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Jul 27, 2009

Sin to Win: Did EA do a bad thing?

During Comic Con this year, EA was promoting their upcoming game, Dante's Inferno with the first of many contests based on the 7 deadly sins. This first "Sin to Win" contest focused on lust, asking contestants to commit acts of lust with either the booth babes at the Dante's booth or ones from convention floor and document the act with a picture. The winner would receive a sinful night on the town with two hot ladies, limo service, paparazzi and a chest full of booty.

Quite a few different sites have been reacting badly to this poorly worded contest (bad EA) because obviously it looks like the company is telling people to go out and practically rape girls in order to win a night out with a couple of hookers. Not a swift PR move, I admit, but I also understand that EA was trying to make the contest fit with the idea of sin and make it sound lustful, even though it really wasn't. They can't really offer up a lust filled night or tell people that it's okay to grope the booth babes. They know that, I know that and everyone else with a brain should know that, but apparently that's not the case, but people seem to be concerned that there will be idiots out there that will take the contest to be literal and will grab the promoters, or think their getting a night with hookers.

Again, we lay the blame on someone else because someone might be too stupid to think morally and with some common sense. Do I need to bring up the whole violence and videogames arguement?

In EA's official statement, they clarified the common sense answer to why they worded the contest they way they did. The real "acts of lust" they meant were only to be pictures with the booth babes and not actual dirty deeds with them in any way. And of course, the main prize was really a night on the town with the Dante's Inferno's reps, all expenses paid, plus some money, coverage of the event and limo service.

I admit they could have worded things better but claiming that EA's PR reps would suggest that fans sexual harass the promoters is just going to far. Bias opinions aside, I know a couple people that work for EA on the promotion side and they would never promote violence or sexual harassment towards women. They are good guys and I know this was all just a bad choice of words.

I understand that bad things do happen to the promoters at these events and there should be security measures put in place to make theses people safer, but in the long run, if anyone was stupid enough to cause any harm to one of the promoters at Comic Con over this contest, then he or she is just a complete idiot because nothing, not a contest nor a prize, gives anyone the right to treat another human being like less than a person. That's just common sense and no one can hold EA responsible for some pervert's stupid actions.

4 comments:

Vilsy said...

So is this contest not open to heterosexual women? Not that it would surprise me.

I know sex sells (to men) but this is getting old already.

Unknown said...

Actually the contest never said a thing about denying entry to men or women, straight or gay. It was just really the prize that turned most straight women and gay men off - a night off with two hot female EA reps.

Honestly had I been at Comic Con, I would have been sending in my pictures with the booth babes for this contest to win. But I'm all about the outfits.

Anonymous said...

http://whilenotfinished.theirisnetwork.org/2009/07/24/eafail-link-roundup/

Unknown said...

Thanks for the link, anonymous but I find it interesting that the link round up doesn't include any posts from people who supported EA in the contest like me.

I still think people got their knickers in a knot over nothing.