Editor's note: This is the final piece in Mitch's tryout for a writing position at Bitmob.com. Let us know what you think of his work thus far, including this piece on the hypocrisy of video-game advertising. -Jason
Dear PlayStation,
A prominent videogame company is using its new advertising campaign to disparage an entire arm of the entertainment industry. The problem? This arm is responsible for one of this prominent company's most recent successes. I'm worried the company is embarrassing itself. What can I do?
I thought you'd know best… since you're the company in question.
I'm not debating the quality of your new ads. Like Kevin Butler before him, Marcus Rivers is a memorable marketing tool for the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation brand. I find the kid charming and funny. But the hypocrisy is confusing. In a recent PSP promo video, Marcus holds an iPhone and mocks mobile gaming. In another, he casually berates "weak apps" and "bad games" on phones. Meanwhile, the PlayStation Blog celebrates the strong sales of PlayStation Minis, a digital-distribution service that shares remarkable similarities to the iTunes App Store. In some cases, the same "bad games" populate the PlayStation Network store.
What you're ignoring here is the source of that success. Arguably, Minis wouldn't exist without the iTunes App Store. Attacking your inspiration in advertising is a low blow, PlayStation.
Step your game up.
I'm not alone in comparing the digital-distribution outlets. After the Minis service launched, tech blog Gizmodo compared prices between overlapping software. With higher-priced versions of iPhone games performing poorly on PSP, can you really justify throwing stones? We've seen original, excellent additions to the Minis lineup in recent months, but iPhone gaming is only getting better as well.
This type of advertising technique isn't new. Sega's infamous Genesis Does What Nintendon't commercials took a similarly blatant approach to degrading the competition. Unfortunately, PlayStation, you're not alone in using abusive advertising to direct attention toward a less popular product.
According to Take-Two's recent financial reports, Grand Theft Auto 4 has 17 million in sales worldwide. CNN reported that 6 million of those sales came from the first week of its release. I suspect THQ and Volition's fear of Rockstar's series' popularity led to this particular Saints Row 2 advertisement (below), in which Grand Theft Auto receives some, well, comparative criticism.
[embed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHkfLgsqZo ]
The Saint Row commercial isn't afraid to ignore subtlety. The trailer's text graphics clearly mimic the Grand Theft Auto logo. It cites a specific selection of Grand Theft Auto 4 features — watching television within the game, for instance — and paint them as dull in comparison to Saints Row's activities. I won't lie: As much as I dislike the condescending ad, I still laughed. The prospect of spraying civilians with sewage makes me want to leave Liberty City's boring relationship-building behind forever.
I'm not a business whiz, but I understand that sales stem from product awareness. And if I've learned anything from advertising, it's that comedy is among the most efficient ways of attracting attention. Perhaps that's why Activision and Bizarre Creations approached Blur's marketing with such a lighthearted demeanor. One of the racing game's TV spots (below) features a cartoony character with a suspiciously mushroom-shaped head pining for Blur's darker, more aggressive attitude toward traditional kart racing games. The knock against Mario Kart couldn't come across any clearer. Again, it's a well-thought-out and funny advertisement, but it's one company putting another down to leverage itself into a potentially beneficial position.
[embed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irgYL42iLcI ]
As detailed in its financial results for this past fiscal year, Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii has racked up 22.55 million copies sold since its April 27, 2008 release date. I'd be afraid of competing with that, too, especially since it still stands within the top 20 list of monthly game sales. If the established audience is already that gigantic, is Activision absolutely certain we want to race like big boys? Appealing to an audience that's 22.55 million strong is definitely smart, but I feel like someone who loves Mario Kart isn't going to jump the fence after they're mocked for standing on the wrong side.
Both Blur and Saints Row 2 openly attack the games posing a threat to them. In both instances, the games they poke fun at happen to be obvious inspirations for their respective creation. Without the success of Mario Kart's power-up racing, Blur would likely have been a very different game. Without Grand Theft Auto, the similar Saints Row probably wouldn't exist. These commercials shouldn't be insulting their origins. They should be acknowledging them — beyond saying "look how terrible this is" — or simply ignoring them.
It's perfectly fine if a game isn't entirely original or innovative. Ideas can grow off of each other and flourish. Saints Row 2, Blur, and numerous PSP titles are the best examples of how adjusting existing ideas works to the player's benefit. These games are great on their own, and I enjoy them as independent experiences.
We're all in this to have a good time, PlayStation. Games and consoles don't need to degrade each other to tell us they're fun. You only need to explain why they're fun to get me pumped, and Marcus does a great job of that…when he's not ostensibly insulting me for liking my iPhone. As much as I love a good gag, bringing someone else down to better yourself is lame. Let's play nice out there, eh?
Your pal,
Mitch Dyer