Slashdot Mirror


Organizing Sim Protests

Shadow Wrought writes "Alternet has an article about how to go about protesting McDonald's in the Sims Online universe. According to the story "A deal struck between Sims publisher Electronic Arts and the fastfood mega-corporation allows Sims players to open up their own McDonald's kiosk and improve their game stats by consuming McD's greasy goodies." This then tells how to vent any rage that such may conjure. Mayhaps a venue to protest other issues as well?"

88 of 566 comments (clear)

  1. Rational for protesting? by egg+troll · · Score: 4, Funny

    Most Sims players are already fat from eating McDonalds and playing The Sims all day. They don't want the shame of having their Sim alter egos puffing up on SimBigMacs and SuperSizedSimFries.

    --

    C - A language that combines the speed of assembly with the ease of use of assembly.
    1. Re:Rational for protesting? by Lechter · · Score: 4, Funny

      Perhaps this is foolish optimism, but maybe if hard core Sims players enjoy using their "Simians" (WTF?) to protest corporate greed it will lead them to do so in real life.

      Of course, having only watched others play the game, I look at a story like this and think: "Gee, at least that gives the game some sort of point..."

      Maybe this will give people the courage and the motivation to make their ideas heard, at least somewhere... Or maybe having people live their lives through online characters, protesting online issues, and concerned with their online world will lead to the decline of and fall of human civilization... Maybe it's about time for me to go home, and get ready to go out for dinner...

      I just don't know...

      --
      credo quia absurdum
    2. Re:Rational for protesting? by DEBEDb · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why shouldn't people voice their opinion -
      you just voiced yours (about getting a job,
      blablabla). Put up or shut up.

      --

      Considered harmful.
  2. Nothing makes a statement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Like staying at home playing games.

    1. Re:Nothing makes a statement by Gehenna_Gehenna · · Score: 3, Funny
      Except, of course, staying at home and playing a game about someone who, in order to protest Mc Donalds, stays home and plays games.

      By the way WHEN can I buy the SIMs add on that allows my SIMs to play SIMs? They already work, go on vacation, get dumped women, and kill their pets. Lets go full cirle. It's about time my SIM started spending this money on video games so I don't have to.

      --

  3. Interesting Idea by davidmcn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To think, we've moved into a society that has a need to protest virtual issues online. Even more interesting is that sometimes people seem more interested in these virtual issues than the ones that actually plaque society.

    --
    Memories become legend, Legend fades to myth, and even myth is forgotten by the time that age comes again.-Robert Jordan
    1. Re:Interesting Idea by zanerock · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ha! I think you're correct, there is really not much rational for "protesting" per se. It's not really a moral issue... well, maybe in a round about way.

      There is something interesting happenning, though. By encouraging people to act a certain way and getting a reward, even if it is in an fake world, it does have consequences in the real world. Here, it's not *so* bad. It might encourage people to get fat (in the real world).

      The problem is that a reward is a reward. While buying a virtual hamburger is not the same as buying a rela hamburger, the actions are related. The cause-effect is not direct, but it is real. Studies have shown as much (which I should cite, but I'm at work now and shouldn't take too much of my employer's time... maybe after I get home). McDonald's certainly thinks there's a link, or they would not have made the deal.

      What happens is that people get desensitized to the concern's about bad fast food. While this case is rather innocuous, as online games like this get bigger, and attract more people and interest, one must be more aware of the effect. What if they made a deal with the Republicans where you got a better rating by voting Republican? Or, more subtley, whenever a Republican ruled the virtual world, things were great, and when a Democrat was in charge, your pretent economy tanked. Likely few would even notice, and the ones that did would be discounted, but the effects could be very real.

      A thousand votes either way...

    2. Re:Interesting Idea by IIRCAFAIKIANAL · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh yeah smart guy? Well what about the plaques that plague society?

      --
      Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
    3. Re:Interesting Idea by EggMan2000 · · Score: 3, Informative

      We used to protest rule changes and bugs in Ultima Online by all dressing up in black or yellow shirts and camping out at the main bank.

      There was also a protest where people were asked to create a character on a particular shard to protest another shard server's constant technical issues. As I recall a lot of people were suspended from the game for a couple days.

      The point is that when you are addicted to a game, or really, really, enjoy an online game - You act up! Check out these screenshots from UO where people are protesting.
      1,2,3.

      Does it work? Not usually, but it does get the attention of the Game Masters, and shows the world you care about an issue.

      Maxis and these other companies want to create Virtual Worlds. It is only natural that the people that play these games will take an active role.

      --
      what? what I thought we were in the trust tree in the nest, were we not?
    4. Re:Interesting Idea by travdaddy · · Score: 5, Funny

      What if they made a game where you got a better score by shooting people? What happens is that people get densensitized to the concerns about murder. Oh wait, that already happened.

      Nevermind.

      --
      Adidas To Bring Back Sneakernet
    5. Re:Interesting Idea by nolife · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What happens is that people get desensitized to the concern's about bad fast food.

      That's a neat way of saying "I know the down side but I don't care". I did not care about fast food either until I got pancreatis from high triglycerides. Now I do! Actually fast food was a small contributor but genetics was the major cause, either way I no longer eat it. People do not eat fast food because of being desensitized, they eat it because they like it, it is convienent, and it is cheap. An ad for Mcdonalds wether in a game or on TV might get you to go to McD's over BK but it is not going to prevent you from eating a healthy salad with low fat dressing and jogging in the morning.

