Sony PS3 Party Animal Sacrifice

[gkarris]

Here it is...

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9714156-7.html?tag=tb

April 30, 2007 1:01 PM PDT
Sony offers goat sacrifice to 'God of War'
Posted by Greg Sandoval
Many believe violent video games are unhealthy for kids. Last month, Sony proved it: a decapitated goat was the centerpiece of a party the company threw in Greece to promote the PlayStation 2 title God of War II.

The theatrical dramatization, which according to reports, also featured topless women feeding grapes to partygoers, was supposed to be in keeping with the video game's Greek mythology theme. But according to media reports from Europe, animal rights groups were outraged and video game critics said the scene was symbolic of the industry's blood lust.

Sony issued a press release apologizing and also denied some reports that party guests were invited to dine on offal removed from the goat's stomach.

Being accused of butchering a goat to sell video games couldn't come at a worse time for Sony. Observers were already questioning the company's instincts on consumer tastes following the dismal debut of the PS3 video game console. Detractors are sure to point out that by presenting a slaughtered animal as a conversation piece, Sony is guilty of the poorest taste.

Sony said the goat was acquired by a butcher in Athens, where the party was held. Taking a page out of the reality TV genre, promoters created a list of challenges for the journalists in attendance. Sony later explained that the "entrails" that partygoers were invited to feast on were really a meat soup provided by a local caterer.

Sony has launched an internal investigation, the company said in a statement.

"The goat was returned to the butcher," Sony said. "On this occasion we recognize that we fell short of our normal high standards of conduct."

This one's my favorite response:

Goat Carcass, It's Not Just For Breakfast Any More
Reader post by: open-mind
Posted on: April 30, 2007, 10:49 PM PDT
Story: Sony PlayStation: once a hero now a goat
In fact, raw goat is becoming the preferred finger-food at all the
popular technology events. And 4 out of 5 strippers recommend
goat carcass as a daily source of protein:

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/04_03/sonygoatMS2804_468x448.jpg

Personally, I prefer goat carcass slowly roasted over a large pile
of flaming Sony batteries.

Welcome to the world of Sony.

 

[0098386]

With the PSP the weakest handheld and the PS3 the weakest console, they need to find a better advertising agency. Really is past a joke at this stage.

 

[rockthecasbah]

I'd get over the goat pretty quickly with hot topless women feeding me

 

[gloss]

I don't see why this is being made into such a big deal. Greeks kill goats and eat them on a regular basis (read: any major holiday).

 

[gkarris]

I don't see why this is being made into such a big deal. Greeks kill goats and eat them on a regular basis (read: any major holiday).

I'm half Greek - I think it's more about the centerpiece...

 

[Sparky8]

Sony didnt kill the goat and it wasnt killed for the event. The original article was written by a guy who wasn't there, nobody ate any goat entrails (it was soup) and nobody even touched the goat

 

[gkarris]

Sony didnt kill the goat and it wasnt killed for the event. The original article was written by a guy who wasn't there, nobody ate any goat entrails (it was soup) and nobody even touched the goat

It's about the centerpiece - and topless women...

Maybe for the next version of "Destroy All Humans", Microsoft should use as a centerpiece a disembowled cow and topless alien women...

 

[Sparky8]

It's about the centerpiece - and topless women...

Maybe for the next version of "Destroy All Humans", Microsoft should use as a centerpiece a disembowled cow and topless alien women...

whats wrong with topless women? it was a press event not a public gathering. they can do what they please

 

[0098386]

they can do what they please

Oh they have been doing and look at the backlash.

 

[gkarris]

whats wrong with topless women? it was a press event not a public gathering. they can do what they please

I wasn't invited...

 

[Coded-Dude]

Just goes to show you that journalist will write whatever garbage they can to get hits on their article.

 

[0098386]

Yea, because this sort of press event for a game is a good idea.

 

[Coded-Dude]

God of War, one of the most highly acclaimed games(as of late) has a successor.......
Of course they are going to throw a THEMED PARTY! Thats like going to a Civil War re-enactment and getting upset because there were people dressed up as slaves. This is just childish.....get over it.

 

[it5five]

God of War, one of the most highly acclaimed games(as of late) has a successor.......
Of course they are going to throw a THEMED PARTY! Thats like going to a Civil War re-enactment and getting upset because there were people dressed up as slaves. This is just childish.....get over it.

