OPEN

Check out the rest of this Penny Arcade strip – it’s very good indeed.

The first line, in the window above is apparently based on an actual quote form Activision’s CEO following the company’s merger with Vivendi, thereby creating the largest video games company in the world. Robert Kotick (for it is he) said:

“expect virtually every one of those properties [its 10 multi-million-unit selling franchises] will be exploited on an annual or close to annual basis.”

The Penny Arcade strip, part of the gamer community, mocks this way of talking about things, imagining Kotick in an interview backtracking and trying out “molesting” the game titles and “running these brands into the fucking ground”.

How about “make the most of” or “do more with”? But of course, the inference is that he is saying what he means. He’s not interested in the games, but in the bottom line first.

Makes me think once more about the military influence on language in business, the aggression of penetrating markets and exploiting consumer demand etc.

All a bit silly. Sometimes a bit offensive. Especially when we live in networks where everyone hear us show-off language about what we’re going to do to *our* consumers.

Come on CEOs – inside voices please, there’s no need to shout.

Thanks to Ben Bose for pointing me out this one…