In IGN US’s recent Bionic Command review, one of the biggest issues the reviewer had was the product placement throughout the title, referencing Pepsi vending machines and NVIDIA billboards. Really? Is that such a big deal that it hampers the enjoyment of the game? I’ll admit that there are times when product placement can be excessive to the point where I refuse to buy a product because of its annoyance, but you have to acknowledge that not all advertising is bad? Games have to be funded, and guess what… a portion of those funds come from the brands in the game. I don’t mind a Pepsi vending machine in a break of an office. That’s fine. However, don’t put a row of them in some otherworldly setting for the hell of it. A good example of how to do obscure brand placement right is Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. In it, Sobe vending machines were periodically scattered throughout the world to give the player power-ups. Did it make sense? Not really, but it conveniently fit within the game’s themes of flatulence and general hilarity. On the other hand, if you dropped a vending machine in Shadow of the Colossus, there would be a problem. There are times when product placement can be a blessing and times when it can be the epitome of shameless nonsensical cash-in as was the case with Darkened Skye for Gamecube which revolved around collecting magic Skittles.
Some will give the argument that when playing a game you should be able to escape from the we live in. I can relate to that, especially after putting numerous hours into Fallout 3, a game world entirely self sustained. The standout case of avoiding product placement for the better of the game is in the case of making fictional soda manufacturer Nuka-Cola as opposed to splatter Coke all over the Wasteland of post-apocalyptic Washington DC (though something tells me a certain plot point would have probably turned any brand manager off). So these fictitious worlds can lead to some controversy over what’s acceptable or not, which can be why the reviewer of Bionic Commando was so annoyed by it, but it’s not something you are constantly surrounded by (such as in Fallout 3 where you can drink to regain health), it’s more of a matter of swinging through a city, seeing a billboard, and thinking it’s a legitimate billboard advertising something. I don’t recall there being a huge outcry against EA’s billboards in Burnout Paradise, which constantly change and promote a lot more than just Pepsi and NVIDIA (there were Barack Obama ads at one point).
The point I’m driving at here is use product placement strategically. The best use of product placement could be seen in sports games, where the idea is generally to make the game as realistic as possible. If that’s the case, you’re going to need to have a bunch of ads all over the place, just like the real event. In fact, there are times when a lack of brand placement can be detracting. For example, EA owns the rights to ESPN, but still insists on putting “EA” on scoreboards and timers. How about putting that license to use and giving me the true ESPN broadcast experience like the 2K sports of 2004? Ultimately use your brands wisely. The thing to remember is to use the brand with a certain respect for the environment on hand, and, most importantly, respect for the gamer and their world.
- Jason Polansky
No comments:
Post a Comment