If there's one truism in the world of gaming it's that entirely too many freebies go to the wrong people. That may be changing, but a well-balanced free lunch is a little way off yet.

This may sound a lot like sour grapes and since I'm about as far from the industry's teat as I've ever been, it probably is, but if you've ever known, dropped by the cubicle of, etc. anyone involved with the marketing of games you've experienced the layers of swag that blanket their lives. Yeah, it sucks to be them. That's why I was pretty excited to see a few high profile video game sponsored promotions out there available to the general public, most notably the two recent giveaways sponsored by EA's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Yes, Joe-Average is finally cashing in on the gaming craze and surprisingly it's at the gas pump.

The initial giveaway was in LA a few weeks ago and pretty much went off without a hitch. Ah for Cali's wide open roadways and acceptance of all people, even those in camouflage volunteering to pump your gas. The second was today in the greater London area, but went over quite differently. For any who have never been to the UK here are two tidbits of info. Gas is VERY expensive and the roads are very narrow. That's a dangerous combo for a giveaway of this sort. Needless to say there were traffic jams galore and a lot of pissed commuters. In fact it was such a big deal (maybe it was just a slow news day) that local member of parliament Lynne Featherstone, felt compelled to chime in, saying:

"Whilst a lucky few might have got some free petrol, hundreds of local residents have faced misery on their daily journeys this morning."..."They deserve an apology for being the victims of such an ill-thought out media stunt."

The promo lasted 4 hours before police closed it down and only managed to give away £11,000 of £20,000 worth of gas they had budgeted. I'm not so sure that the stunt is going to sell any games across the pond, especially after all the bad press, but since I generally don't have anyplace to be in the mornings I'd love to see this come to my neighborhood. So, EA if you are listening why not give Seattle a try? I might even volunteer to wear the camo and squeeze out a few gallons of the stuff if I can get in line first.

Click here to check out a video of the London debacle care of the BBC.

--Hobson's Choice

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