Attack of the Blatant Advertisement: H&M "Stuff" Pack for the Sims 2

Advertisements in video games is nothing new. The most common place they are found are billboards in sports games. Normally they blend in and I ignore them. But suddenly the creators of The Sims 2, the best selling PC game of all time, have taken it too far. Their newest "Stuff pack" theme? H&M. Now I'm angry.

For those who don't really know what The Sims 2 is, let me give a quick overview. It is basically a simulation game where you create a single person or a family in massive detail, move them into a home and can basically live out their lives. EA Games, the company that publishes this franchise, usually capitalizes on it by coming out with expansion packs that let you do new things and give you new items for use in the game (for example, their Pets expansion pack adds just that, pets to adopt, buy and sell). These expansions give the game a bit more longevity.

In the past year they have also released what are called Stuff packs. These are cheaper than an expansion pack, and they have different themes. To date they've had Stuff packs based on holidays or glamour life. All they really do is add a few items and clothing to the game.

The newest of these is the H&M fashion pack. H&M is a contemporary retail store that started in Europe but has made its way into the U.S, popping up in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. In the pack there are outfits straight from the clothing line and building objects to actually create your own H&M store in the game.

Now don't get me wrong, I love H&M. I truly do. I shop there at least once a month if not more. And I love The Sims 2. But I don't want their logo in my game. Such a blatant advertising scheme as to base a whole stuff pack around a company is insulting. They expect people to pay money for this?

Sadly, the younger players will. Then they will be brainwashed into being future H&M consumers. Through their video game. That is just sad.

I don't think it is because of a lack of creativity on EA's part. It is because H&M probably lined their pockets with cash for this disgusting piece of advertising. What is next, the Paris Hilton stuff pack? What about an Apple/iPod pack?