Why would people be dressed up as slaves at a Civil War re-enactment? Don't most Civil War re-enactments re-enact battles? I wasn't aware they had plantation re-enactments.

Nobody is upset about the themed party. What people are upset about is that a dead goat was used as a centerpiece. They just had a headless goat lying on a table. It's creepy and a waste. A headless goat wasn't required to throw a themed party.

 

[Coded-Dude]

Why wouldn't GREEK GODS have a sacrificial lamb/goat and attractive women bathing them with kindness.........
You're response on slavery tells me a lot about how informed you really are.

off-topic lesson of hte day

SLAVE LABOR WITH THE CONFEDERATE MILITARY.

Despite such subversion by the slaves, the Confederacy nevertheless successfully used them to advance its war effort. White Southerners, though convinced of the African Americans inherent inferiority, were far less reluctant about putting the slaves to work militarily than were white Northerners. The Confederate government never used them as soldiers, but it did press them into labor brigades to build fortifications, dig latrines, and haul supplies. Tens of thousands of slaves toiled for the Confederacy in a service both the bondsmen and their owners disliked. For the slave impressed into labor on the front-line, the work frequently was not only harder than that on the plantation but also dangerous. Because of the possibility of escape through Union lines, slaves at the front were much mote closely supervised than on their home farms. Moreover, those sent to work with the Confederate army were usually men in their prime, between eighteen and forty. Service with the army denied them their accustomed time with their wife and family.


The slave owners, for their part, were reluctant to send their bondsmen to the front for two reasons. First, they risked the loss of their most valuable property, and, second, because the men were usually overworked and mistreated, they frequently returned to their homes in very poor physical condition. Thus, the owners often contrived to send only their most unmanageable and therefore least marketable slaves to the army. During the war, threatening to send a slave to the front became the disciplinary equivalent of threatening to sell a slave farther South in antebellum days. Ironically, as the South's cause became more desperate, masters were increasingly reluctant to send their slaves to the military. Slavery was dying, yet those with the most to lose hung on tenaciously to their human property, thereby withholding the one remaining resource that might have saved their nation--and them.


The exigencies of war also finally settled the decades-old debate as to whether slaves could be used safely and efficiently in industry. The shortage of white manpower left the South with no other choice than to put slaves to work in its factories and mines. In the Tredegar Iron Works of Richmond alone, thousands of slaves were employed. The Augusta munitions plants of Georgia likewise were primarily staffed by bondsmen. Thousands of others labored in the ultimately futile effort to keep Southern rail lines operating. As with service on the front lines, this labor--especially in extractive industries like the coal mines and salt factories--was harsher than life on the plantation, and slaves resisted it if they could. Many made the long-delayed decision to run away when faced with such dire prospects.


Although their service was extracted involuntarily, slaves in industry and on the battlefield enabled the South to fight on longer than would have been possible otherwise. In the final desperate days of the war, the Confederacy even considered using blacks as soldiers, offering emancipation as a reward. The Union had struck that bargain two years earlier. The Southern proposal was made in February 1865 and approved, in part, on March 13 of that year. By then Southerners of both races knew the Confederacy was doomed. Richmond fell less than thirty days later. The provision was never implemented and no slaves officially served as soldiers in the Confederate Military.

 

[it5five]

Your in-ability to think, then insult shows a lot about your intelligence.

Yes, I am aware that slaves fought for both sides in the Civil War.

If you've ever seen a re-enactment and have any shred of common sense, you'd know that there aren't a whole lot of African-Americans jumping at the chance to re-enact that particular part of the Civil War. That's why I said you'd never see "slaves" at a re-enactment. Nobody would want to subject themselves to "pretend-slave" time for hours on end.

 

[Coded-Dude]

I wasn't aware they had plantation re-enactments.

So, is that a joke or an insult.....?
I only reacted to your statement in a similar manner as you did to mine.

Yes I have been to them, in fact they are having one right down the street from my buddy's house in a couple weeks. Have you?

you'd know that there aren't a whole lot of African-Americans jumping at the chance to re-enact that particular part of the Civil War.

Way to show how wrong I am by posting your opinion of what "a lot" of "African-Americans" think.

I have seen slaves at CW re-enactments. I guess I was seeing things, or you know more about what I have/haven't seen.

