overall marketing scheme is rather juvenile, but they are hoping for controversy because it will drive up sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 In other news, I thoroughly enjoyed the first game, and I'll definitely pick up the second on Steam. I read that everything was top-notch except the new multiplayer mode. Due to lack of time, I might not play this game for a while. Let me know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flockoff Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I enjoyed the first game as well, but I think the advertising is pretty stupid too. I think the video game industry definitely gets a bad rap when it comes to violence in the media etc...and there are plenty of good companies out there that make sure their marketing is not geared towards kids, but this blatantly is. I think this is just begging people critical of the gaming industry and just provides them with unnecessary fodder. The commercials are stupid and the overall marketing scheme is rather juvenile, but they are hoping for controversy because it will drive up sales. I didn't see any Internet ads, but I saw it on tv last night and the "moms" looked old enough to have late teen/adult children, most of whom would find this funny. It didn't strike me as specifically marketing to kids. You could be right, though. I'm mildly offended (or just put off) too with the atheist thing in the sense that it propagates the stereotype of atheists as people who play these games, listen to heavy metal, and don't believe in god all because they hate their parents. But it's marketing. Social conscience isn't the top priority and I don't expect it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering_Cookie Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Aye, unrelated note, i'm a mom that plays violent games after 'baby is tucked away in bed. XD tried the ds2 demo, wasn't a fan, too much haunted house cgeap jumps. Dumb marketing, but nothing to get upset about. EA knows their majority market, I supposr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirPhoenix Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Personally I thought the ad campaign was fucking brilliant. I don't offend easily. Call me an asshole to my face and I don't give a shit. I actually saw the atheist reference as positive. They think their game is great, so they are equating atheism with their game. Ergo, atheism is great. Yes it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I just saw the movie for Dead Space. Animated, really awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albino_Raptor Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I don't feel offended by the ads, but I roll my eyes at the fact that a game with as much class and quality as Dead Space certainly doesn't need such childish promos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 The ads don't bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Have copy. Will play... later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I guess it's like having the Hallelujah Chorus on a commercial for cleaning chemicals. They don't realize that a specific god is being mentioned and that it might offend a believer. It just doesn't enter their minds that it could possibly be grating on anyone to hear or see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallenleaf Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 I've never played the games. But I still find it mildly offensive. Not super offensive... but mildly. It might be because the process of coming out about my atheism to my mother was extremely painful and difficult -- involving being taken to a camp to be "deprogrammed" at one point. So it's a subject where I sympathize with people a bit more. Still, I am not a gamer. I was once but I gave that up -- not enough hours in the day to do everything I want and need to. So it's not like I am their target demographic anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagan Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I'm too busy playing Metro 2033 to care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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