THQ protests cross the line of acceptable advertising
We live in an age when the simple commercial does not impress anyone. It needs to be creative, funny or smart. Gone are the days when a voice over just explained the uses of the product. Instead, we have a spider capable of flipping a man in a Mentos advertisement and “the man your man could smell like” commercials.
I say all this because, despite the creativity, there are times that advertising becomes too much.
The most recent example is this past Monday. In San Francisco, anti-North Korean protestors marched across the Golden Gate Bridge and ended at the Yerba Buena Gardens, which is across from the Game Developers Convention. The destination is important, because the protesters are not actual protesters. They are paid actors hired by THQ, a video game company.
The protests will shed light on the actions of North Korea, but the fact that the protest is funded by THQ means it is a part of their advertising for their new game, Homefront, which is about American guerillas revolting against the North Koreans who have taken over the United States.
In this case, the protest is way over the top. While THQ does say the protests will bring light on North Korea’s atrocities, the fact that it is part of a promotion for a video game is crossing the line. In the past few years, video games have tried to cross the line of global issues. It all started with the “No Russian” mission in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" where the player shot at innocent civilians in an airport. The new "Medal of Honor" was not as scandalous as "Modern Warfare 2" when one of the factions in the multiplayer was named the Taliban, but nonetheless the game made headlines, especially among the military.
I understand the protest will also make people aware of what is going on in North Korea, but it is no way to promote a game. People still enjoy playing demos and seeing the games at multiple conventions, so there is not any need to create a protest to promote a new game.
