Los Angeles (CA) – Electronic Arts today proudly announced that its Battlefield 1943 customers have killed more than 43 million enemies in just one week. And you can join the shooting frenzy for just
$15 and get “endless value”.
The download version of Battlefield 1943 has become the fastest selling day one and week one download-only game worldwide on Xbox LIVE as well as on the PlayStationNetwork in North America. The company said it moved more 600,000 copies in the first week after the game’s download launch on July 8.
EA is, from what we can tell, truly excited about its financial success as well as what gamers have achieved so far. That achievement is apparently not measured in game time, but kills gamers score. “Watching and participating in this non-stop multiplayer action has been a real treat for us and we can’t believe how fast our fans reached 43 million kills,” said Gordon Van Dyke, producer on Battlefield 1943.”
We can now truly say that we have set a new standard for what can be done in the downloadable games category and gamers recognize the endless value that Battlefield 1943 provides for just $15.” Backing up the game success story is G4TV.com, which is quoted saying that the downloadable game has “great sound, great graphics, great fun, and [a] great price.”
Not that I am jealous here. In fact, it is good to hear that EA has that kind of extra money pouring in during a time when the company needs cash so desperately. But am I overly sensitive here how this story is pitched? Do we measure a game’s success really in the number of kills gamers score? I do have three little children and at least from a father’s perspective, I have a difficult time allowing such a game to be present in my living room.
Correct me if I am wrong, but haven’t game companies always justified first person shooters by stating that you really have to watch whom you shoot and that senseless killing would turn out to be a disadvantage in a game? And now we are advertising the number of kills? Quote: “We can’t believe how fast our fans reached 43 million kills.” Something is seriously wrong with this statement, EA.
I am far from judging the quality of the overall game, since I haven’t played it, but promoting the number of scored kills within a press release is beyond my comfort level. Between 50 and 70 million people were killed during WWII, advertising that gamers killed 43 million enemies in just week is, in my mind, insensitive and inappropriate.
