Everyone says marketing doesn't work, but they all still do it anyway, because it does work. Lest we forget most gaming media nowadays just regurgitate press releases from AAA publishers, and for all the piss and vinegar in their reviews, will not score them below some commonly accepted "ok" grade (or, heaven forfend for everyone's bottom line, refuse to review the game at all).

Yeah, shitty ads don't work, boo hoo. Meanwhile gamers will trip over their dicks to watch "The Game Awards", Nintendo Directs, Playstation State of Play, and Xbox Showcase. All of those 4 are essentially just ads for games, they're just game trailers, and they draw in the crowds. Did anyone tell them? Do they not know? Are they not aware these are just ads for games? Because clearly, if they knew this was just marketing they'd hit the X button and close the window.