No Such Thing As Bad Publicity
If you follow gaming news with any regularity you'll have read by now that Fallout 3 has been censored throughout the world thanks to Australia's request that drug names be altered in Bethesda's upcoming game. While I wouldn't exactly call this a massive attack on free speech, Joystiq has used this story as a jumping off point to discuss how controversy actual improves the sales figures of a game.
Yet one of the main arguments against banning games is that they make them even more popular, causing people to take notice of the title and thus spurring more sales than if it had been ignored in the first place.
I'll come clean and admit to purchasing Manhunt 2 on the Wii strictly because of all the murder simulation hooplah that surrounded it. Boy oh boy did that game have problems. The actual characters and story itself prompted me to send the number of my therapist to the entire development team.
The article itself mentions how the sales of Night Trap exploded thanks to the controversy behind the game (had they released the theme song as a single sales would have been even greater), and how games like Mortal Kombat, Doom, and GTA used their negative press to actually increase interest in already popular games.
There is a certain type fascination with games that find their way into mainstream media coverage. Gamers are already aware of these releases and those unfamiliar with the games now have a curiosity to see just what is spinning in modern game consoles. What I find fascinating is what each country deems appropriate and what they think crosses the line. Drugs and violence in American media and we don't blink, but remember when Mass Effect's "sex scene" hit the mainstream news outlets? You'd have thought the game was a twenty hour smut film.
What do you all think? Have you checked out a game you otherwise wouldn't have because of a little bad publicity?
Counting Rupees: Does controversy sell? [Joystiq]
TheDoctor
Posted to Video Games on 12 September 2008
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Other stuff like this: censorship, controversies, fallout 3, gta, mainstream media, mortal kombat, night trap
The creepy and borderline suggestive Rule of Rose for the PS2 I might have otherwise passed up if not for it's bad rap. I found it a slow but interesting mix of Silent Hill and Alice In Wonderland.