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Chilly reception for Devolver’s marijuana tycoon game shows games industry’s backwards stance on drugs
- Thread starter lupianwolf
- Start date
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Yeah that's pretty ridiculous, especially considering marijuana is legal in quite a few states with that number increasing every year.
Also ridiculous considering ever major game retailer promoted, for example, GTA V, which involves drug dealing, torturing people, mass murder, and pulling off heists. Yet a simulation of a business that is legal in many states is somehow over the line?
Sony and Microsoft have also promoted the ability to buy episodes of Breaking Bad on their storefronts, a show entirely about selling meth.
Also ridiculous considering ever major game retailer promoted, for example, GTA V, which involves drug dealing, torturing people, mass murder, and pulling off heists. Yet a simulation of a business that is legal in many states is somehow over the line?
Sony and Microsoft have also promoted the ability to buy episodes of Breaking Bad on their storefronts, a show entirely about selling meth.
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Yeah but like, yall know it's illegal in the vast majority of europe and rest of the world right?
The world doesn't revolve around the USA.
The world doesn't revolve around the USA.
Killing people is illegal everywhere in the world, no trouble marketing or selling those games.
Murder is illegal everywhere, but Hotline Miami didn't have these problems. It's a game where you receive contracts to murder hundreds of people gruesomely. I don't understand the logic here.
Totally forgot how murder is legal in those places. /s
Not really surprising considering how stigmatized drugs / sex is here. I know public opinion is shifting on this, but it's going to take a while for businesses to feel confidant enough to push or even allow products like this.
They sell games with titles like Hitman and Assassin's Creed. Literally titles about murder. Those seem to get by just fine.
"Grand Theft Auto" is literally named after a crime.
And honestly, "Murder Tycoon" would probably be less controversial.
Interesting case here. Really off how it's perfectly fine to market murder simulators, but any controlled substances are just a no go. I assume the same even goes for alcohol (though I can't think of any attempted games revolving around something like distilling). Feel like their best bet for ads would be targeted marketing in areas that it's legal and enthusiast publications.
Edit: Also find the posters comments about it not being legal everywhere wild. Goes to show how (obviously illegal everywhere) violence is so engrained into gaming culture.
Edit: Also find the posters comments about it not being legal everywhere wild. Goes to show how (obviously illegal everywhere) violence is so engrained into gaming culture.
I didn't knew that this game was actually selling weed to people, whew!
It's a game. It's not about murder, rape, heists or whatever, it's about selling weed. Just as there are hundreds more games about doing illegal shit, it's ridiculous that a game as inoffensive as this is getting this much pushback.
It's even weirder considering a lot of game journos live in SF, where it's legal and quite prominent
That's not really surprising. The demonetization is weirder though.
Are we gonna get that guy banned for false equivalence? (/s)
Well, I have it on my wish list. I just have 100 more things on my playlist over this management sim at the moment.
"Assassin Tycoon" - a game where you train and send out Assassin's to complete contracts would be absolutely fine.
Oh my god these murder takes...
Think about it more, "Weed Tycoon" is about the real life industry that actually exists and is a simulation of sorts, e.g. I don't think Heroin/Cocaine Tycoon would do that well either.
The games you all quoting me ad nauseum are supposed to be fictional, hence why people can sell them better as "fantasy."
Think about it more, "Weed Tycoon" is about the real life industry that actually exists and is a simulation of sorts, e.g. I don't think Heroin/Cocaine Tycoon would do that well either.
The games you all quoting me ad nauseum are supposed to be fictional, hence why people can sell them better as "fantasy."
You must've missed the generations upon generations who grew up playing Drug Wars.
The stance on certain issues is ridiculous but is there a thread on this that finally answers the question; "is weed good/bad for you?"
Obviously smoking it does something to your lungs since you are inhaling toxins but any studies on vaping it or taking not it medicinally yet that's pretty solid?
Obviously smoking it does something to your lungs since you are inhaling toxins but any studies on vaping it or taking not it medicinally yet that's pretty solid?
Oh bull fucking shit, stop with this. Even if this was a Pablo Escobar simulator, it shouldn't be this controversial. It being "something that actually exists" means absolutely fucking nothing. WW1 and WW2 existed, and yet games about those wars still go on to sell millions and be advertised at primetime TV. What a ridiculous stance to take.
Probably because playing as a heroin or cocaine tycoon would involve the player doing far more fucked up shit than selling weed legally.
Hard to tell if your game can't be advertised though.
I think the premise of the article is flawed as the chilly reception is indicative of the opposite, really. Everybody seems to be pretty desensitized to weed as some edgy or cool thing, so marketing a game around this aspect alone is not going to make it stand out in a crowd to most in the industry.
Chinatown Wars has a dedicated game mode for drug dealing. This is part of the reefer madness propaganda that just won't die.
I thought stuff like Weed Shop 2 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/617700/Weed_Shop_2/) and such have done well on Steam?
Imagine trying to sell cigarettes in 2019... :/
Imagine trying to sell cigarettes in 2019... :/
You mean like all the other games named after illegal behaviors, like Hitman, Grand Theft Auto, etc.? Why is this any different? It's just as fictional as those games.
The ESRB put on Breath of the Wild's E10+ box that it contained references to alcohol.
What this actually entails is that if Link asks for alcohol at a tavern, the bartender says he's too young. I think there may be a drunken NPC or two, but it's odd that they think that this is a problem at all or encourages debauched behavior.
There are plenty of games based around running a bar and serving alcohol.
...because console stores are hypocritical regarding their policies? Did you read the article?
Well, there's Prison Tycoon, which is a simulator about the privatized prison system, something far more reprehensible than selling weed.
I just remember that there was a literal Scarfarce game on the PS2 that got a retail release with no controversy. I guess drug dealing is more palatable when it's based off a movie?
Did you miss the part where they literally can't market it properly?
Because drug laws pretty much everywhere are stuck in the old ages, it's still a big-ass "no-no" for advertisers everywhere, and people still make a fuss when they have to deal with the matter.
Mix that with games, which people STILL associate with kids and you've got the perfect bomb on your hands.
These Video Games Are Teaching Our Kids To Sell And Use Drugs!
Right, so how does what you said right there, contradict anything that I said?
Once again. There's whole swaths of populations who grew up playing a literal spreadsheet called Drug Wars.
Except that doesn't stop them from promoting other games about committing crimes. Some of which involve selling drugs, murder for hire, grand larceny, grand theft auto, torture, kidnapping, prostitution, etc.
Yeah, because they were 11 years old and thought it was cool.