Video Games

Abby Allen, Megan Crain, Allie Miller, Justin Brosnan, and Georgio Elian

This project focuses on how violent video games affect adolescent boys. The

demographic focused on consists of boys ages 12-14. This research focuses on the major

companies in the video game world, demographic of gamers and the rating system, advertising

and product placement, which games are the most realistic, desensitization to violence,

discrimination/sexism towards women, and stories and laws behind video games. Considering

communication issues related to these topics, the research was developed further to investigate

the rating systems used, desensitization to violence and the cultivation theory, military use of

violent games, the realistic nature of these games, masculinity and treatment of female avatars in

games, video game advertisements, promotions, covers and branding, and the overall affect on

adolescent minds.

The video game industry is a monstrous industry earning a revenue of $43.4 billion last

year. It is expected to have an annual growth rate of 2.4% within the next five years. In 2015, the

breakdown of the products and services segmentations were 8.8% accessories, 17.2% online

games and software, 32.6% consoles, and 41.4% physical games and software (Alvarez, IBIS

World Report NN003). The major companies involved in the video game world are Microsoft,

Sony, and Nintendo. These companies are the creators of some of the most popular video games

and video game consoles. Microsoft Corporation created the console Xbox and has created

games such as Halo, Sony Corporation has created all of the PlayStation devices, and Nintendo

has created consoles like the Wii products and other Nintendo devices. These companies

dominate the hardware market by creating consoles. Even though consoles are sometimes

unprofitable, these companies control the licensing and the publication of the software from the
developers (Alvarez, IBIS World Report NN003). Similarly, certain retailers dominate the game

industry including GameStop and Toys R Us. The US consumer is reported to have spent

approximately 21.53 billion dollars on games, equipment, and accessories last year (Alvarez,

IBIS World Report NN003).

When discussing the effect of violence in video games on young teenagers, it is important

to describe the prevalence of video game ratings systems. Introduced in the United States in 1994,

the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) became one of the major content rating systems

in the world and is still one of the most important. Similar to other media rating providers, the

ESRB classifies video games into particular categories, based on what certain aged children can

and cannot play. These rating categories include, Early Childhood (eC), Everyone (E), Everyone,

10 and up (E10+), Teen (T), Mature (M), and Adults Only (Ao). There is also a Rating Pending

(RP), for those games which have not been given a final rating yet.

During the growth of the video game industry, also known as interactive media, there were

other, similar rating systems that were established in different parts of the world. For example,

most of Europe, Israel, and Quebec use the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) and Germany

has its own system, the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK). A major difference

between these rating systems and the ESRB, is that they have color codes for each rating category.

The PEGI system also utilizes pictured symbols for content descriptors, instead of just words.

In the article, Beyond todays video game rating systems: A critical approach to PEGI and

ESRB, and proposed improvements, the author mentions that, the only method currently in use to

defend the rights of children against potentially harmful contents of video games is their

classification according to their greater or lesser observance of childrens sensitivity and/or their

psychological development (Felini). So, in terms of a video games assigned rating, it can be
possible to set up content blocks on video gaming devices that are similar to parental controls for

other medium. The real problem is that for these automatic controls to work, you need to have

reasonable, comprehensive, and very clear classifications in place. One may immediately think

that these video game rating systems are targeted to those who want to buy and play the games.

But, in reality, video game ratings are targeted to parents and child caregivers, who essentially,

would be the ones buying the game for kids and young teens (Felini). So, parents and caregivers

have the utmost responsibility to understand what content is present in each video game, or video

game genre, before buying it for their underage children.

In November 2007, a week after the release of Manhunt 2, Target and some other retailers

decided to pull the game off the shelves. This was because, even before its release, the game was

surrounded in debate about its content and storyline. Manhunt 2s gameplay involves the main

character escaping from a mental hospital and has to kill or be killed (Becker-Olsen & Norberg

83). Youth advocacy groups saw the violence in this game and what it might bring about in young

teens who could get their hands on it; so, they appealed to the ESRB on behalf of parents, to change

the games rating from M mature to AO adults-only. However, the manufacturer, Rockstar

Games was able to block some content and secure the mature rating just before launching the

game. Ultimately, many retailers chose to not sell the game, while others sold it months or years

later. (Becker-Olsen & Norberg)

