Starcraft2 and Cirgarette Smoking

[paul878]

Any notice that there is a Pack of Cigarette stuck to Jim Raynod's left arm that sticks out like a sore thumb? Is Blizzard advertising for Phillips Morris and promoting cigarette smoking to teens? What do you guys think?



This has devolved into something...unpleasant.

Anandtech PC Gaming Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[SlitheryDee]

I see it as fully fleshing out the character of Jim Raynor as someone who has the worries of the solar system on his shoulders and self medicates to cope. He drinks a lot in the game too, or did you not notice that?

 

[zokudu]

I think you think too much

 

[Liet]

I smoke way too much while playing, I know that. And cigarettes are $12.70 here in NYC.

I'm actually glad Blizzard didn't get all PC. People smoke in real life, especially military.

 

[Fenixgoon]

nice first post.

the cigars/cigarettes are simply a part of the character. if you played SC1 at all, you'd notice that lots of people had cigars there, too.

 

[ramj70]

Don't forget the big ass pistol he has also and all the killing and slaughtering they do. They must be advertising for the military industrial complex also. They are going to turn everyone into chain smoking killers. hoorah

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Maybe if it was 1997 and this was SC1, but no, its not and it isn't.

I actually have more of a problem with believing that people still smoke in the vast future when considering the reduction in smoking in the past decade more so than thinking its some sort of advertising conspiracy. Of course maybe they've cured cancer by then so you can do whatever the fuck you want to your body and not have to worry

 

[datalink7]

I smoke way too much while playing, I know that. And cigarettes are $12.70 here in NYC.

I'm actually glad Blizzard didn't get all PC. People smoke in real life, especially military.

Actually, military smoking rates mirror civilian smoking rates. And it is heavily discouraged in the military.

 

[Drift3r]

Right cuzz people will stop doing stupid shit in the future like using drugs, drinking/drinking too much, banging without condoms/protection (STD's anyone?), jumping out of high flying aircraft, shooting high powered weapons at each other (often times for frivolous reasons), or smoking cigs despite the vast amount of evidence that proves how detrimental or dangerous each of those activities (and many more) can be to the human body over a prolonged period of time in the "future".

Why would anyone under estimate humanities ability for self destruction via self-pitty, hubris, self centered ambition or entitlement?

Then again its a video game for crying out loud and not a expose on what should be considered to be "politically correct" in the "future".

 

[bamacre]

I smoke way too much while playing, I know that. And cigarettes are $12.70 here in NYC.

Make your own.

 

[frozentundra123456]

yea, notice that the SCVs are smoking too. I dont see it as a big deal, put I think they could have left it out.

As far as violence vs smoking, smoking is something real that people can do today, while I seriously doubt that anyone today is going to go out and shoot somebody with a flame thrower or weapon from the game. So I dont think you can say that smoking is OK just because they show violence too.

That said, I think peer pressure is the real reason people smoke. I doubt this game will have much influence one way or the other.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

Good lord, you're talking about Space Marines with a life expectancy of 2 weeks. Do you really think they care if smoking will give them cancer in 20 years when they're probably gonna be eaten by aliens within the week?

Plus, remember, Starcraft marines ain't Military. They're convicts. Convicts from a dystopian future.

 

[zerogear]

If kids are stupid enough to have started smoking because of a video game character, then let them die of cancer.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

yea, notice that the SCVs are smoking too. I dont see it as a big deal, put I think they could have left it out.

As far as violence vs smoking, smoking is something real that people can do today, while I seriously doubt that anyone today is going to go out and shoot somebody with a flame thrower or weapon from the game. So I dont think you can say that smoking is OK just because they show violence too.

That said, I think peer pressure is the real reason people smoke. I doubt this game will have much influence one way or the other.

Its happened..

 

[pakotlar]

I need more political discussions in my starcraft, thanks op.

 

[DaveSimmons]

A lot of SF writers still have smoking as a drug delivery system in the future, for tobacco and other plants. On a developing world paper + plant = drug, easier and cheaper to make than needles, bulbs, poppers or stim cones.

Also, in a hundred years we'll probably be able to engineer carcinogen-free tobacco plants, packed with healthy vitamins.

 

[KeithP]

If kids are stupid enough to have started smoking because of a video game character, then let them die of cancer.

Pretty much what I was going to say.

If someone is stupid enough to emulate what they see in a movie or video game without regard for consequences the sooner they take themselves out of the breeding population the better.

-KeithP

 

[shortylickens]

I smoke way too much while playing, I know that. And cigarettes are $12.70 here in NYC.

I'm actually glad Blizzard didn't get all PC. People smoke in real life, especially military.

12.70 a case?

 

[Bryf50]

12.70 a case?

Nope ~12.70 a pack(20 cigarettes) with plans to increase further. I lol at the people who come into the store i work at who complain about the price but still always buy them.

 

[EarthwormJim]

 

[Zenoth]

It obviously makes the character more "bad ass" with a cigar I'd presume, sometimes it just goes with the character, without necessarily having to subtly advertise smoking to gamers... now that I think of it I couldn't imagine Mass Effect 2's Illusive Man being the Illusive Man without his damn cigarette and his glass of alcohol, and I never thought "oh my God, is BioWare promoting smoking and drinking alcohol to gamers with that guy?!", I am profoundly against smoking in real life, and I really don't care about SCII's approach with it, in fact I pretty much not care about digital/virtual smoking and drinking, probably as long as it's done without promoting real-world brands/companies.

Also, ultimately, video gaming is portraying a lot of humanity's various sins, it doesn't mean the developers purposefully want to promote/advertise them. If you really want to analyze things that much you could as well pretend that video gaming in general has been promoting violence with games like DOOM, Quake, Mortal Kombat, GTA series, Just Cause, or various games with exaggerated amounts of blood, gore, dismemberment... and I'm pretty sure that the developers of such games over the past decades up to this day didn't really woke up a day and thought "hey guys, let's make violent games to promote violence to gamers, thus creating a better violent society over the next generations due to indirect influence!". I think that the same principle applies to smoking and drinking alcohol.

 

[mwmorph]

It about building a "rougher" charcter. Among front line guys in the military, most combat arms guys smoke, chew or dip, just like 90 percent of combat arms profession guys have tattoos. Hell I'm technically a medical professional so I know even better how bad smoking is for you and I still cant stop. It's a completely different culture than you'd run into in the civilian world.

Stress relief, it just comes with the job. The only other time I've seen as many tobacco users is when I worked in a dealership and the vast majority of mechanics did too.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Hell I'm technically a medical professional so I know even better how bad smoking is for you and I still cant stop. It's a completely different culture than you'd run into in the civilian world.

As far as I know nobody in my class at med school is a smoker. Kind of incredible, really.

 

[smackababy]

Maybe, just maybe, Blizzard doesn't give a fuck about all the "no smoking in movies or games zomg" garbage that goes on. Besides, Starcraft isn't what I'd call a children's game. I am glad the characters smoke and drink, because lets face it, real people smoke and drink.

 

[shortylickens]

Nope ~12.70 a pack(20 cigarettes) with plans to increase further. I lol at the people who come into the store i work at who complain about the price but still always buy them.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

ARE YOU STUPID RETARDED??!??