Celebrities in Video games a Good Idea?

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After thinking about it more, I think a Gaga cameo would probably be a net positive.

A few things to keep in mind...

  1. She can act. This is subjective of course, but in my opinion, she has more than proven herself capable in this area. I thought she was quite good in American Horror Story, even if I don't care for the show itself.
  2. Her fashion is crazy and outlandish, which seems to fit in very well with the whole Cyberpunk pop star theme.
  3. She is known throughout the world, and as @Mybrokenenglish said, some people might buy or at least be interested in Cyberpunk 2077 based on her name alone. My sister has only a passing interest in games (Spyro, Mario and the like), and she would probably instantly consider buying it if she knew one of her favorite singers would be in it.
People are thinking about this whole situation too rationally. Yes, I just said "too rationally."

The thing is, the world we live in is not logical. Most people do not sit down and think through their feelings on many subjects. They see or hear something, they have an emotional response ("OMG I LOVE LADY GAGA!" for example) and then they are often swayed by it.

This isn't me being elitist or anything - I'm vulnerable to that sort of stuff too. Everybody is.

So, yes, game mechanics, story, etc. all matter WAY, WAY more to people like us (and, I'd say, most avid gamers). Of course they do, that's what we care about. But what about millions and millions of other people like my sister, who don't game all that often but might be inclined to if given a reason that's more in their wheelhouse?

/rant

To each their own, I guess.

It was functional, at least, but it could have been much better.

Despite all of the innovation CDPR aims for, they still pull a LOT of mechanics from other "modern" games rather than inventing their own. This is nothing to be ashamed of, most developers do it, it just so happens that the mechanics they use sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense from a logical standpoint.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to the individual to decide, and I'm not making a judgement here. To use one of the most-hated phrases, "it is what it is."
 

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They would probly be dead in 2077.

So, no thanks.

EDIT: It's also a waste of game budget, paying these rich people who are temporarily famous.
 
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Cyberpunk 2077 isnt niche at all. Everyone and their cat wants to play it and people already want to build PCs for it even tho we dont even have specs yet.

Yeah I was waiting for this.

My point is it's not like when CoD gets their obligatory celebrity to sleepwalk through a campaign. When you refer to everyone and their cats, you still mean within the more dedicated gaming community. It's set to be a big hit but you're kidding yourself if you think this has the casual/hardcore gaming hybrid reach of a GTA or Red Dead.

If you're talking about people building their own PCs, you're already referring to a heavily filtered portion of the consumer base. You've got your max appeal games (CoD, FIFA, GTA), then your high appeal games for "gamers" (God of War, Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts, maaaybe Cyberpunk depending on the marketing), and then your games that aren't quite as mainstream but are just damn good (Bloodborne, NieR, and possibly a perfectly fine result for Cyberpunk). The fact that CDPR doesn't feel a need to fit in with that first tier, considering themselves at least somewhat niche, is essential to the integrity of their work.

You can nitpick my examples per category but I think you know what I'm saying. This isn't Spider-Man we're talking about. Cyberpunk's audience is considerable; it just isn't the same animal. 2077's biggest appeal is instead that it will likely/hopefully be a fantastic game. So within the terms of mass marketed videogames, I felt ok using the term niche.
 
Yeah I was waiting for this.

My point is it's not like when CoD gets their obligatory celebrity to sleepwalk through a campaign. When you refer to everyone and their cats, you still mean within the more dedicated gaming community. It's set to be a big hit but you're kidding yourself if you think this has the casual/hardcore gaming hybrid reach of a GTA or Red Dead.

If you're talking about people building their own PCs, you're already referring to a heavily filtered portion of the consumer base. You've got your max appeal games (CoD, FIFA, GTA), then your high appeal games for "gamers" (God of War, Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts, maaaybe Cyberpunk depending on the marketing), and then your games that aren't quite as mainstream but are just damn good (Bloodborne, NieR, and possibly a perfectly fine result for Cyberpunk). The fact that CDPR doesn't feel a need to fit in with that first tier, considering themselves at least somewhat niche, is essential to the integrity of their work.

You can nitpick my examples per category but I think you know what I'm saying. This isn't Spider-Man we're talking about. Cyberpunk's audience is considerable; it just isn't the same animal. 2077's biggest appeal is instead that it will likely/hopefully be a fantastic game. So within the terms of mass marketed videogames, I felt ok using the term niche.

By the end of 2016 (1 year of sales), The Witcher 3 sold 10 million copies. It's probably sold a hell of a lot more than that since, but nowhere near GTA V's lifetime sales of over 100 million copies to date.

So you aren't wrong, but, I disagree with your belief that 2077 won't have the widespread appeal of RDR2 or GTA V. The budget is much smaller and it will probably not sell as many copies, but purely in terms of "would the mass market enjoy this?" the answer is HELL YES, they would.

People LOVE first person shooters, they love RPGs, and they love the cyberpunk genre. This is the first game that actually lets players explore a massive, open cyberpunk world. Chances are, people will be able to crank the difficulty down and breeze through the game as if it was CoD, but with some phat epic l00tz along the way.