Another topic that comes up when dealing with media literacy is the desensitization to

violence through playing violent video games. Being desensitized to violence starts at a very

young age. Children start getting desensitized to violence by watching early childhood cartoons

(Brockmyer 67). In early childhood cartoons like SpongeBob Squarepants or the Road Runner,

the violence in these cartoons are considered fun and justifiably. One might question how
children can determine if these cartoons are just for entertainment or instead a representation of

the real world. Video game violence is different than any other kind of media violence. In violent

video games the players get immersed into the game by the level of activity involved. In first-

person shooter games, the object is for you, the player, to kill the other opponents. Often in

violent video games the only way to advance and upgrade your weapons is increasing the

amount of kills you obtain. Throughout the game the player gets reinforced to kill more and

more because they will get rewarded and congratulated throughout the game. The player in the

game getting rewarded for the amount of kills they achieve is gratifying and makes them feel like

they are doing a good thing. From the documentary Game Over, Professor Morgan stated that the

success level in a video game is defined by mastering violence at unimaginable levels. The

people in the video game industry will defend the violence in these video games by saying it is

just make believe, it is healthy, it is fun, and nobody is going to take this video game violence

seriously. Unfortunately, over time the distinction between fiction and reality in these games

become completely irrelevant (Game Over).

A theory that can be related to the desensitization to violence through video games is the

cultivation theory created by George Gerbner. Even though this theory involves the medium of

television, scholars have taken the same concepts behind the theory and related them video

games. As stated in Cultivation effects of video games: a longer-term experimental test of first-

and second-order effects, the central hypothesis behind cultivation is that heavy television

viewers conceptions of social reality are more in line with whats portrayed on television than is

the case with the reality conceptions of light television viewers (Chong 953). With regard to

video games, we as a society are creating a culture of fear and our perception of violence is

skewed. The more violence children and teens take in through the culture the more desensitized
they are to violence. Increasing violence through our culture is creating real life devastating

events by violent attacks as okay, or it happens all the time.

There has been a lot of research conducted regarding the effect of violent video games

and the desensitization to violence. One study looked at the effect of violent video games versus

nonviolent video games. This study, conducted by Bushman and Anderson examined how the

exposure to violent media affected helping response in college students and adults.

Participants played either a violent or nonviolent video game. After play they were

exposed to a stimulated altercation: participants heard what seemed to be a loud fight just

outside the door. Those who played the violent video game took longer to help the

apparently injured victim than nonviolent game players. Violent game players also rated

the fight as being less serious and were less likely to even acknowledge the altercation.

There were also differences related to gender and past gaming experience: men rated the

fight as less serious than women and those who reported a preference for violent video

games were less likely to help than those whose favorite game was nonviolent (suggesting

possible long-term desensitization) (Brockmyer, p. 70).

The students in this study showed a delayed response to the fight that was happening right outside

their door because of the desensitization that they are exposed to through violent video game

playing. This was just one of the many studies that have been conducted regarding video game

violence to desensitization. Playing violent video games increases the risk to desensitization to

violence and increase for aggression.

The playing of violent video games has been justified by saying it is just for fun, and that

kids know that violent video games is not like the real world. Do the people who justify the

playing of violent video games know that the military uses violent video games to train soldiers
in boot camp? Lieutenant David Grossman of the U.S. Army spoke about the use of violent

video games in the military world in the documentary Game Over. Grossman started his chapter

in the documentary speaking about the history, war, and the manipulation used in killing during

war fare. After WWI the riflemen were studied and examined to determining their firing rate at

an opposing enemy. The study showed that a rifleman were only 15-20% likely to fire their

weapon at an opposing exposed enemy soldier. Grossman compared this statistic to only having

a 15-20% literacy rate among your librarians in a library. This was not a good statistic for the

military. The military had to train their soldiers to kill as a conditional response. Therefore, in

WWII the training of soldiers became more realistic to better prepare them for battle. The

soldiers were practicing their shooting on enemy pop ups in a shooting range to create operant

conditioning. Now with the advancement of technology the training of soldiers have become

digital with the use of violent video games.

The invention of violent video has become a tool for the military to train their soldiers.

