GameCouch Dishes on how Halo-esque Anti-smoking Vid Got Made
GameCouch Dishes on how Halo-esque Anti-smoking Vid Got Made
June 27, 2008
Did you catch Tobacco Free Florida's terrific Halo-like video? GamePolitics covered it earlier this week.
Now, GameCouch has the 411 on how it all came together in an interview with adman Jason Piroth, who wrote the script:
It started with a discussion of what’s relevant to the 11-17 demographic today... Given the explosion in the gaming market that has accompanied the recent release of games like Halo III, Bioshock, etc... using a format similar... seemed appropriate...
Making the “game” a familiar form of first-person shooter was absolutely intentional, but we were careful from the outset not to make it look too much like any one game in particular...
We’ve had inquiries as to where people can buy the game... and ample evidence of people truly embracing the spot’s message and declaring that they will think twice about smoking as a result...
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Posted 10/07/08 at 10:09pm
C. Aaron Browbowski Jr.: @ Dennis: You need to be smoking a dimebag if you want to enjoy games on facebook, and stomach crappy movies at the matinee
C. Aaron Browbowski Jr.: @ Dennis: You need to be smoking a dimebag if you want to enjoy games on facebook, and stomach crappy movies at the matinee
Posted 10/07/08 at 09:00pm
HalfShadow: FACEBOOK sucks. What were you expecting?
HalfShadow: FACEBOOK sucks. What were you expecting?
Posted 10/07/08 at 07:56pm
gamepolitics: is it just me or do those little facebook games all suck?
gamepolitics: is it just me or do those little facebook games all suck?
Posted 10/07/08 at 07:45pm
Alteffor: @JustChris - Some people have an offensive sense of humour. Some people take it a bit too far, and they offend people. It's life. Also, spreading what they do around the internet is not the best response, its what they want.
Alteffor: @JustChris - Some people have an offensive sense of humour. Some people take it a bit too far, and they offend people. It's life. Also, spreading what they do around the internet is not the best response, its what they want.
Posted 10/07/08 at 05:24pm
gamepolitics: ST, there are way too many...
gamepolitics: ST, there are way too many...
Posted 10/07/08 at 04:06pm
JustChris: LittleBigPlanet and 9/11...wow http://www.ripten.com/2008/10/07/jackass-remakes-911-with-littlebigplanet-flys-sackb
JustChris: LittleBigPlanet and 9/11...wow http://www.ripten.com/2008/10/07/jackass-remakes-911-with-littlebigplanet-flys-sackb
Posted 10/07/08 at 03:52pm
sortableturnip: Yeah girl in glasses...ever hear of a Nintendo DS?
sortableturnip: Yeah girl in glasses...ever hear of a Nintendo DS?
Posted 10/07/08 at 03:20pm
Freyar: nobody sasses a girl in glasses.. except when she's being stupid.
Freyar: nobody sasses a girl in glasses.. except when she's being stupid.
Posted 10/07/08 at 02:51pm
sortableturnip: @GP: Any emails/faxes that JT sends
sortableturnip: @GP: Any emails/faxes that JT sends
Posted 10/07/08 at 01:32pm
DarkSaber: lol, guess it was a matter of time! They even madea Doom one! But you can't beat a game of FRAG!
DarkSaber: lol, guess it was a matter of time! They even madea Doom one! But you can't beat a game of FRAG!
Posted 10/07/08 at 01:30pm
gamepolitics: Halo board game showed up here today? Didn't even know there was one.
gamepolitics: Halo board game showed up here today? Didn't even know there was one.
Posted 10/07/08 at 01:30pm
gamepolitics: u mean the ones in the countdown thread? they are verbatim...
gamepolitics: u mean the ones in the countdown thread? they are verbatim...
Posted 10/07/08 at 12:12pm
sortableturnip: GP, can you post JT's emails into the JT thread over at the eca forums...I love a good laugh :D
sortableturnip: GP, can you post JT's emails into the JT thread over at the eca forums...I love a good laugh :D
Posted 10/07/08 at 11:31am
E. Zachary Knight: No, the link is the same
E. Zachary Knight: No, the link is the same
Posted 10/07/08 at 11:18am
gamepolitics: should the link be changed in the article, EZK?
gamepolitics: should the link be changed in the article, EZK?
Posted 10/07/08 at 07:56am
E. Zachary Knight: http://www.ezknight.net/jtdisbar_ext.php
E. Zachary Knight: http://www.ezknight.net/jtdisbar_ext.php
Posted 10/07/08 at 07:56am
E. Zachary Knight: The JT Disbar add-on has been updated to version 0.7.5
E. Zachary Knight: The JT Disbar add-on has been updated to version 0.7.5
Posted 10/07/08 at 07:33am
ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: the proper reply would be So you want a quick dry rub with cloths on? ba dum dum bish!
