Pre-E3 focus group: Sex, violence, doody still sell
by Ken Weeks 
{ May 9th 2006 at 4:00AM }
On the flight to Los Angeles, Joystiq blogger Chris Grant and I decided to hold a little impromptu Flight 899 pre-E3 focus group to the pass the time on enroute. After Professor Grant lectured a captive audience on the perils of sexual objectification and the senior citizen cross-appeal of genteel titles such as Brain Age for the DS, I turned to random Gamer X, age 18, for input from the gaming industry's traditional demographic. True to form, Gamer X (pictured above, slackjawed) said he prefers games with "hot girls," "big t-ts" and "killing." His favorite gaming moment of all time is "flying up really high in Battlefield: 1942 and bailing out so that the parachute guy [craps] himself...[sound effect provided]." Gamer X is entering the Marines and a few months and he thinks his FPS expertise will serve him well on the real battlefield, which he assumes is similar to a video game.
Moral of the story: Reach out all you want, but the core audience wants what it wants.
Update: I should have noted that when I told Gamer X the Nintendo Revolution had be re-named the Nintendo Wii, he gave me a quizzical look and said "You mean like wee-wee?" Obviously, the "focus group" in the title was a jest, but I'm willing to bet this guy represents a wide swath. His stereotypical love of sex, violence and low humor was such a humorous counterweight to Chris' high-minded hopes for the industry, I had to post it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pat @ May 9th 2006 4:04AM
Reach out all you want, but you wont be able to make up for your shitty post before this
vrf @ May 9th 2006 4:13AM
So Ken Weeks' focus group to prove his case consists of ONE FUCKING PERSON?
Dude, go back to flipping burgers.
Worm_Buffet @ May 9th 2006 4:32AM
I reckon post #1 and #2 where made by non other than Gamer X himself.
Blarry @ May 9th 2006 4:33AM
I bet Ken Weeks sucks at flipping burgers.
coalhalo @ May 9th 2006 6:36AM
Touchy, touchy. It must hit to close for comfort, eh? I hope you guys figure out that the slack jawed cannon fodder in the photo is exactly the person the companies want buying their products. People who read Joystiq and other blogs are not the target market, we are too busy reading and not sitting glazed in front of our consoles 24-7. Personally, I sit glazed in front om my consoles, etc.. about 23-7...
Pince @ May 9th 2006 6:55AM
Sad, almost unbelievably so.
Um, as a sidenote; Ken, what is up with all the incredibly negative posts. Its E3 week. Be joyous or...at least impartial.
As a second note, this is an extreme example. Alot of us here are likely some variety of gaming elitist who wouldnt be caught dead citing their favorite games as those with lots of "hot chicks" and "killing" (though, if we were honest with ourselves, we'd likely realize that we go for that stuff too). However, I'm gonna give the "core audience" a little more credit than is given by this post.
I'm at least going to say that even if gamers are all secretly drawn to CG sex appeal and gratuitous violence to some degree, they are, first of all, likely much more discrete about it than the guy on the plane. Secondly, we all know there is a hell of a lot more that everyone looks for in a game (whether or not they list it among their criteria for a good game).
So, yeah, some of core audience is a bit...blunt...and crude...and (as the gaming elitist I am, I will say) some of them have terrible taste in video games. But most people are more intelligent and selective than they appear at face value... when met on a plane. Ok, maybe not this guy...but other people.
And whats this about flipping burgers...did I miss a memo?
hjungle @ May 9th 2006 8:03AM
Just because it?s E3 doesn?t mean it?s all sunshine and roses. For once I really appreciate the cynicism as there?s a lot of truth to the entry and come on, lighten up. Who hasn?t met a gamer or fifty just like Joe Cool here?
Billy Dee Williams @ May 9th 2006 8:47AM
>
Moron.
Billy Dee Williams @ May 9th 2006 8:48AM
On the flight we did it on enroute.
Chadsworth McBillingsly @ May 9th 2006 8:50AM
Wait, wanting to see big t-ts and sh*t blow-up is bad? That's what makes gaming awesome. What is wrong with you people?
mr. reason @ May 9th 2006 10:33AM
its a sad thing...
far too many people like "gamer x" over here are what is twisting the game industry (nintendo excluded)and more and more games are created to keep these shallow minded high school drop-outs happy.
a sad thing indeed.
Pata Hikari @ May 9th 2006 10:53AM
"Gamer X is entering the Marines and a few months and he thinks his FPS expertise will serve him well on the real battlefield, which he assumes is similar to a video game."
....
....
He's gunna die in the first ten minutes.
Ahms @ May 9th 2006 11:00AM
That fellow isn't a representitive of the gaming majority...
...he's a representitive of teenage, hormone-soaked boys
What did you expect him to say? That he enjoys researching the intricacies of game design and dabbles in horticulture as a side hobby? :)
That's how alot teenagers are, regardless if they play video games or not. They're connected to their biological impulses thanks to maturing :P
Donald @ May 9th 2006 11:24AM
12: And what a tragedy that will be. Seriously.
[/sarcasm]
jdog @ May 9th 2006 1:05PM
Gamer X scares me. What happened to appreciation of the arts in this country? What's stopping him from going straight to the front lines now? I really doubt FPS tactics are any help on a real battlefield......
daddd @ May 9th 2006 2:06PM
This post maybe on to something here. When I opened up gamespot today I noticed the full ad for the US army upon entering the page. It's not surprising that the gaming market we are dealing with is between age 15 to 25, male, and overloaded with testosterone. The US government has even noticed this.
Kim @ May 9th 2006 4:22PM
I like the way tits was censored. Good to know all the five year olds reading won't be offended by naughty words.
Mike Abundo @ May 10th 2006 6:31AM
Gamer X is joining the Marines?
He's obviously never played MGS3.
Superman @ May 11th 2006 4:28PM
First of all
This is The one known as Gamer X
Second of all im not a high school drop out, in fact im graduating with 26 1/2 credits.....
And third....
Guns are being created to interact like games to be used in Battle. My MOS, for those who are incompatant to define it, Military Occupational Speacialty is Aviation Electronic Technician. Great mods created for BF1942, ex: Final Pirates, and my favorite action game would be The Punisher for Action and Gore, except for the fact that it's censored black and white in Speacial Interregation killing and Speacial Kills.
I think, in my opinion, The military gaming helps a person to have a more faster reactionn time and helps the mind to think of tactics more quicker.
Superman (Gamer X)
P.S Whats Up Ken
Mike Abundo @ May 16th 2006 7:51AM
We rest our case.