Soldiers are now standing in front of screens using plastic M-16s that fire laser beams at the

screen. When the soldier aims and hits the target on the screen, the target drops on the screen as

if the target was shot in real life. This training is not only used in the military but it is also used

in law enforcement training. Grossman explains FATS (Fire Arms Training Simulator) training

that law enforcement uses to train new officers. This training is very realistic to how a real gun

operates. The officers have fake guns in which the operator pulls the trigger, then the slide slams

back and the operator feels the recoil of the gunshot. The shooter either hits the target and the

target drops on the screen, or misses the target, giving the target the opportunity to return fire.

FATS training turned out to be a very effective training device for the law enforcement. Now, go

in a local video game arcade and look around at the games. Most likely there will be a game for
kids to play that is almost exactly the same as the FATS training program. The only difference in

FATS training versus a game in an arcade like Time Crisis is that the kids playing the games in

an arcare have no supervision, no standards, and no repercussions. They are killing for fun and

entertainment. In the FATS training if you hit a wrong target you will be reprimanded or even

fired. There is a strict structure when conducting this training, but when kids are playing this

game in an arcade there is no control over what actions they take and no ramifications if they

lose the game (Game Over).

Another game that Grossman spoke about in the documentary was the game Doom. The

computer game Doom was used in training the Marine Corps for preparation of warfare. This

game is an effective and efficient tactical trainer in the skills needed for soldiers. Grossman

commented that in this game there is a great deal of rehearsal and that is it good enough to be

training soldiers how to kill. For the users playing the game it provides a script, the rehearsal,

and the final act of killing. In the documentary, Grossman was trying to show the audience that

everyday kids are playing the same games that military and law enforcement use in training.

How can parents and the industry justify these games as just fun and for entertainment when real

life Marines and Police Officers use them to train and to be manipulated to kill an enemy. Kids

playing these games are not only getting desensitized to violence but they are also getting

desensitized to using weapons and killing opponents with their physical actions (Game Over).

Grossman made many intriguing points when relating violent video game playing to real

life combat training. Military and law enforcement get trained on these games and learn how to

fire guns, and kids and teens playing these games learning the same tactics of shooting a gun.

There was a study conducted by Whitaker and Bushman (2014) that examined college students

to see if there was a correlation between playing violent shooting video games and actually
shooting a real gun. The two researchers brought up the same learning process of operant

conditioning as did Grossman in Game Over. When playing a violent video game the player

continuously gets positive reinforcement throughout the game when making a good kill. From

this positive reinforcement from the game, players are more likely to repeat the behaviors that

they have been rewarded and less likely to repeat the behaviors they have been punished. These

positive reinforcements will likely cause increase to repeat the violent behavior over and over

again. After completing multiple surveys, asking a little bit about their background and video

game habits, participants were randomly assigned to play either a violent shooting game with

realistic humanoid targets (Resident Evil 4), a nonviolent shooting game with bulls-eye targets

(the target practice game in WIi play), or a nonviolent, non-shooting game (Super Mario Galaxy)

all for 20 minutes (Whitaker et al.. 883). For the two shooting games participants were

randomly assigned to play either a standard control or a fake plastic gun. After playing the

games, the participants were brought outside to practice shooting a real gun and checking for

their accuracy. There was a significant positive correlation between the players that had exposure

to violent shooting games and total hits and headshots made on the target with the real gun.

Those who played the violent video game with the fake pistol shaped controller had the most

headshots compared to the other groups. This is just one of many studies that have been

conducted on the effects of violent video games; it is a serious topic that needs to be addressed to

help and educate the youth of our country.

Video games have been shown to be an evident factor in many real life cases of violence

and destruction. In the events of the Sandy Hook and Columbine massacres, there was a link to

video games playing a role and having horrifying influence on the shooters and their motive to

kill. Likewise, the portrayal of women in these games and the violence towards women should
be duly noted in the increase of sexual assault and domestic violence of women in the U.S. in the

past 20 years. Video game companies deem these games harmless, but this is quite contradictory

as these same games are used to train our military.