Please explain how ANY of the Sony party was NOT in tune with GREEK MYTHOLOGY?
Since I am just sitting here ignorantly insulting everybody........

 

[it5five]

So, is that a joke or an insult.....?
I only reacted to your statement in a similar manner as you did to mine.

Yes I have been to them, in fact they are having one right down the street from my buddy's house in a couple weeks. Have you?


Way to show how wrong I am by posting your opinion of what "a lot"...."African-Americans" think.

I have seen slaves at CW re-enactments. I guess I was seeing things, or you know more about what I have/haven't seen.

Please explain how ANY of the Sony party was NOT in tune with GREEK MYTHOLOGY?
Since I am just sitting here ignorantly insulting everybody........

You must go to some messed up re-enactments. I hadn't seen any slaves at any CW re-enactment I've seen.

To move this back on-topic: Yes, the Sony party was in tune with Greek mythology. But it didn't have to have a HEADLESS GOAT lying on a table to have that party though. They could have NOT had the goat, and it still would have been a themed party.

 

[0098386]

They could have NOT had the goat, and it still would have been a themed party.

Exactly the point. SDF just can't see that. They'll be telling us rootkit was a good idea next.

 

[Coded-Dude]

off-topic/ I'm not saying during the re-enactments they were degraded for authenticity.
But slaves were a major part of the war, and thus should be there.....regardless, I am sure soem one would be offended about it. (just like this party). /off-topic

While I agree that a decapitated goat may seem a bit extreme to some, I would be more apt to ask what kind of person would go to an INVITE ONLY GREEK MYTHOLOGY party, and get upset about the the decor. IF this is offensive, then I would love to see these how the people react at children with blood painted fangs and other such gore on Halloween.

Like I said: childish

 

[it5five]

off-topic/ I'm not saying during the re-enactments they were degraded for authenticity.
But slaves were a major part of the war, and thus should be there.....regardless, I am sure soem one would be offended about it. (just like this party). /off-topic

While I agree that a decapitated goat may seem a bit extreme to some, I would be more apt to ask what kind of person would go to an INVITE ONLY GREEK MYTHOLOGY party, and get upset about the the decor. IF this is offensive, then I would love to see these how the people react at children with blood painted fangs and other such gore on Halloween.

Like I said: childish

Lets think about this for a second.

Halloween costumes = FAKE

Dead headless goad lying on a table = REAL

off-topic/Yes, slaves were a major part of the war. Maybe I just fail to see the reasoning behind re-enacting that particular aspect of it. Then again, I really don't see the point in re-enactments in general, so maybe we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

(oh, and jimmi, check your PM box)

 

[zelmo]

While I don't think having a real headless goat on the table was in good taste, I also don't think it is all that newsworthy.
I think that some folks just love to climb on the Bash Sony train. Lord knows it runs slow enough to jump on and makes frequent stops.

 

[Coded-Dude]

Yesh.......but all in all, Sony wins AGAIN!

God of War II is scheduled to go on sale in Australia on Thursday, and Christie remarked how the "exaggeration of actual events" by the tabloid would probably have a positive impact on sales.

Sony is unapologetic about the game's high level of violence, boasting in its advertising materials that it is an "adult-rated, fast-paced bloodbath".

In Australia, the game is rated MA15+ - the highest rating - which means that children under the age of 15 who use the game must be accompanied by an adult.

 

[gkarris]

Yesh.......but all in all, Sony wins AGAIN!

Yep, Sony got us talking about it - free word-of-mouth marketing...

Nintendo should respond on the next release of Mario for Wii with a themed party and Mario's head on a platter....

Microsoft: Pinata heads everywhere!!!

 

[0098386]

Word of mouth advertising - not always a good thing. We all joked about the PS3 before that came out. Everyone was talking about, just not in the way Sony wanted. None of the above bought one.

What I'd really love to see is somebody post the review Live (not associated with Daily Mail, from the editor who does the games section) wrote for GoW as a whole. we threw the paper out now but they went on about "shoehorning in greek gods that bear no real reference or mythology, shaping them to the games own design" and going on about "Overly voilent to entertain the kids, little substance". Something about "a storyline about revenge that feels out of place".

They probably foresaw the "free advertising" slyness of Sony and stuck in the review just to throw people off. Quite beautiful really.