Subscribe by EmailPSP: OMG! Girlz play too!
August 4, 2009 by Casey | 11 commentsBy Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
When I read about the new PSP Girlz Play Too campaign at Game Life this morning, for a second I actually thought it was a spoof. But no, it’s very real, and now all I can think is: OMG WTF were you, like, totally thinking, Sony?
It’s not as if marketing to girls is a new thing in the videogame world, and neither is using stereotype-laden advertising to do it. Because everyone knows that a girl will only play a game system if it is bedazzled. Or purple (sorry, lilac). Or covered with stickers of pretty, pretty ponies. However, I think there is still a line between targeted marketing and perpetuating a stereotype, and Sony has definitely crossed it. I’m assuming this is their stab at competing with Nintendo in this market. And yes, the DS had pretty much sewn up the young girls demographic, but Nintendo traditionally skews much younger than Playstation anyway. And the I Play for Me campaign somehow managed to not make me have to fight my gag reflex.
Maybe I’m missing the whole point, and “girlz” are actually a different demographic, perhaps an entirely different species (what is the singular of “girlz” anyway?). Here is what I know about “girlz” after spending five minutes on the PSP website:
- They like to shop. (Example tagline: “Did somebody say shopping?!”)
- They like purple.
- They like these games (and only these games): Patapon 2, Loco Roco 2, Hannah Montana, Dogz, Fantasy Golf Pangya, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
- They like to hang out with their BFFs, oh, and of course,
- Girlz got game. Apparently.
Also, I took a quiz and apparently I am “so totally Princess Patapon.” Hey, here’s a marketing idea: Market the games. Well, first make good games. Then market them. If there are games that girls (or even “girlz”) will like, they will buy them. In the meantime, let’s not potentially squash an entire generation of up-and-coming girl geeks and gamers by making them think that they’re only supposed to play games with sparkly cases.
- New Sony PSP Porn Bundle
- Ask [GAS]: What Old Game Do You Still Play?
- BREAKING NEWS: Adults Play Video Games!
- PSP marketing staff hit ‘Go’ too soon
I actually quite like the idea of a sparkly purple PSP. And laptop. And PC. Maybe even a Playstation. But preferably with a skull and crossbones emblazoned on the side. I might even go for sparkly lime green with a biohazard symbol.
But if anyone comes near me with any Hannah Montana shopping spree crap they better be bringing their Browning M1919 with them for protection.
As a geek girl who uses her (black) PSP to play games that would never be associated with sparkles or purple, I’ve often felt like I was part of a demographic that companies like Sony don’t believe actually exists. My only real complaint though, is that it’s way too hard to find geeky t-shirts that aren’t huge on me.
GAH! Unbelievable! I’m female. I’ve contentedly played using black consoles since I got my first Atari in 1982. My current computer is black with cool red lights. If they bring one of those demon spawned pieces of glitter near my house I will hurt someone. And I suspect my 26 yo daughter who has been gaming since she could hold a controller feels the same way.
Epic fail, Sony.
As the girl gamers unite, Sony’s ideals will come crashing down in a blaze of fire and sparkles.
A girl gamer like myself is also sick of all the stereo-typing… despite knowing maybe two girls who actually fit the bulleted list up there, most girls want to be treated like a regular gamer and not be pandered to.
According to the quiz, I am “so locoroco”.
I humbly suggest all you geek girls/girl gamers above who aren’t thrilled with Sony’s latest efforts, or their continued perpetuation of the stereotypes contact Sony’s marketing department(s) and go medieval on their corporate azz! Ask them point blank wt* they were thinking. It’s only when they get enough negative feedback that they’ll realize they’ve committed the EPIC FAIL *again,* and maybe finally stop it.
As a girl gamer, and a friend of many other girl gamers, I have to say I’ve never seen any of us act like that. In fact, I have standing orders to slap my friend silly if she ever even touches a Hannah Montana product. Admittedly, we’re not representative of the entire female population, but that’s just insulting.
This marketing campaign makes some part of me die inside :P The only thing I can think of is they were trying to get *young* non-gamer girls to start gaming by introducing this campaign. However, it just makes any existing gamer “girlz” feel offended. I mean, my sister is planning on getting a pink case for her next custom gaming comp, but she would still gag at this site. They also don’t know what apostrophes are, apparently. There is a special circle of Hell for this campaign to go to, and the Hannah Montana craze will be there too. Call me “locoroco”, but this makes me cringe enough to never buy a Sony PSP.
I (and my friends) were so annoyed by this that I made a slideshow to express my outrage.
I think like Sony was like so trying to like aim at the young like teanage girlz who like have probably actually never like actually held a real PSP, or even like owned a real console like.
Like Perhaps they should have like used the like like word more often, that would have like helped like a bit.
Oh, and like where is the like HSM or Jonah’s brothers version, not all the like young girls like Hannah Montana like.
Actually, I think this was aimed at 6 year old girls, and truth is, what are 6 year old girls going to do with a PSP? My guess is use it as a surface to write “I U” notes to their mommies.
@Munchkin,
You’re very funny. ;-)
Unfortunately, I’ve met young people who speak (and write!) *exactly* like that. On an arts&entertainment program several months ago, I had the misfortune to listen to Avril Lavigne speak exactly that way. Sheesh!
woooooooooooow that is soo kool