|
Written by Christopher Snider
|
|
Monday, May 25 2009 07:35 |
|
In a world, where trailers have teasers, teasers have countdowns, and countdowns have... countdowns: who can avoid the hype? I'm sure most of you were either constantly refreshing modernwarfare2.com or patiently waiting for 7pm PST for the release of the newest trailer for Modern Warfare 2 (Don't call it Call of Duty). While TNT gave viewers the shaft cutting the televised commercial 30 seconds short, that wont stop the Internet from becoming obsessed all over again when twitter accounts and gaming websites re-post and drool over each piece of screenshot. Despite my ever-present excitement for this game, that does not mean I am on board for the marketing campaign that we have thus far been subjected to.
Join me on the other side as I serve up a little cynicism to go with your hype...
On one hand, I am excited to see a video game get treated like a blockbuster film release. We got a teaser, a modest trailer, and likely another major trailer before the game is in our hands. However, this means that this video game will be treated like a blockbuster film release. We will get a teaser, a modest trailer and hopefully another major trailer before the game is released. The trickle of information that is carefully released to the press and consumers will likely drive all of us insane. Of course this doesn't mean sales will decrease. If anything, the more mainstream exposure will pay dividends in the end. So I suppose the ends will justify the means in the eyes of the decision makers, and we will have to put up with this again and again as the video game industry continues to grow.
But the fact that we are continuing to get these teasers and teased teasers is taking it's toll on me. I don't even care about Hideo Kojima, but when I read about his countdown to another countdown, I couldn't help but scratch my head. Are these developers becoming too high brow? Are the marketing people trying too hard? Was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare too successful? If Coca-Cola comes out with a Modern Coke in August, please remember me as I embark on causing a 40 car pile-up on the Capital Beltway. I understand the value of getting your product into the consciousness of consumers, grabbing mindshare wherever and whenever possible is the tough task all marketers face. The fact that the video game industry is becoming more visible outside of traditional marketing opportunities they typically utilized is great news. After all, there's mainstream and then there's mainstream. A commercial on SpikeTV is one thing, a commercial on TNT in the middle of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is another.
Although I'm not sure about you, but I don't know how much more of this metaphorical dangling of carrots I can take. The slow release of information as deemed necessary by developer and publisher can be the greatest asset in maximizing game sales out of the gate. Hardcore gamers know about Modern Warfare 2. But the casual gamer, the uninformed consumer who has an Xbox 360 but might not know about sites like Talking About Games (their loss), those are the people Infinity Ward and Acti-Blizz are going after. These types of marketing campaigns are meant for the fringe consumers, those on-the-fence sitters. It's a shame that we have to experience these efforts when we're already on board the hype train. Why can't I just submit myself to a cryogenic freezing until November?
The worst part about all of this is that it worked. It's working. I will be there at midnight when this game is released. I don't need to be hyped beyond expectation for this game. But I found myself sitting on the edge of my couch during the commercial breaks of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals because I was genuinely excited to get more Modern Warfare goodness. Of course I was pissed to see TNT cut the trailer short, but that's a separate issue. My point, is that if these marketing efforts are working on someone who is already signed up for the game, I can only imagine what advertising on a national stage will do for the uninformed consumer. The Madden/NBA Live gamer that watches sports religiously but doesn't care about First Person Shooters. Who's to say that spending all of this money wont be worth it?
I can only hope that we will get details and footage of actual gameplay at E3. You know, someone holding a gun in a first-person view shooting some bad guys. Because a quick shot of "Checkpoint Reached" does not constitute gameplay in my book.
For more awesome, check out my blog: A Consequence of Hypoglycemia.
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
