Ad critic: Hitman ad titillates, but is it a murder/sex sim?

by Vladimir Cole { Apr 7th 2006 at 9:30AM }

Pictured here is a two-page ad spread for the Hitman game that appeared in the April 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine. Click the image to view a larger version, and then post your critiques below. Does this ad speak to you? Does it make you want to buy the game? Is it too edgy? Does it appear to be, in the words of one Joystiq reader, an ad selling a "rape/murder fantasy" type of game? Let's see how well we can deconstruct this ad.

Stay tuned, we'll do this again next Friday. We'll quote some of the best critiques in next week's post.

Tags: ad critic, AdCritic, Advertising, Eidos, Hitman

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Garold @ Apr 7th 2006 9:39AM

I saw this ad in PC Gamer and I felt sick for quite a while afterward. I think this is definitely going WAY too far.

jeremotion @ Apr 7th 2006 9:40AM

Guys, really, its just a play on words, calm down. Beautiful woman has been executed (killed, duh). Don't get me wrong, i dont believe i am the first to see this, but saying theres rape connotations is just a little sensationalist.

You should go work for the Sun, or better yet the Mail

Scythe @ Apr 7th 2006 9:44AM

Your a hit man maybe she is supposed to be a snitch and having an affair with a crime bosses enemy and there was a hit put on her. Look at her she's not all dressed up for her husband she's all scanked out for her side action boy toy or whatever.

Her husband found out and hired a hit now she's dead. That's just one thought but there are many more.

TheCassidy @ Apr 7th 2006 9:45AM

Beautiful? Looks like someone capped David Bowie circa 1978. Gross.

jerfgoke @ Apr 7th 2006 9:46AM

This ad makes me a little sick to the stomach. The designers seem to have taken the game's concept a little bit too far. It's one thing to execute polygon-based victims in a fantasy video game, but to add this real-life human aspect to it makes it more difficult to brush off.

Ironically, as video games systems become more technologically advanced, it may be capable to have in-game graphics looking just as gruesome. It will be interesting to see whether developers of violent games choose to make their violence ultra-realistic (like this) or to eschew realism for a stylized version. Right now, I think there's a big difference between a murder simulator and GTA 3, but this might not always stay the case.

Marino R. @ Apr 7th 2006 9:46AM

Is that cellulite on her legs or rigor mortis ?

Anyway, The add is a bit edgy, but effective. Makes one think that the game will have more contracted random killing, rather than an actual story line. At least that's the vibe I get.
The Fact the girl is relatively undressed does not imply rape, but skin does sell in the gaming community.
The Motto is what I don't get "Beatifully Executed" ... are we to enjoy killing for hire, or are we playing a serial killer ? You must admit it begs the question.

grable @ Apr 7th 2006 9:47AM

What image? i cant see any image, and no read link.. so what gives???

nick @ Apr 7th 2006 9:50AM

That a bindi dot on her forehead? Seems a little trickle of congealed blood would've made the ad a little "more true."

~

Mattias @ Apr 7th 2006 9:51AM

I think the ad was very artistic and beautiful! Though I fully understand why some may be offended by it, and I think that it doesn't really connect with the game for me. Yes, It could have been done better, and is indeed inappropriate in a mag which a lot of kids read.

DG @ Apr 7th 2006 9:53AM

I get it, but it's in poor taste. A half-naked dead woman sells video games to whom, exactly? Not me, that's for sure.

Also, if she were really shot in the head like that, there'd be a lot more blood. Her head would have exploded like a melon. I learned that from watching MythBusters.

RocketSeason @ Apr 7th 2006 9:54AM

It is seriously a beautiful ad. It's very well executed. (wow, I wasn't even trying for a pun there.)

Seriously though, this is really a bit to far. especially for a print publication that will be viewed by children.

I think that the Hitman games are just a bit to much...

Now, I am all for free speech, and if you wanna make a game, and there is an audiance for it, more power to you.

But there is a difference between watching this stuff in a movie and thinking "wow, that was hardcore." and simulating it for yourself. There are people who play these games not simply for fun, but they get off on it as well. ( I know of one of these types personally.)

