Why The Lack Of Outrage Over The Rise Of Video Game Fast Food Marketing

With more and more fast food chains doing video game related marketing programs, Skewed and Reviewed have posted an opinion piece asking where the same crusaders who were so against animated films being used in Happy Meals are when it comes to the health of gamers.

[Alexious]

It is a bit strange, indeed. Though I don't concern myself too much with such things.

[Garethvk]

I think it is because when you target Disney you get tons of press. Target a gaming company, not so much.

[donthate]

I think it is ridiculous to complain about others marketing plan. I get that this is unhealthy food, but stop blaming the media for your own actions. You as the parent is responsible for your own children. The majority of their success hinges on YOU the parent.

To drive a car, you have get a drivers license. Yet to have children, any moron can do it! Why? Because it is a basic human right. It is a basic human right to have children even though that child might suffer. Where is the right of the unborn child?

Did I take it too far? :)

[hardcorehenry]

because if a person were to be outraged over marketing they would spend their entire life screaming themselves hoarse at inanimate objects. Why does the author expect that people should be outraged at such things?

[Garethvk]

I am not expecting that. If you read the article it is about the double standard of the so called do gooders who are outraged that Disney would put their name on an unhealthy product yet look the other way when game companies do the same thing on products that like it or not, are unhealthy and are aimed at kids. It is because must game companies would give them the middle finger where Disney has to toe the line. Their issue is not about the food as they claim but in getting attention. If health was their concern as they claim, they why is nothing being said about this by the so called watchdog groups?

[wannabe gamer]

disney is aimed at kids as their primary audience. while games have a much wider audience, of which the 25-35 age group has started to take over.

[Oschino1907]

You show a picture of DOOM which isn't aimed at kids. Also a game can sell a few million but movies especially Disney are seen world-wide by a drastically larger and more diverse audience.

How often are games even promoted by food chains? I know for a fact far more movies (mostly aimed at kids and teens) are being promoted by food chains compared to video games.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

It is funny... gamer's whine and complain about advertising in games all the time. How dare they advertise stuff in my game! We hear it all the time... OMGZ they put bill boards of real things in this game or that... yet there is less than a peep about gaming advertising all over in our real world fast food places or cheesy promo commercials using in game assets. Some how that is all OK in our eyes. Its hypocritical to a comical level.

[Garethvk]

Thank you for getting the point, All the do gooders protecting our health and morals seem to look the other way over this. As do the folks who did not want in game ads but want to complain about the cost of games.

[rainslacker]

I don't know if it's hypocritical. People purchase a game, and would prefer not to be advertised to. A company promoting the game is not really considered offensive most of the time. They're two different issues. Advertising on fast food gives me something to read so I don't have to pay attention to other people in the restaurant. I'm not looking to read in games.

For an analogy. I don't care if Game of Thrones is advertised on my Taco Bell cup. I would have a problem if Tyrion Lannister started munching on a Big Mac and chugging a Diet Coke in the show.

[Digital_Anomaly]

Because there's way more important things going on... you know like that fake tanned, racist asshat who apparently has a chance at running your country.

For the record, Canada will totally take all you amazing, non-racist super rad people who feel the need to escape should that happen. WE GOT NOTHIN' BUT LOVE FOR Y'ALL! :p

[BlackTar187]

okay little brother

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@Digital_Anomaly The point was here -> * But you are like way over here-------------------------- ---------------------> *

[2pacalypsenow]

Id take Trump over living in Canada

[ShaunCameron]

LOL @ Canada being non-racist. Easy to say when it barely has anyone to be racist against. You need to get out of your Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver bubble. And this is coming from a Canadian. A visible minority to be exact.

[Surt]

What the hell you think most gamer eat when playing? They are chopping on a piece of kale?

Disney movies aimed at tots and pushing McDonald is not hard to see why parents get upset. But their is this mindset that gaming is not just for the 8 and below. And that most gamer are in their teens and up, (which also they are the ones doing the buying) and at a point that most parents cant tell em what to eat.

[Garethvk]

Right but the groups are so worried about the health of all of us. No wait, only kids when Disney is involved so we can get our name all over the publications. Ironic how they stop caring when people get older and their is less publicity to be had.

[Caedus511]

But when you are older you tare responsibility for what you put in your body. Kids don't know better and it's a tough conversation as a parent to explain why your little girl can't have the same Elsa toy as her friend because we don't eat at McDonalds

[rainslacker]

At the same time a lot of parents are just getting their kids this unhealthy food because it has these things they want in them, or because it's cheap and convenient, but that's another topic. At the same time, places like McDonalds knows they can appeal to kids by offering these toys. McDonalds is actively targeting kids with these promotions. McDonalds are the ones actively paying to have these toys in their meals, while with other places, they're the one's being paid to advertise for the respective company.