Appeal and sales are two different things - even if 2077 has the potential to do as well as, say, GTA V, it probably won't just because CDPR's marketing budget is undoubtedly way smaller.
 
After thinking about it more, I think a Gaga cameo would probably be a net positive.

A few things to keep in mind...

  1. She can act. This is subjective of course, but in my opinion, she has more than proven herself capable in this area. I thought she was quite good in American Horror Story, even if I don't care for the show itself.
  2. Her fashion is crazy and outlandish, which seems to fit in very well with the whole Cyberpunk pop star theme.
  3. She is known throughout the world, and as @Mybrokenenglish said, some people might buy or at least be interested in Cyberpunk 2077 based on her name alone. My sister has only a passing interest in games (Spyro, Mario and the like), and she would probably instantly consider buying it if she knew one of her favorite singers would be in it.
People are thinking about this whole situation too rationally. Yes, I just said "too rationally."

The thing is, the world we live in is not logical. Most people do not sit down and think through their feelings on many subjects. They see or hear something, they have an emotional response ("OMG I LOVE LADY GAGA!" for example) and then they are often swayed by it.

This isn't me being elitist or anything - I'm vulnerable to that sort of stuff too. Everybody is.

So, yes, game mechanics, story, etc. all matter WAY, WAY more to people like us (and, I'd say, most avid gamers). Of course they do, that's what we care about. But what about millions and millions of other people like my sister, who don't game all that often but might be inclined to if given a reason that's more in their wheelhouse?

/rant



It was functional, at least, but it could have been much better.

Despite all of the innovation CDPR aims for, they still pull a LOT of mechanics from other "modern" games rather than inventing their own. This is nothing to be ashamed of, most developers do it, it just so happens that the mechanics they use sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense from a logical standpoint.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to the individual to decide, and I'm not making a judgement here. To use one of the most-hated phrases, "it is what it is."
What does her fashion have to do with Cyberpunk 2077? Its not like theyre gonna literally put her into the game...
 
What does her fashion have to do with Cyberpunk 2077? Its not like theyre gonna literally put her into the game...

I mean, if we're off in fantasy land and even entertaining the possibility that she'll be in, the "evidence" we have so far said she was doing mocap.

So, if the article is correct, she will be in the game.

Maybe not as her actual Gaga persona, but its not a stretch to think her in-game equivalent (Whoever/whatever that may be) will also have a pretty wicked fashion sense.

But I was just coming up with a few reasons that CDPR might have been interested in putting her in the game, and her crazy fashion could have been one (minor) reason, assuming her voice/movements will be in at all (Which they may not be).
 
It's a good idea when it's cameo just short nod like maybe you see them at the end credits of a game or wandering as a NPC maybe they will fight you in a arena. Just something short and sweet that won't take away from the plot of the game
 
What does her fashion have to do with Cyberpunk 2077? Its not like theyre gonna literally put her into the game...

I thikn they are, I was reading Lady Gaga stuff yesterday and I think I saw her, she was using some light blue dress or more like space suit. Sadly I cant find the website anymore, as Lady Gaga Cyberpunk news flooded the internet.

Would it be fun if Lady Gaga was topless, doesnt she do that kind of stunts?

Here she is:
Is that just me but why she has Justin Bieber expression? She should have taken her sexy-look.
 
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Maybe not as her actual Gaga persona, but its not a stretch to think her in-game equivalent (Whoever/whatever that may be) will also have a pretty wicked fashion sense.

Calling it again (and it's entirely possible that I'll be wrong, but)... Lizzy Wizzy. To me that seems like a casting fit.
 
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I thikn they are, I was reading Lady Gaga stuff yesterday and I think I saw her, she was using some light blue dress or more like space suit. Sadly I cant find the website anymore, as Lady Gaga Cyberpunk news flooded the internet.

Would it be fun if Lady Gaga was topless, doesnt she do that kind of stunts?

Here she is:
Is that just me but why she has Justin Bieber expression? She should have taken her sexy-look.

Could be a long shot, but i'm pretty sure this E3 will mark the beginning of an extensive marketing campaign for the game, maybe even with preorders and a initial release date.
 
Despite all of the innovation CDPR aims for, they still pull a LOT of mechanics from other "modern" games rather than inventing their own. This is nothing to be ashamed of, most developers do it, it just so happens that the mechanics they use sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense from a logical standpoint.
Exactly, I'm not asking for anything crazy, just more attention to what mechanic they decide to pick and to the details involved. Things that have no development cost. Winter's blade needs to be a high-end weapon but we all sold it to the blacksmith in kaer trolde because it was worst that everything we had, same for hattori's sword or his quest that can be started around level 10 but needs to be completed at level 25ish. Just program it so that it appears once Geralt hits the required level, if you really want to STRONGLY gate progression through levels. It looks like they understood it and the street cred "reputation" system will avoid accepting quest that don't match your level, at least.

