CoD dev says govt. should brainwash kids with AAA marketing

http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/3/6900095/call-of-duty-us-government-brainwash-public-debate-soldiers-schools

The government should be more proactive in how it markets unpopular ideas to the public, following in the footsteps of video game marketing, which "essentially brainwashes people into liking" something before it is released, former Call of Duty game director Dave Anthony told a gathering at The Atlantic Council think tank this week.

Anthony, who was the director of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 before leaving Treyarch in December, was recently asked to become a fellow at the think tank.

....

Anthony floated one "really controversial idea" that he said could perhaps open a discussion about how to prepare for future attacks.

"In terms of the way the military machine is used, I'm going to use this as a really controversial idea that could be at least starting a discussion point for how things could potentially change," he said. "We have a vast military infrastructure in this country, and we have a problem where we may have areas in this country like schools which may well become soft targets for terrorists, let alone terrorists, even nutcases, who want to wander inside a school and cause as much devastation as they can.

"I'd look at the soldiers we have right now and I would look at what they are doing on a day-to-day basis and look at the needs we have for the internal security for this country, which is a different national security threat than we used to have."

Anthony used the analogy of an air marshal, a plainclothes officer with a concealed weapon that is secretly on a plane in case anything happens.

"I can tell you I feel better by the fact they are on almost every flight," he said. "Imagine a concept like a school marshal. These guys are U.S. soldiers, who are in plain clothes, whose job and part of their responsibility is to protect schools. They're not walking around in camo with a machine gun strapped around their shoulder, but they are armed and capable of dealing with threats as they happen."

Creating a school marshal program would also serve to reduce the risk of shrinking the U.S. military because so many soldiers aren't being used in combat, he said.

"I think something like this could help solve that problem," he said. "Where troops are being used to mitigate security in our country in an unconventional way."

Doing something like this would likely be an unpopular move, something Anthony says the government isn't very good at dealing with.

He said that the government should follow in the footsteps of video game publishers, and market their ideas before they become a reality.

"When we have a new product that has elements we're not sure how people will respond to, we market it," he said. "We market it as much as we can, so that whether people like it or not, we essentially brainwash them into liking it before it actually comes out. When you have decided to make these changes, you have a marketing campaign to introduce them before it is forced upon you.

"WE ESSENTIALLY BRAINWASH THEM INTO LIKING IT."

"I'd like to see the government doing this too, because the government is becoming more and more unpopular and I have a lot of sympathy for it. It is an enormously tough job they have. I would like to see more effort into how we communicate with the people and educate the people into what we are doing and why."

The government, Anthony later said, is a badly run corporation that can't go bust, in some ways similar to a major publisher like Activision.

"I look at the U.S. military and government, ironically, as having some of the very same problems as what the Call of Duty franchise has," he said. "We are both on top of our game. We are both the best in the world at what we do. We both have enemies who are trying to take us down at any possible opportunity. But the difference is, we know how to react to that."

Sounds bad, but we're talking about true Pillars of Society here, the fine geniuses at Activision know what's best for this country. They're job creators, money trickle-downers, artists, scientists, people of industry, creatives. I'll trust them over some smug, underachieving, hipster, world dominating, history altering games "journalist".

Everything about that is disgusting.

@conmulligan said:

Understatement.

What the fuck.

This is scary as fuck. This is like burn the world down, fuck every thing I am rich, level crazy.

Jesus Christ.

I'm not one to knee jerk and unlike most people, I actually read the whole of the OP's post. The man brings up some interesting ideas as to how to manage soldiers post-war. I don't know if it'll work, but it is an interesting idea nonetheless.

Someone call Roddy Piper and Keith David.

He basically came up with the idea for propaganda, something governments have been doing for quite some time now. Still, what a jackass.

Still he can take the some conclusions of the AAA market's post-release period: You can polish a turd, make it really attractive to people to buy it, but after some time it will start to stink regardless of all the propaganda, and people will notice. You can't hide the truth, and the objectionable effects forever, nor escape its repercussions.