      --
      Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
    6. Re:Interesting Idea by zanerock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah, I was going to use that as my example, but that it brings in a whole lot of other issues that I didn't have time. I myself like side-scrolling fighters, though I do find Grand Theft Auto *very* disturbing.

      Not that it's a defense, these things do have their problems, but if the message is *too* blatent, it's not as effective. A subtle suggestion that hamburgers are good for you may actually be more effective than the suggestion that it's okay to kill.

      The problem is, of course, that even if the suggestion is much less effective, the results are much more catastrophic when it *is* effective.

      There's a lot more to it, in both, cases of course. Ah... if only I didn't have to earn money.

    7. Re:Interesting Idea by zanerock · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Definetly. McDonald's whole strategy, which I do consider very ethical questionable, is to target children so that they'll be more likely to remain customer's as adults and bring their children in. This is the (sick) genius behind the Happy Meal and their plethora cartoonish mascots.

      Children are, generally, more sucseptiple (sp?) to such tactics.

    8. Re:Interesting Idea by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or if you elected a Republican, the virtual world would get in SimWW3, you would be SimDrafted and SimKilled. SimWheee!

    9. Re:Interesting Idea by Belgand · · Score: 3, Funny

      I agree... GTA is highly disturbing. After beating a few random pedestrians to death with my bare hands outside the police station after being released and then dispatching some cops in the same manner I'm not able to pop open their skulls and eat their brains like a zombie. What's the point if games refuse to allow me to engage in the virtual cannibalism of my preference?

  4. Uhm... by Jennifer+Ever · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't buy the fucking game?

    1. Re:Uhm... by tomstdenis · · Score: 4, Funny

      Whoa slow down. Common sense? Where did you find that?

      Hehehehe

      I bet it didn't occur to any of the /. crowd todo just that.

      Tom

      --
      Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    2. Re:Uhm... by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


      WARNING: Your comment "Don't buy the fucking game?" brings common sense into a slashdot discussion. Common sense on slashdot goes against several RFCs.Your karma will be appropriately decimated.

      Thank you,

      The Editors

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    3. Re:Uhm... by unicron · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think the better solution would be to just not give a shit. If you like the game, you can overlook this. I pity the fuckers that think this is the cause for them, like it's some travesty against their fellow man. Choose your battles, indeed.

      --
      Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
    4. Re:Uhm... by startled · · Score: 5, Funny

      If you played Everquest, you'd be well aware that half the fun of playing a persistent online game is paying them money while simultaneously complaining about how bad it is.

      In fact, some people buy second or third accounts for the sole purpose of being able to say "I'm going to cancel any day now, watch out!" twice or three times as often.

      Watch for upcoming world-shattering Sims Online events, such as the mass threatened cancellation following the first anchovie pizza nerf, or the mass threatened pizza making work slowdown when a customer service rep says something that isn't very nice.

    5. Re:Uhm... by Dr.+Awktagon · · Score: 3, Funny

      Ahh, well you see "not buying the game" actually violates the license agreement. You agreed to this license contract by "referring to the game in a sentence, reading an article about the game, or thinking about playing the game" (paragraph 2). None of those things would be possible without the hard work of the game writers.

      Also, watch your language. You're not allowed to disparage the product (paragraph 23).

      Note also the survivability clause (paragraph 37), which stipulates that "even after termination [of this license], all terms and conditions ... remain in full effect."

      Thank you for your cooperation,

      LawyerDrone

      PS: Every legal paper served by our firm will include a voucher for a FREE McDonalds(tm) cheeseburger. Time is running out, so get sued today!

  5. Sell out with me oh yeah by pwarf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I for one, am willing to have a little bit of product placement in my video games to defray the cost. It's better than pop-up ads. Anyway, of course eating McDonalds is going to increase your stats. Anything that bad for you has to taste good, right?

    1. Re:Sell out with me oh yeah by futuresheep · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It won't defray the cost of the game though. You'll pay $49.95 for the game at Electronics Boutique, and then the standard recurring monthly fee to play the game. Just like ticket prices for movies don't change according to product placement in the film, there's no defrayal of cost here either.

    2. Re:Sell out with me oh yeah by foxtrot · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I for one, am willing to have a little bit of product placement in my video games to defray the cost.

      That, you see, is the real problem.

      People aren't pissed off that McD's is unhealthy or whatever else. They're pissed off that Maxis is getting money from Big Mac and putting product placement ads in the game, but it's not reducing the price of their game.

      People like to talk up a good cause, but let's face it: they're pissed because they're not getting a cut.

      -JDF

  6. Problem Solved. by cioxx · · Score: 5, Funny

    A simple workaround would be to go "dine" at the particular McDonalds restaurant, spill virtual coffee on player's lap and sue Maxis for damages.

    1. Re:Problem Solved. by bay43270 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How is this insightfull??? Go ahead, read the document. It just says she was in a lot of pain and the lawyers at McDonalds still wouldn't admit it was their fault.... because it wasn't. What did she expect? Cold coffee? Did she want someone to say "watch it, the coffee is hot!". Of course it is! Its legal crap like this that makes the world so complicated.

  7. So? by onShore_Jake · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am outraged that they have found a way to keep themselves profitable without charging more. If we don't all get in our comfortable shoes and make protest signs out of recycled cardboard,then the next thing you know we will start seeing animated banners and huge blocky ads on slashdot!

  8. Goddamn, if this really bothers you, get a life by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously.

    "Giant megacoroprations are adversely affecting the quality of life for my imaginary computer friends!"

