This article originally appeared on Two Dash Stash!
Buzzwords and phrases are used by marketing departments in every industry around the world to generate hype about a new product or feature. They are the reason that every new product announced by a company cannot simply be “new” or "improved", instead it must be “cutting edge”, “first of its kind”, or include “innovative new features”. The gaming industry is no exception to this practice.
Think about this, when was the last time a big AAA studio announced a new title as a game? Think really hard about it. Now, think about the last time that same studio announced a new “fully immersive entertainment experience”?
See my point?
We have become so saturated by these buzzwords and phrases that they have lost their significance in our gaming culture. The point behind using these “high profile” words is to generate buzz and hype about the title, to make it sound unique and interesting, not bland and generic. When the same buzzwords are used to market a game like Battlefield 4 are also being used to describe a game like Blob Wars, it is not difficult to understand why we are becoming jaded to these phrases.
Marketers are going to stick with buzzwords and phrases because they believe that they help sell games. This is not going to change; however, their usage can be altered. I suggest that finding the right ones to match the title will help the marketing efforts tremendously. For example: not every title needs to be described as a “truly unique and original experience” that “utilizes cutting edge technology”. That makes it sound like every other title on the market and causes it to lose its “unique” value. Instead, talk about those features that make it unique.
As a video game consumer, I want to get excited about games. I want to watch a conference and feel the magic as the developer announces their new project that they have put so much hard work in to. I want to hear more about the “ground breaking new features” that are included in the game, and less time hearing about how “innovative” they are.
What do you think about the use of buzzwords and phrases by marketing departments in game promotions? Have we reached a point where it is time to change the message? Does hearing that a game has “new cutting edge immersive technologies” make you more excited about a game?
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