My Persuasion Theory Final Project for The University of Toledo

I will be creating a propaganda campaign of my own in which I will represent and work with the company Galloping Ghost studios in the promotion and brand image building of its first product. Galloping Ghost Studios is an independent video game developer and arcade vendor based in Brookfield, IL, and its first product is a motion-captured fighting arcade machine titled Dark Presence.

In the promotion of Dark Presence, the company has two critical roadblocks to overcome, both based on the format it represents: It features direct digital footage of live actors (to compare it to the most popular fighting title using digitized footage, Midway’s Mortal Kombat from 1992, while not the first to implement live actors into a fighting video game, was the first to use the technique to critical and financial success) and it is being developed as an arcade title.

The digital footage arises as an issue due to the fact that following the success of Mortal Kombat, many companies attempted to cash in on the concept and it created a fad of digitized fighters in which a large number of very poor quality titles were developed. Furthermore, the former home console developer SEGA forced a number of very poor quality full motion video titles (games where the player watched the action unfold through digital movies utilizing actors and sets) in order to drive its SEGA CD disc-based format, also in 1992. With many companies believing digital footage to be the future of video games, this concept was forced onto gamers and the poor quality of the majority of the product, as deemed by aggregate criticisms, led to the failure and conditioned opinion of the format.

Given the timing of the full motion fad, this is going to have a great effect on the groups that Aristotle defines as the prime of age and the elderly. Because of the glut of poor quality of digitized games in the early to mid ‘90s, many people have what Huxley’s Brave New World’s Director refers to as an “instinctive hatred” of the format. This represents the Pavlovian approach to propaganda; thus, any media based on Dark Presence will most likely act as a stimulus that triggers this with “reflexes unalterably conditioned.” This is a clear area where horizontal propaganda will work against the company and it is perhaps the biggest obstacle to clear considering certain publics are already denouncing the product solely due to similarities to products released in the ‘90s.

Secondly, the development of an arcade title is a risky proposition in the 21st Century, considering the weakened state of the industry in the United States. Many of the most prominent arcade developers began to focus solely on the home console market in the late ‘90s and in the previous decade due to the technology catching up to the quality seen in arcades. Online gaming has replaced the social aspect of arcades and the social stereotype of arcades developed in the ‘80s – children skipping school, loitering and causing trouble in town – led to a number of strict coin operation laws that crippled a number of these locations. In fact, only two months ago, a pinball parlor in Beacon, NY, was shuttered due to the city’s decision to enforce a law created in the ‘80s. These laws have even affected Galloping Ghost in the opening of its first arcade in Brookfield, IL, due to an old law that prohibits more than six coin-operated machines in a single business.

Furthermore, thanks to runaway hits such as Konami’s DanceDanceRevolution (a title which plays original tunes and licenses from the European Toshiba-EMI label while players were tasked to follow commands by stepping on floor panels in time to the music) and Namco’s Time Crisis (a gun game that allows players to seek cover from enemy bullets through the use of a foot pedal) spiked the utilization of “deluxe cabinets” (oversized or featuring controls beyond the typical joystick and buttons) in order to garner a gamer’s interest away from the home formats. Unfortunately, this also led to increased costs which many arcade owners couldn’t keep up with. With very few companies producing materials for the industry and a number of established arcade locations closing within the past five years, most outlets have publicly announced the format as “dead” and this is a sentiment many perceive as a fact even though it is an exaggeration. This again echoes the concepts of Pavlovian conditioning as well as Ellul’s theory of crystallization, which will be detailed later.

With the major obstacles defined, Galloping Ghost’s campaign will need to be set up in order combat these ingrained beliefs.

Immediately, Galloping Ghost has a fantastic weapon against these factors. The company is still in the middle of the game’s initial programming, so no one in the public has seen the game running in motion or been able to physically interact with the product. This is a key element and strength of any propaganda campaign as it puts the company in a position to interpret the reality of the product for the consumer. It also ties into another very powerful act of propaganda in wholly controlling the flow of information about the product, which Galloping Ghost is already handling very well. The head of the company Dock Mack is already selective in what information gets provided to the public, so this is an area where any future campaigning would benefit from.

This further allows the company to put out information based on what will be perceived to change behavior, or implement Dewey’s sense of public relations. Simple public relations sticks the facts out for the consumer, but effective PR interprets information for the consumer, as people remember interpretations far more clearly and when they reflect the values and beliefs of the audience, these interpretations are very effective calls to action.

A key starting point is in developing an identity or brand image for the Galloping Ghost company. By advertising who Galloping Ghost is, we can develop a sense of ethos for the audience in order to make the messages more effective. Since expertise is a key segment of ethos, we can establish that the development team is comprised of a number of competitive fighting game players based on arcade titles such as Midway’s Mortal Kombat, Capcom’s Street Fighter and more. The company can further develop its ethos by letting people know they own and operate their own arcade location and understand what it is arcade owners would be looking for in an arcade cabinet. Aristotle further states one can gain ethos through honesty, fairness, humor, positive attitude and sincerity, all of which could be reflected upon with any campaigns.

