Girlz Play Too
I am offended.I am offended as a person and as a man.
Mostly though, I'm offended as a gamer.
Sony, the fine people behind and currently working very hard to kill the Playstation brand, have sunk to a new low, a low so far beneath their already frightening level, it is honestly astounding.
I present to you Girlz Play Too.
Wow.
Really, Sony? Really?
Now, taken at face value, this new campaign might seem to empower women, to give new respect to the female gamers of the world.
Both of them.
But really, when you start to seriously think about it, this whole thing is just plain insulting.
Do you know how much it takes for me to find something insulting? I once called a twelve year old kid a F&%@ING retard because he was wearing his hat sideways.
I get that Sony is just trying to open up a new demographic. Girls have money and they like money.
Don't really need to be Grissom here, folks.
But do they really have to be so downright insulting with their advertising?
Yes, girls play, too. We know that. When they're not busy replacing their 's's with 'z's, they often like to play some video games.
Sorry... Video gamez.
Oh, aren't we so very hip?
Lilac purple? Really?
They're girls. They're just regular people. They're like guys only with a vagina instead of a penis.
Innies instead of outies, if you were.
They don't need purple F&%@IN' PSPs. They can play the black one just fine. Or the silver one. Or the blue one.
Or the eleventy billion special edition versions.
They're not stupid and they're certainly not trying to match their PSP to their shoes or lipstick or what the hell else some moron at a marketing meeting said in between doing lines of coke.
SonyExec1>> We need to sell more PSPs.
SonyExec1>> Who haven't we exploited lately?
SonyExec2>> Um... Chicks?
SonyExec1>> There are girl gamers?
SonyExec1>> Seriously?
SonyExec2>> Oh, yeah. Lots of them.
SonyExec2>> Probably.
SonyExec1>> But we need a hook to lure them in.
SonyExec2>> Well...
SonyExec2>> We could make games that empower women.
SonyExec2>> We could treat them like people.
SonyExec1>> I've got it!
SonyExec1>> Make it freaking purple.
SonyExec1>> Bitches love purple.
SonyExec2>> Great idea, sir.
Honestly, I can only assume that Sony thinks all girls are either:
a) twelve
or
b) retarded
The funny thing is that if you actually exploited people who were either twelve or retarded, people would be up in arms, protesting and starting Facebook groups and shit.
But slap some purple paint on a PSP and say "You go, girl" and people just let that shit go.
So, they misspell words on purpose to seem cool, throw together a poorly thought out girl power campaign, completely patronize almost half the people on our planet, and then offer a product that is designed for a stereotype of a retarded tween.
Masterful, Sony.
Oh, and let's not forget that they've already announced a brand new PSP that should be coming out pretty soon and that this really comes off as an underhanded attempt to get rid of unsold and obsolete product.
But hey... It's purple, right?
Everybody knows them bitches just f&%@ing love purple.
posted by Goblin Smithy @ 8:54 PM
30 Comments:
yet now the two girls (?women?) I live with want one :(
Marketing works
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I work in game design. One day, talking to the (then) lead game designer, he mentioned that marketing wanted us to put something in that would appeal to the female gaming demographic.
I was about to launch into a discussion about what research to do on the subject, speaking to my wife who studied psychology and is also a gamer and generally finding out a bit more about these things called 'girlz' before we decide what to do.
Unfortunately before I could open my mouth, he presented his plan. "Cute mushrooms. Girls love cute stuff, so we're going to put some cute mushrooms in. That should do it." My mouth only started working long after he'd walked away, and by then it was too late, he'd already launched it to a marketing suit and it was over.
Great post! Stereotypes like this are so stupid.
Like the first commenter says...
You'd be surprised how well this actually works.
OMG! Sony knowz wut girlz want!!
LILAC!
*squeal*
aww... but like there are only like six gamez 4 girlz. That will like seriously be like omg one whole year of game playing!
...
I know that this industry centered around males, and I also know that the suits at Sony are idiots.
