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Britian Recuiting Spies Through Video Games

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LONDON

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

I guess the use of Need for Speed: Carbon and Quake are just to make up a large catchment ... otherwise I can't see the relevance. Though I don't mind the advertising, which I foresee some local teacup meteorologists might have some qualms about ...

OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

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OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT

If I were to become a spy for Britain would this qualify as treason even though they're an ally?

Edited by Tale

"Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."

You would have difficulty in any subsequent applications for other countries, and they would expect you to be a citizen (or able to become one ... not sure about the popularity of US citizens for roles that require the people to blend in ... :)"

OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

ingsoc.gif

OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT

Hell, if you think that's bad, they recruited most people of my generation through Bubble Bobble

"It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"."

             -Elwood Blues

 

tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.

I don't know about Britian, per se, but I do know that very few of the job openings at places like the CIA in the U.S. are for anything close to covert ops. Most of their employees either do computer-based stuff (running satellites, monitoring business transactions, etc.), intelligence analysis (combing through information from all over the world and writing memos to their bosses with their summaries and conclusions), or support activities (accounting, IT, legal support, etc.).

 

I'd guess that the advertising in video games is mostly to get employees who know how to keep their computer systems running and safe from hackers. They recruit on the "we do super-cool spy stuff" angle because they have too-- it pays less than a comparable private sector job and comes with some ridiculously thorough background checks.

  • Author

Does in game advertising and product placement detract form the experience? Or make it more realistic? I could ask the same about movies too. Opinions?

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

Well, it depends. In Splinter Cell:Chaos Theory for example, the advertisements were part of a milieu, like a large Pepsi ad in New York cityscape. Some games have modeled real world products into objects in the game, like certain movies or candies and the like. Those are not distracting, rather they actually fit very well in the context and don't detract from the game immersion or visual flair.

 

But then there's horrible bull**** like the recent ad-releases of Prince of Persia and Raving Rabbids were the loading screens have been converted to advertisements for anything but contextually relevant(like other games in the series) products. Or Planetside(IIRC) where there's Mountain Dew advertisements in reactor core hallway.

kirottu said:
I was raised by polar bears. I had to fight against blood thirsty wolves and rabid penguins to get my food. Those who were too weak to survive were sent to Sweden.

 

It has made me the man I am today. A man who craves furry hentai.

So let us go and embrace the rustling smells of unseen worlds

True. GCHQ are number boffins. I think the point is not the context. The point is to reach computer nerds.

"It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"."

             -Elwood Blues

 

tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.

Well, it depends. In Splinter Cell:Chaos Theory for example, the advertisements were part of a milieu, like a large Pepsi ad in New York cityscape. Some games have modeled real world products into objects in the game, like certain movies or candies and the like. Those are not distracting, rather they actually fit very well in the context and don't detract from the game immersion or visual flair.

 

But then there's horrible bull**** like the recent ad-releases of Prince of Persia and Raving Rabbids were the loading screens have been converted to advertisements for anything but contextually relevant(like other games in the series) products. Or Planetside(IIRC) where there's Mountain Dew advertisements in reactor core hallway.

 

The ad-releases of PoP and RR can be given some slack though. Sure they have horrible ads on the loading screens, but they are free. :)

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