The consumers despite buying the hype of the new consoles are disappointed with the software, despite the hype, because those brainwashing tactics don't work forever. Personally I think that kind of thinking has put the gaming market near a precipice, with the lack of new ideas and constant rehashing and iteration, and after people become immune to the marketing maybe the industry will crash.

So if people want the world to burn, by all means continue deceaving, till one that you can't, and then you'll be hit with the full blown power of the reaction.

So I read the whole thing and the jist of his idea and I have no clue how he thinks any of this is a good idea. Putting armed plain-clothes soldiers in every school in America is just going to end badly. It's either going to have one jump of the deep end and open fire indiscriminately, or they'll end up killing someone who was innocent. Besides, what he's suggesting completely ignores the underlying issues which cause home-grown terrorists/school shooters.

And the kicker to this, is he's solution to bad press is to market the shit out of it and hope enough people buy it to support it? Selling a piece of media entertainment is vastly different than pitching a controversial new law into legislation. What are you going to do? Pay A-list celebrities to be in an ad where they endorse armed guards in schools? Nobody cares when it's a harmless piece of fun, but a serious ethical issue which could have a serious impact on every child in the US? I'm sure somebody would question it, no matter how hard you shilled for it. Whether he likes it or not, COD has a pretty mixed reception, and even people who like the series didn't like Ghosts and were vocal about it.

So yeah, this is some next-level brand of dangerous arrogance. And sad thing is, I really doubt the US government hasn't already thought about something this already.

Yeah, that's what my mind immediately went to. I'm not getting the same sense of "What the fuck" that some people are. Propaganda has existed for centuries. And with the prominence of the internet, and several generations gowning up along side it, I don't think this kind of "brainwashing" could ever work. Still, for him to suggest it is very gross.

Marketing is fucking crazy.

Every company(Sorry to hurt your feelings, but yes Nintendo is also guilty) uses this method. Hello? Does anyone go to school and learn anything anymore. This is basic marketing 101.

Yep, glad I quit buying Call of Duty.

@me3639: Marketing is marketing, but suggesting the government straight-up brainwash people is fucked up.

@hailinel: Marketing is, in a pretty big way, brainwashing.

There's a difference between being persuasive and brainwashing.

Per Webster Dictionary

Marketing

a: the act or process of selling or purchasing in a marketb: the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service

2 : an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer

Brainwashing

: a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas

2 : persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship

@corevi: True, but there's also a difference between being persuasive and marketing.

@bigboss1911: See, that second definition of brainwashing is my point. Persuasion by salesmanship. I'm saying there are similarities. Marketing can be okay. Obviously 'it ain't all bad'. but once it hits a certain level there almost is what this developer is talking about going on. People lose their fucking minds for Apple products and fucking Star Wars and Call of Duty and GTA.

If there's one thing in the real world that is close to the fake comic book definition of brainwashing it's probably marketing.

Hey man, if you can make me as excited for the next CoD as I was for Modern Warfare 2 well then... Ignorance is blissfuckers.

@hailinel:

If you dont already think the gov. uses brainwashing techniques, im not judging, but i feel sorry for you.

@me3639: I'm not saying they aren't. But when video game Activision guy is saying the government should brainwash people, using that exact term like it's nothing, there's something fucked about that.

@hailinel: Absolutely. It's majorly fucked up.

Studying Marketing and Studying Propaganda are pretty similar for the perspective of Sociology. Calling it brainwashing makes it to be more of a boogy man than it is. I mean, you sit any human down in a controlled space for a reasonable length of time and you can make them believe anything whether that is called marketing or propaganda or brainwashing is sorta semantics. This guy just says things in a really blunt way to make himself sound like a fucking douche. Also governments market shit all the time. Also also comparing the Government to fucking Activision is hilarious or really pathetic and I can't tell which.

Yep Marketing is still bullshit most of the time. Unless you get that Mordor guy to narrate it.

