Games that stick it to 'The Man'

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To be sure, as a young genre, there are few pure anti-advergames making the rounds of the Internet. But Persuasive Games had another title, "Airport Insecurity," which takes the Transportation Security Administration to task for the inefficient ways it handles moving masses of passengers through airports in the post-9/11 era.

There are other examples, too, that ask players to examine complex social messages, while not revolving around corporations.

One is Gonzalo Frasca's "September 12," in which players shoot missiles at terrorists in a small village. The fun quickly turns political, however, as villagers mourning friends and relatives accidentally killed by the missiles morph into terrorists themselves. The message, clearly, is to think about consequences.

Another is Nick Montfort's interactive fiction, "Book and Volume," which explores, among other things, consumerism and the culture of work.

Bogost wouldn't say which companies he might parody next. In any case, though the genre is still young, some observers of digital culture and branding think it's the start of something big that corporations will have to take notice of.

"We're just at the beginning of it," said Michael Tchong, an independent consumer products trend analyst. "We're going to get into a whole digital polemic battle, and this is just with crude (game design) tools. You can imagine (what will be possible) in the next five years."

Tchong said he thinks efforts like "Disaffected" and the McDonald's game could have an impact on the way big companies do business, but others aren't so sure.

Brad Scott, director of digital branding at Landor Associates, which represents FedEx Kinkos, said he thinks such companies may actually benefit by being singled out from among several potential competitors.

"I don't know that they would have that negative effect on the brand," Scott said. "You can almost use it as, 'Boy, we've become such an icon as a brand that we're being mimicked by video games.'"

But developers like Pedercini and Bogost feel their work will have some effect. At the very least, they contend, players might start thinking about corporations in new ways.

The games, Pedercini said, "can make people ask some questions, and for instance read a book or consider that there are a lot of motivations to change their lifestyles."

[Bob Brinkman]

mmmmmm

Growth hormones and cattle. I better go check on my roast.

[marileev]

... for got the dessert menu

... don't forget the high fructose corn syrup in breakfast the orange drink, ice cream, buns...

[Naznarreb]

Advertising in videogmaes is nothing new

Anyone remember the M&M's video game, or Cheetos Chester Cheetah or 7up's Cool Spot? In more recent times, I give you every single videogame based off a movie ever (c.f. the roughly 3.6 million Star Wars games released every year), and every sports game: NFL Inc. owns the names and logos of every team and they will only give the go ahead to videogames that feel promote and enhance their brand, and are produced by EA (EA paid the NFL a boatload of cash for exclusive rights to NFL teams in games.) Racing games featuring licensed cars (which is why in most of them, the cars never take damage; Porsche won't allow a beat up 911 chugging down a virtual autobahn), FPSs with real world weapons and SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals and America's Army (the latter being an aknowledged recruitment tool). The list goes on. And when videogames aren't ads in and of themselves, they often become advertising FOR themselves: A few months before the release of every Final Fantasy game, you what you can find on the shelf at EB games, Software Etc. and Frys? Licensed action figures for the same. My point is, advertising in videogames is as pervasive and as neccessary as advertising on television; without it, these industries would not be what we know them to be today, and people who are just now starting to complain about it are more than a little late.

[btljooz]

I think it's a GREAT idea.... TRUTH in "Advertising"?

All media are used for brainwashing...including games.

It's about time SOMEONE took the bull by the horns and told the TRUTH!!!!!!!!

I wonder when games about Microsoft, the RIAA/MPAA and the Nazi Hydra that is running our 'government' will come out.............

[Jim Harmon]

Truth in copyrighting...

I think these games are a great idea. I'd love to see more of this kind. I love intelligent satire of all types.

While I agree that satire is covered in the US under the 1st Amendment (excluding such issues as malicious libel and slander), the reaction by the makers of the McDonald's satire contains a common misconception about US copyright laws - the issue of making money, or not. The law states who has the RIGHT to COPY material (hence the name "copyright"). Whether or not money is charged is irrelevant.