Now, I am not saying that we should come down on the hate filled, vile sinners who peddle their pornongraphic filth on our children. (I am being sarcastic here.) What I am saying is that we need to be able to enjoy mature themed video games and promote them in a mature and responsible way.

I do not think this ad, as beautiful and as well done as it is, is being responsible. We can do better.

OldElvis @ Apr 7th 2006 9:54AM

Wow, I am shocked, SHOCKED! that a Software company would use sex and, and a scantily clad women to sell a game. Is the issue that the women looks real this time, instead of some animated bimbo?

christian @ Apr 7th 2006 9:54AM

from an ad stand point, it's a very good ad.. . IMO .. . gets the point across of what type of game it is, even if you've never played any of the ones prior .. .

does it go too far ? maybe, maybe not .. . but without pushing the envelope or being 'edgy' we'll never get anywhere.. . and that's in games, movies, tv, advertisement, everything.. . someone has to always be the one that pushes things to another level .. .

does it make me want to buy the game ? i never was a fan of the hit man series, so .. . no ?

it does hurt my forehead to look at it though.. . ha

rellim311 @ Apr 7th 2006 9:56AM

It is an eye catching ad, however, it is a blatant ripoff from the "Goldie" scene in Sin City.

32_footsteps @ Apr 7th 2006 9:57AM

I saw the ad in Game Informer (I believe). My immediate reaction at the time was that it seemed conceptually like a snuff film. I honestly lost respect for the mag for running the ad (not to mention Eidos for making it).

You don't need to be a major in media studies to see that this is a blatant example of the conflation of sex and violence in today's media. This ad wants you to closely associate the two. Apologists might claim it's purely for humor value, but it's a digusting sort of humor of which I wish no part.

I'm not saying it will cause any sort of violent episodes, but it's certainly a symptom of a much greater societal problem.

SocialChameleon @ Apr 7th 2006 10:01AM

Anyone who has played Contracts knows that after the Meat King, nothing you see will ever be sexy again.

benjamin @ Apr 7th 2006 10:02AM

The ad does exactly what it needs to do. It appeals directly to the kind of person who'd want to play a game called "Hitman". The game targets a narrow audience and the ad appeals very specifically to them.

Its blatant depiction of violence serves a dual-purpose. First, it calls attention to itself. Anyone who is offended by it wouldn't be in the market for a Hitman game to begin with so they don't matter and those who may have an interest in that game wouldn't mind the violence.

Second, it stirs controversy as evidenced by this very post and like they always say "any publicity is good publicity". That is especially true of violent video games. Just look at GTA... would it be as popular if it weren't as controversial?

Princess Zelda @ Apr 7th 2006 10:07AM

After looking at the ad I want to buy her oufit and shoes.

Doc P @ Apr 7th 2006 10:07AM

I loved Hitman 2, the first few levels in Hitman 3 were a little dark for me, I hope this game doent go further in that direction. I like the game for the gameplay forst and foremost

Simon @ Apr 7th 2006 10:10AM

Man, some of you people should work for the Daily Mail. Your reactions are pure hilarity.

Swegamer @ Apr 7th 2006 10:12AM

Come on guys, this one is easy!

"Beautifully executed" plays on the fact that in the Hitman series you can't just execute people, you have to do it in style. You have to do it beautifully.

Then "beautifully executed" also plays on the fact that a beautiful woman has been executed.

It is a play of words as someone pointed out.

And I believe you guys are too sensitive to even react to the add.

Have you actually seen a movie lately? Much worse.
Have you listened to lyrics lately? Much worse.
Have you seen the news lately? Much worse.

Neko Tsukimi @ Apr 7th 2006 10:14AM

Funny, I was looking at this ad in EGM last night... It did look like a rape+murder. It really doesn't tell me anything about the game. Heck, I didn't even know what game it was for until I was about to turn the page. But I did notice the RP in the corner... The ad itself needs at least a T rating for Totally Lame! They could have conveyed the feeling of the game with another image.

Lunker @ Apr 7th 2006 10:15AM

>> 11. Wow, I am shocked, SHOCKED! that a Software company would use sex and, and a scantily clad women to sell a game. Is the issue that the women looks real this time, instead of some animated bimbo?

