YourMomHatesthis.com: How some video game companies use domain names to market titles

In early November, the domain name yourmomhatesthis.com was privately registered at GoDaddy.com. 

Electronic Arts has now launched a big marketing campaign using the domain name to create buzz for its third person shooter video game Dead Space 2, which is being released on January 25.

If you haven’t seen the marketing campaign yet, which captures the reactions of Moms watching the video game, it certainly is creating a lot of buzz.  Kotaku has a funny story by one Mom upset at the stereotype that Moms hate violent video games.  “I’m a mom and I don’t hate “Dead Space 2.” You know what I hate? Stereotyping”, writes Winda Benedetti. 

Not only did Electronic Arts develop a creative marketing campaign centered around “Your Mom Hates This”, they made sure to register the domain name and launch a web site.   Surprisingly though, EA didn’t register YourMomHatesDeadspace.com – which was registered earlier this week by a “BE Ads” in Florida. “Your Mom Hates Dead Space” is the headline used in many of the game’s online ads, including Google Adwords.

Activision ran a similar online campaign that began in late 2010, not centered around Moms, but around a somewhat controversial domain name: murderyourmaker.com, which it used to create buzz over its Prototype 2 video game.  The domain name now redirects to prototypegame.com.  The use of the word ‘murder’ in its marketing campaign drew the attention of many, as I wrote about in December.

Shocked Reactions

The shocked and disgusted reactions in the “Your Mom Hates This” campaign look legit – and for good reason.  The game is rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which gave the following summary:

This is a third-person action game in which players assume the role of an engineer (Isaac Clarke) who must fight his way through hordes of aliens aboard a space station. Players use futuristic weapons (e.g., plasma guns, flamethrowers, electrified spikes) to kill a variety of mutated creatures—attacks generally result in cries of pain, dismemberment, and large spurts of blood. Some cutscenes depict close-up views of characters getting stabbed in the face by blades and needle instruments. Several environments depict mutilated bodies, as well as blood-splattered floors, walls, and ceilings. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.

You can watch the video below and see the Moms’ reactions.