Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game
Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game
June 5, 2008
Recently, GamePolitics reported that Ubisoft would be releasing a smoking cessation game for its handheld DS system.
That news did not escape the notice of the Penny Arcade crew. Hit the link for the full comic.
GP: Thanks to GP correspondent Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes for the heads-up.
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Posted 08/27/08 at 04:05pm
SimonBob: HB: I actually voted for the old Green party, back before the treehuggers took over from the small-c conservatives.
SimonBob: HB: I actually voted for the old Green party, back before the treehuggers took over from the small-c conservatives.
Posted 08/27/08 at 02:57pm
ZippyDSMlee: So bascily the 2 aprty setup is soemthign that has not evolved any....
ZippyDSMlee: So bascily the 2 aprty setup is soemthign that has not evolved any....
Posted 08/27/08 at 02:04pm
Dark Sovereign: @Joel: Their entitled to their bull like the rest of us are.
Dark Sovereign: @Joel: Their entitled to their bull like the rest of us are.
Posted 08/27/08 at 02:02pm
HarmlessBunny: Awww Jack is calling the Florida Bar: "The Florida Gay Bar". How mature! :D
HarmlessBunny: Awww Jack is calling the Florida Bar: "The Florida Gay Bar". How mature! :D
Posted 08/27/08 at 01:54pm
JoelWhy: Wow, I am so tired of these Hillary-worshippers who can't get over the fact that she lost. Dems keep finding new ways to lose.'
JoelWhy: Wow, I am so tired of these Hillary-worshippers who can't get over the fact that she lost. Dems keep finding new ways to lose.'
Posted 08/27/08 at 01:41pm
Dark Sovereign: @Harmlessbunny: We in America have something like forty of those parties. We have 5 parties that actually produce prez candies
Dark Sovereign: @Harmlessbunny: We in America have something like forty of those parties. We have 5 parties that actually produce prez candies
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:53pm
sortableturnip: JT needs help from the ACLU here: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/27/the-name-game.aspx
sortableturnip: JT needs help from the ACLU here: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/27/the-name-game.aspx
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:51pm
GryphonOsiris: However this is limited to five years.
GryphonOsiris: However this is limited to five years.
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:50pm
GryphonOsiris: @Chuma, actually, sarin kept in a binary form for things like self mixing shells can extend the life of the chemical.
GryphonOsiris: @Chuma, actually, sarin kept in a binary form for things like self mixing shells can extend the life of the chemical.
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:45pm
DarkTetsuya: @questionmark1987 I'm guessing they're waiting till his licensectomy this September... should be fun to watch ^^;
DarkTetsuya: @questionmark1987 I'm guessing they're waiting till his licensectomy this September... should be fun to watch ^^;
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:35pm
questionmark1987: SO at what point can webmasters start filing suit against Thompson for harrassment?
questionmark1987: SO at what point can webmasters start filing suit against Thompson for harrassment?
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:23pm
HarmlessBunny: OH OH OH http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/26/whos-backing-who.aspx?pg=2&view=linear#Comment Jack gets priceless in here!
HarmlessBunny: OH OH OH http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/26/whos-backing-who.aspx?pg=2&view=linear#Comment Jack gets priceless in here!
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:18pm
HarmlessBunny: For EZK: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/26/whos-backing-who.aspx#comment-1316308
HarmlessBunny: For EZK: http://jaablog.jaablaw.com/2008/08/26/whos-backing-who.aspx#comment-1316308
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:10pm
E. Zachary Knight: link please
E. Zachary Knight: link please
Posted 08/27/08 at 12:03pm
sortableturnip: JT is threatening the webmaster at JAABlog, saying he changed a word in his post so that it was mispelled HA HA HA!
sortableturnip: JT is threatening the webmaster at JAABlog, saying he changed a word in his post so that it was mispelled HA HA HA!
Posted 08/27/08 at 11:35am
HarmlessBunny: Well we in Canada to have the joke parties, like Bloc Quebecois and NDP (New Democrat Party) OH and the new "Green Party" :)
HarmlessBunny: Well we in Canada to have the joke parties, like Bloc Quebecois and NDP (New Democrat Party) OH and the new "Green Party" :)
Posted 08/27/08 at 11:07am
Talouin: @Azhrarn: It's the same in Canada. Only two parties to form a federal gov't are Liberals and Conservatives.
Talouin: @Azhrarn: It's the same in Canada. Only two parties to form a federal gov't are Liberals and Conservatives.
Posted 08/27/08 at 10:42am
Zevorick: Yeah, but you can find a lot of things in Texas that don't count. I should know, i've lived here all my life.
Zevorick: Yeah, but you can find a lot of things in Texas that don't count. I should know, i've lived here all my life.
