We’ve seen a lot of terrible trailers and games over the years when it comes to unnecessary sexualisation. Whether it’s a volleyball game in the Dead or Alive franchise or barely-armoured women in countless games that involve swords in some way, it’s always been a bit of a problem, one that probably lies in the audience the marketers are trying to attract.
Any previous example (Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball perhaps excluded) falls short when compared to the following trailer for upcoming shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, however. Warning: this is probably not safe for work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9du8ndcrg
For those who can’t/don’t want to watch the trailer themselves, allow me to provide a description. The trailer is titled ‘Team Ghost Member #3: Coco’, which already has alarm bells ringing, and features rather prominently a real life ridiculously proportioned blonde woman or, more accurately, it features her naughty bits.
When the camera isn’t panning from arse to chest it’s focused on her whilst she shoots various real life automatic weapons, sacrificing the top of her head in favour of keeping all the parts that might jiggle in the frame.
There’s more side boob on display here than there is game play footage and when it moves onto watching her playing the game using Kinect there really isn’t any pretense of even trying to cover up her arse. She’s wearing a bathing suit that leaves more of her uncovered than there is covered.
It practically beggars belief. The ‘Coco’ in question is Coco Austin, American glamour model and actress who is most likely to be recognised for her part in her marriage to Ice T.
Needless to say, the previous two videos in the ‘Team Ghost Member’ series (both of which feature men) are not in any way sexualised, though they do both feature repeated gameplay clips between them and American professional sports personalities: basketballer Kevin Love and American footballer Justin Blackmon, which is a whole other world of shallow advertising.
‘It’s cool to play this game, these athletes play it, look! And these boobs play it, too!’
The whole video comes off as sleazy and offensive, it’s not even subtle – in fact, this trailer would quite possibly destroy any subtlety in its vicinity like some kind of subtlety black hole. If Ubisoft are trying to successfully market this game rather than completely sink it into an abyss of possibly deserved revulsion they are definitely going about it the wrong way.
This isn’t just bad advertising, it’s offensive to the people to which they are trying to market the game. That makes it bad business, too, and quite possibly evil. And sexist.
humanfish
What was Jade Raymond saying this week about the industry needing to grow up? Oh the irony
JBoo
You would look a bigger TiT trying to play this with Kinect LoL:D
gaffers101
Very true, they didn’t show much of that did they!!
Kronik76
Personally, I am highly offended by this. I can’t stand it when they wear too many clothes in an advert.
element666
oh dear lol
hazelam
i don’t know if i’d call it offensive, but it is pretty sad.
this kind of advertising is not really good for anybody.
it doesn’t say much about the game if they have to use sex to sell it.
it’s not good for male players because they think that just showing a half naked woman is all they need to get your attention, are they right?
and for female players, well it’s just going to put them off the game completely.
i mean, i can appreciate a beautiful woman, but this is, like you said, just sleazy.
i’d expect something like this for a Leisure Suit Larry game.
it makes the evony ads look subtle in comparison.
still, if they’re aiming for the lowest common denominator, job done.
gazzagb
I wouldn’t call it offensive, just shameful that Ubisoft think this will increase sales.
Jim Hargreaves
Agree with Gareth. It’s not blatantly offensive, though discouraging to see how Ubisoft imagines its core users: apparently we’re all pre-pub males with a hankering for side boob.
GTRsannin
Well i don’t know about the pre-pub part but aren’t we always hankering for side boob
hazelam
so pre-pub you like side boob?
and post-pup? it’s a kebab right? ^_^
The Lone Steven
I follow the rule of if they resort to using sex to market the game it will be crap.
I think GR didn’t need to resort to this as it’s still got a huge fanbase and i believe Future Soldier will be good so that is a very poor decision by Ubi’s marketing department.
That is one awful trailer. It’s not like showing a lot of gameplay actually helps to sell your game or doing a decent trailer. Oh.
MuggleMind
I reckon it’s a brilliant advert. The game is so simple that even a bimbo can play it with ease. Very clever!
Seriously, she had clothing on throughout… Yes, she could have worn more, but there have been worse adverts out there. And there was gameplay!
Mickey2010
Awful video but i must say when she was playing Kinect my eyes were glued to her booty
Gamoc
I’m amazed that they managed to get her entire arse, some boob and the TV with the game on all in one shot.