Report: Obama Ads in Burnout Paradise
Report: Obama Ads in Burnout Paradise
October 9, 2008
We've only gotten one report of this, which seems a bit odd, but an Xbox Live gamer who goes by Dragunov765 has posted photos of what appear to be in-game ads for Barack Obama.
Dragunov (we know his real name, too) says he came across the ads while playing Burnout Paradise earlier this week and posted them on his Rooster Teeth journal page. We were tipped to the pix by a GP reader who vouches for the guy. In turn we contacted Dragonuv, who commented on the ads:
Here's the photos I took while playing Burnout: Paradise on the XBox 360. I don't know how often they rotate the in-game advertising, but I imagine they are still up.
I gotta give [Obama] credit for covering all the bases. I also think this is an interesting endorsement for adults as gamers (or maybe he's planting the seeds for a re-election bid in 4 years...)
The ads mention that early voting has begun and reference voteforchange.com. That site says that it is "Paid for by Obama for America" and helps voters find early voting locations in states that permit the practice (which has indeed begun).
EA reps did not respond to several attempts by GamePolitics to verify the ads.
GP: Bottom line? If the ad pix are Photoshopped, ya got me, Dragonuv. But I don't think they are. Dragonuv is no kid and my gut tells me he's on the level.
And in any case, why couldn't - why shouldn't - a candidate make use of in-game ads? After all, it's the new, new thing, and Obama has been courting the youth vote all along.
The concept of in-game political ads does raise some issues, however. Does the campaign get to choose the games in which their ads appear? We have to think they do. Having one's campaign ad appear in GTA IV, for example, might hand an opposing candidate an opportunity to sling mud.
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Posted 03/20/10 at 09:40am
JDKJ: You accusing someone else of flagging for attention is just too funny for words, Zippy. After all, you're an obvious graduate of the Jack Thompson School for Attention Whores.
JDKJ: You accusing someone else of flagging for attention is just too funny for words, Zippy. After all, you're an obvious graduate of the Jack Thompson School for Attention Whores.
Posted 03/20/10 at 09:38am
ZippyDSMlee: JD:BREAKING, JD wants attention!
ZippyDSMlee: JD:BREAKING, JD wants attention!
Posted 03/20/10 at 09:35am
JDKJ: BREAKING: House votes unanimously to close Zippy's doughnut hole.
JDKJ: BREAKING: House votes unanimously to close Zippy's doughnut hole.
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:42pm
Valdearg: Sage advice, Zip. Sage advice.
Valdearg: Sage advice, Zip. Sage advice.
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:37pm
ZippyDSMlee: Don;t talk to MS/LIve users that you do not know....is jsut easier that way...
ZippyDSMlee: Don;t talk to MS/LIve users that you do not know....is jsut easier that way...
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:14pm
Flamespeak: Didm't steal anything or other people not knowing what the heck Tribes was but felt inclined to tell me it wasn't Halo.
Flamespeak: Didm't steal anything or other people not knowing what the heck Tribes was but felt inclined to tell me it wasn't Halo.
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:13pm
Flamespeak: stealing 'new' game ideas from Tribes while marketing them as something 'new and shiny'." I was blasted by people claiming Halo
Flamespeak: stealing 'new' game ideas from Tribes while marketing them as something 'new and shiny'." I was blasted by people claiming Halo
Posted 03/19/10 at 06:12pm
Flamespeak: I told some Halo fans that 'with the inclusion of jet packs in Reach, Halo has successfully completed its mission of totally
Flamespeak: I told some Halo fans that 'with the inclusion of jet packs in Reach, Halo has successfully completed its mission of totally
Posted 03/19/10 at 05:39pm
Valdearg: @JDKJ: Well, it's not like you were very subtle, there..
Valdearg: @JDKJ: Well, it's not like you were very subtle, there..
Posted 03/19/10 at 05:18pm
JDKJ: @Val": You got me there. That one was pure troll. And posted in memory of DarkSaber, who hasn't been around much, lately.
JDKJ: @Val": You got me there. That one was pure troll. And posted in memory of DarkSaber, who hasn't been around much, lately.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:36pm
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Probably the widow/widower.