Most of the advertising for games is usually aimed at the 18+ audience. Taco Bell for instance has a lot of promotions where you just win prizes, but you have to be 18 or over, and the rest is just some graphic art on their cups and signage which is fairly mundane even for Mature rated games.

[DualWielding]

I'm all for product placement in games if it is a way for developers to make extra money without having to resort to microtransactions and the like, plus the use of real world products adds flavor and immersion to the games, the yakuza series is an example of a game that's greatly improved by it's used of real word stuff

[rainslacker]

I don't mind natural product placement. Most of it's alright in games, and I can't recall any glaring instances of misplaced products. Nissan in QB is a stretch, but I guess Nissan felt their car would appeal to the target audience of the game.

[N4G_allows_fake_news]

The article appears to be comparing Disney to the entire games industry, which is quite broad. If there was a promotional deal between Pokémon and McDonalds (which has likely happened), I can understand the point. However, the average gamer is 31 years old and has already made the choice to step into the restaurant. All but one of the games listed here are 18-rated. You seem to suggest that video-games as a medium are somehow intrinsically linked to youth, which wouldn't be true. Much like movies, books or music don't have age demographics either. In the case of Disney, the outrage made complete sense, as young children are the core audience.

[rainslacker]

Pokemon was in happy meals. Mario and Sonic too at one point when I was a kid. However, McDonalds paid to get those toys for their happy meals to target advertising to kids. Nintendo didn't pay McDonalds to promote Pokemon and Disney didn't pay to promote Frozen or whatever else they come out with. There's a big difference in what McDonalds does and what this article is talking about from the rest of the secondary advertising we see.

Disney really has no reason to advertise on Happy meals like that. They already know their movies will be seen by half hte world's kids as is. Then they'll sell them the DVD's. Producing all those toys is more expensive than a TV ad, and the bulk of money made on these movies is in merchandising(The important one for this discussion) and dvd sales, not the theater.

Most promotion other places like with Taco Bell, Doritos, and I Mountain Dew is usually aimed at the teen and young adult crowd, by offering incentives paid for by the makers of those products to get the customers of those games to buy the products, or get the awareness out that those products exist. Most of these incentives require that the person be 18+ to redeem, or have their parents permission. A McDonalds Happy meal though goes straight into the kids hands, and the first thing they go for is the toy.

[N4G_allows_fake_news]

Which way the money goes is kind of irrelevant to my point. It's still a mutually beneficial deal between two brands. My point was that children's brands (Disney, Pokémon) are far less forgivable to be associated with junk food than adult brands (Call of Duty, whatever 18+ movie).

The reason that nobody is up in arms about DOOM branded cups is that adults are able to make poor diet choices for themselves. Young children are more influenced by these marketing deals and may choose to eat at Taco Bell because their favourite cartoon/game is associated with it.

[Nilla_Nate]

Why should people be upset about this? The gold PS4 Taco Bell promo was cool.

[Godmars290]

When has it NOT been a thing?

[opinionated]

Listen. It's called advertising... There is nothing to be outraged about.

[PurpHerbison]

Yeah, this doesn't call for outrage. Worse things out there.

[Caedus511]

It's not valid to compare marketing children's movie characters to Doom, which is clearly intended for an adult audience.

Will children play the game, yes. Is it made for children, no.

[wannabe gamer]

Do we honestly think that people are so dumb that we need to police advertising to them? seriously if someone is that weak that they are swayed by advertising to the point it threatens their life...then GOOD let them take themselves out and clear the way for the ones that have a brain! Its as if humans are trying to save every last worthless arse so at some point we are just over ran by idiocy.

[Zer0Flinch]

Did you play those Burger King games!? What's not good about this?

[hangdang]

Because the type of person who actually gives a shit about something so stupid is a vocal minority

[Matology]

I wonder if Mc D's are going to throw in a Baron of Hell with a happy meal?

[rainslacker]

I'd buy a happy meal with a Clicker in it.

[RememberThe357]

Gamergate loves it's horse meat.

[JOWAPPO]

Back when it was Pokemon gameboys and pokeballs at Burger King (seriously those were awesome), you would've had more of a point. The pokeballs even had to be recalled due to the infamous case of a child choking on one.

But just looking at video game advertising in general, I just can't agree that parent groups should be outraged over what ADULTS are targeted by in advertising (and how it effects health). When it's KIDS, I can understand because they're young and don't know any better, so the idea of Disney promoting their stuff to kids with unhealthy food is more of a valid concern (even though it's still on the parents to take their kids to McDonald's in the first place).

Unless Nintendo is doing it like they were in the old days, I fail to see the problem.

[PixelGateUk]

more of a US thing, never really happens here in the UK

[gamer7804]

Cause what the gaming community needs is more outrage lol...

[KentBenMei]

Good article.