    This aint no posterchild for mental health and social skills.

    There are enough injustices in the world worthy of protest, we don't need virtual ones.

    EA's selling, McD's buying. Get over it.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  9. If they don't want to see MacDonalds in game by Captain+Pedantic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Then they shouldn't hang out there. As it is, are these peoples lives so meaningless, that they have to get themselves worked up over a game?

    --

    None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
  10. Could we pay to reverse the effects? by ekrout · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hear me out.

    So, McDonald's wants people to think their food is tasty and fulfilling. We all know that's not true (especially 60 minutes later when you're in the bathroom trying to get their filth out of your digestive system).

    I say we organize anti-ad movements to pay the maker of The Sims to add the following code:

    if(character.justAte(McDonalds)) {
    wait(60, minutes);
    character.CrapBrainsOut();
    }

    --

    If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
  11. They forgot a couple protests... by Tebriel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Virtual women burning their virtual bras....oh...wait...it's a family game.

    Maybe letting people die of heart attacks in at the kiosks and haunting them?

    --
    The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
  12. I understand playing a relaxing game occasionaly by mhesseltine · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But, if you are this concerned about your SIMS stats, maybe you need to quit watching simulated people with lives and get one yourself.

    --
    Overrated / Underrated : Moderation :: Anonymous Coward : Posting
  13. Alright! by UncleOzzy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just what we need - SimHippies stinking of SimPatchouli with hygeine meters redder than a baboon's ass sitting around in a SimDrumCircle outside SimMcDonald's because it's SimEvil. Please. Get me some SimTearGas and a SimTaser and I'll have them working the SimFry-o-Lator by SimTomorrowMorning.

    Anyway, there are two problems with The Sims Online, given experience with the current play test: you can't fucking connect; and, when you can connect, it's boring as hell.

  14. 3 Words by serutan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's.
    A.
    Game.

    I agree 100% that this type of product placement is a sad sign. But it's EA's game, and if they want to ruin it by giving points for hitting yourself on the head with a duck, well, either get a duck or spend your gaming budget somewhere else.

  15. Easy Enough by daeley · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just build a swimming pool around your local McDonald's, then include a diving board, but no ladder to get out. Problem solved! :)

    Off-topic note: This is my 500th comment. I asked in my journal what I should do to mark my 500th comment, and somebody (can't imagine who) said I should say this: 'Not few enough to claim I have a life, and not enough to be super cool like gmhowell (who is currently typing number 2694).' So this message is dedicated to gmhowell, poster extraordinaire, to whose lofty heights (up to 2712 comments as of this writing) I can but dream to aspire.

    Besides, he's got FortKnox beat by at least 400. ;)

    --
    I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  16. sims can't get fat by mr_gerbik · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ironically, there are no fat Sims. Veterans of the original game will know this, and the same is true of the online game. There are various head and body skins that simulate different sexes, ethnic types .. even species.. but there are no various body sizes.

    Maxis (EA) should really turn this into a profitable venture by allowing the Sims to gain weight from eating at the SimMcDonalds.. They could strike a deal with Ballys so that people can work their fat Sims out to loose weight at a virtual Ballys.

    -gerbik

  17. I've been waiting for this ... by mustangdavis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is probably only the beginning.

    At one point in time, I was consdiering creating a "real world" game, similar to everquest in terms of graphics and game style, but using modern weapons instead of old style weapons. The ctach was this: I was hoping to drum up enough advertising revenue from companies, such as McDonalds, but placing their companies in the game. The hope was to defeat everquest by reducing or eliminating the monthly service fee for playing the game with advertsing dollars.

    Of course, then I realized the McD's probably wouldn't like people blowing up their buildings with a rocket launcher ... so I gave up on the idea.

    But give it a little more time. I'm sure a game, like the one I just vaguely described, will exist before soon.

  18. New Spinoff - SimProtest by LittleGuy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Let your voice be heard from the comfort of your home. Send a Sim to a major city to protest (War on Iraq, IMF policies, or a hundred other causes), and watch your Sim be peppersprayed and arrested by well-armed SimCops.

    --
    Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
  19. Not satisfied with killing Roy Rogers, huh? by JThaddeus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A pox on Ronald MacDonald!!

    Actually, my kids have been boycotting MacDonald's since they were in elementary school (they are in high school now). A few years back, MacDonald's bought the failing Hardee's chain in the Washington, DC area. Hardee's also owned the Roy Rogers chain, about the finest fastfood burger joint in town (I fondly remember their "Fixin's Bar" and their fried chicken). MacDonald's then closed both Roy Rogers in our town and would not negotiate with other fastfood franchise for their old buildings. Boston Market tried and failed. Both buildings finally went to sit-down places.

    Anyway, for closing Roys and for denying Boston Market, my kids decided--quite on their own--that they prefered Wendy's and Burger King. We haven't been in a MacDonald's since. This nonesense with Sims tells me that we're not ready to go back.

    Maybe we should add Electronic Arts to our boycott as well!

    --
    "Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
    1. Re:Not satisfied with killing Roy Rogers, huh? by Wonko42 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "Anyway, for closing Roys and for denying Boston Market, my kids decided--quite on their own--that they prefered Wendy's and Burger King. We haven't been in a MacDonald's since. This nonesense with Sims tells me that we're not ready to go back."

      Well thank the good Lord for that! Now that your kids are eating Whoppers and Big Bacon Cheeseburgers instead of Quarter Pounders and Big Macs, they've no doubt postponed their first heart attacks until well into their 30s! Congratulations!

