Now You'll Need Pepsi to Win at Video Games

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Soda (and its close cousin, junk food) and video games have a long, not-so-proud history together. The stereotypical gaming geek image is one of a chubby nerd slowly fusing into his couch or desk chair, staring intently at the screen while surrounded by pizza boxes, cups of instant ramen, and empty soda cans or bottles. After all, what better source of energy for the sedentary is there than sugary, caffeinated beverages? Soda, energy drinks, and junk food are synonymous with gamer fuel, but now the good folks behind Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 want to change the whole dynamic and power the game itself with hydrogenated oils and processed sugar.

Specifically, they're running a promotion called "Rank Up XP" that will allow you, the unskilled, noob-tubing moron that everyone abuses in voice chat, to purchase Pepsi products in order to win blocks of time in which you'll earn double the XP. What's the big deal, when game makers already require you to spend extra cash in order to get things like "ALL the levels" or "the one decent gun in the whole damn FPS?" It skews the balance of power in an already heavily-skewed game and all but kills the appeal for anyone outside the MW3 Fanboy base...

 

"It's so realistic it's like I'm there, in the war, sitting in a chair watching TV."

 

As the linked article explains, XP is the in-game currency for Modern Warfare 3. You earn it by killing your enemies and unlocking achievements like lengthy killstreaks, creative kills, and even running a long enough distance. You then exchange that XP for stuff like new weapons, upgrades for your weapons, and special items to help you deal even more death on the battlefield.

(I realize how lame all of that explaining sounds, but I have to cover it for the five or six people who might not play shooters, so they can understand why any of this matters.)

For me personally, Call of Duty games have been unplayable since the original Modern Warfare anyway. I have a job (which you'd think someone would figure out means I have disposable income and should be catered to, but I digress). I'm married. I have a household to contribute to, which means I don't have the time it takes to earn Prestige (I still don't know what this is) and unlock the invincible mini-gun or whatever, and as a consumer now responsible for my expenses I also don't have the money to plunk down $60 for a game and then spend another $100 over the next two years on "updates" that just unlock the rest of the crap on the disc I already bought.

 

"You get a special rocket launcher when you unlock the Diabetes achievement."

I don't buy games like Call of Duty new, because after the marketing orgy subsides there's an inevitable glut of returned copies for sale at much lower prices. But not buying in on the first day means I'm subjected to the deviant whims of all the teenagers who have been inexplicably playing this thing for hundreds of hours in the month since its release. I don't get to explore the game and learn its intricacies online, because 11 kids have already figured out every hiding spot, every glitch, and every way to cheat the system imaginable to pad their all important "Kill/Death Ratio." I still play MW2 occasionally, and I'm proud if I can hit 10 kills in a match; the top performers routinely land in the high-20s or 30s.

"But wait," you might say, "then this idea is perfect for you! It'll allow you to catch up by giving you the Double XP, thereby cutting the advantage!" Let me ask you something: who's more likely to give in to the marketing and buy a Mountain Dew for the potential reward of more XP in a video game? The 29-year-old with the aforementioned job, wife, and house, or the teenager who already dedicates their every waking moment to pwning noobs?

All this will do is widen the talent gulf in online play, making it completely unapproachable for new gamers. They'll start to look elsewhere for games they can enjoy, and if you're looking to GROW a business, you want new customers. You can only make so much money gouging your (admittedly fervent) current customer base with add-ons, DLC, and the like.

But what do you think? Is the promotion a good way to entice new gamers? Is it harmless and I'm overreacting? Or is it the reason you won't be buying the latest COD?

 

 

Flickr photos (in order) Game Chair at Xlan2011 by Thom Cochrane,This is NOT Real by jason.lengstorf used under a Creative Commons License.



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