EA uses Naked Girls to Promote Game (NSFW)
Following in Sony's footsteps, EA has apparently thought it wise to use sex to promote their racing game Need For Speed: Pro Street. EA has already apologized saying that this photoshoot "slipped through the proper EA approval process", but I find that highly dubious. If these pics were never going to get approved why the hell were they taken in the first place?
Now I have no problem with nudity or sex in games, but at the same time this isn't the direction I want to see videogames go. For me this cheap stunt epitomizes the way many in the industry view the "hardcore" gamer - Young, horny guys, who want to play nothing but games with lots of attitude, blood and boobs. This kind of stuff isn't good for the industry.
Gamers are already sub-human in many people's eyes and this kind of focus only makes things worse. This year alone there have been more first person shooters than I care to remember, and if we continue down this bloody, sex filled path gaming is going to take a big hit. Games can be more than bloody first person shooters or gratuitous sex filled romps, and we need to convey that message - especially to the politicians who keep trying to shut games down.
Thankfully the Wii is spreading the word that you don't have to be a horny young male to enjoy videogames. I can only hope that Microsoft and Sony have learned this generation's lesson and stop hyping the shit out of blood and sex and open up to all that videogames can be.
