Keeping Games Straight up: By Carrigan Propes

Keeping Games Straight Up

I have been puzzled recently. I have always held the strong conviction that we as human beings learn from the past and try to avoid repetitious mistakes. I can sadly say this is not true of game marketers. We true gamers have remembered at least one hyped, over saturated, embellished upon game that has graced the game shelf at one time or another. Be it a release date pushed back “until further notice”, or the gross exaggeration of a game’s proposed content, game info is severely blurred and damaged by misrepresentation or false hype.

The False Reasoning

For some strange reason, game companies and marketing executives seem to think that we can’t handle anything beyond marketing baby food. I would put a link to an example, but I think most people know what I’m talking about. The pre rendered intro video here, a screenshot showing a character doing something “amazing” there. Every game that is brewing on the horizon seems better than anything before it. But the sad truth of it all is usually a game that tastes sweet at first, until the bitter aftertaste kicks in. That aftertaste comes from unfinished aspects of a game, abilities and content that were promised or strongly hinted at that don’t exist, or outright lies. Is this the game designers fault, or someone else’s…

The Culprits

No, your average game designer’s job does not consist of spreading falsehood. They are usually the worst victim of the system. Let me explain. Imagine you made dinner for some very important guests. Imagine this was also a business dinner. You slave and work to make a wonderful dinner, maybe chicken, or turkey, doesn’t matter. Then some “representatives” stop by and tell your guests how wonderful their meal is about to be, they go on about how the dinner will be the best ever. One of the guests asks if it is steak, as he is a steak lover, and the “representative” of your company tells him it is the juiciest steak he will have ever eaten. He is trying to make a good impression for the cook, but when you bring out a turkey dinner, the gentleman who had been told that it was going to be steak is disappointed, and now questions your ability to cook a good STEAK dinner. The other guests are also very critical of the meal, because they were mislead as well. Now, if the “representatives” had not lied, and not trumped up that dinner, everyone would have probably enjoyed their dinner more. These representatives represent the marketing aspect of games respectively. They usually have one job, get you hooked, and then drag you to the release date. There are other jobs that include very similar tactics, like crack dealers. Get some kid hooked, and he is a slave for more. Why do they do this? Simple, it works.

The Long Term Problem

While many are used to this brand of game propaganda, many still are trapped in what I like to call: “The Best Game Ever Syndrome”. This infectious disease makes people believe that a certain game that is coming out will “revolutionize” or “wow” the gaming community. When has this actually happened? I can count the times on my fingers and toes. How many times has it been a complete falsity? Well, have you ever counted sand?

People are splitting into two groups now, the angry jaded gamer out for blood, and the gamer that refuses to lose faith in the system and gallantly tries to inform the world that it is not the game designers fault. I’m somewhere in between at the moment. The former group is growing rapidly though, and soon, many people will just cry B.S. on most marketing plows, false or true.

The Hidden Problem

Marketers are bred to make all of your wildest dreams seem to come true. Why do they tell us things that might be construed as a lie? Because we as gamers ask them to! Remember the gentleman asking if the dinner was steak? If the cook had heard that, he would have politely told the gentleman that it was in fact, not steak, but something equally enjoyable. But the representative wanted to immediately gratify the gentleman’s curiosity. How many forums are filled with the requests for this and that in a game. How many times have we been told that a game would have something, just because enough people wanted it. The problem is communication. Just like a marriage, lawsuit, and fast food ordering, communication is again the key.

The Solution

Communication is a wonderful thing when used correctly. Let the game designers do the talking. Let the fans of the titles communicate honestly with the creator. Let the cook address the guests. Most gamers today aren’t stupid, and would rather have facts about a title over speculation and false promises. Quit promising the moon, and get people excited over the content that has been accomplished. I’m not saying marketers don’t have a place in the order of things. But I see them in more of a role akin to movie marketers. When it’s close to finished, show trailers of in game footage, not pre rendered hopes and whispers. Back to my analogy of the dinner, imagine if the representatives brought out hot rolls (demos) and wine (quality information based on completed fact) before the meal. Sounds much more appealing, and everyone gets pleasantly full by the end.

In Conclusion

Demand honesty in your game news. Thank you to the several games and game designers out there that strive to constantly work to satisfy our rabid hopes and expectations for game content in their titles. That said, to all of the game companies that would try to hype us into purchasing an incomplete product, be advised, we know the game now.