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Probably the widow/widower.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:who gives a shit about you :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:who gives a shit about you :P
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
Valdearg: Lol.. Wow, JDKJ. Troll much?
Valdearg: Lol.. Wow, JDKJ. Troll much?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:27pm
JDKJ: Who gives a rat's ass about the children of fallen soldiers?
JDKJ: Who gives a rat's ass about the children of fallen soldiers?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:16pm
Andrew Eisen: I completely agree.
Andrew Eisen: I completely agree.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:15pm
Valdearg: If they really wanted to help the troops, they should donate their money to a legitimate charity with a good cash in/out ratio.
Valdearg: If they really wanted to help the troops, they should donate their money to a legitimate charity with a good cash in/out ratio.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:14pm
Valdearg: It's just offensive that people who attend these things think they are helping the troops, when in reality, Hannity is using MOST of the money to live large in the cities he travels to. He could at least scale down his accommodations..
Valdearg: It's just offensive that people who attend these things think they are helping the troops, when in reality, Hannity is using MOST of the money to live large in the cities he travels to. He could at least scale down his accommodations..
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:13pm
Andrew Eisen: Val - But they did get something and that's better than nothing. Also, the Freedom Concert site is clear that expenses are subtracted from the donated amount so while it’s not fraud (from what little I’ve seen) it is pretty crummy.
Andrew Eisen: Val - But they did get something and that's better than nothing. Also, the Freedom Concert site is clear that expenses are subtracted from the donated amount so while it’s not fraud (from what little I’ve seen) it is pretty crummy.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:12pm
ZippyDSMlee: fou fundrasier, from a fou consertive, who would have thought :P.
ZippyDSMlee: fou fundrasier, from a fou consertive, who would have thought :P.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:11pm
Valdearg: The problem, Zip, is that barely ANY of the proceeds are going to the children. It's all going so hannity can line his own pockets and enjoy a life of luxury. He is a grade A Piece of Human Crap.
Valdearg: The problem, Zip, is that barely ANY of the proceeds are going to the children. It's all going so hannity can line his own pockets and enjoy a life of luxury. He is a grade A Piece of Human Crap.
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Comments
Well, that's one way to reach out to the youth vote.
"Can We Burnout? YES WE CAN!"
It was a nice idea and added an effect touch to the kit, but EA's Essay Writing | Buy Essay | Custom Essay probably in a lot of hot water over this. The brass knuckles probably should have been fake, like rubber or plastic. Perfect Writing | Writing Help | Essays | Essay Help
I'm a little creeped out by advertisements in games, especially as the cost of games themselves have not been offset in the slightest bit. That said, if there are going to be ads in games, may as well be political ones, too.
I was going to say that I don't want to be FORCED to watch ads (like in a pre-loader), but that's a statement that is as true of regular ads as it is of political ones.
Well the only problem with political ads is that they become dated very quickly. In one month the obama ad in burnout would be completely pointless as the ad will no longer have anything to advertise. The ads are only useful for as long as the election is going on; and by the time the next election comes around the game with the original ad will probably be dead.
Ads for stuff like coca cola, pepsi, beer and all that other stuff however will be around for years... as such the ads will always have something they can push and sell us.
The in-game advertising "feature" in Burnout Paradise isn't permanent. They rotate sponsors in and out according to however much ad space is purchased. When I went back to play it today all of the billboards had shifted to Burger King ads...
Well more fans for Obama. Well he is handing the economic crisis quite well. He is performing well under the pressure. Great determination.
The only reason it stands out and breaks us from the game is that we're not quite used to seeing them yet.
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Fucking ads...I am so fucking tired of this encroachment.
First we have ads in between shows. Not so bad, it gives a person the chance to take a piss or get something to eat.
Then we have comercial interuptions. Still not too bad, and it does allow for the mid show cliff-hanger...
NOW we have pop up comercials DURING the fucking show, combined with all the other shit, and NOW we are getting ads in our videogames...soon there'll be advertisements during every loading screen! Imagine playing HALO, and all of a sudden there's a fucking ad for Enzyte or some shit!