Violence has always at a presence in childrens media. Television shows aimed at

children such as Tom and Jerry relate humor to violence. But, the level of graphic violence in

todays media, especially video games, has taken violence to a whole new level. In the

documentary Game Over, psychologist Erica Scharrer relates so weve come a long way since

Pong, where there were just rectangular shapes and a bouncing ball. Now we have whole worlds

and very realistic three-dimensional types of approaches to violence. The importance of realism

in games is essential in the video game industry. Games with better, more realistic graphics are

seen as more desirable to players and adds to the gaming experience.

In the Game Over documentary, Nina Hunteman states one of the ways in which video

games engage players as participants, emotionally and psychologically, is through realism and a

heightened sense of realism. You could say that realism is the Holy Grail of the video game

industry she states that sports games study how the players move and how everything looks and

sounds in real life and incorporates these into their games so players have the highest sense of

realism as possible. This same tactic is used when creating the violent games for children. These

games have become so advanced and so real that the differentiation between games and reality is

becoming more and more blurred. The graphics in these games has become so advanced, it is

seen as horrifying to many viewers. For children who have not yet fully developed cognitive

skills, playing these games has a significant influence on their views and understanding. For

children and young adults who learn differently, have a disability, or social setbacks, these

games can be especially harmful.

 Similar to what is portrayed in movies, television, and even advertisements, the topic of

masculinity and male characters in video games is, to a point, over-exaggerated. In reality, a

large population of the video game makers, producers, editors, developers, and writers are men,

usually younger men. In some games, we can see that more than not. Some of the notable games

representing exaggerated masculinity include, Duke Nukem, Silent Hill, Mortal Kombat, Saints

Row, and Mafia II. Each of these titles contain a variety of different ways masculinity is

expressed.

In the video game Duke Nukem, for example, which was prominent in the 1990s and

rebooted in 2011, one of the major concerns of the game is related to the representation of

masculinity. The gameplay of this particular game is one where the main character, Duke Nukem,

is left as the last man on earth. His mission is to save women, specifically white, young women,

from a post-apocalypse Los Angeles red light district, which is overrun by aliens. The aliens, which

are the enemies, represent a sort of minority group, as the rest of the characters in the game are

white. (Sze-Fai Shiu 110). The underlying premise of this game is Duke preventing miscegenation

between the aliens and the white women.

One of the things that makes Duke Nukem 3D (1996), unique is that it was the first of the

series to use real-time speech by the main character. Some of the phrases that Duke uses are: suck

it down, come get some, and you suck, which can assert a heterosexualized, hyperbolic

notion of white masculinity tinged with homoerotic possibilities (Sze-Fai Shiu 111). Duke

Nukems physical representation is one that expresses intense muscle tone and feelings of

patriotism. Mentioned in the article, What Yellowface Hides: Video Games, Whiteness, and the

American Racial Order, Duke Nukem makes almost the same patriotic resemblance to Ronald

Reagan, in that someone people, white American men, want to identify with. (Sze-Fai Shiu)
 While they might represent half of the population in day to day lives, women play a

pretty insignificant role in the video game world. There are two types of women represented in

games. The first is a passive, insignificant character who adds not to the dialogue or plotline, but

instead serves as a sidekick or pawn for the male characters. Often, these characters are included

merely for their sex appeal and ability to serve male characters. The other option for female

characters is actually that of a hero. Sometimes, women are the main characters who have heroic

abilities, but are defined in the game by their bodies and sexuality. The presentation and allotted

dialogue for these female characters in video games has dangerous consequences for the young

boys who play them. Many young boys who have yet to have significant meaningful

relationships with women might base their views of women on their video game representations,

leaving the possibility for young boys to treat women based on how their avatars interact with

women in video games.

In his article Still a Mans Game: Gender Representation in Online Reviews of Video

Games, James D. Ivory applies both the cultivation theory and social expectancy theory to

suggest that long-term video game consumption can impact how players view women in real life.

Noting the nature of many popular video games, Ivory asserts that these perspectives suggest

that a video game landscape where women are represented infrequently and as passive,

sexualized beings can precipitate a similar Weltanschauung [worldview] among video game

players who consume the message through long and frequent bouts of game play (Ivory 105).

The way that male video game characters are encouraged to interact with women in addition to

the roles that female characters are often given and the way their characters are presented present

startling concerns for how frequent video game use might influence young boys view and relate

to women in real life interactions.