We may discuss on the fact that mass effect had exactly the same type of progression (weapons and abilities unlocked with time) without using levels, but if you really want levels as the main focus of the game, at least pay attention to what you do.

Anyway, going back IT, it's interesting that no one has denied lady gaga's presence in the game and/or marketing campaign. I think we can expect her presence almost for sure.
 
Some Celebrities I would love to see integrated into the game as characters are real-life amputees trailblazing bionic limbs right now in the real world.
Some folks that come to mind are;
"bionic" actress Angel Giuffria

young Tilly Lockey

singer/entertainer Viktoria Modesta

... and so many many others.

In a sci-fi fantasy game world where limb replacement is often elective, I'm of the opinion that real-world actors, performers, and other folks with limb difference who are using current real-world "cybernetic" technology should have some representation, and if they're not already celebrities, then, getting an acting credit on their resume for a game that's certain to win all the awards and make all the money could go a little ways in their careers to achieving some well deserved celebrity.
:)
 
Some Celebrities I would love to see integrated into the game as characters are real-life amputees trailblazing bionic limbs right now in the real world.
Some folks that come to mind are;
"bionic" actress Angel Giuffria

young Tilly Lockey

singer/entertainer Viktoria Modesta

... and so many many others.

In a sci-fi fantasy game world where limb replacement is often elective, I'm of the opinion that real-world actors, performers, and other folks with limb difference who are using current real-world "cybernetic" technology should have some representation, and if they're not already celebrities, then, getting an acting credit on their resume for a game that's certain to win all the awards and make all the money could go a little ways in their careers to achieving some well deserved celebrity.
:)

Pity card? I personally hope Cyberpunk is going to be much wilder than that.

Would Iggy Agalea fit? Shes quite wild one, at least she got some attitude. Taylor Swift is spicy one.
 
Pity card? I personally hope Cyberpunk is going to be much wilder than that.

um, what? Pity? Ahh, no.
It's more a question of people that actually know a thing or two about artificial limbs getting proper representation.
Maybe you want a plumber to do a colonoscopy on you, or even heart surgery, because it's all just plumbing, and he needs the business more than some wealthy doctor? ... or would you want someone that actually has some experience in the field, that knows WTF is what to be there and do the job?

I do. I'd like real limb difference actors to have some say-so and representation in an area where their experience and expertise with "cybernetics" in the real world in addition to their acting, and performance careers gives the whole endeavor a certain extra degree of "homework done", instead of just "hey let's make up crap that looks cool".

... but, you're on here talking about Lady Gaga getting topless? Like that's super important? Like the internet doesn't exist and you can't just go see boobs any time you want to? Yeah, whatever man. Celebrity boobs vs verisimilitude given by actors that might actually fit a part. Yup.
 
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um, what? Pity? Ahh, no.
It's more a question of people that actually know a thing or two about artificial limbs getting proper representation.
Maybe you want a plumber to do a colonoscopy on you, or even heart surgery, because it's all just plumbing, and he needs the business more than some wealthy doctor? ... or would you want someone that actually has some experience in the field, that knows WTF is what to be there and do the job?

I do. I'd like real limb difference actors to have some say-so and representation in an area where their experience and expertise with "cybernetics" in the real world in addition to their acting, and performance careers gives the whole endeavor a certain extra degree of "homework done", instead of just "hey let's make up crap that looks cool".

... but, you're on here talking about Lady Gaga getting topless? Like that's super important? Like the internet doesn't exist and you can't just go see boobs any time you want to? Yeah, whatever man. Celebrity boobs vs verisimilitude given by actors that might actually fit a part. Yup.

That sounds pretty awesome too. Maybe they do a mix. But like I said earlier, Lady Gaga for Cyberpunk Debut is already awesome job. I hope celebrities stay in the series. I dont know any celebrity fueled series in game industry, maybe The Sims I dont know to what extent EA is using them.
 
How about some Hauer. He's been voicing video games lately.

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It's more a question of people that actually know a thing or two about artificial limbs getting proper representation.

To be honest, that does come across as some half-hearted attempt at virtue signalling when you’re putting those people in the position of marketing pawns. ”Lookee here, we dun hired some handicaps because they’re handicaps and we have some handicaps in our game!

Their experience and expertise is of little help in a fictional universe whose technology far exceeds that of ours, and where prosthetics are no longer just to aid amputees, but a choice (sometimes of fashion, sometimes of practicality, sometimes of both).

By all means, hire those people. I’m sure they’re fine actors. But don’t do it because of some dubious pseudoprogressive internet-fashionable reasons.

They don’t need anyone to give them ailment-specific ”representation”, unless you’re making a documentary about amputation, limb loss, and prosthetics.


About Gaga... I think it’s a waste. At the price of one Gaga, you’d get 10 normal actors who’re just as good as VA’s, and a normal gamer (who’s not some Lady Gaga superfan) is none the wiser whether it’s her or someone else.
 
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