This madness must stop!
-Remember kids, personal responsibility is for losers!
I think it's creepy to have political ads in a game- politics is a more sensitive subject than the discounts on Wendy's and Subway's sandwiches. Aside from that, I don't mind the in-game advertisements in Burnout Paradise because Criterion has been raising the bar for free downloadable content in console gaming. The latest update was basically an expansion pack for the game.
Political ads in video games, do not want! Actually any ads in video games, do not want!
Thanks for taking an interest in it. I can understand your skepticism (especially since they changed out all the billboards again in the game) and I appreciate your candor on its validity being suspect. The best answer I can give you is that I'm not that good with Photoshop and I'm too lazy to commit any time to a political campaign.
The photos were taken Oct. 6th, 2008 in my living room with an Olympus 550UZ. The .jpg images should still be tagged with all the camera data (shutter speed, ISO-whatever, etc). I downsized them because Photobucket won't handle any images over 1Mb and I generally shoot in super HQ (ends up around 2.1-2.4Mb per photo). Beyond reducing the file size for posting to the internet, no other adjustments were made to the images. I would have taken more, but I didn't even have the memory stick in there because I'd just completed downloading some other photos and hadn't put it back in.
The funny thing is that I had already played through 97% of the game months ago and it was collecting dust on the shelf. I had only tossed it in because we just bought the new TV and one of my daughter's friends wanted to see the motorcycles in action. We'd been buzzing around the city in various vehicles at high speed for about half an hour before I happened to crash right in front of one of the billboards (Burnout's in-game camera induces vertigo if you try to manipulate it so you normally have to get a car airborne before you can actually read any of the signs close up). It was a genuine "WTF?" moment.
Personally, I figure that EA put the billboards in there specifically for this purpose - anyone who has the money is welcome to buy the ad space...just like in the real world (which the game is supposed to emulate). Considering the cost of game development, why wouldn't a company work to bring in some extra cash?
On Obama's side, it's getting a lot of bang for his buck because there is no way he could have put up that many billboards across the country in such a short amount of time.
Granted, I'm still not voting for him (or McCain, for that matter), but I'm forced to respect the attempt.
Hey, Mr. D - bottom line is, you're a believable guy! I never would have posted the story if I thought otherwise.
Well done!
Oh man, they finally put the motocycles in? Time to get this back off the shelf....
I find this ad... creepy. I don't think it's just me though.
Actually, I'd be more than happy to have ads in video games if they don't interrupt the flow of the actual game or disrupt gameplay and they lower the cost of the games since they should be making a small fortune off of putting ads in their games. It'd be nice if they took some of the burden off of the fans, but I doubt that'll happen.
We're going to get lots of in-game ads. That is not likely to change, because it's practically free money. With that in mind, the Burnout ads are well done as they mimic real billboards in an urban environment. The only reason it stands out and breaks us from the game is that we're not quite used to seeing them yet.
So, under the so called "Fairness" Doctrine, don't they have to make sure McCain gets equal rotation?
~~All Knowledge is Worth Having~~
When asked if he would be willing to do the same, McCain simply replied, "What is an Xbox?"
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/10/18/
Seems appropriate =)
Im gonna comment on this in retrospect past politics. Now ya know the radio they have advertising for the canidates a lot, same with the TV. Now we have ads for our canidates in video games. Give us 8 or 12 years and well see them all over the place in gaming(i can imagine Halo with elites holding up signs lol) . On the other hand, video game bring a whole lot more of interactivity so i understand why it may be creepy. Either way im still voting for mccain. from shobidoo
Companies buy ad space or place products in games all the time. This is especially true in racing or sports games, where there are billboards or areas which, in a real life situation, an ad would be located. bad credit payday loans
This post makes no sense to me
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Thanks for your post, obama ads burnout paradise!!! it is funny.
I love cafe world cheats.
I played burnout paradise version of burnout series a lot couple of days ago but did nhot come across with the above barack obama advertisement, i think it appears in some specific route or maybe it is locked as i m playing the world circuit.
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