"Dead Space 2" ad goes viral by bragging about how much it will gross out your mom

"Dead Space 2" — a new video game from EA — is not novel in its extreme, graphic violence. It may, however, be unique for the extent to which it's pitching that violence as an added value in and of itself.

The new ad, which has gotten over a million views on YouTube in its first week and hit the boards of Twitter and YouTube's trending topics, features nothing but shots of mom-aged women, watching the game and looking totally repulsed. The ad uses real footage from focus groups, not actors, and so it's safe to say, this game is really and truly bloody.

The fact, however, that it's repulsive to fifty-year old women is not particularly interesting. My mother, for example, would surely find this game gross. As a reference point, she also thinks Rufio's death at the end of Hook is unnecessarily violent. It is perhaps more interesting that we've reached a place where an advertiser can sell a game solely on the premise that it's bloody as hell — without a single reference to what it's about, how it is to play, etc. 

I know some people would say that violence is nothing new — look at the gladiators, blah blah — and I'd agree. But saying that we're in the same place collectively as we were a few thousand years ago is hardly heartening.