  20. Re:Disgusting, yet strangely compelling by fobbman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Rioting naked UO players? Please reconsider whether you want to be "enlightened" in this manner.

  21. Why not go one step further? by Savatte · · Score: 3, Funny

    and have the characters in Sims sit around all day playing sims where their characters protest Mcdonalds?

  22. The Next Logical Level by limekiller4 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I can't wait until they come out with a game in which you take control of a salaryman who plays The Sims.

    Then I wouldn't play that, either.

    --
    My .02,
    Limekiller
  23. The game is already out by DunbarTheInept · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Protesting by not purchasing fails when you can't find out about the thing you object to until after the purchase.

    --

    Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.

  24. Re:Why McDonalds? by ProppaT · · Score: 4, Informative
    Actually, there's plenty of reasons to protest them. While they're good for the American economy, they're bad for the global good. Why? They buy their beef from 3rd world nations.

    At first you would think "You idiot, it just helps the economy of third world nations." Actually, it does the opposite. The profit is so good for the land owners in these South American countries that they've converted their crops (crops that sustained the country) into cattle fields. So, while the land owners get wealthier, the poor that don't farm get poorer by having to buy imported produce...or pay inflated prices for domestic produce. In addition, rain forests are being chopped down in South America to be converted to cattle farm space.

    I eat at McDonalds every once in a while and enjoy it, don't get me wrong. But whoever says that people who do protest McDonalds have no basis for doing so are fooling themselves.

    --
    Wise men say, "Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."
  25. Fast Forward to 2005 by fobbman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maxis has struck so many deals with corporations that players of The Sims discover that their Sims are being oversaturated with commercialism, thereby causing them to buy a copy of "The Sims for The Sims" so that their Sim Family can get away from it all.

    Marketing genius, I say.

  26. They need to finish it up by r_j_prahad · · Score: 4, Funny

    After all that pigging out at MacDonald's, do your Sims end up weighing a simulated 300 pounds each? Do they get simulated atherosclerosis? Sim diabetes? Sim strokes? Sim food poisoning? Do Sim children come down with simulated ADHD?

    Not entirely accurate then, is it?

  27. Rational for plaqueing society? by kalidasa · · Score: 3, Funny

    Umm, that's rationale and plague, folks. A plaque is a small sign. Rational means reasonable or relating to reason. A plague is a widespread disease (and metaphorically a lot of something unpleasant). A rationale is an excuse or reason for doing something.

  28. does it work though? by ryochiji · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't play games (much less Sims) so I don't know, but I wonder how effective "virtual protests" are. One of the things that makes a physical protest effective is that, well, it's physical. If you fill up downtown Washington with people, somebody's bound to notice (even politicians). But when people congregate online, who really notices?

    I also wonder about the effectiveness of email campains (i.e. when we send email to our 'representatives'). I have a feeling that a fax machine spewing messages is a lot more noticeable than a full mailbox.

    So, yeah, it is interesting. But what interests me more is whether or not it works at all.

    1. Re:does it work though? by sg3000 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > One of the things that makes a physical protest
      > effective is that, well, it's physical. If you fill up
      > downtown Washington with people, somebody's
      > bound to notice (even politicians).

      Even a physical protest can be ignored if there's no press. For example, families of the victims of the September 11 attack got together for a protest in D.C. earlier this year, but the march was virtually ignored because Ashcroft chose the exact same time to report on the alleged 'dirty bomb" suspect al Muhajir that they had arrested a month before.

      Or more recently, it's been estimated that close to 100,000 people attended rallies around the country to protest the proposed Iraq Resolution. However, no one in the mainstream media except USA Today (IIRC) bothered to cover it.

      Protests are generally only effective if they get the attention of everyone else via the mainstream press. The on-line protest of McDonalds might get some press once simply because of the novelty of it. But after that, it won't be very effective.

      --
      Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
    2. Re:does it work though? by Kashif+Shaikh · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The problem with 'virtual protests' is that you are 'living' in the world of its creators. Meaning, the people who brought you the virtual stuff can take down/modify/etc. content, so that it doesn't harm the company in the end.

      Case in point: game forums. Lot's of people bitch and complain, flame and curse the games they love and hate. It is a protest in that sometimes your voice gets heard(i.e. 3dfx bowed to pressure that Voodoo Rushes were falsly advertised to be as fast as Voodoo Graphics video cards, and many wanted their money back. 3dfx instead replaced their cards and gave 'em Voodoo Graphics).

      But remember this: a company owns the forums and can moderate or completely shut down forums to protect its image. This is what sort of happened with Origin's single-player Ultima game. There were just so many bugs and false promises about this game, that people were literally fscking hounding the game and giving it a very,very bad image(game developers fault btw).

      Before Origin released the game in the UK, it shutdown all forums so that the people overseas don't know how bad the game really was, proving that virtual protests will not work when your enemy is providing the means of the protests.

  29. Sims as propaganda by dpbsmith · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This brings up an issue I have with simulation games such as The Sims. It does, of course, apply to other games as well, and to many other situations where the viewer or player must distinguish between fantasy and reality.

    Nevertheless: simulation games convey a certain impression of verisimilitude. As you play them, you cannot avoid gaining skill in dealing with the simulated universe, and learning "lessons."

    To the extent that the player preceives the game as authentically realistic, these "lessons" may sneak in past the barriers we've built against other forms of propaganda

    Some are of these lessons are semi-political. And some, it seems, may be product placements.