The issue, dear reader, is that she's a scantily clad DEAD woman. She's been shot in the forehead. There's a bullet wound on her face. And yet you're still supposed to ogle her. I didn't think "Is this advocating rape?" when I saw this -- I thought "Is this advocating necrophilia?" I saw this in Game Informer, I believe.

As an ad in and of itself, it's fairly clever, and I'm sure it works for its target audience, but this speaks volumes about why many people consider videogames as little more than violent, sexist creations. "Dude, she's been assassinated ... but I'd still bang her."

Anonymous Rep @ Apr 7th 2006 10:18AM

#9 - Well, there's one problem with MythBusters. Reality can and does screw things up. Using a standard hi-power round (such as a .357 magnum with full metal jacket), you're going to have the nice hole in the front of the head, and then have the back of her head blown completely off, with an assortment of blood and brains leaking all over the place - although in this picture they have been artfully disguised by her hair.

However, if we use something like a small .32 or .25 caliber round, that has the power to penetrate the skull at fairly close range, but then won't go on through because the bullet will fragment inside - normally turning the brain into mush, but without the extra hydrostatic pressures that blow out the back of the skull.

There have been many cases where an individual was shot with a small caliber weapon, including in the head, and at a far enough distance that the round never actually penetrated the skull.

(Oh, and as for the ad itself - you've got implied sex, with what some ad agency considers a good looking woman, and violence, due to the hole - that sells to the average male consumer. As for the dynamics of the crime scene itself, this would appear to be more of a staged scene, with the victim killed elsewhere and then moved into position. There is no apparent random motion of the limbs, no lividity, and no loss of bowel or bladder functions - all of which happens during sudden, violent death.)

Duke Lacrosse Team @ Apr 7th 2006 10:20AM

We think the ad is awesome. We'll take 53 copies.

M @ Apr 7th 2006 10:24AM

Uh, rape/murder fantasy? No.

Bad advertising. Yes.

It's shock value for shock value's sake. It's as if a bunch of creatives were sitting around a conference room saying, "you know what's never been done before? A hot girl with a bullet hole in her forehead!"

It's cheap. For a good example of advertising that evokes death without being stupid, check out some of the past ads for The Sopranos. Beautifully shot. Strong concept.

And despite the headline, nothing about this is "beautifully executed." The shot is a ripoff from Sin City. The makeup looks pretty fake. And the headline's a pun.

Gamers are smarter than this nonsense.

Robert @ Apr 7th 2006 10:26AM

There's nothing wrong with the ad. Stop reading too much into it. Actually, if you look at how much we're talking about it, it's really doing its job. There's no such thing as bad publicity, especially when the bad publicity deals with exactly the kind of content you're going to get in the game.

GlitchCog @ Apr 7th 2006 10:26AM

If you think that because this advertisement offends you, it shouldn't be in the magazine that you elected to purchase, you're missing the point. It's called free speech. Just because you don't like this person's art, doesn't mean you can decide what does and doesn't go into this publication. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Oh, and stop being a wuss. If you've seen any R rated movie you've seen stuff just as bad as or worse than this before, just not in a video game ad.

It's okay to be offended by it. Just don't suggest that it shouldn't be printed for that reason. Besides, relative to what you could be exposed to by some vague Google Image search, this isn't that bad. You're clearly a little weak in the stomach if this honestly bothers you. And if you�re still an innocent little child, well, wake up. It�s got to happen sooner or later. The world isn�t the cozy one your parents show you where everyone is happy and prays for their neighbors on Sundays. Welcome to the real world. Other kids dying of starvation in Africa or being molested by their parents weren�t as fortunate as you to remain sheltered so long. Now you�ve seen this horrible, life-altering ad, and your time is up too. Oh my! A photo of a model portraying a murder! Wash your innocent little eyes before you're scarred permanently!

I'm not about to support letting you or the government regulate what's permitted as printable media. I want this ad in there, not because I particularly like it, but because your offense is the worst reason to remove it.

Lone Starr @ Apr 7th 2006 10:28AM

#13 hit it on the money with the whole Sin City thing.