I am satisfied that I'm a female gamer and I know my shit.
I get a little smile inside whenever some caveman buys a horrible game and is shocked that I play games.
...Wow. And I quote: "OMG lilac PSP!"
What the fuck, Sony? If I didn't already think that the company was full of worthless shit, I might actually be more offended.
They'll make a ton of money because it's the lilac purple HANNAH MONTANA pack!!!
It's the same deal as gamer fuel. Those people who play games because they enjoy playing them look at that sh*t and laugh. But there are those stereotypical basement dwelling, pock faced young men who think they need it to truly enhance their game. Just like there are a bajillon tween girls who think they'll be more popular with a lilac Hannah Montana psp.
Sadly, This will work, and they will sell a lot. Because stereotypes have a way of playing themselves out.
Who has the most disposable income? teenage girls!!!!
Its lilac purple ... I want one =(
No seriously, I do, if I had the money I'd get one!
While the idea is probably insulting to us older lady gamers out there, I believe Sony is actually doing something smart. You asked if they think all women are 12? Well, they don't. But they ARE going for the 12-year-old crowd. (And on a side note, it'll appeal to people who like lilac reguardless of age or gender. It's a popular colour)
It's not that they're trying to insult girl gamers. Just that they're trying to drawn in a new crowd of younger girl gamers. And if you think that sort of stuff won't work on them, you better think again.
I resent the idea that my console needs to be lilac in order for me to be interested in playing a game. What, are we all so stupid and incapable that we can't do anything unless it's flagged as being "for girls"? Pricks.
"Honestly, I can only assume that Sony thinks all girls are either:
a) twelve"
That's who the Lilac PSP is being marketed to. Not older women but twelve year old girls. They said so at their E3 conference when it was announced, that's why it's being bundled with a hannah montana game, because she is popular with twelve year old girls right now.
And yet those are not twelve year olds in the ad picture, they look at least like freshmen college students.
Unless suddenly the old cliche has become true, and kids really do "grow up so fast these days".
But then that just leads to a very disturbing inability to tell who's legal and who isn't.
Suddenly I'm imagining laws being passed whereby people have to 'card' their dates or face a fine of up to $5,000....
Hmm, looked at the picture again, and maybe not college students, but definitely 3rd or 4th year high school students.
I think they are trying to target 12 year olds. They're bundling Hanna Montana with it, but the advertisement oh my eyes they BLEED!
I think they're just trying to sell off excess PSP inventory before they drop it for their "new and improved" POS.
PSP games have also been geared at a more mature audiance, and the lost support of the UMD limits production of more kid orientated games. So people who do buy this, will unfortunately buy a system that has always had limited market for kids games and is near the end of it's expected lifespan. Even though Sony claims they will still support older PSP's, given their track record I would'nt hold my breath.
Let's not forget that SE is single-handedly helping Sony keep this shit system alive by releasing games like FFT remake, Crisis Core, and the new FF Dissidia exclusively for this.
Um...if I wanted to play an epic FF battle royale what would I want to play it on...
A:My new 52" LED LCD TV with some SDDS surround.
B:A piece of shit $125 3" screen with bitchin monoaural sound...
Dave...please go upstairs and c***punt the jackass who keeps trying to revive this failed pile of excrement
Hey Mil'bereth, that "failed pile of excrement" is doing quite well and is also my favorite system along with many other people.
So seriously, go eat a bag of dicks.
I 2nd (or is it 3rd) the first comment.
If some customers want it purple, then if you want their business you better make it purple.
What can I say, although I'm far from an expert on the female mind, but from what I know a lot of them cares how their accessories look, a lot.
Well, the PSP ads haven't ever been that... smart anyway. There was that racist one in Holand when they came out with the white PSP (it was something like a white person beating up a black person), probably not the best idea...
As for the girls... I thought for sure they did a Pink one marketed for girls. It was done with Pink (the singer) and the campaign was for girl empowerment. Maybe it was a Europe only thing :P
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I'm gonna design a PSP for the gays. It's gonna be pink with a brown top.