 There are concerns that the normalcy of these types of games has also lead to a

glorification of violence against women and encourages a crass view of womens sexuality.

Before discussing some of the issues associated with the game, Dill notes a 2002 study which

found that 75% of boys under 17 have played Grand Theft Auto regardless of the mature rating.

In one version of the Grand Theft Auto games, if the male hero is able to kill the prostitute after

having sex with her, he is rewarded by getting his money back. In this same game, if the male

hero punches a prostitute, the prostitute is programmed to respond to the sexual violence by

saying I like it rough (Dill et al.). Instead of showing the very real consequences of violent

sexual behavior, these types of video games only show outlandish situations in which men are

rewarded for vicious treatment of women.

By playing such very real games which encourage what would otherwise be treated as

offensive and criminal activity against women, young boys are given an inaccurate view of

reality. It is a concern that exposure to negative gender stereotypes in video games will

contribute to schemas and scripts about social relations between men and women. For example,

if a boy learns that males are powerful and dominant and women are objects to be subjugated

and used, these ideas will take root in his developing social conscience and broadly influence his

attitudes and behaviors towards women (Dill et al.). Dills study which measured the

relationship between exposure to sex-stereotyped video game characters and tolerance of sexual

harassment, results supported her earlier statement. The tests conducted on young men revealed

significant relationships between long-term violent video game exposure and less progressive

sexual harassment judgments and greater rape supportive attitudes (Dill et al.). In other words,

avid video game players are less likely to respond negatively toward situations involving sexual

harassment and rape.

 A study titled Violence Against Women in Video Games: A Prequel or Sequel to Rape

Myth Acceptance? specifically studied the impact of violence against women in video games in

relation to rape myth acceptance. This study which aimed to explore how the objectification of

women and violence against women in video games, during game play, influence rapesupportive

attitudes (Beck et al.) found alarming impacts. The study which looked at both males and

females noted a correlation between male participants accepting rape myths and the sexual

objectification and violence against women in video games. The study goes as far as to suggest

that this desensitization to violence against women might actually encourage acts of violence

against women. Defending this, the author states if video games degrading (e.g., objectification,

battery, murder) women increase rape myth acceptance, as suggested by study findings, and that

acceptance decreases victim sympathy, then, based on social learning theory of rape, playing

such video games may indirectly promote an increase in rape (Beck et al. 3026). While it does

not prove that video game violence necessarily encourages rape, it is fair based up various

communication theories to suggest a correlation between video game violence against women

and actual, real life mistreatment of women.

An upsetting real life example of mistreatment of women associated with video games is

centered around Anita Sarkeesian, founder of the blog Feminist Frequency. In the summer of

2012, Sarkeesian started a kickstarter campaign to fund research to present in an online video

series titled Tropes vs Women in Video Games intended to create a dialogue and critique about

female representation in video games. Upon noting her research, members of the games

community reacted by viciously harassing Sarkessian. Her youtube and wikipedia pages were

vandalized and flagged, and she was sent threats via social media. Her gamer enemies went as

far as to create an online video game where players could graphically assault a virtual depiction
of Sarkessian (Carpenter 97). This high profile example showcases how gamers are conditioned

to treat women in a demeaning and condescending way. Despite this, Sarkeesian was able to

move forward with her research and even produce more content than she had originally intended.

There are of course, powerful, strong female characters in games who have some of the

same skills as male heroes. While she might be strong, intellectual, and fast like her male

counterparts, her heroism is most often tied to her body and sexuality (Ivory 105). A quick

search of the words female video game heroes reveals characters with unrealistic bodies

dressed to perform heroic actions in skimpy, revealing clothing. It is near impossible to find a

productive and useful female asset in a video game who is not oversexualized. Compensating for

the fact that they are included in the game, strong female characters are defined not by their

actions or ability, but instead by their physicality and dress.

Boys are not the only ones subject to misguided real life interpretations based on the

presentation of women in video games. Instead, boys might also be influenced in their actions by

the way women themselves behave in response to their representation in video games. The study

Sexualized Avatars Lead to Womens Self-Objectification and Acceptance of Rape Myths

explored how women acted in response to exposure to sexualized female video game avatars.

