Amazing 10-Year-Old Girl Playing Super Smash Bros Turns Out to be a Hoax

[roseofbattle]

Amazing 10-Year-Old Girl Playing Super Smash Bros Turns Out to be a Hoax

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A 10-year-old played a series of opponents in Super Smash Bros. at a GameStop location, but she was hired for the event as an actress.

Karissa Bannister is 10 years old and appeared to be an amazing an image from a casting call website [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/super%20smash%20bros] indicates the event was a marketing event.

Karissa is Reddit [http://karissabannister.com/] found a screen capture of a Casting Networks Los Angeles page. The image states, "The shoot is basically a hidden camera job where we have a little girl play Super Smash Brothers against a series of opponents at a sneak peek before the launch. She trounces everyone she plays." The image also states six roles for people to play against the girl who would be hired.

The date on the image for the event was Nov. 8, the same day a video from the event went viral. At points in the video, Karissa will take her hand off of the controller while her character continues to move.

Many of the competitive Smash players are men. Many people were excited to see a young girl rising to prominence in the community just to be Milktea [https://twitter.com/jacarandas/status/531588117246279681] tweeted her frustration with GameStop's decision.

"Don't get me started on all the gender implications this little stunt has. Fake 10-year-old girl gamer, w/ a presumably male player behind her?" she wrote. "You want to promote the idea that females can play games too? Let's start by highlighting female gamers that aren't paid actresses. FYI, every young girl who looked up to Karissa, the prodigy, now has to realize that she's actually an actress."

The Escapist has contacted GameStop for comment.

Source: YouTube [http://nintendonews.com/2014/11/karissa-destroyer-hoax-paid-gamestop/]


Permalink

 

[Kameburger]

So I posted about this a few days ago... The topic didn't stick...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/528.864831-KarissaGate-Please-tell-me-what-my-opinion-should-be#21598030

 

[Davroth]

Like many, I wanted this to be true. It's frustrating, I believe that's the right word to use in this context. And I think it's one of those misguided attempts that just set us back further. What a shame.

 

[Lieju]

Like many, I wanted this to be true. It's frustrating, I believe that's the right word to use in this context. And I think it's one of those misguided attempts that just set us back further. What a shame.

Yeah, pretty much.
Although I'd hesitate to even call it 'misguided', it would imply it had some higher purpose than being a marketing stunt.

Wow, so gamestop couldn't even get a real girl gamer, they had to hire an actress for it.

That should tell you two things.

Wow, they couldn't even get real gamers who would be willing to play against a little girl, they had to hire actors?
That should tell you something.

 

[Super Cyborg]

I have a question, how come no one at the location it took place at called foul? Or did they say something and that's when an investigation took place to uncover it? I'm pretty sure people at the location would be suspicious, and be telling people not to believe it. If nobody said anything, then it could be implied that everyone their was paid to keep quiet, which would be worse (not saying it happened, but depending on how this all went down, it could be a possibility).

I have to wonder what the point of this stunt was. If it was Nintendo, it would be obvious advertising that went wrong, but for Gamestop, I don't see a reason. Unless she was promoting Gamestop after gaining some fame, they wouldn't gain anything from it. I might be missing something or I just don't understand advertising or something.

 

[Liquidprid3]

I thought it was awesome because it was a little kid playing, not because she was a girl. A 10 year old kid boy reking this guys would get just as much attention.

Honestly, I don't think this sexist at all. When I first saw the video, I was hyped there was a kid who's really good. I'm disappointed it wasn't real, but I don't see any super sexist implications. Probably because I'm a guy.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I don't see it much of an problem (by all means I understand the reason why people are annoyed by it) since I see it as a good harmless fake like that Leeroy Jenkin video but in saying so that Leeroy Jinkin video wasn't promoting anything.

 

[josemlopes]

I don't see it much of an problem (by all means I understand the reason why people are annoyed by it) since I see it as a good harmless fake like that Leeroy Jenkin video but in saying so that Leeroy Jinkin video wasn't promoting anything.

Gamestop doing something to put their name (in a non-negative light) on the news section of their target audience (gaming websites) isnt a harmless fake that was made just for a fun time, its a marketing hoax.

 

[Merlark]

I love games, and granted I am terrible at smash brothers so maybe i'm biased...

But does it really matter if someone is a prodigy of a fighting game? Not saying it doesn't take talent and timing and all that but its not like its chess or some other really difficult games. its a beat 'em up...made specifically for children.

Is a girl being really good at smash bros a role model...is a boy? I don't know. I guess if the game is important to you its good to have rock stars but the stunt is just a stunt. I personally would be more offended if gamestop is purposely meaning it as a joke. like, heh, a little girl being completely awesome at a video game, wouldn't that be funny? why is that funny gamestop? because if that's the joke then it certainly is in bad taste.