Fred @ Apr 7th 2006 10:31AM

Hi,
I'm french and i, maybe, don't understand the play of word, but it's a very good ad for me.

The woman is not so naked (for a french, i mean ;) ) and there is no sexual ambiguity. It's just an ad for hitman, a well known GAME in a GAME magazine.

You thought what ? it was an ad for rape and murder ? and if it was, do you think it will work ?

TheNizzle @ Apr 7th 2006 10:36AM

Oh boy..."does this game advocate necrophilia?"

Seriously, people. If you think "necrophilia" when you see this add it's your mind that's making that part up. It's a clever, well-photographed, ADVERTISEMENT! It's not real, the game's not real, and even if I decide to kill a woman and (given the option) rape her afterwards in the game, that doesn't mean I'm a necrophile. I steal things constantly in Oblivion, I shoot innocent bystanders in GTA, I blow up Mexican rebels in Ghost Recon...what's that got to do with anything? Too many people, lawyers, and politicians sensationalize video games into womething they're not: reality. Video games don't make you violent, and I'll kill anyone that disagrees.

dvdguy @ Apr 7th 2006 10:37AM

I saw this in EGM and was the first time I spent more than a nanosecond looking at a magazine ad. I'm not offended, I just think using a "dead" half-naked woman is a stupid way to sell a video game, and really doesn't help the perception of gamers in the minds of the non-gaming public.

Saint @ Apr 7th 2006 10:39AM

I liked this one, caught my attention. And making me think "Hmm, I might have been putting off playing this series for long enough now..." when I'm rifling through magazines waiting for the microwave to finish my lunch (gotta save up the monies for E3) is pretty good according to my standards.

The ad itself reminds me of the "Absolut" commercials, though with a little more humour and a little less style. Still a very good ad, though. What I am getting at is that this is the *perfect* advert for this game, morally responsible or not. There exists worse cases of both death/violence and sex/nudity in even more easily accesible media, and I don't think that this particular image should take the blame just because it is done well enough to get through.

I do not advocate pushing the limits of the freedom of expression just because you can. But I don't think censorship is the answer if the message gets diluted, either. If we cannot stand up and defend the "good" examples in the violence debate, then there's no real point in defending the freedom at all.

spick @ Apr 7th 2006 10:42AM

You play a hitman. You execute targets and witnesses for money.

And you're worried about the ethics of the ad?

For the folks who immediately thought rape when they saw this, take the stick out of your a**, you have other issues. Take the ad in context with the content.

sean @ Apr 7th 2006 10:47AM

It's certainly no worse than the 500,000 paperback mystery covers from 1940-1965. dead/endangered beautiful women have been a staple of cover art for many, many years.

Rocket Punch @ Apr 7th 2006 10:51AM

Typical "sex + violence" advertising ploy, for the targeted young male gamer crowd.

I must say it also makes a very good terrorist recruiting poster.

Anton @ Apr 7th 2006 10:54AM

I think people are reading into this a bit too far. It is not so much an advertisement as a notice to inform gamers that the next hitman game is close. And no biggy about the dead woman does it really offend anyone - have any of the younger readers of the magazine not seen it before on the T.V or in movies?

that guy @ Apr 7th 2006 10:55AM

This ad is doing exactly what it was meant to do - get people talking about the game, which we're all doing right now. Eidos doesn't give a crap about what it means. The ad is generating discussion and getting people to know about the game, which is being released soon.

The end.

Dan @ Apr 7th 2006 11:00AM

I think the designers of this ad were going for a bit of a film noir feeling. Those films (and more recent stuff like Sin City and plenty of detective novels) had beautiful women involved in crime and violence. They occasionally got shot. I don't think they were trying to do anything more than that (and really it's not that far off from the world presented in the Hitman games if you think about it).

And really, where did the rape angle come from? Because she's pretty? Because she's wearing skimpy clothing? Do plain girls wearing sweatshirts not get raped? And maybe I watch to much Law and Order: SVU but wouldn't her clothes be a little messed up from the struggle? I mean not even shoe came off. Signs point to just a hitman...