The study demonstrated that there are negative psychological consequences incurred when

women embody sexualized avatars women exposed to sexualized avatars reported higher

levels of self-objectification than those exposed to nonsexualized avatars (Fox et al. 356-357).

While this study is focused on young boys, a growing number of young women regularly play

video games and their interpretations of their role in games impacts their actions in the world,

eventually creating a dialogue between boys and girls that is likely based off overexaggerated

video games.
 Over the past few years there has been a great deal of technological advancement which

has made it increasingly difficult for marketers to reach consumers with their advertisements.

With consumers now being able to record TV programs they are given the opportunity to fast

forward through the commercials and get right back into the program. Marketers now need a new

way to reach consumers and they are doing this by using in game advertisements. Today more

and more people are playing video games which makes the in game advertising an effective way

of marketing. According to the Entertainment Software Alliance, 58 percent of Americans play

video games and the average gamer is 30 years old and has been playing for 13 years.

Additionally, the average age of the most frequent game purchase is 37 (Dewey). There are a

wide array of people playing video games which makes in game advertising effective and

profitable. In game advertising is also more engaging than traditional television advertisements.

In a video game there will be one or two ads by no more than two companies and these ads will

be shown often throughout the game. The in game advertising drills their brand into the

consumers minds subconsciously. The article Advertising Turns to $20 Billion Video Game

Industry urges that engagement is a big plus when it comes to advergaming. Neilson points out

that rather than being one of six or seven ads during a commercial break, gamers are highly

engaged, and there is less advertising clutter within the videogame experience than there is

during a half hour or hour of TV watching (Dewey). In game advertising has become

increasingly popular to the point where they have given it a name, it is known as advergaming.

While advergaming is not a new technique it has become more effective with the

advancement of technology. In fact, it makes sense for advertisers, as technology has ramped up

in the last decade or two- the internet connections- it becomes a lot easier for the game

developers to almost real- time stream ads into these games (Dewey). Most video games that
are developed today have online capabilities that allow players to play against each other. These

online capabilities also give the opportunity to advertisers to update ads in the game as new

products are released throughout the year. Recently select companies have been creating their

own video games built around their product. For example Amway Korea recently developed its

own advergame around its Nutrilite product. According to the companys blog, the more than 5

million users of a popular mobile game called Rule the Sky can purchase Nutrilite farms or

crops, build Nutrilite structures, and visit other users islands (Dewey).

Video games have always had the need to create an interesting and unique cover, in order

to stand out from the competition and catch the consumers eye. While a cover may consist of a

superstar athlete or a soldier or a half-naked woman, the goal is still the same: to stand out in the

consumer's mind. Covers for sport related games are consistent and most often feature a top

athlete in an action photo. Using a known athlete, who is usually the best player in the league at

the time, draws in the attention from the younger consumers who might just be getting into video

games. This occurs because the children see a known athlete on the cover and can relate to him

or her and with this relation they will be more inclined to buy the game. When it comes to

choosing the athlete on the cover, the company goes through an extensive process which consists

of consumer votes as well a company wide vote. It is a big deal to choose a cover athlete because

in a way that athlete will be representing the EA name for that year. This past year the recent

NHL game was intended to feature two players on the cover but in the summer allegations were

brought up that one of the athletes had committed a crime. After being accused of sexual assault,

EA Sports dropped Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane from the cover (Davis). EA dropped

Kane from the cover before charges had been made and later to find out all charges were

dropped. The reason EA decided to do this was because they did not want to be associated with
Kane and negative views towards him by the public. In order to sell as many copies as possible

EA has to be in good standings with the public and when parents are often purchasing these

games for the kids, EA didnt want to run the risk that parents would not approve if Kane was

featured on the cover.

Another common form of video game cover shows highly sexualized women. Games like

Grand Theft Auto and Tomb Raider are known for placing highly sexualized women on their

covers. Tomb Raider is actually a game starring a female hero. On the cover and in the game,

instead of wearing normal covering clothes the character is half naked with large breasts. The

idea behind this is that most women and girls are not playing video games, so the easiest to make

a game successful with a woman lead is to please to the male audience by having an attractive

lead character and cover.