ZippyDSMlee: Dark Sovereign: the proper reply would be So you want a quick dry rub with cloths on? ba dum dum bish!
Posted 10/07/08 at 04:58am
gamepolitics: GP is on Twitter. Follow gamepolitics for Twitter updates.
gamepolitics: GP is on Twitter. Follow gamepolitics for Twitter updates.
Posted 10/06/08 at 07:06pm
Shadow Darkman Anti-Thesis of: @Dark Sovereign: Read "Countdown to JT's Disbarment"
Shadow Darkman Anti-Thesis of: @Dark Sovereign: Read "Countdown to JT's Disbarment"
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Doh! Can't see it from work. Guess I'll have to wait until I get home.
Although considering it's being well received, it means it's infinitely better than the steaming pile of feces that is the Ontario government's "stop smoking" ads... Or thetruth.com... I swear if I meet any stupid.ca or whudafxup marketing geniuses, I'm going to lose it.
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...
What is with anti-smoking promotion in the form of video games lately? First that DS game and now this. At the very least it's proof to the critics that, despite their preconcived notions, games can be used to help people.
And, while I still think this is kind of lame, I'd play that game if it were real.
You know, I'm all for the ads of this sort becoming less stuipd. But to an extent doesn't some personaly responciblity come into all this? If someone's going to smoke likely they'er going to regardless of some pretty ad. It's a stress release, maybe not the healthiest one around but it is.
Mind you I'm not condoning smoking. I don't like it, the second hand smoke makes me cough and such. But if you're polite about the when and where you do it so you're not effecting me, in all honesty I really don't care if someone's a smoker or not.
considering the ad's target audience is minors, the idea is to get teens to not start smoking in the first place... smoking only becomes stress relief AFTER you start. The idea and hope is that teens will get the message that smoking is unhealthy and can possibly lead to an earlier than normal death and that teens will choose not use it despite hearing about the stress relief and peer pressure from others.
Eh, guess you're right there. Ah well I guess I'm just a little annoyed with them overall. Some of the commercials they've done, especialy the public demonstrations and such have been in really poor taste. I can appreciate their point but there had to be a better way to get one's message across than having ice sculptures of pregnant mothers melting to nothingness in a park with a doll of a baby in the tummy being smacked into the ground when it collapses.
Personally, I think they focussed to much on the game and not enough on the unpleasant effects of smoking, the actual ciggarette only appears in the last few seconds and it's :cough: :cough: dead.
Deaths from smoking are nowhere near that fast or painless.
But that's just personal observation.
Well, I liked the commercial, even though I'm not planning on being a smoker.
I thought it was a good commercial, but I doubt it will steer many kids away from smoking. But at least they aren't using the "don't do it because you think it makes you look cool" angle, THAT one pisses me off
I'll believe readily enough that people have asked what game that was and where to buy it, but I call BS that that ad actually convinced anyone not to smoke.
I live in Florida and I see this commercial all the time. Admittedly, it's a little goofy but I have to say, it is a hell of a lot less lame than the one where people dance in the middle of the street with cartoon animals singing about the evil tobacco companies. It just seems like they're trying to be hip, but they should probably just stick to the facts about the adverse health effects caused by smoking. Although at this point, I really can't imagine that there are still people out there who don't know that smoking is bad for you.
I still can't stand that annoying 'Bleep' that sounds a couple times when "Level Complete" shows on the screen. Please, please, please, please do NOT use that ever... again.
---- There is a limit for both politicians against video games, and video games against politicians. http://www.goteamretard.com
After re-watching the commercial it looks like the player is just distracted while smoking the cig, and gets shot by surprise by one of the enemy robots.
Can you point out where that is? I watched the dying part a good amount of times and found nothing there (moving, muzzle flashes, etc).
---- There is a limit for both politicians against video games, and video games against politicians. http://www.goteamretard.com
Maybe they should of used Metal Gear Solid.
This is actually cute lol. I love this ad.
They could have handled it better if they had him light up at the start and treated it like an infection or similar health-draining effect. Or maybe he goes through the fight without a hitch and then on the Level Complete screen, hacks out gigantic blackened lung-gibs.
The robot at the end going "wtf noob?" was the crowning moment.
what a horrible commercial...
and what a way to "try" and get kids off of smoking... No facts?
Okay so what this ad is trying to portray is One Smoke of a Ciggarette kills you?
Impossible no matter how you put it, same as those idiots from D.A.R.E. twisting Drug Facts.
I find it terribly ironic that in a video where a guy kills flying robots with a lazer gun and shoots a robot plane thing with an overly large rocket launcher he COULDN'T have physically fit in there, people choose to point out that it takes more than one cigarette to kill.
I don't think they were going for realism, guys. Frankly, I think the commercial was brilliant. Debate the semantics all you want, though..
That was well done imo