MSaccarello @ Apr 7th 2006 11:02AM

rape? you guys are being too sensational. i think everyone has become too desensitized to even care. the average person witnesses around 40,000 dramatized deaths by the time they're 16. Besides, you can play GTA and fuck a prostitute and THEN kill her and THEN take your money back. this ad isn't that shocking.

Dan @ Apr 7th 2006 11:02AM

And #23...

That's just wrong...

Kate @ Apr 7th 2006 11:03AM

It is not that the overt message is that the game is about sexually-charged violence. But the fact of the matter is that a scantily clad woman in a submissive position is a sexual figure. Then to make it a violent scene, it doesn't matter if that's the intension, but it gains undertones of physical and sexual violence against women.

Any argument along the lines of "Oh, if it was a sexy man who was dead, no one would have a problem with the sex/violence combination." And you're right - a barechested, attractive man doesn't have the same qualitative characteristics as an attractive woman. A man is attractive by being strong and in control, whereas a woman by being slim, pretty and submissive (just look at the body language of advertising and *on average* that's the case). So it *is* significant that it is a sexy woman and not a man because of the double standards of attraction for men and for women.

Whether or not it's the intention, it is yet another drop in the bucket of cases of violence against a sexualized woman. Thus, it contributes to a culture of acceptance of those messages.

spick @ Apr 7th 2006 11:07AM

Sorry Kate, I get absolutely nothing sexual from the ad, because she's dead.

Nothing.

heretrix @ Apr 7th 2006 11:10AM

Why in the hell do people automatically have to throw sex in the mix? And where in the hell does anyone get the idea that the chick has been raped?

You are a hitman, the lady's your target. She just happens to be in sexy lingere at the time of the hit.
the ad gets your attention, which is the purpose of all advertising...

Is it in bad taste? Maybe. But what isn't in advertising these days?

Nutty Industries @ Apr 7th 2006 11:18AM

It's part of a small series of ads and helps to understand it if you see all three.

http://www.hitmanforum.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=si&img=794
http://www.hitmanforum.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=si&img=792
http://www.hitmanforum.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=si&img=717

Artistic genius, I'd say. But some art is not for everyone.

dresden @ Apr 7th 2006 11:20AM

It's using sex to sell a game that will probably be as mediocre as its predecessors.

She's not naked. You got some leg and a little bit of cleavage going on. And a hole in her head.

Appropriate? Eh. That's irrelevant. It certainly has gotten everyones attention though. Controversy gets people talking about things. Unfortunately its usually the wrong people who have the loudest voice who start yelling about it. I bet good old Jackie T will probably have more than a few words to say about it, and all of them will be borderline retarded.

Dan @ Apr 7th 2006 11:21AM

And since this post is called "Ad critic" I just want to add that it comes close to failing because it doesn't really appeal to anyone who isn't already a fan of the game. "Beautifully executed" for example becomes a much better play on words if you are aware that the game rewards you for taking out your target in the most professional way possible. Otherwise it might seem that one likes to kill beautiful women (which leads to all the discussion we're having today).

A @ Apr 7th 2006 11:21AM

holy crap- for all the apologists who talk about film noir and paperback novels and modes of alienation and whatever else they want to bring up, im gonna go ahead and state the obvious:

1) the ad captures attention through both sex and violence
2) the ad suggests that, in game, you can kill women who are not wearing much
3) post #23 is hilarious

no matter how you want to excuse it as tasteful art, its just an appeal to voyeurism.

christian @ Apr 7th 2006 11:21AM

blah blah blah .. .

everyone wants some reason to complain about something .. . did she get raped !? did she get shot while she was being raped ?! did she bake cookies before she got raped AND shot !?

we will never know .. .

BECAUSE IT'S AN ADVERTISEMENT !! !

lets all just agree to disagree, some like it, some don't .. . whatever helps ya sleep at night .. . ya know, but if you're so uneasy with yourself that a ad in a magazine gets you bent out of shape .. . i feel sorry for you .. . plus, someone said it earlier, there are far worse things out there .. . movies, music.. . how many movies show someone dying .. . how many of the mainstream rappers, scream-o bands etc. talk about killing and raping .. .

hmmmm .. .