Online gaming has become increasingly popular within the last few years and with this

brings more competition between players in the online realm of play. Companies have noticed

this boom and have created a way to sell products while promoting popular video games. Large

corporations like Pepsi have started working with video game corporations to offer promotions

to the consumers. This strategy is benefiting both Pepsi and in this case Activision, with Call of

Duty Black Ops III. Activision is receiving a substantial amount of TV time with ads being

played all throughout the day and Pepsi is being rewarded with customers purchasing their

product to gain the specials offered to them in the game. Today it is almost impossible to watch

an hour of TV without seeing a commercial for Mountain Dew and Doritos, both offering

promotions for the recently released Call of Duty. Pepsi owns both sub brands and recently

released this statement the DEW and Doritos Fuel Up for Battle promotion is another example

of PepsiCos strength in building integrated food and beverage marketing campaigns. Said Jeff
Klein, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay: we are delighted to engage consumers with

exclusive experiences through our unmatched brands in combination with blockbuster video

games (Galasso).

This is not a new process used by Pepsi, this strategy has been used for the past five years

and has been linked with every Call of Duty game that is released annually. The promotions that

are offered to the consumers are items in the game that can only be unlocked by the codes that

are located inside Doritos bags and Mountain Dew caps. These items can be used in online play

against other players around the world, and with these items an advantage is given to the player

that purchased these products. Pepsi is giving an incentive to gamers to purchase their products

and while competition is becoming more intense gamers will continue to purchase these products

for the sole reason of the promotion that is being offered.

Gaining an advantage over the competition is a goal pursued by all gamers, even if that

means paying extra for in game items. Recently video games have started to introduce in game

currency to the online features offered in the game. In game currency has become increasingly

popular in sports games as well as shooter/action video games. The currency in the games is

often shown as tokens or coins and can be used to purchase items in the games, for example

upgrades or players in sports video games. These tokens can be earned by playing the game but

often it takes a significant amount of time to generate enough tokens to be able to compete with

other players that have been playing the game for a longer amount of time. Soon after in game

currency was introduced, video game companies gave players the opportunity to purchase tokens

by using a credit card. This idea generated more profit for the video game companies and gave

dedicated players the option to gain an advantage over the competition. This technique is now

used in almost every video game that is released today with major companies like Bungie, EA,
and Activision taking full advantage of the opportunity to generate more revenue. Pricing for

tokens is solely based off of quantity purchased and prices can range from $5 to $100. For

example the game Destiny developed by Bungie announced the prices for in game currency

before the game was released. The company released this statement players will pay $4.99 for

500 Silver. Theyll get discounts if they buy more- a bundle of 1,000 silver will go for $9.99 and

will come with an extra 100 silver, while a package of 2,00 silver will cost $19.99 and will come

with a bonus of 300 silver (Sarkar). Video game developers can only benefit from the option to

purchase in game currency. They are continuing to generate revenue after the initial purchase of

the game. Players now can simply purchase tokens instead of playing the game for countless

hours to generate the same amount of tokens they purchased.

Another developer that is benefiting from in game currency is EA. EA is a large video

game developer that specializes in sports games like, NHL, Madden, FIFA and PGA. In recent

years EA has offered a new online gaming mode which gives players the opportunity to build a

team of their choosing by purchasing individual players and building a team. After building a

team you then can challenge other online players teams in online games and tournaments. There

is a giant market of players that are bought and sold on the marketplace. The better the player the

more expensive the player will be. EA uses coins as the currency on the online marketplace and

instead of being able to purchase coins directly, the player is only allowed to buy packs which

consist of players and training items. Buying packs is a gamble and there is no guarantee you are

going to receive a good player. The prices on the packs vary from $3.49 to $.99, while the more

expensive packs contain higher quality items and more often purchased. EA states There are

different packs to choose from in HUT and all are available from within the HUT store. Each

pack includes a set number of items as well as the chance to unlock rare, high quality items (EA
Sports). With this method in place players are more inclined to spend more money because when

not knowing what you are going to receive you run the risk of receiving no quality items and

wasting your money.

Product placement is a technique that has been used by companies for many years.

