GeekNights 090331 - Game Marketing Exaggerations

Apreche

Tonight on GeekNights we discuss the phenomenon video game marketing falsely claiming that new games solve the problems of old games. In the news, the economics of making and selling games is in trouble, and everyone is talking about OnLive.

Scott's Thing - Drag + Drop Mario
Rym's Thing - Cockmadeus

VichusSmith

I think that this On live thing isn't vaporware like the Phantom was. I think that the phantom was something more imagined than realized and these people aren't just showing us 3d pictures of a console on the internet. Did the Phantom guys even show up to a conference or a gaming event with an actual product? At least On Live will try and fail.

Oh, and Scott, maybe you should try "Know what I'm saying" or "Kna mean?" instead of "Right?" You know, to mix things up a bit

Omnutia

Look out for the artist's impression of Rym in the Cockmadeus skit.

Wyatt

@Rym: Do you just Google "Penis Video" when you're bored? Cuz I'm pretty sure that happens.

Kiey

I wish there was a transcript of this episode, and I had more free time, because there is much about what you said that I think is wrong or misinformed. Most I think revolves around the fact that you are maybe asking too much of videogames, by which I mean that what you are asking for would likely not make the games fun.

Apreche

I wish there was a transcript of this episode, and I had more free time, because there is much about what you said that I think is wrong or misinformed. Most I think revolves around the fact that you are maybe asking too much of videogames, by which I mean that what you are asking for would likely not make the games fun.

We recognize that what we personally want in games would probably make them not fun for most people. We also recognize that a lot of the things we ask for are technologically infeasible in the present time. The problem is not that games don't live up to our standards.The problem is that game marketing claims that they do. If living up to those claims would make the games no longer fun, then they should simply change the marketing rather than changing the games.

If Fallout 3 isn't truly an open world where you can do anything, that's fine. I actually paid for, and beat that entire game. I never really expected it to be a truly free form game. I just expect them not to say it is, when it isn't.

Kiey

Yeah I just got to the end of the episode where you say all that, hadn't gotten there when I wrote the post. I still think its somewhat unfair focusing specifically on the game industry for their embellishments, since its something you see in every industry. It's basically the essence of advertising.

Apreche

Yeah I just got to the end of the episode where you say all that, hadn't gotten there when I wrote the post. I still think its somewhat unfair focusing specifically on the game industry for their embellishments, since its something you see in every industry. It's basically the essence of advertising.

We're not talking about embellishments in general. We are talking about a specific recent phenomenon. In video game marketing, they are specifically pointing out flaws in existing genres, and claiming that their new games does not have those flaws. They are also taking common science-fictiony ideas people have for video games, claiming that their new game provides that, and of course, not doing it.

Don't tell me your game has a complex morality system, when it just has two endings. Don't tell me your game has amazing AI, when it just has a few extra special moves for the enemies. Don't tell me your game is a free and open world, when it just gives a few more options to the player. Don't tell me your game has no grind when it is a grind-a-thon.

Railith

The Simpsons Game is the biggest offender of this ever. The game would make some pretty good jokes about games making you collect trinkets to beat the level and then make you collect the trinkets to beat the level.

MrRoboto

I need a 2009 X-com clone with better graphics and some some bug fixes, then I'll be happy.

Pegu

You guys were right about the crazy weird conversions:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=5+dollars+per+hour+in+yen+per+minute&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hs=KQW&q=7+miles+per+hour+in+furlongs+per+nanosecond&btnG=Search&meta=

trogdor9

You guys were right about the crazy weird conversions:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=5+dollars+per+hour+in+yen+per+minute&ie;=utf-8&oe;=utf-8&aq;=t&rls;=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client;=firefox-a

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&client;=firefox-a&rls;=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&hs;=KQW&q;=7+miles+per+hour+in+furlongs+per+nanosecond&btnG;=Search&meta;=

Yeah, but I've yet to see it do time zone conversions; there are other sites to do that, but it's a pain.

Also, use links! HTML isn't that difficult.
<a href="http://www.google.ca/search?q=5+dollars+per+hour+in+yen+per+minute&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-">$5 per hour in yen per minute</a>$5 per hour in yen per minute (I did a return so it wouldn't overflow off the side of the screen. I hate horizontal scrolling.)

Walker

Also, use links! HTML isn't that difficult.

Nor is the little link button in the text editor.