TGA TV Ep.1 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition Unboxing

Hey all you TGA fans, we are now on YouTube and here is our first episode of TGA TV.  Ryan and myself unbox the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition for the Xbox 360, enjoy and stay tuned for our next episode (hopefully soon).  As always you can follows us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.

Amazon Video Game DOTD 11/5 [More of an offer]

Today Amazon is giving PC gamers the chance to pay for and pre-load their copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on to their rigs.  As the title suggests today’s deal is more of an offer because the price is still the standard MSRP of $59.99, but you can get the jump on downloading it so that is pretty cool.  So if this is something that interests you, take this link over to Amazon and get to downloading yourself some Modern Warfare 3.  As always stay tuned for more deals and you can follow us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.

Video Game “Beef”

I have always seen video games as an amalgamation of every medium of entertainment.  Borrowing branded elements from music, film, and even writing to forge a new form of entertainment that has blossomed gloriously over the years.  This might seem like a common perspective because where else would video game creators draw inspiration?  But something that has rarely been examined is something that was appropriated from hip-hop music believe it or not, the concept or more so the participation in “Beef”.

“Beef” for those who are unfamiliar with the term is more or less a feud between rival parties (minimum of two, beef with yourself is usually referred to as dinner).  The most contemporary documentation or display of “Beef” in video games has been between rival military shooters Battlefield 3 and the unreleased Modern Warfare 3.  Since both of their conceptions a feud has existed and neither has shied away or tried squashing the beef and why should they right?  Beef is good.  Beef promotes healthy competition.  Beef also creates arguments amongst friends, but that is another story altogether.

Get it?

The beef between BF3 and MW3 has been particularly interesting to me because it has at times reached levels so elementary it has become comical; with fans of each series trading blows in the comment sections of popular gaming websites and forums being erected dedicated to this perpetual feud.  The petty Twitter squabbles between EA CEO John Riccitiello and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick have been nothing short of amusing.  Lastly, the recent sales predictions from research analyst Michael Pachter have only poured more gasoline on a proverbial out of control California wildfire (he has MW3 outselling BF3 2 to 1).  Is there a place for “Beef” in the video game industry?  Absolutely, and I’m going to tell you why.

The beauty about “Beef” is that there are no losers.  Regardless of how many copies both BF3 and MW3 sell they will more than likely exceed sales expectations for both EA and Activision.  This artificial hatred between brands has ignited a sales race that will stimulate and produce excellent numbers in all quantified categories.  If you can remember the rap feud between Kanye West and 50 Cent, they had a similar shoot out (not literally) in terms of a sales race.  Whoever had more sales in the first week would be the victor and 50 Cent sweetened the deal by saying he would retire from creating music if he had lost.  Now I don’t expect such stipulations to be made between video game companies because too many jobs would lie in limbo, but this kind of marketing (because that what “Beef” is if you haven’t noticed) produces exceptional results.  Both Kanye and 50 Cent later came out saying that they didn’t hate each other but the battle was simply implemented to stimulate sales of their respective albums.  “Beef” with video games adds an additional layer of immersion for the gamer and creates a ubiquitous form of free press for video game publishers.  The combination of the two produce amazing results and like I said earlier everyone wins.  The companies will be happy, the gamers will be happy, and each brand will continue to have fortuitous futures.

Other feuds do exist in gaming.  What are some of your favorites?  Share them in the comments section to strike up some debate.  Let us know what you think about the feud between BF3 and MW3 and whether or not you fed into it (I sure as hell did).  As always stay tuned for more and you can follow us on Twitter @GamersAbstract and like us on Facebook for more content.