Product placement is a marketing practice used by many companies where a brand name,

product, signage, or other trademarked merchandise is placed into a form of media which could

be a movie, television program, or video games. Along with product placement, brand

integration has become increasingly popular with the advancement of technology. Both

techniques are used to create more product recognition in consumers as well as create brand

loyalty. Technology has changed product placement in video games, new technology allows

realistic looking products inside video games. Before the technology we have today ads inside

games, mostly from soft drink purveyors, were plastered on grainy 2-D billboards that appeared

fleetingly alongside racetracks or ball fields. Now companies can put their brands almost

anywhere- characters can drink from a Coco- Cola can or drive a Chrysler (Brown). New

technology has made it possible for companies to put their product in a video game and have it

look exactly the same as it does in reality. While this new technology is fascinating it also gives

marketers the opportunity to promote their products in new ways and to a new demographic of

consumers.

The idea of brand integration is a rather new technique that is used by marketers. Brand

integration differs from product placement in the way that brand integration is incorporating a

product into a character's dialogue or actions and does not force the product down consumers

throats. For example, the New York Times states that product placement is simply putting a

branded box of cereal on the kitchen table in a show, but product integration is having the
characters talk about the crunchy deliciousness of the cereal or provoking them to go out and tell

their neighbors to buy that cereal (Vogt). While brand integration is more subtle than product

placement it is being used more often now than ever before. It is common to see brand

integration when playing video games.

Sports games are the most popular for brand integration because it is easy for a video

game creator to place a companys brand on the equipment used by the players in these games. It

is a cheap and effective way of marketing to a demographic mainly consisting of children. Today

with the advancement in technology video game creators can edit the equipment to replicate the

actual product. Players will see the equipment with the brand name plastered all over it and will

immediately be able to determine the exact product that is in the game. Often in these games

only high end equipment will be incorporated into the game to drive the expensive products into

the consumers minds. While marketers are targeting all players with brand integration it is much

more effective with children that play the sport that is being played in the video game. For

example in all of the NHL video games Bauer is seen throughout the game. The logo is seen on

the boards of the rink and on a majority of the equipment in the game. Bauer uses their high end

products and places them on professional superstars, which gives children the idea that if they

own this equipment they can be exactly like their idol.

Violent gaming has a range of effects and consequences for young boys who play

regularly. Whether it be a wrongfully depicted view of violence or discrimination towards

women, children are exposed to a wide variety of problems. As previously mentioned, David

Grossman, an American Author who specializes in the psychology of killing, has a great deal to

say about the impact of video games on adolescent boys. He is a US army veteran and has over

20 years of military experience. He has co-written a book called Stop Teaching Our Kids to
Kill which talks about youth violence and the presence of media/video game culture. He urges

that todays children are witnesses to thousands of violent images per day, and he strongly

believes that these games, and violent media in general, have a strong correlation to the increase

in violence for children in American culture. He discusses how it is inhumane for children to kill

other children, and this is something that they are taught to do- there is nothing natural about it.

Boys being boys does not apply to this kind of violence, and these excuses need to end.

Through the constant gameplay, children are taught that violence is correlated to winning

and points, and in response have a diluted response to violence. Lt. Col. Dave Grossman was

interviewed by Glenn Beck on January 2, 2013 on the topic of mass killings of children by

children in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. In this interview, Dave Grossman

connects childrens exposure to violence to the Pavlovs dog study. As the dog keeps making the

connection between the bell and food, he begins salivating whenever he hears the bell as his

internal response tells him he will be receiving food. Likewise, as children constantly exposed to

violence being linked to humor and points, they begin to have an internal response that is

morphed to this disgusting and horrifying perceived notion that violence is not only okay but a

correct response. This constant exposure does have a strong effect and influence on real life

violence, as numbers continue to reveal.

Video games which are extremely prevalent in American culture are promoting

dangerous behaviors for its players. Young boys, who are especially targeted by this industry, are

taught by video games that violence is not only tolerated, but worth reward. Video games are

teaching children only positive consequences to hurting and harming others. The same video

games which are intentionally used to train soldiers to feel desensitized to killing are being sold
to children and adolescents throughout the country for entertainment. Ideas such as the

cultivation theory show that long-term exposure to video games train players to believe that it is

a reflection of the real world, influencing them to emulate the actions of video game characters.

In this country video game sales are not well regulated or monitored, and it is way too easy for

children to access games that are detrimental to their development. This research should

showcase the importance of the work that needs to be done to regulate video game content and

sales in America.

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