    For example, in SimCity, as I recall, the citizens clamor for a sports stadium and it is very important to the success of your city that you build one (at the right time, of course).

    Did the creators of the game base this on actual data about the economic effects of sports stadiums on cities? (Unlikely). Or were they just building in a plausible and entertaining set of game rules? (Probably). Or... were they carrying water for some group that was trying to get a stadium built? (No, I don't really think so--but the possibility exists). Similarly, is the behavior of SimCity residents with respect to tax rates an authentic simulation, artistic guesswork--or a political agenda?

    Of course these problems exist with all games, and to some extent it's an issue of developing antibodies against the newer games. There's no real danger that I will speculate in Atlantic City properties just Monopoly has given me the illusion that I understand how to do it.

    Still...

  30. Big picture by felis_panthera · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've seen a lot of /.ers already talking about not buying the game, not playing the game, etc. The problem I have with this philosophy is that it's like wrapping your face in a towel, figuring that if the problem sees that you can't see it, it won't be able to see you, and will therefore go away. THIS DOESN'T WORK.

    The problem is not the people worried about advertising in games. The problem is that this could open up a Pandora's Box of other companies buying advertising time inside games.

    "You have cleard the 13th level of monsters, through this door is the Ultimate Evil, all you must do is cross this threshold and defeat him... But first, here's a word from our sponsors..."

    I already do everything in my power to eliminate my exposure to mind numbing advertising. If it starts getting put into video games, I won't be able to go for popcorn until the previews start, or to go grab a snack until my show comes back on.

    Of course, it's just my opinion.

    --

    The chains are broken
    Loki is free
    Ragnarok is at hand...
    1. Re:Big picture by NineNine · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've seen a lot of /.ers already talking about not buying the game, not playing the game, etc. The problem I have with this philosophy is that it's like wrapping your face in a towel, figuring that if the problem sees that you can't see it, it won't be able to see you, and will therefore go away. THIS DOESN'T WORK

      Well, what does work, Mr. Wizard?

      Call me nuts, but I'd think that a company seeing a significant drop in sales would take a step back and ask themselves, "Dear sweet christ on a pony!! Why has revenue dropped through the floor? We're all gonna get fired and live on the streets and forced to kill and eat each other! aaahh!". Well, maybe it wouldn't go quite like that, but what effects a company more than profits? Since companies exist to make profits, what could be more effective? Don't like it, don't buy it. If you want to go a step further and tell them why, even better.

    2. Re:Big picture by Tokerat · · Score: 3, Insightful


      Wrapping a towel around your head and hoping the problem goes away will not work, ever.

      However, not purchasing a video game due to intrusive advertising will work. The ads alone won't pay the bills, so I doubt the company will go that route again. Besides, what advertiser would want to have their ad be the one that pops up and annoys the crap out of some poor gamer? Or, better yet, what advertiser will want to buy ad space once they see that no one buys a game loaded with ads?

      Non-intrusive advertising is fine. "Oh, here's a McDonalds in The Sims Online, neato. BTW, your monthly subscription fee is so conviniently low now because McDonalds pays for part of it." If a game brought me to the last level and showed me an ad before allowing me to fight the final boss or what have you, I would return it to the store. If the store wouldnt take it, I'd mail it back the manufacturer with a note demanding a refund. (Well, I'd probably call them first...)

      I dont' think that game developers themselves would like a game with intrusive ads like that in it, and therefore realize it wouldnt' entertain their customers much, either.

      (Just you wait, Sims online will get rid of the McDonalds thing, and the price will climb up. And everyone will complain about the high price. Be careful what you wish, you just might get it.)

      --
      CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
  31. Improves what stats? by _xeno_ · · Score: 4, Informative
    Unless the Sims Online is adding a bunch of stats to the Sims that weren't in the original game that I admittedly don't play anymore, your stats are mostly things like exaustion, hunger, etc. Eating a Big Mac probably satisifies a Sim's "hunger" stat and maybe even makes the Sim happier.

    Admittably, I don't know exactly what stats a Sims Online Sim has. So this is also half a question - what stats does it improve? I'd imagine that it isn't something stupid like eating a Big Mac improves your charisma, intelligence, and strength - it just satisfies a Sim's hunger (and increases the Bathroom need). Which makes an amount of sense - eating a Big Mac in real life is usually done to satisfy hunger. There are plenty of other people here to make fun of McD's crappy food, so I'll let 'em do it.

    (Anyone else think McDonalds fries are crap? America's favorite fries? I'd hope not...)

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
  32. How about.... by Patman · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ...the radical techniques of 'not buying the add-on', 'ignoring the option', or 'finding something else to do with your time'.


    I am constantly amazed by the stuff people will get their panties in a bunch over.

  33. simPETA is right behind them... by Future+Linux-Guru · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kiosk owners will find one of the business challenges is dealing with virtual nuts who form sit downs and disrupt the business for no good reason at all.

    Maybe the owners will get to own virtual bazookas that fire burger patties...

  34. Oy! by Thud457 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The dining Austrailian philosopher's problem : seven software developers at a table and only one bottle opener!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  35. We need to put things into perspective here. by antis0c · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's been reported that eating virtual McDonald's hamburgers will positively affect your "Fun" and "Hunger" game stats. But what if you're a vegetarian? What if you're an eco-activist? What if you think it's more Fun dining at Biff's Family Restaurant? Although the game hasn't hit the stores yet, the free public beta is open. The time to act is now. Log in, Revolutionary, and fight the good fight:

    What. The. Hell.