The whole "Activision is the best" thing is hilarious. How dumb do you have to be to say something that oblivious?

I don't even what.

pull blankets over head

wonder where it all went wrong

His idea of brainwashing must really work. I mean, just look at the blistering popularity that Call of Duty has outside of the 13-17 year old male demo. It's really something. Also, Mr. Anthony, the word you are looking for is propaganda. It already exists.

Good lord, what a pyscho.

"I'M A HIGH-POWERED BUSINESS MAN."

He doesn't say anything about brainwashing kids.

Oh great, another stupid person who wants to rule the world!

This sounds like something Kanye West would say. Sad.

Marketing is really filthy, and it's handled by very filthy people.

Glenn Beck? Is that you?

You ever get that sinking feeling a few minutes into a conversation when you realize the other person isn't self aware. They've been chugging so much kool-aid for so long they have almost nothing tying their thought process back to objective reality.

As others have already mentioned, that brainwashing line is the radical suggestion that governments should use propaganda to mitigate public disapproval, you know much like they've been doing for centuries. With that line basically saying "we used marketing for our military shooter game, the government can learn a thing or two from us about marketing real military things," AS IF THOSE THINGS ARE REMOTELY RELATED WHATSOEVER OTHER THAN THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF MARKETING.

The way I see it, if there is an indictment to be made, outside of conjecture or policy ideas that otherwise don't seem to be based on any research, it's the desperate overreach of his experience as a director for a military themed video game franchise to discuss domestic terrorism and proscriptions for government action.

I'd like to think someone at Treyarch threw up their hands and yelled "I fucking knew it" when they saw this shit making the rounds. I can't imagine most everyone at Treyarch isn't looking at this and thinking this is completely embarrassing or at the very least disconcerting.

Yes. Thank you. Good-bye. Mr. President.

I know I'd feel breathe a lot easier if my kids were in constant close proximity to a trained killer who may or may not suffer from PTSD.

@bacongames: Thank you.

Not to sound to cynical but government already markets their ideas, good or bad, to the people who have an impact on the idea. That could be the public, the senate, congress, etc. One doesn't simply have an idea, announce it and then expect results. You have to sell it. That's essentially marketing.

As for the school system with armed marshals, or soldiers, that seems like a great way to attract further attention for people wanting to make a statement. You'd essentially be providing the spotlight for bad people to feel entitled to steal. It would make much more sense to stop violence at the source rather than hoping to stop its reach.

Wow dude. I think that may have come off a bit harsher then you meant or I'm reading it wrong. I would imagine that there are many teachers and school staff that suffer from PTSD because there are a lot of bad things that happen to people and it is hard for some to deal with trauma. I would also imagine many staff and teachers suffer from other mental health disorders. But I would imagine that schools do background checks and welfare checks for their employees quite regularly. In the clinic where I work that happens to me and I'm not working for a government agency who I imagine are only stricter. So whether the staff have PTSD, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or anything else they have likely been cleared for work. If not, there's a much bigger issue. But having that diagnosis or any other diagnoses doesn't suggest the possibility for violence per se. Nothing in mental health is that black and white.

Hey everyone, I have the this amazing new idea. I can't believe no one has thought of this yet!

What a jackass, indeed.

I think having some sort of security at schools would be a good idea, especially with all of the shootings that have been going on recently. He seriously put his foot in his mouth when he kept on talking though, god damn.

Upholding law and order is the job of the police and not the military, mister Call of Duty.

Also this guy is insane.

The idea of just brainwashing people to like something is disgusting. Something like that could never happen in America.

http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PCH6755.jpg

As someone who was in the US Army Reserves for 10 years (deployed for six of them), has a one year old daughter, and has been diagnosed with PTSD (prescribed escitalopram); I concur, that comment did come off as pretty harsh. The problem is that there is a huge misunderstanding of PTSD in society. When you've carried your friends arm that was blown off in an EFP attack, it scars you, deeply.