Posted 08/27/08 at 09:04am
sqlrob: wehrgeist - there have been more WMDs found in Tyler , Texas than Iraq
sqlrob: wehrgeist - there have been more WMDs found in Tyler , Texas than Iraq
Posted 08/27/08 at 08:16am
Azhrarn: So they have been effectively 2-party for a century now. (not counting coalitions of all parties)
Azhrarn: So they have been effectively 2-party for a century now. (not counting coalitions of all parties)
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
This really makes ya wonder who exactly the core audience is, both of this game and of the DS.
That, or it really makes you re-evaluate Ubisoft as a market wary developer.
Or, it makes you wonder where the joke was in that strip.
I wonder that about all PA comics. 1 in a 100 will make me chuckle.
DEAR GOD THEY MADE A VIDEOGAME!
I read Allen Carrs book on how to stop smoking and it has worked well for me. I'm curious to see how it has been implemented in a game though.
Anyway, to respond to Keith K above, I don't think that the market is wrong at all. Allen Carrs book, at least, could easily be read by anyone at pretty much any age and it would be a good thing. It's defintely the sort of thing I would give my children to read. So if the game is more of the same, I think the DS is a perfect market, since it may actually stop a large number of kids from ever becoming smokers...
I base this entirely on the book though, as I have not seen the game or how it works.
-- mostly harmless
I *am* a smoker, although, of course, would like to stop, and tried the Carr book. I really have no idea why it's sold so much - it's the most unintelligible pile of crap I've ever read in my life.
Then again, the same could be said of the Da Vinci Code, I guess, and look what happened to that.
"it's the most unintelligible pile of crap I've ever read in my life."
I have to respectfully disagree with you there. I smoked since the age of 12 all the way until 25, and I haven't had a cigerrette since I quit (with the help of Allen Carrs book). This was more than a year ago...
I guess it doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for me as well as several of my friends.
Whether it is appropriate as a game remains to be seen though.
-- mostly harmless
Or both of you could just discontinued from buying cigarettes. Its works pretty good.
Yeah,that "being addicted" thing is a lie.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a complete lie. Your user name is the ultimate lie.
No will power :(
It's 50/50 really, there IS addictiveness, but it IS possible to overpower that with will-power, it can, and has been done. But it takes a lot of willpower, I've heard a lot of non-smokers say 'Why don't you just give up?'. Remembering that Nicotine actually rates higher than Heroin on the addictiveness scale.
I've been a smoker for 15 years, and yes, I'd like to quit, but I'm always dubious of stop-smoking aids ever since the debacle over Nicorette and their success rates. For those that don't know, Nicorettes success rates were based on people using the patch for only 6 weeks, when a second sampling was done after 2 years, there was no real impact of nicorette on smoker quitting rates. It was, and always will be, in the mind of the person quitting.
If you read the book (that this game is based on) it actually addresses many of the myths you just stated...
"but it IS possible to overpower that with will-power"
Yes, it is but this is not the best way to do it. Using will power to effectively fight yourself means that you will either lose the fight one day, or be fighting until you die. Neither of these are great options...
"Remembering that Nicotine actually rates higher than Heroin"
Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies! Complete and utter nonsese. Herion is far more addictive than nicotine. No one has ever died from going "cold turkey" on cigs. It's just that there is a lot more brainwashing and bullshit associated with nicotine.
And yes, Nicorrette patches are also useless.
/rant
Anyway, like I said, I used to think most of those things too, but they are dealt with quite well in the book and you come to realise what a massive load all of that nonsense is in reality.
-- mostly harmless
"since it may actually stop a large number of kids from ever becoming smokers..."
This is sort of a toss-up I think. On the one hand I could definetly see parents buying this for the kids as some sort of pre-emptive strike but are kids really going to be interested in something that does not apply to them. Not just kids but anyone really. I can't really imagine the game having a large entertainment appeal so I doubt it would keep non-smokers interested in it long enough for anything to really set in. A non-smoker will have beaten the game before they even pick it up so what's the point...?
The reason I would want my kids to read the book is because it addresses a number of myths and untruths about smoking in a very logical manner, as well as explaining how the addiction works (which applies to everything, not just cigerrettes). Which means that even non-smokers can gain some insight from it.
But I also understand your point, as far as the game goes... I really don't know how it would work. The only way I could see it working is if the game was fun to play, and the non-smoking agenda was very subtle and in the background...
-- mostly harmless
As much as I like Penny Arcade and this site, I just don't see how this is newsworthy.
I've never found Penny Arcade funny before; I'm not about to start now.
I like the guys and what they do, I find a lot of their strips are aimed at people who have been in gaming for a long time, like their quips about Pokemon, which mostly go over my head, not because they aren't funny, but because I have no experience of Pokemon whatsoever. I can't really blame that on them, however.
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