    Seriously. What if you're a vegetarian? What?? Ok. I'm morally opposed to murdering people, but I don't have a problem with Quake 3, GTA3, Hitman 2, Dead to Rights. Heck I even enjoy playing those games. Why? It's a damn video game, and it's not real.

    With EA touting such egalitarian rhetoric, it follows to reason that freedom of speech is as alive in The Sims Online as it is in the real world. Test this theory by standing up and shouting for what you believe in, my Revolutionaries! If the thought of being force-fed Big Macs makes you sick, you'd better start giving this advertising model a serious case of indigestion.

    Alright. First off it says you have the option of opening up a McDonalds. Let me guess to, you also have the option of eating at said McDonalds. Seems like real life to me. No where does it say you have to open a McDonalds and have to eat at them. McDonalds just happens to be the only company EA made a deal with to use their image in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if in future Sim games we see Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, TGI Fridays, Bennigans, all those places. So what the hell is the problem?

    And dare I say it, some people like McDonalds. I like the occastional French Fry from McDonalds or the occastional Quarter Pounder with cheese. I don't live off the stuff, I don't consider it high quality food. It's funny how these guys go on to say how we all hate McDonalds, and how we all 'know' McDonalds food is terrible, yet somehow, McDonalds continues to be the worlds largest fast food chain.

    Then we get the people who believe McDonalds and other fast food places are the cause of obsesity in the world. I'm no underwear model myself, but seriously, Ronald McDonald didn't come to my house and force feed me Big Macs until I couldn't see my feet anymore. There are no bad foods, there are only food abuses. But I digress. The point is, it's a video game people. A video game simulating every day life. McDonalds for many people, is a part of every day life. So are other things. I don't think EA can afford to pay all the popular fast food places to use their likeness in the game, nor do they have the time to program the game to handle them all.

    Seriously. Repeat after me. It's a video game, it's not real.

    --

    ..There's a-dooin's a-transpirin'
    1. Re:We need to put things into perspective here. by scot4875 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, it's a video game, but I think you're missing the point.

      I, for one, play games mostly to get away from real life for a little bit. Part of the fun of immersing myself in a different world is that I get away from all the goddamn commercialism of US culture. Everywhere I go I'm bombarded with ads designed to mislead me into giving someone my money. It disgusts me.

      Now, if I were a Sims player, I'd enjoy the fact that you get to play in a small utopia with none of that crap. But when McDonalds invades *that* world too, it'd just ruin the atmosphere. Once again, I'm reminded that I can't escape the megacorps and their relentless marketing teams.

      The day I run across an American fast food chain store on Tallon IV is the day I give up video games for good...

      --Jeremy

      --
      Jesus was a liberal
  36. Art Imitates Life... by quakeslut · · Score: 5, Informative

    The author of the article wants you to take a stance against the integration of games and advertising by protesting in the online world.

    Can anything make less truth?

    Let's be honest: it follows logically that there would be a plethera of McDonalds in a simulation of America, because America really is over-run with fast-food resturants, advertisements, endorsements and the associated garbage.

    Do you really want to make a change? Then follow these rules:
    1) Don't protest within the Sim World.
    This won't get you anywhere. In fact, you may wind up wasting more of your time away playing...

    2) Don't support this game.
    This isn't the first game to include coroprate advertising, but it has reached a new (sickening) level. SPEAK WITH YOUR DOLLARS: don't buy this game!!

    3) Boycot McDonalds.
    The fast-food industry's move to tie fast-food to children at an early age is well known, (they even admit it theirselves), but you don't have to stand for it. Do you REALLY want to protest? Take it to the streets in front of a real McDonalds. Talk to families... educate them.

    4) Begin a letter writing campaign to EA.
    Write it out by hand. Sign your name. Tell them that you refuse to buy their games until they change their policies regarding advertising. They'll get the message.

    5) Support Ad-Busters.
    If you don't have the time or energy to do these things yourself, then support those individuals and organizations that do. I'm not affiliated with them, but Ad-Busters (aka: the Media Corporation [Canada]) is great. You should support them.

  37. Joshua says by agentZ · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

    Would you like to play a nice game of chess?

  38. GTA3 + The Sims = SimActivist? by omnipotus · · Score: 5, Funny

    New from Rockstar Games: SimActivist

    From the streets of the WTO riots in Seattle to the steps of World Bank in Washington, D.C., your job is to stop globalization where ever it raises its ugly capitalist head. Guide your SimActivist through multiple venues of anarchaic protests! Pickup adhoc weapons of the street like chain-link fences and road signs, or show up to rally with an arsenal of homemade fireworks.

    Invoke your right to civil disobedience, buy SimActivist today!

    --
    "You can't dissect him, predict him, which of course means he's not a lunatic at all."
  39. Related News: Check out this EQ2 press release! by Maul · · Score: 5, Funny

    11/18/2002
    Sony/Verant has announced their partnership with several companies to produce an extensive sponsorship program in their upcoming online RPG, EverQuest 2.

    Players will now be able to interact with several name brands they can associate with in the World of Norrath.

    Verant has released a preliminary list of the new features of EQ2 as follows:

    All armor will be replaced with namebrand apparel. All towns in EQ2 will have an OLD NAVY store instead of local merchants, where players will be able to buy normal clothes. Additionally, apparel designed by several top fasion designers will appear in the game. Only the most uber players will be able to obtain Versace threads.

