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.

Comments

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

Or, it makes you wonder where the joke was in that strip.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

I wonder that about all PA comics. 1 in a 100 will make me chuckle.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

DEAR GOD THEY MADE A VIDEOGAME!

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

"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

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

Or both of you could just discontinued from buying cigarettes. Its works pretty good.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

Yeah,that "being addicted" thing is a lie.

 

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a complete lie. Your user name is the ultimate lie.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

No will power :(

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

"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...?

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

As much as I like Penny Arcade and this site, I just don't see how this is newsworthy.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

I've never found Penny Arcade funny before; I'm not about to start now.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

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.

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

I'm all for freedom of ttnet vitamin speech and allowing rent a car game makers to put whatever they want in games, but there's one thing about this app that has me scratching my head.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but from araç kiralama the previous article araba kiralama on this I gathered that players can use Google maps in-game to find the other (real-life?) dealers in their area.  If this is the case, has travesti anyone considered what's stopping someone from using this app to actually move drugs between hands for reals?

But majority araba kiralama of their outrage araç kiralama stems from what it could DO TO children, not the content itself.  Talk to one of these people and you'll find they don't think any books kiralık araba should be banned from children.  Mention American Psycho and they talk about kiralık araç the redeeming value of using imagination to construct a story.  Reading, no matter what the content, is largely viewed as a consequenceless activity for people of any age.  The reason why I mention American Psycho is because of the content itself.  Gaming never has and likely never will have any scenes where someone has sex with a severed head.  Not gonna happen.  Yet despite this, they'll fight tooth and nail to protect their children from two boys kissing in Bully but whatever they read is harmless... yeah.

The entire arguement is kiralık oto based upon a social normality inflicted by luddites who can't figure out the controls for Halo so it's frightening and terrifying and obviously the cause of youth violence on the rise even though, in reality, it's in decline (which is actually a HUGE suprise given minibüs kiralama the economies status).  In  a perfect world, we would have parents that actually parent.  The idea of sales restrictions on media on oto kiralama any form to accomidate parental unwillingness to get involved with their child's life is the real problem to me.  Here I am, 32 years old, and being held up at a self-scan rent a car needing to show ID before I can buy a $10 M rated game all because Soccer Momthra can't be bothered to look at the crap Billy Genericallystupidson does in his free time.  It's too hard for her, so I have to suffer?

Re: Penny Arcade Riffs on Ubisoft's Quit Smoking Game

Thanks good job;

Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because  these guys have done nothing travesti or little and need to start saving costs. and dizi izle

YES.

Now I don't have to get off my ass for the important shit anymore!

Whats next, ordering pizza from Xbox live?

Wait... I think that sounds like a good idea.

But I think voting should MAKE you get off your ass, and see outside or a second while you go vote. I mean, your picking the president of the United States of America for God's Sake... least you can do is drive down there and punch out a card.

GamePolitics ShoutBox

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JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
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Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
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