Mass Effect 3 and EA Slammed for False Claims
Apparently the Better Business Bureau takes marketing-speak seriously... bless
North American consumer representative the Better Business Bureau has only gone and taken marketing spiel as reality and now wants to take EA to task over stating that with Mass Effect 3, "the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome”.
Bless their hearts.
On the BBB blog, we're told that:
"The game, Mass Effect 3, has caused a “mass effect”/controversy amongst its consumers. Consider this: If you had purchased a game for $59.99 or $79.99 for the digital download version and were told that you had complete control over the game’s outcome by the choices your character made and then actually had no control over the game’s outcome, wouldn’t you be disappointed?! Many gamers have spoken out in online forums, via Facebook and Twitter, leading to the creation of Facebook fanpages in favor of and against the game’s outcome."
It then points out that, "What caused all of this hype had to do with the marketing of this product" and cites the following examples of what everybody else involved in marketing video games knows are merely words arranged in some sort of order:
- “Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome”.
- “Along the way, your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilizations, and even radically different ending scenarios.”
Yes, you may be forgiven for laughing at people who take these word arrangements seriously. The BBB does, however, ask:
"The issue at stake here is, did Bio Ware falsely advertise?
It then answers its own question, "Technically, yes, they did. In the first bullet point, where it states 'the decisions you make completely shape your experience', there is no indecision in that statement. It is an absolute.
"The next statement is not so absolute. It states 'your choices drive powerful outcomes'. A consumer would have to very carefully analyze this statement to come to a conclusion that the game’s outcome is not 'wholly' determined by one’s choices. This statement, really though, is very subject to interpretation."
It finishes on an up note though:
"One positive thing that came of this, though, is an online charity, “Retake Mass Effect 3 Child’s Play Charity”, where funds of over $80,000 were raised. Proceeds will go towards providing “video games for the patients at Children’s Hospitals all over the world”. As with any charity, though, it is wise to verify where funds are actually going."
So what do you reckon? Tell us in the Forum.
Bless their hearts.
On the BBB blog, we're told that:
"The game, Mass Effect 3, has caused a “mass effect”/controversy amongst its consumers. Consider this: If you had purchased a game for $59.99 or $79.99 for the digital download version and were told that you had complete control over the game’s outcome by the choices your character made and then actually had no control over the game’s outcome, wouldn’t you be disappointed?! Many gamers have spoken out in online forums, via Facebook and Twitter, leading to the creation of Facebook fanpages in favor of and against the game’s outcome."
It then points out that, "What caused all of this hype had to do with the marketing of this product" and cites the following examples of what everybody else involved in marketing video games knows are merely words arranged in some sort of order:
- “Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome”.
- “Along the way, your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilizations, and even radically different ending scenarios.”
Yes, you may be forgiven for laughing at people who take these word arrangements seriously. The BBB does, however, ask:
"The issue at stake here is, did Bio Ware falsely advertise?
It then answers its own question, "Technically, yes, they did. In the first bullet point, where it states 'the decisions you make completely shape your experience', there is no indecision in that statement. It is an absolute.
"The next statement is not so absolute. It states 'your choices drive powerful outcomes'. A consumer would have to very carefully analyze this statement to come to a conclusion that the game’s outcome is not 'wholly' determined by one’s choices. This statement, really though, is very subject to interpretation."
It finishes on an up note though:
"One positive thing that came of this, though, is an online charity, “Retake Mass Effect 3 Child’s Play Charity”, where funds of over $80,000 were raised. Proceeds will go towards providing “video games for the patients at Children’s Hospitals all over the world”. As with any charity, though, it is wise to verify where funds are actually going."
So what do you reckon? Tell us in the Forum.
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