Target Audience

Thaluikhain

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 16, 2010
18,580
3,536
118
Heh, very true.

(Though...seems odd that this is international news.)
 

Deathfish15

New member
Nov 7, 2006
579
0
0
I hate that censorship has become a thing where we can excuse just solely on "private company" excuse. They're basically saying that one customer -the 'soccer mom'- is more important than another customer. I guess it's true in a business sense that their most valuable customer is the soccer mom over the avid video gamer, but that doesn't make it any less morally wrong.


Also, nobody should listen to Erin. She's a self-absorbed schizophrenic who talks to imaginary video game characters she sees (possibly a symptom of that car accident, but I think it is something that has within her for longer than that).
 

Czann

New member
Jan 22, 2014
317
0
0
I don't even like GTAs but this is problematic in one sense.

Imagine these guys removing a book, CD or movie from their shelves for some political or bigoted reason. The world would come down in flames.

But a game? Pffft. Who the hell cares?
 

bdcjacko

Gone Fonzy
Jun 9, 2010
2,371
0
0
I may disagree with what Target is saying, but I will fight to the death for their right to agree with me.
 

FFMaster

New member
May 13, 2009
88
0
0
Its amazing how tolerant people become of something that,even if you think isn't censorship, is definitely a foot on the ladder leading towards censorship, when it undermines a point they were trying to make.

Tbh i think it is more censorship than not stocking it, because they DID stock it and removed it because of the moral panic. If it was just "oh we don't want to sell it any more cause its not selling" its different.

Kinda harms the whole "the type of games your going to play will not change" argument when companies cave into moral crusaders like this :p

Also going to point out the "i want them to listen to me" stuff form the last panel, works both ways when the crusaders moan that a store is selling the thing in the first place, like with a recent card game that was pulled from a store. The "they should listen to me" works for all consumers not just one side.

Gonna stop reading this I think, kinda fed up and reading strawmen
 

Steve the Pocket

New member
Mar 30, 2009
1,649
0
0
Well, when you think about it, not every store carries every product in existence. It's like the argument that boycotting is wrong - it's wrong to not buy a thing? So everybody should be required to buy things they don't want? Same thing applies with a store selling them.
 

Gethsemani_v1legacy

New member
Oct 1, 2009
2,552
0
0
I am amazed at how many people either don't know what censorship is or is using the word in the wrong fashion, despite better knowledge, to score cheap rhetorical points about moral panic and oppression of gamers.
 

SadisticFire

New member
Oct 1, 2012
338
0
0
Deathfish15 said:
I hate that censorship has become a thing where we can excuse just solely on "private company" excuse. They're basically saying that one customer -the 'soccer mom'- is more important than another customer. I guess it's true in a business sense that their most valuable customer is the soccer mom over the avid video gamer, but that doesn't make it any less morally wrong.
I think Jim actually did a great episode on this. They're just pulling a (apparently) huge Public Rep stunt without really at the cost of anything to them. Anyone that would buy GTA has already bought it, and anyone that hates it will think target is the saint about getting rid such an evil, infamous game. If they were actually censoring, I'd imagine a lot more games would. They're currently stocking...
Far Cry 4
Call of duty
Dishonored
Telltale's The Walking Dead
Watchdogs


... the list goes on and on.I'd imagine atleast SOME of those games are more mature than Grand Theft Auto, dealing with more serious themes and gore. But they're still on there.

But the >>*REAL*<< shame is the fact that there isn't rainbow man on this list.
 

Mik Sunrider

New member
Dec 21, 2013
69
0
0
The market did just decided; Target decided that it made more business sense not to sell GTA V. That is the free market at work. Now if you disagree with that decision, which I do, then do not shop at Target, refuse to receive anything from Target and ask other to do the same.
 

Erttheking

Member
Legacy
Oct 5, 2011
10,845
1
3
Country
United States
NuclearKangaroo said:
why dont we let the market decide if the game is bad or not?
The market DID decide. The people who shopped at the store said that they didn't want it.

I mean Jesus, I disagree with Target on this matter, but it's kind of their right to not sell a product they don't want to.
 

NuclearKangaroo

New member
Feb 7, 2014
1,919
0
0
erttheking said:
NuclearKangaroo said:
why dont we let the market decide if the game is bad or not?
The market DID decide. The people who shopped at the store said that they didn't want it.

I mean Jesus, I disagree with Target on this matter, but it's kind of their right to not sell a product they don't want to.
not really, a group of people who may or may have not bought the game, signed a patetition to get it pulled from the store on the false grounds that it was misogynistic

it the most successful entertainment product every created, its clear the market wants the game

unless target provides some figures showing terrible sales and use that as an argument for pulling the game, it makes no sense
 

Erttheking

Member
Legacy
Oct 5, 2011
10,845
1
3
Country
United States
NuclearKangaroo said:
erttheking said:
NuclearKangaroo said:
why dont we let the market decide if the game is bad or not?
The market DID decide. The people who shopped at the store said that they didn't want it.

I mean Jesus, I disagree with Target on this matter, but it's kind of their right to not sell a product they don't want to.
not really, a group of people who may or may have not bought the game, signed a patetition to get it pulled from the store on the false grounds that it was misogynistic

it the most successful entertainment product every created, its clear the market wants the game

unless target provides some figures showing terrible sales and use that as an argument for pulling the game, it makes no sense
Ok let's be perfectly honest here. Did the petition lie about GTA? Yes. But let's not pretend for a second that GTA doesn't have an unhealthy portrayal of women. Not for a damn second. GTA V took a few baby steps and actually had a few cool female characters, but overall it still has a long way to go

It's clear that the GAMING market wants the game. Target is a store that apparently has a very family focused angle. In other words, they are not appealing to the gaming market.

Target is more concerned about parents buying toys for their little kids than gamers in their teens to 20s buying video games (As emphasized by that ad where they advertised GTA V in the sales for toys). That's where the bigger market is.

The market has spoken. The family market.