Making my daily rounds of international news and gaming blogs, I came across this little oddity.
Yep, it's an awkwardly named HIT THE BITCH (link for full screen version- I won't judge you if you prefer it rough and in-your-face, if that's your thing; it even has a meter to measure how much of a gangsta or pussy you are, depending how hard and how much you hit.)
I question the wisdom of releasing a flash app that encourages you to slap a bitch up onto the internet; it's like delivering a lamb into the den of rabid wolves, where even its bones will be defiled and desecrated. But I digress.
In an effort to dissuade (promote?) domestic violence, a Danish marketing firm created this "immersive" app, which even has dodgy webcam support, so your virtual pimp hand will beat the shit out of her regardless, even if you're trying to sooth her face while begging for forgiveness for that initial wrong. Just saying.
No, this game wants you to slap the Beetlejuice out of her. She's probably saying some fresh things, and in some scenes, she flips you the bird. Clearly, the game does its best to escalate the situation, and so the antagonism can be passed around like mac 'n cheese at a Thanksgiving dinner, or Paris Hilton on a good day. Slap her harder and you'll fill up your meter faster, and be less of a "pussy."
So, what's your motivation for slapping her? From what I understand, she burned your dinner. [ed. note: see correction below.] Seriously. I wouldn't mind a Order take-out, play some slow jamz, and then turn up the heat option, but all you have is SLAP DAT BITCH UP WIT' YO MIZZOUSE or SLAP DAT BITCH UP WIT' YO' WEBCAM. This is what we call "When keeping it real goes horribly wrong."
Wait, you might think. So this game is egging you on, telling you that you're less of a pussy if you put that woman in her place? Yeah. I know. I know. It's awkward, and maybe a bit too forced. There's no quit button either, just that ever-present palm. That game wants you to get to the end, because, well, you already lost the game.
In the end, if you somehow sat around to filling up the bar to 100% gangsta (I'm not judging you!), it changes to 100% idiot and the game berates you:
"Idiot, hitting bitches is not gangsta; you lost the game the first time you raised your hand. There's no excuse to hit someone. Seek help before it's too late."
For a game that's titled HIT THAT BITCH, it seems glaringly ironic. At least it'll fulfill its ulterior intentions- it's gone viral, and it may even go meme status. Pretty soon, we may start seeing some HIT THE BITCH shirts.
But Izzy, you stammer. I'm here for your questionable poetry and your boring anecdotes. What gives?
Thanks. Really. I'll be getting back to that soon enough, don't you worry.
-v
Correction: She didn't burn your dinner. She talking about banging your buddy. In this case, they should've included a FIND NEW FRIENDS option.
girl: I've had a fantastic night, how about you?
girl: Yeah, of course I danced with someone.
girl: it's not up to you to decide who I dance with.
male voice: what's going on, you can't control the bitch at all. Smacking her will probably help.
girl: Why shouldn't I fuck your friend, he's just as ugly as you are.
OH BURN. And thus, the slapping begins.
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The flash is insane dude...But probably good "social" propaganda like they have "dead babies" posters on the side of the road (Against Drunk Driving)...or commercial of amputees (Against Smoking)...This is how you get the image in the head<---Agressive "Social" Marketing...
ReplyDeleteIn today's popular media, we also see this tendency of violence and complete disrespect towards women..
Examples: Nelly – “Tip Drill”
Lyrics: “I said it must be ya ass cause it ain’t ya face/I need a tipdrill, I need a tipdrill/I said it must be ya ass cause it ain’t ya face/I need a tipdrill, I need a tipdrill”
Cadillac Don – “F-ck Dat B-tch”
Lyrics: “No hard feelings, give a f-ck about a b-tch. Cuz she’ll be the one get ya caught up in some sh-t. That’s why J Money ain’t trusting n’an b-tch. Might as well gon’ let her f-ck the whole click.”
Dr. Dre – “B_tches Ain’t Sh_t”
Lyrics: “Bitch, and it’s like that. This is what you look for in a ho who got cash flow. Ya run up in them hoes and grab the cash. And get your dash on.”
I guess you get my point here...
As for nick's examples, i still think this is different from the dead babies and amputees. those images seem different from this. at least in my opinion. so yea, i think the game is in very horrible taste.
ReplyDelete@eL, Maybe you are right...But I was trying o make a point that "social" marketing is successfull only when it is graphic (in my opinion a least)...Most of the people, when faced with regular "old school" commercials (aka. this is bad kids, and this is good) look at it as "Oh god, another one of those..."
ReplyDeleteIt is said that ads that try to generate buzz by pandering to your fear do not work well at that magnitude (I'm talking about dead babies and amputees). According to the fear curb, the fear appeal must be mid-ranged to work, lest the consumer ignore it or hate it. It's often sad that these PSAs do not work well- more often than not, we've already our opinions on the matter. (i.e., texting while driving, toking up, etc. Do we still care about the ads that refer to such activities when we are guilty of doing so?)
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about the effectiveness of the flash ad, as it seems to contain a misandrist and anti-hiphop vibe, and reminds you that what you did was wrong despite offering it as the sole option.
J.Izzy...Fear is the second most effective method (besides direct physical implimentation of course) Now, effectiveness of magnitude is arguable without a doubt...
ReplyDeleteI used to smoke occasionally whe goind out, but I have to admit after commercials with an old lady with partially amputated fingers aired, something clicked...This is what I am talking about ...If commercial has an effect with personal attribution (that is if you think about what if that was you?!)...then this particular commercial is successfull to an extent..
Then again, personal health is "personal". Some people, even knowing that their closed ones died as a consequence of certain behavior, continue doing it...
OMG! This is beyond me. Why, seriously, why? The sad thing is I really thought I liked that Nelly song. I feel horrible, I mean when you think about it and what it is saying, geez. But then when the song come on you forget all about those feelings and start to boogie.
ReplyDeleteMany people just listen to the beat of the song or sing along with it but never really bother to figure out the meaning of the song. I'm guilty of doing this.
ReplyDeleteI also played the game without thinking and I actually wondered why people made such a horrible game. where is the point? Luckily(?), I didn't get 100% mark, so I couldn't see the word "IDIOT", but I feel like an idiot now. It is not because I slaped her several times,but I slaped her without any emotion.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@J: I agree to the extent that, when presented as a game, some of us automatically play it with a lessened sense of responsibility; we're expected to be removed from the action. That, and it could be because of our respective cultures.
ReplyDelete@B: While the beats can be alluring, one can view it as a form of entertainment... which then again, it is. At least that's the argument that horrorcore and narcocorrido performers use.
And nah, that was not what I was referring to, nor do I believe in any movement that promotes the abuse of anyone. /disclaimer