Video Game Ads: Violence and Fear
Many genres of video games exist in the market today. When one decides to purchase one, certain features are looked upon. Box covers and magazine advertisement serve as key factor in grabbing a consumer's attention. This ad attempts to grab the buyer's attention by using gruesome figures and gives an effort to instill "fear" upon the readers. Three main phrases are distinct in this ad; pain, suffering, and death, all of which most of us fear. The creatures in the ad seem as if they are attacking the reader and the phrase on the bottom right "it's coming for you," gives the reader the impression that the game is coming for you instead of you going to the game.Fear and violence in video games is said to have a negative connotation because of the "threats" it proposes to society, yet it is used in this ad to capture ones interest. This ad was found in a Maxim magazine, a magazine geared toward men in the high teens and above. One may come across this ad as disturbing, but many people enjoy these thrilling and non realistic games which are set apart from real life. This ad is more likely geared toward teenagers than older men since most teens are fascinated with grand visuals and many spend their time in front of the TV o
These three words stand out from the rest of the ad since it is white lettering and the background is filled with dark colors. Doom, a title fit for such a violent game, uses violence and gore to impose fear upon the reader to grab his/her interest. " Many details within the ad provide the reader with intensity. " The setting seems like they are in a dark building perhaps a room and the only light is coming from the burning behind one of the monsters head. The monsters are not clothed and they seem to be in a trance showing mass disorder and chaos. It seems as if one must conquer pain, suffering, and death to achieve victory in the game. Pain, Suffering, and Death are concepts the ad wants to get across to grab interest. As a video game consumer myself, I like to purchase games that take a long time to finish. Another factor that many consumers look into when purchasing a video game is the visual effects and quality of the picture. To some these concepts may not seem at all interesting but it is eye-catching and a great way to get a consumer's interest and attention. These concepts are all of which we as people, don't want to go through in life, which makes it the ad look interesting. Red is sometimes stereotyped with blood and black is usually stereotyped with death, and put together could form a sense of destruction. Another definition of fear used by The Oxford English Dictionary defines fear as "This emotion viewed with regard to an object; the state of fearing (something). As said before the ad makes it seem as if the game is coming for you and not the other way around.
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