I can't believe I've never noticed this. Or is this new marketing strategy? I just came across an ad for a game and part of the promotional advertising was exclaiming how much fun and how much more addictive it was now!
Going to paste parts of the ad here. I know you don't want gaming links on this board, so I'm going to leave the link to the ad page off too. Liz, if this isn't ok, just delete my post or take it out.
Nintendo's xxxxxx xxxxxx returns, and this time no man is an island. Addiction never felt so good!
By: xxxxx xxxxxx
Posted: 5 Dec 2005
xxxxxxxxxxx on the GameCube went from quirky anomaly to unstoppable epidemic in record time. It's a game about mundane activities and cutesy characters, but all in its blast radius were powerless to resist it. For the DS, not enough was done to consider xxxxx xxxxxx a true sequel, but what has been included makes living out your virtual life even more addictive.
Still, they're enough to add a few more minutes to your ritualistic daily playing.
When we say you'll be playing daily, we mean it. After all, you wouldn't want to miss out on a must-have furniture item for sale, the chance to find buried treasures, or being able to get a few Bells closer to paying off your mortgage.
I just cut and pasted a sentence or paragraph here and there, that seemed to highlight the addictive qualities as a reason you should buy this game.
This really saddens me. I think everyone should be made aware of HOW addictive these games can be. But not in a OH THIS IS GREAT FUN, THIS GAME IS ADDICTIVE...COME AND BUY IT TODAY!!
I think people should be warned of how devastating these games can be. How they can consume your life, destroy your self esteem, add to depression and other physical/mental problems and even cause death. There should be a warning on any game box, just like there is for cigarettes.
Well, there's 'addictive' and there's "ADDICTIVE."
The problem is one word, two definitions.
Definition 1:
Addictive - Fun, so much so that the game will have you coming back for more. That's it - NOT to be confused with:
Definition 2:
Addictive - Your brain will pulse with endorphins and psychologically hook you as each and every one of your real life needs is met by this game. You will play day and night to the exclusion of all else that matters until you gain 50 pounds, your friends and family give up on you, you have boxes of pizza crusts, empty coke cans and empty bottles of Bawls Garana lying around. Eventually, you will wake up in a stupor of fatigue chewing on your eye crust wondering how your pathetic life got so bad over a $40 game. You will have lost everything including your job and now you will not have any clue where to go.
As game manufacturers come to understand the number of people who can relate to definition number 2, they will choose the words describing their games more carefully.
But ultimately, it's about the bottom dollar. You supporters of corporate greed will come to appreciate the fact that corporations don't care what happens to the people who use their products as long as the profits come rolling in and as long as the profits offset the liability cases from the damaged lives they've caused. That's what you folks who invest in corporations want...more money and returns on your investement, so the corporations are ensuring that you get it.
Ron
"Get a Life!"
Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
OLGA Admin and Member since 2001
eMail: ronjaffe@cfl.rr.com
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002
You're talking about Animal Crossing for the DS, I take it. I highly doubt Nintendo meant it as literally "ADDICTING". Especially since Animal Crossing is one of those games that you play for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes at a time.
I think there's an attitude, among unreformed addicts, that addiction is okay--that it's even kind of cool. I've noticed this with heavy drug and alcohol users. People acknowledge its destructive nature with statements like "I really murdered some brain cells last night!" and "Dude, I am fiending for a cigarette!" and "Here comes the guy that's always f'ed up!" It's almost part of the culture to brag about how messed up you are.
Anybody seen the beer commercial where two guys choose beer over toilet paper? It's pretty funny--unless you're an alcoholic and would actually make that choice.
I think there's something similar going on here. The advertising is ironic, and the company is letting the addict in on the joke. Anyone who doesn't see the humor just isn't "hip" enough. So it's okay to be addicted as long as you're ironic about it. As long as you're "honest" about it and willing to laugh at yourself.
Except if you were truly addicted, and truly being honest, you wouldn't laugh.
Quote:Anybody seen the beer commercial where two guys choose beer over toilet paper? It's pretty funny--unless you're an alcoholic and would actually make that choice.Thank you for this - An interesting point I would not have considered otherwise, since I am not an alcoholic.
Ron
"Get a Life!"
Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
OLGA Admin and Member since 2001
eMail: ronjaffe@cfl.rr.com
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002