Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
During Day one of Call of Duty XP, in the huge sound stage the crowd boo’d Kanye West’s name. It was reported that 6000 people came to the event and many of them cheered for Dropkick Murphys just a moment earlier. You get the picture of the crowd demographics. People of color were plentiful, although the skin tone median was on the lighter side. Shooting guns military style and hip hop sounds like an incongruent match. The history of cinema repeats in some words or another, “there’s no place in the army for a black man”. Perhaps that changed recently, yet at “XP”, Kanye still had a well packed crowd of the mostly lighter skinned fans and they were into it. Perhaps it was paying the $150 meant stick around and watch one of the most famous musician perform, or maybe it was a way to appease a crowd who paid $150, and wouldn’t be satisfied with Dropkick Murphys. Isn’t that a $15 concert? I’d think to have Kanye and his troupe perform would be a profit breaker. 6000 x $150? = $900k. There’s plenty of merch and expensive Burger Town food.
I’m not making a point that’s good or bad about Kanye West. He’s clearly a star, but it seemed like the wrong call. The folks who were super into it… did they even pay? I doubt it, and there they were at the concert in the front. The right act? A heavy rocking band. Metallica, Linkin Park or Slayer sound about right. It should be an act that military folks and dudes who’d wear an Affliction shirt. A band that’ll appease the fans of a military shooter game of multiple ages. Alas, it was Kanye, a strange choice to end a two day event of paint ball, guns, testosterone, zip lining and Jeeps.
These folks work for the company who’s part of the costume design for the games. They’re not exactly true cosplayers.
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