GTFO Part 1 - Celebs Ruin My High Score
Welcome to GTFO Part 1. GTFO means Get The F Out in case you were wondering. It’s a Truth Serum series on celebrities, publishers and other people giving a bad name to gamers. You don’t want to miss this series as it plays out.
I’m calling for a movement and I don’t care if it’s a movement that will likely never happen. I think it’s about time that game companies reinvent themselves and stop all the celebrity pimping! At least stop the celebrity pimping of those who don’t play games. I don’t need to remind everyone of the Jamie Kennedy experiment that Activision tried at last years E3 do I? Well, that’s what happens when you waste money on a “face” or “name” who couldn’t care less about your game or gaming period. Paris Hilton receiving a free Xbox 360 anyone?
I understand the business side of it to have a Paris Hilton or some other celebrity pose for the camera. It sells your product but it’s just so “wrong” and nearly makes me gag.
What could be so wrong about wasting dollars on gamers who actually know and care about what you’re selling? It would be a hell of lot cheaper. They wouldn’t have to pay a PR person to tag along at every interview to make sure details about the game were accurate. Why aren’t gamers the likely choice to sell games? One could reason that if it’s celebrity status that these companies are after, then a normal gamer would eventually become a celebrity from the exposure would they not? Two birds. One stone. You have a face and a name that’s selling your product who actually knows and plays games. Elementary, right Watson? A lot of these publishers talk about how making a good game is the most important thing but I’d argue against that with the methods used to pitch these games to people.
She's hot but a gamer she's not
I could go down a long list of celebrities who participate in the development of certain games by voice acting or face mapping sessions who don’t even bother picking up the games they do the work for. If not for getting the games for free, you’d be hard pressed to find any who would actually bother to even buy the games or even play them. Do you seriously think that Michael Rosenbaum (yep he’s still my fave) would bother walking into a store to purchase Dark Sector? I wonder if he’s even played the game beyond his sessions with the developers. It’s no wonder they all have generic Gamertags that go unused.
Is it really too much to ask from these companies to incorporate a little bit of responsibility with whom they pay to sell these games? Turn gamers into celebrities if you have to because I’m on gag standby preparing to see yet other celebrity interview about a game or an award show about video games that have no gamers in the crowd. I’m looking at you Spike TV. Yes, the boobies are good on the eyes but how do you have a video game award show yet the entire audience is made up of celebrities and people whose only response it seems is “Oh yeah, been playing since Mario.”
I’m so sure that Tila Tequila is worrying about how she’ll snag a copy of Gears of War 2. Does Vida Guerra even know about the new Xbox experience? I love Kristen Bell but let’s be serious about the odds of her having finished or played Assassin’s Creed. You think Don King is worried about how poorly Prizefighter plays? But these award shows and companies aren’t concerned at all about gamers it seems. Not anymore.
Part 2 is coming as I dig deeper into the disease that is spreading within the gaming sector.
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well i feel noobish lol
July 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
There is one celeb that breaks this mold, Elijah Wood. He is helping with the upcoming Spyro and he is a huge 360 fan. From the interviews I have heard he used to play PS2 all the time and moved up to the 360 and plays as much as possible.
Plus, he is from Iowa!
July 29th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
lmao @ Geek Head. we can’t all be Velvet (no homo)
why not put these celebs through video game boot camp or something. i can totally see them spinning this as a positive without “selling out”.
July 29th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Well, gaming is going mainstream folks, and celebs are as mainstream as it gets. As more and more companies put out games you gotta start having something to seperate you from the rest of the clones. So, it’s gonna come down to the marketing and buzz and not really the game for the most part. Just like every other thing in the US market.
I can’t deny, the cheese factor is there, but a lot of celebs do game. We try to keep it to those on our sites.
July 29th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
KingSoul from Konsole Kingz? if so, then yeah i agree you guys keep it to the celebs that actually game which i respect.
most companies though don’t care as long as they’re selling. but it’s packed full of cheese no doubt.
July 29th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
yeah that’s me. KingSoul from Konsole Kingz
July 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
yeah and he has medals.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Rant on my brother (in gaming)!
The more eye candy that’s at an event, the more likely they (gaming companies, etc) are trying to keep peoples eyes off their faulty products and more on the T&A. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the T and the A, but not when it comes to gaming).
Perhaps a little qualification test before the celebrity can be a spokesperson or at the event. Nothing tough.
I actually think it was cool that E3 got rid of the booth babes, since it took away from the gaming focus. Perhaps these companies could have two events at the same time; a gaming event and a T&A event. That way there’s no confusion about what the celebrities are there for.
Final note: if they were going to have Vida at the event why not put a game logo (or six or eight) on her ample posterior. At least they could use her as a human billboard and people might remember what they’re at the event for. Just a thought.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
logos on Vida’s ass FTW!!
July 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
FTW indeed. Just think of the possibilities:
* Put the E on one cheek and the A on the other.
* Put G on left cheek, W on the right cheek and the center could serve as the O
* For the game “Deadliest Catch” just paint some waves on each cheek, then put the crabbing (no pun intended) boats on each cheek. As she walks it could be like the huge waves in the Bering Sea!
* Perhaps put a temp tattoo on her lower back pointing down with “Sponsored by
I”m sure there are plenty of other marketing ideas simply using Vida as an example. Think of all the other celebrities who could “work” at an event even if they don’t know what event it is.
July 29th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
gotta have medals, playa!
July 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
One reason the companies do these otherwise pointless freebies is to get the logo in the public eye. While getting it associated with people who actually mean something to their customers is more important, just getting the logo burned into everybody’s retinas is still fairly critical for a major brand. Even if someone has no idea what an Xbox is, they’re going to have the name or logo somewhere in their head when they’re shopping.
You have to offset that with the negative effect it can have on the actual customer base of course, but even if it turned out Saddam Hussain was a big 360 fanboy, you’d still buy one wouldn’t you
July 29th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
lol @ Z. good points all around. just stay tuned for my Vida contest coming up
July 29th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I do have to say though, I’m betting the celebs that actually play video games are the sport celebs. So there are a couple that actually know whats going on
July 30th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Deac, I’m in agreeance with you here.
We gotta chat sometime, man. Goals, plans, etc…
July 30th, 2008 at 6:07 am
hit me up man. i mean when you get from Korea or Japan or whatever Asian country you’re in lol
July 30th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Mmmmm…Vida is SO sexy.
But yea, I agree, stop with the celebrity pimping. Just give us some hot ass gamer girls and we’ll be happy… 
July 30th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I think everyone pretty much voiced everything I was thinking with celeb promotions. There aren’t too many developers that don’t use a celeb either in the game or to promote it.
Money Talks!!! $$$$
October 8th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
what? you mean I won’t be able to play against Gary Busey and Tera Patrick in Saints Row 2? bummer! LOL
November 8th, 2008 at 10:03 am
oh snap that beauty has back!