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EA's been slowly ticking off the levels of Hell by way of marketing stunts for the upcoming God-of-War-em-up Dante's Inferno. The first circle of Hell is "Limbo" ... and though we're not sure, the E3 "staged protest" was an early Dante's Inferno marketing stunt, so maybe limbo? Next is circle two: "Lust." Cue the controversial Comic-Con "Sin to Win" stunt wherein one "lucky" winner received "a night with the hottest girl at Comic-Con." Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Next up is "Gluttony." To celebrate the third circle of Hell, they mailed our own Randy Nelson a severed limb cake. We didn't reward them with a post for that one.
However, the latest stunt is a little more creative. They've mailed this editor, and presumably the editors at several other media outlets, a check for $200. The packaging says that "by cashing this check you succumb to avarice by hoarding filthy lucre but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality." If your SAT dictionary isn't at arm's length, that last one means wastefulness. So, we either cash it and "succumb to avarice" or burn it and be wasteful. What's an ethical gaming blog to do ...
... how about this? How about we cash it, and donate all $200 to The White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization "that aims to advance women's leadership in all communities and sectors – up to the U.S. presidency – by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women"? Of course, we'll make the donation in EA's name. It won't make up for Sin to Win, but the road to redemption's got to start somewhere, right?
It's a real check alright! Note the date. Cute.
The wooden box stunk like lacquer.
Close, but no cigar (box)!
Click for the close-up, read the fine print.
