Do video games need “Hype Men”?
Is "hype" required?
I’ll start this article out by saying I’m a huge fan of EPIC games and the quality software they produce. I’ll also add that I’m a massive Gears of War fan. From COG tags and novels to collector’s editions, I own it all. I can honestly say that it saddens me to see such a talented team of artists and programmers resort to “the hype machine”. What is “the hype machine”, you ask? Quite possibly the most famous hype man on Earth, Flava Flav served a single purpose within Public Enemy…. to get get people excited about what was about to happen. In recent years some developers have taken it upon themselves to become “Hype men” for their respective companies. Now let’s get one thing straight, if I worked on a AAA title that looked like Bulletstorm, you bet I would hype the living hell out of it. But, have the devs over at Epic and People Can Fly gone too far? Is this latest “hype” filled video for Bulletstorm dumbing down the talent of some amazing artists and programmers? Should developers really be describing their product as “super-badass-motherfucking-kick you in the face” ? You be the judge.
The video above totally reminds me of the video below
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Personally, I think this type of hype makes the creators look ridiculous and diminishes the credibility of the game. I realize it’s probably pretty hard for a studio to release a new IP in the land of sequels and there needs to be a catch to make it stand out, but a commercial that uses the phrase “premier badasses of motherfuck town” is a fail in my book. Game studios and publishers please stop trying to get people hooked by being edgy with foul language, and just make good games. I’m still on the fence about this one and the Gear of War 3 multiplayer beta still isn’t enough to make me want to buy it. Also, Powerthirst is my energy drink of choice. SPORTS!
Despite the strange tactics used in Bulletstorm’s “powerthirst” marketing campaign, I do feel as though it’ll be good game. I’ve realized however that I’m not the target demographic for this game, and the marketing campaign is probably geared toward young males under the age of 18 for whom swearing is still novel.
Hasn’t there been a poll somewhere showing that 35 is the average age of a gamer? If so, wouldn’t it make more sense to tailor the ads to that demographic. Perhaps I should quit trying to use logic.
So who exactly do you think the “powerthirst” campaign is targeting?
I don’t remember the last time an advertisement made me not want to buy a product I was ready to try out. I would be ashamed if I told a friend I was into bulletstorm and they looked the game up and found this video. It must be targeted for 6th graders because thats the last time I got a positive response for double flicking off a camera and then allowing them to collide as I make an explosion noise. Really? You just did that?
Haha… The thing that I find amusing is that I know the maturity level of a lot of our readers, and it’s not as if we’re these stuffy stuck up suit types. We’re just normal guys and girls that love a good fart joke as much as the next guy, but something about this just doesn’t sit right.
We can be childish and not be meatheads. This is ad is probably targeting the “over compensator” or maybe the “something to prove” personality types? I get a general feeling of “I was picked on in high school, now look how bad ass I am” vibe from the commercial and game. I know the point of a lot of video games is to be a bad ass, but let me feel like one through the game play and story. I for one feel like the savior of universe as Commander Shepherd, even on insanity. That’s a true bad ass. Ash, excellent point and I completely agree, something about this just doesn’t sit right.
I think I’m going to start using the “middle fingers colliding and exploding” gesture in my everyday life. For instance when someone asks me how my day is going… queue gesture.
Haha, last period of the day… show them how you feel.
And yes, I am probably the most childish ass in this group, along with my gay, I mean happy, docking partner (What, we have a motor boating business… you know, ahh nevermind) and this still makes me embarrassed.