If you’re like me, you find that most video game ads look the same after a while. Slick graphics depict a first-person shooter taking out a rebel army/gang/dragon/alien/outlaw/super-villain or just shooting aimlessly at anything that hasn’t been laid to waste. So it’s refreshing when a gaming ad comes along and sets itself apart in a big way. It wasn’t much of a surprise that Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops raked in $360 million in the first 24 hours of sales. A built-in core of gamers had been madly anticipating the drop, including a crew who held up a GameStop and demanded the entire stock (seriously). Clearly the game didn't need any more advance buzz. But that didn’t stop TBWA\Chiat\Day, from delivering a spot that is shocking enough to stop your stereotypical gun-hating, war-hating mom type in her tracks. And that's because it's a damn near perfect 60 seconds celebrating everything that’s engrossing about gaming: escapism, community, and the next best thing to firing real building-leveling weapons. The spot, directed by Rupert Sanders, is just a gorgeous piece of film. Backed by the Rolling Stones track "Gimme Shelter," the whole feeling is engaging and smart, a sort of EZ-watching version of Apocalypse Now. It's the kind of heart-stoppingly rich, immersive entertainment that appeals not only to serious gamers (who can enjoy all sorts of insidery details in the production) but to newbies who sense that something big is going down and cannot wait to find out what it is.Check out the spot here.
