8. The Long Awaited Sequel
Performed By: Inevitability
Notable Works: Deus Ex: Invisible War, Driv3r, Devil May Cry 2

Much like film adaptations, there is a certain type of videogame that can generate overhype by hardly lifting a finger: a sequel.

Gaming is (arguably) the only medium which is gradually improving.  And, as the form rises from its humble roots, player expectations grow. So when a well-respected – even loved – videogame is set to have a sequel, the public at large will often expect it to build on the original’s strengths and resolve its handful of flaws.

Byron is convinced that this process is inevitable. “But that’s not just the fault of PR companies, developers and publishers. The media likes to whip things up too, in order to sell magazines and gain clickthroughs. It’s a vicious circle. By the time anyone realises a highly-anticipated sequel is not going according to plan, it’s all too late to do anything about it.”



9. Corporate Graffiti
Performed By: Microsoft, Sony
Notable Works: Defecated Brick Walls Various

As a certain Banksy piece suggests, the standard billboard format can’t captivate certain audiences. And, as a different Banksy piece suggests, graffiti can. The draw of corporate graffiti is the illusion it carries; that its message is not the mouthpiece of a global business, but instead from a graffiti artist, a consumer. It’s company-talk masked as word-of-mouth. It’s the Trojan horse of hype, attempting to detonate an advert from within the public conscience.

Back in 2005, however, Sony received much unwanted backlash from its guerilla PSP graffiti campaign which had shot across New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Upon seeing street canvases soaked in corporate branding, local graffiti aficionados decided to strike out against the ad campaign and smear the sketches with anti-Sony remarks, as Kotaku reports. While it’s usually good for a company to make a headline, in this case the public backlash – portrayed in this context as the ‘real message from the consumer’ – can deliver a big blow to a company’s rep.


 

10. Bulletpointing
Performed by: Publishers
Notable Works: All Physical Software

It is at this perfect moment – where you stand in a game store, cash in one hand and an empty game box in the other, when the news stories and adverts and TV spots are a thing of the past and it’s now just ultimately down to you to pay – that a small blurb on the back of a box reminds you, just in case, exactly why you’re standing there:

* Sub-Zero is Back in his most exciting action game yet!
* This game can be played with up to 4 players!
* Or go online for maximum experience!

Our final question to our source is one that has been itching us for years. Who exactly writes the inane drivel on the back of game cases? “Honestly, that sort of stuff is completely internal to the publisher,” he says.