    PEPSI products have replaced the mundane food and water of EQ1. Players will have to go to the in-game KFC, Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut locations to refill on rations. The in-game stores will also provide Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Mountain Dew rather than normal water.

    Players can now earn extra experience by slaying monsters with brandname weapons.
    There will be a distinct advantage using a CRAFTSMAN Power-Sword Deluxe, rather than a regular sword.

    "We feel that these imrpovements add to the game," said a Verant spokesman. "In EQ1, players had a hard time identifing with the normal items in the game. In EQ2 we are bringing players into a world that is full of the brand names they can identify with. We hope to promote a lifestyle where players can consume high quality goods from companies like OLD NAVY, PEPSICO, and many others both online AND offline!"

    EverQuest 2 is slated for release for fall of next year. Players will certainly be pleased to pay the full MSRP of $60.00 for the game on top of the monthy $17.99 fee with such improvements.

    --

    "You spoony bard!" -Tellah

  40. I can see where this is going... by angst_ridden_hipster · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... it's going for Sim Realism.

    Players who have Sim Protests will get their machines Sim Wiretapped.

    Sim players who organize the protests of McVomit's will get slapped with Sim Product Libel suits.

    Players who have too many Sim House Parties will be Sim Evicted from the Sim Neighborhood.

    Players who set up affairs on Sim Hot Date will be Sim Sued for Sim Alienation of Affection.

    Player who have too many Sim Vacations will be Sim Fired from their jobs for Sim Absenteeism.

    Players who go on Sim Safari will get Sim Blood thrown on them by Sim PETA Protestors.

    Then it'll get even worse:

    The people who play "Crush, Crumble & Chomp" with their Sim world will get sent to the Sim Guantanamo Bay for Sim terrorism.

    Players who allow the "incorrect" pairings on Sim Hot Date will be Sim Damned.

    --
    Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?
    www.fogbound.net
  41. slashdotting != protest by ryochiji · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I dont' think slashdotting really counts as a form of protest. In fact, if we slashdot with the intention of protesting, that might be considered a DoS attack.
    Besides, even slashdotting doesn't get noticed by anyone other than slashdotters and the victim... So it really isn't nearly as noticeable as a physical crowd (even when the number of peope involved is fairly significant).

  42. ... Naked riot? :D by Theaetetus · · Score: 3, Funny
    History has shown gamers that online protest can result in positive change, as exemplified in Ultima Online's 1997 naked riot demanding bug fixes and server upgrades.

    Naked... riot...

    Um, anyone have screenshots?

    -T

  43. Mickey D's Strikes Back by UberOogie · · Score: 3, Funny
    McExec: We're getting some bad press about sponsoring the Sims game. What can we do?

    McExecWithAClue: Quick! Post the story to Slashdot. That will take care of that protest site. Mu-ha-ha.

    --
    "Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life." -- Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_, Book 9, 37
  44. Kill the employees by mblase · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's fun and easy to kill your Sims. Make your point by targetting the corporate employees specifically.

  45. In other news... by RiscIt · · Score: 4, Funny

    In other new, cases of carpel tunnel syndrome are on the rise as millions of online participants move their Sims avatar back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and so on, in virtual picket lines

  46. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  47. I pity you. by RatBastard · · Score: 3, Informative

    I really do. I don't pay money to have ads shived down my throat. I don't like product placement in my movies, TV shows or games. Maybe it comes from living in a place where billboards are BANNED and I can actually see the world around me. Or maybe it's because I do not being treated as little more than a consumer whore bred to feed the machines.

    --
    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
  48. So what? by tswinzig · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Protesting by not purchasing fails when you can't find out about the thing you object to until after the purchase.

    Yeah, well it's $10 a month for Sims Online, where the protests are supposed to be happening. These people could get a (real, not sim) life, and stop shelling out $10 a month.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."
  49. This is fun! by jordanda · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All you people who are saying, "If this bothers you then get a life." are missing a major point. Protesting in a virtual enviroment is fun! McDonalds has become a player in the game and players are treating it the same way they treat monsters in other games, as a villain.

    I think this is a really significant case study in how people behave in virtual enviroments. There are people in the Sims Online who are protesting McDonalds who never would in real life. People are expressing their feelings about McDonalds that they never could in real life due to pesky laws about vandalism and such.

  50. Virtual Sim Protest by toby360 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Step One:
    Create a lareg "sims" family and purchase a plot of sim land
    Step Two:
    Create a square house with no windows, no doors and a television facing a wall thats turned on so the family can never sleep. Contact EA and eplain that your holding a family hostage in your sim-house and are protesting their McDonalds add-in.
    Step Three:
    ???????
    Step Four:
    Profit~!

  51. Missing the point. by RatBastard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Many of you are missing the point. The point is that if this goes over and no one objects then soon all of our games will be stuffed with ads and product placements. Do yuo really want to be killing imps in Nike shoes? Nazi soldiers lobbing grenades painted like Pepsi cans? Imperial storm troopers in Tommy Hifliger (SP?) pants? Penguins in Victoria's Secret lingerie (wait, I retract that last one, some of you might!)?

    At what point do we say enough is enough? Are we so inundated by advertisements that we can't even see them anymore?

    Where I live billboards are banned. They do not exist. Every time I go to California I am reminded of the unholy blight those damned things are. Games have been one of teh few types of entertainment I've been able to get away from the pervasive flood of advertisements and I'm resentful that these people are trying to take that away from me.

