Thursday, December 29, 2011

Blog

Dumped gaming marketer Christoforo: I don't actually know Mayor Menino

By Kyle Alspach, Boston Business Journal

The web highlight of the week: An e-mail spat over a video game controller that went viral on the web, and sucked Boston into the middle of it.

The short version: A customer of the N-Control Avenger controller wanted to know why a shipment was delayed; the response (from Ocean Marketing’s Paul Christoforo) was rude, then insulting, then really insulting (the word “douchiest” was employed); a founder of the web comic Penny Arcade — and the PAX gaming conventions, including PAX East — was brought into the e-mail and promptly defamed by Christoforo; and the whole thing caused a ‘net ruckus after Penny Arcade posted it.

Somewhere in the middle of things, Christoforo started saying stuff about Boston, and how he by no means would be banned from Penny Arcade’s PAX East gaming convention in the future. From the Christoforo e-mail:

I’m born and raised in Boston I know the people who run the city inside and out watch the way you talk to people you never know who they know it’s a small industry and everyone knows everyone. ... If we want to be there we will be there with industry badges or with a booth you think I can’t team up with turtle beach , Callibur or Koy Christmas , I can’t get Kevin Kelly to pull some strings or G4 , Paul Eibler Ex CEO of take 2 , Rich Larocco Konami , Cliff Blizinski Epic who were working with on a gears version , Activision who were working with on a MW3 and Spider man Bundle , The Convention Center Owners themselves , Mayor of Boston come on Bud you run a show that’s all you do and lease a center in Cities you have no pull in its all about who you know not what you do.

Christoforo told the MSNBC In-Game blog that he was trying to “impress” with the name dropping.

“I don’t know the mayor of Boston,” he told the blog. “I am from Boston, though, and I know a lot of people who own clubs. I know some influential people, like the guy who runs the door at the convention center.”

Also, PAX East fans, Christoforo is mulling the idea of attending the April convention and wearing a shirt saying “I’m Paul Christoforo.”

Upon further reflection, though, Christoforo said that might be a bad idea. “I don’t want to get in any fights.”