Attention Seeking: Deus Ex 3 Asset Nonsense
If I were Square Enix, and I were planning a promotion for Deus Ex 3, I might just avoid something where I ask gamers to unlock the results. Just for a couple more weeks, maybe. But that's what's happening with a campaign to "unlock exclusive content via Facebook". But apparently rather than employing the techniques of Chippy1337, we're supposed to do this by "liking" the game, whatever the bloody hell that means. Are they really so desperate for approval? It's a "slew of assets" that will become available - 90 of them apparently - when an unnamed number of "likes" are achieved. Guh. Let me tell you something...
Assets are not a gift. Assets are promotional material. They are adverts. They provide potential customers with images and videos of a forthcoming game, with the aim of encouraging them to buy the product. They are not a special treat if you're good, nor the prize at the end of a competition.
This is like Coca Cola saying that if people will only send them enough postcards they'll allow them to watch their next advert for Coke. It's insanity.
Eidos Montreal's community manager, Kyle Stallock, explains,
"Deus Ex has one of the most passionate, vocal and dedicated communities in all of video games, so offering a program that rewards that loyalty -- even before the game is released -- is a great way for us to give something back. The Facebook community now has significant control over the release schedule for some of our favorite assets. We have a ton of surprises and unlockables planned, so fans should invite their friends to ‘Like’ the page and start collecting these rewards."
RELEASING ADVERTS IS NOT REWARDING LOYALTY! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!
It's already insane enough that every single lunatic publisher in this ridiculous industry signs exclusive deals with magazines or websites to allow them to promote their sodding game, while punishing any other magazine or website who might dare to offer them FREE ADVERTISING. But making this content - stuff everyone just wants to look at, not complete a sponsored swim for - the goal for the community has made a blood vessel pop in my brainium.
You can [grimace] keep track of the "progress" by following this site. Or presumably someone else will just hack the site and take it.
The game is looking really super - you can read Quintin's preview here - so this sort of nonsense does rather spoil the apples.
(But okay, I'll give them that it's quite funny their website has an age check that lets you pick up to 2027 as a birth date.)