    To those of you willing to put up with ads to keep the cost down I ask this: How far are you willing to let them go? Do any of you rememebr the album bu Zig Zig Sputnik (sp?) with commercials between the tracks? Is that what you want the world to be reduced to: every possible medium to be exploited by advertising? How much spam would you be willing to put up with to keep the cost of your email down?

    --
    Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
  52. Dudes, the games is called "The Sims" by binaryDigit · · Score: 3, Insightful

    People are getting upset because the game (which is supposed to simulate "real" life, sorta) is becoming more real by having corporate presences? Just imagine how up in arms people would be if some group wanted to protest the game because it depicted sex acts ("there is just no need for such things to be in a game, it cheapens it and you never know where it's going to lead. Next thing you know they'll be having Sim kids and worse Sim Abortions, STOP THE KILLING OF UNBORN SIMS") followed of course by ("My Bits, My Choice!")

  53. From someone in the current Sims Online Beta by cln · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, this is kinda a bogus story. While they may have the branding setup to appear in the game somewhere, its not there now. EA also got in a deal with Intel to brand them in the game, which IS there now. When a sim turns on a computer, the Pentium 4 logo shows on the sims computer for a moment, then it goes to him doing whatever. Gee, this sure influences me to get a P4. ;)

    Even if this DOES show up in game its not going to be any different than the current hotdog stand thats there now. A sim could buy one of these and then run it charging the visitors for food to up their Food motive. Thats it. The Food motive that you have to watch can also be satisified by, a sim cooking you food, the grill, a couple different buffet tables, a vending machine, and the before mentioned hotdog stand. So whats the big deal?

  54. Now that is truly stupid by uncoveror · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sims protests against imaginary McDonalds kiosks? I have to run up the B.S. flag over this one! Why not put your energies into protesting real injustice in the real world. If you have a problem with McDonalds, don't eat there, and encourage your friends not to, either. Here are some sites.

    http://www.angelfire.com/pa/McCracker/
    http://www.openhere.com/life/activism/anti-corpora tion/mcdonalds/
    http://www.communityfood.com/dir-cache/Society/Act ivism/Anti-Corporation/McDonalds/

    --
    The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
  55. Effective Protesting by AllDewedUp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So people are protesting EA's "selling out" of The Sims by... playing The Sims. Sounds effective.

  56. Hmmm... by Fizzlewhiff · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder how many people would have complained if they had chosen Hooters with their busty waitresses over McD's?

    In some games, product placement provides added realism. I think McD's and Sims is a good mix. If it were McD's and Star Wars Galaxies I could see a reason to complain.

    --

    'Same speed C but faster'
  57. Why complain now when Pepsi is already there. by bons · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's probably been mentioned, but the Pepsi machine, complete with Pepsi products is already in the game. Why are you getting all upset now?

  58. It's not as bad as y'all think. by Blackwulf · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since I was in the playtest of the game, I can safely say the following things about this.

    I never saw a McDonalds kiosk anywhere I played. The deal was announced several months ago, and I saw it in the game, but it was too expensive for me to put in my house.

    There ARE other places to eat. You don't have to eat at the McDonalds, and you don't have to put one on your property. A generic buffet table is just as good and much cheaper.

    INTEL IS DOING THE SAME THING. You can buy a computer with Intel Inside and it gives you much better stats than a lower-end computer. Your "fun" goes up quicker when you play games on it and your "Logic" goes up quicker when you're studying on it.

    So, if you're gonna go after McDonalds for being available, might as well go after Intel for the very same reasons.

  59. Uh, hello?!? Ads in games isn't new by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 4, Insightful
    In case you haven't noticed, ads in video games or video games serving as advertisments isn't a new thing. This has been going on for nearly 20 years.

    To the Chicken Littles on this issue, where were you when ads were placed in Pole Position? Where's the outrage in the fact that Gran Turismo is simply a advertising tool of auto manufacturers? Where are the boycotts of 7-Up for creating the Spot game? Should I stop buying Madden 2K3 because both John Madden and the NFL endorses the product? Should I protest that Tony Hawk 4 features brand name skateboards and products?

    I don't see anyone complaining that some video games use cheat codes of brand name products. Has the gaming experience diminished from having "Winners don't do drugs" on arcade games? Seriously, has all this really tarnished your video game experience? The reality is that most of you don't even give all the product placements that are already inside the game a second thought.

  60. Of Course Eating McDonalds increases your stats! by Prien715 · · Score: 4, Funny

    To prove this, I began eating nothing but McDonald's food for the past month. And had an increase in many statistics!
    * Weight -- I went from weighing a pittly 175 to weighing a healthy 350! That's a stat increase of 200% go McDonalds!
    * Running time -- Before I began the all McDonalds diet, I could run a mile in 6 minutes. The McDonalds diet increased my running time by well over 20 minutes!
    * Cholesterol -- Eating McDonalds food dramatically increases your cholesterol intake!

    So, for any of those nay-sayers, I think I have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that McDonalds food does INDEED increase your stats!

    --
    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
  61. You and every other game designer by spun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I had this idea, too. Role playing in a modern world, with a sci-fi twist. Make money selling billboard space in-game with links to the web. Have clothes and accessories from major labels. Let people buy real world items in game, make the manufacturers pay for the privelege. Best thing is, you won't need to hire as many artists: the manufacturers would have to create their own graphics, then pay you to put them in the game!

    I talked with some of my friends in the gaming business. This is a common train of thought these days.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  62. Want to know how to protest it? by WiggyWack · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Here's an idea... Don't play the game. Nothing speaks louder than your wallet.

    --
    Macintosh humor! MacComedy.com