Galloping Ghost also has relationships which can garner ethos by proxy. The development has a working relationship with a majority of the martial arts actors that portrayed characters in the early Mortal Kombat games, so using their support benefits the company in a number of ways. First, it reflects the values and beliefs of quality – since these actors were in a successful game, they must be supporting another successful game. Secondly, having such recognition lends expertise and credibility to the product. Furthermore, while these actors are not featured in the game, they have recommended their own martial arts students for implementation in the game, which gives a portion of the cast notoriety. Lastly, those of prime or elder age will have memories of the Mortal Kombat titles and by having announced public appearances of these supporting actors, the company can gather fans and interested people to create a group, which has a number of benefits as indicated by Ellul and LeBon.

To further elaborate on groups, the systematic arrangement of the public will be a crucial element in the success of the game title. There are certainly a number of publics assembled based on the arcade industry and various other video game sources that cater to the industries Galloping Ghost is involved in, the youth and others not actively involved with games have to rely on other interpretive sources for their propaganda and nearly all of these reflect digitized games and arcades in a negative light. Seeing as a game of this nature hasn’t been attempted for more than a decade, the general consumer only has these “archaic” images to paint their beliefs and through the concept of crystallization (or selective perception), most of these people will only accept information that reflects what they currently believe.

The odd thing about the two main obstacles the company faces is they are both a pro and a con for the different age groups involved. The prime of age and elderly have fond memories of arcades, while the typical youth has no memory of arcades. On the other hand, the prime of age and elderly have reservations about digitized games, but this will seem likely an entirely new technology to the youth.

For the elderly, we can utilize Aristotelian thought to address the experience of those involved in the company and it needs to admit that the majority of the products introduced in the format are poor in quality. The practicality and usefulness of the features of the arcade cabinet need to be addressed and since Aristotelian thought indicates the elderly have no confidence in the future, it could be said instead that today’s technology corrects what has been attempted in the past.

Admittedly, the youth will easier to attract due to their nature, as described by Aristotle. They are easily swayed by sexuality and Dark Presence does feature a female cast and a few suggestive themes that would reflect the Freudian approach to propaganda. However, what really drives the youth appeal lies in the fact it is a video game: The youth has a love of victory and superiority which would result from the competitive nature of the game and tournaments and they are fond of friends and fun, which are social staples of the arcade environment. Furthermore, the youth are far more optimistic and accepting, so the game’s format would likely resonate better with this group.

Since arcades are now mostly prominent in larger cities, this brings Ellul’s concept of mass society theory into a more prominent light. Seeing as entertainment media is largely recognized as sociological propaganda, much of Dark Presence’s campaigning would address social needs for the public. Leading up to the launch of the game, public appearances of the title would be done in group fashion in order to more effectively promote the game. Game tests would be held in public places where many people gather and tournaments would draw in like-minded individuals to further promote horizontal propaganda. The company will also be utilizing social technologies such as Facebook to attract groups of people, so Galloping Ghost largely stands to benefit from horizontal and group propaganda.

Another technique implemented in promoting the product is in amplification. Making one aspect of something seem like many is something video game marketing does on a grand scale considering many games are built from the framework of a single premise. Stating the game has “15,000+ frames of animation, 200+ moves and reactions per character and 437 finishing moves” amplifies a simple aspect of the game and, at the same time, it provides relevant truths and facts for the consumer.

Using front organizations and accommodation will also further assist the product in its campaign. Galloping Ghost already utilizes fronts such as interest groups including Arcade Heroes, which will deliver any relevant message to the appropriate audience for the company. Galloping Ghost already has a front organization in its control, known as the Support Your Local Arcades initiative, which would come in great use in promoting the game. In order to further the use of these techniques, the company could set up “leaks” of game content or encourage the development of fan sites in order to spread the word from an “unbiased” source. The company could also further its reach of pubic relations by utilizing specialized services such as GamesPress.com, which would host content based on the game for games journalists to take and report on.

Lastly, and perhaps, most importantly, though, the company has to cognitively penetrate and stick in the minds of the consumer. This is already being done with the stress on the digitized live actors, but more can be done to push this crucial element of propaganda. The release of media and screenshots will stick the image of these live actors into people’s minds and by utilizing big visuals, the person will have a clear memory of what the images entail. I’ve already detailed how sexuality would stick, especially in the minds of the youth, and simple slogans can be used to stick into the consumer’s mind. The game title would also carry gnostic values, as the development of a game utilizing these formats is a rarity today.

In summation, Galloping Ghost could effectively campaign its first game title by utilizing a number of key elements we learned through the course of our persuasion theory course. It can implement nearly every single commandment of propaganda as applicable and many of the theories projected by Aristotle, Ellul and LeBon can be relevantly introduced. The company has two very large obstacles in the format it is utilizing, but these can be overcome by adjusting the messages based on age groups, enhancing the company’s ethos and brand image, segmenting and sending target groups specific messages, controlling the flow of information, reflecting on the values and beliefs of the audience and cognitively penetrating and sticking within the mind of the consumer. A number of external tools are available in order to promote effective horizontal propaganda, while combating rival propaganda that stems from conditioned beliefs.

Once further progress is made on the game, the public will become more involved with the product and the marketing efforts will increase in order to promote the title to arcade owners, which, in reality, is the true initial target market of the product. Arcade owners have memories of arcades as they were in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so reflections of these values will take the title very far. In order to continue making money and progress for Galloping Ghost, though, arcade gamers will also have to derive value from the product. By utilizing techniques already in place by the company, combined with other approaches, there is no reason Dark Presence cannot be successful in the ailing industry of coin-operated entertainment.