What?
ew. females. I hate woman.
the moving letters of "Omg Lilac PSP" are really starting to annoy me and so are all the retardation smiling in fornt of the "girl" holding the psp, and half the games on the Screen look like barbie play house/ my little ponys. I hate games like that. I'm a girl...what do I like most form games? horror...survival....A Psp that would go nicely for me? maybe once that looks rusted. but thats not my point. Purple isn't much of a girls only color...My boyfriend really likes the color as well as I do, but I rather don't care for psps or most hand-helds. i like big screen, decent sound and a controller in my hands, oh and not hunching over to see whats between my hands- makes my back hurt after a few hours then I feel like an 80 year old. In the end this is just fail. and ew...Hannah Montana?...She disgusts me that slut.
insulting. sometimes I wish I was born as a guy. but I guess every gender has a stereotype. females equal Stupid, Males equal Sex addicts. Though both true to the Typical standards of today's Society, it is not always for those who stray from the herd of morons. but hey what do I know? I'm only a 15 year old girl.
ew. females. I hate woman.
the moving letters of "Omg Lilac PSP" are really starting to annoy me and so are all the retardation smiling in fornt of the "girl" holding the psp, and half the games on the Screen look like barbie play house/ my little ponys. I hate games like that. I'm a girl...what do I like most form games? horror...survival....A Psp that would go nicely for me? maybe once that looks rusted. but thats not my point. Purple isn't much of a girls only color...My boyfriend really likes the color as well as I do, but I rather don't care for psps or most hand-helds. i like big screen, decent sound and a controller in my hands, oh and not hunching over to see whats between my hands- makes my back hurt after a few hours then I feel like an 80 year old. In the end this is just fail. and ew...Hannah Montana?...She disgusts me that slut.
In the end. sometimes I wish I was born as a guy. but I guess every gender has a stereotype. females equal Stupid, Males equal Sex addicts. Though both true to the Typical standards of today's Society. but hey what do I know? I'm only a 15 year old girl.
@Gelatos
Well marketing departments doing stupid things isn't just a Sony problem.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/6092308/Microsoft-erases-black-man-from-web-photo.html
/facepalm
I am not surprised by this one bit... And its not just offensive to female gamers. Its offensive to ALL gamers. They try to pander to us through stereotypes and sadly a lot of times they succeed. Thats the saddest part of all of this. They know it will work so they have no reason to stop doing it.
I am personally sickened by it all.
P.S. Unrelated, but I don't think SquareEnix wants me and my addictive personality to start FFXI. Been trying to get the 14 day trial to work for the past three days and am now in the process of waiting for another chat session after tech support proved useless again. :(
@Salt
Heh, wow, well I'm not surprised really. I guess PSP tends to stick out in my mind as having a bad marketing team, anyone remember those borderline racist squirrels?
It's true though. Lots of girls I know buy things for colour more than anything.
Yeahhh I saw that and was like WTF? I wouldnt touch that PSP with a 6 ft pole xD
OOOOk back reading old posts I've missed and I come across this. Where is a ma longsword oh sorry longzword when I need it. Ok that looked retarded.
Where is the designed who came up with this. They need a decapitation!
I think the most "girly" type game I own is something Kirby-related....maybe.
My niece saw ad this and wanted one. I smacked her and lead her towards my ps3 and Resident Evil 5.
'Cause that is what really 12 year old girls near to learn about ZOMBIES!!!
Hahaha, good grief.
I've been doing video game QA for the last five years and while it's painfully obvious that females are in the serious minority both as gamers and as professionals, Sony is once again going about things the wrong way.
I'm a girl, not a "gurl" and our plural is not "girlz" or any other retarded spelling. I play games for a living as a QA Lead and got my start at SOE five years ago. My PSP is white and has Darth Vader on it. NOT LILAC.
It would be nice to see Sony get their collective heads out of their ass, because honestly, I'm part of what should be their target demographic and the only thing they are managing to do is make me laugh. :P
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