But the fact she isn't the deep blue of smash bros...who cares? Who cares if anyone actually is and what gender they are? it's a children's beat 'em up.

Again, probably biased.

 

[Fasckira]

At points in the video, Karissa will take her hand off of the controller while her character continues to move.

One job, Karissa.

"Don't get me started on all the gender implications this little stunt has. Fake 10-year-old girl gamer, w/ a presumably male player behind her?" she wrote.

Ok, lets not jump to conclusions straight away... I mean it could well have been a competitively very good female player behind her. She (Karissa) may also be a gamer, just not an amazingly brilliant one.

I'm thinking that the expected image was "innocent looking little girl defeats grizzled adults" as opposed to betraying some inherent old-fashioned views. It has of course back-fired as these things typically do, but Im trying to be hopeful in all this.

 

[weirdee]

I love games, and granted I am terrible at smash brothers so maybe i'm biased...

But does it really matter if someone is a prodigy of a fighting game? Not saying it doesn't take talent and timing and all that but its not like its chess or some other really difficult games. its a beat 'em up...made specifically for children.

Is a girl being really good at smash bros a role model...is a boy? I don't know. I guess if the game is important to you its good to have rock stars but the stunt is just a stunt. I personally would be more offended if gamestop is purposely meaning it as a joke. like, heh, a little girl being completely awesome at a video game, wouldn't that be funny? why is that funny gamestop? because if that's the joke then it certainly is in bad taste.

But the fact she isn't the deep blue of smash bros...who cares? Who cares if anyone actually is and what gender they are? it's a children's beat 'em up.

Again, probably biased.

If you're not interested, you're not interested. That's all there is to say about that. No need to call other people's interests into question because of it.

 

[Spotteh Chocobo]

I ain't complaining, the girl got paid 350 bucks to make some nerds question their ego, I wish I could get paid 350 bucks to pretend to be good at smash. The real crime here is that her parents and her agent are probably sucking all that money from her.

 

[BarbaricGoose]

(I posted this through Facebook on the article page. Legal double post, mothafucka--DEAL.)

I'll be honest, I don't see what' so bad about this. It seemed that "Milktea" was just looking for things to get upset about.

Who says this kid was a "Fake gamer"? Just because she was paid doesn't mean she's "Fake." (On a personal note, I fucking hate it when people call someone a "Fake gamer.") Fuck anyone that says that shit.

And that whole "Presumably male player behind her," really? Yes, that is quite a presumption.

Now don't get me wrong, I've always been on the side of more inclusiveness in games, but this isn't at all related to that; she's just dragging gender issues into something unrelated.

Let's call this for what it is: a silly stunt. Nothing more, nothing less. There's nothing sexist or sinister going on here.

 

[144_v1legacy]

Um, as someone with more years of practice at the Smash Bros series than a 10-year old has practiced eating, I'm glad to know that the next entry in the series won't be putting the two of us on equal footing.

 

[DarklordKyo]

I love games, and granted I am terrible at smash brothers so maybe i'm biased...

But does it really matter if someone is a prodigy of a fighting game? Not saying it doesn't take talent and timing and all that but its not like its chess or some other really difficult games. its a beat 'em up...made specifically for children.

Is a girl being really good at smash bros a role model...is a boy? I don't know. I guess if the game is important to you its good to have rock stars but the stunt is just a stunt. I personally would be more offended if gamestop is purposely meaning it as a joke. like, heh, a little girl being completely awesome at a video game, wouldn't that be funny? why is that funny gamestop? because if that's the joke then it certainly is in bad taste.

But the fact she isn't the deep blue of smash bros...who cares? Who cares if anyone actually is and what gender they are? it's a children's beat 'em up.

Again, probably biased.

The reason why people were initially amazed by her is because she was basically a 10 year old taking on older people who were apparently really good at the game (when I was 10, I was total crap at Smash), and doing well. The backlash was because it was both a hoax.

 

[Batou667]

A funny story, but one that has set the "fake gamer girl" issue back about... five years?

 

[VanQ]

Eh, too bad so sad. Companies hire actors/actresses for things like this all the time. It's called marketing and getting your knickers in a bunch does nothing.

I mean, hey could have searched high and low for a "real gamer girl"[footnote]Quotation marks because I don't give a fuck if someone is a real gamer or not nor do I give a shindiggity dig about their gender.[/footnote] that is exceptional at Smash Bros. to play a bunch of games against a bunch of "real gamer guys" but that would run the risk of a "real gamer guy" that is ridiculously good coming along and possibly stomping the "real gamer girl" and kinda ruining the whole idea of the campaign.

Oh well. Just let the gender ideologues do their complaining. They'd have found a reason to complain even if this wasn't a hoax.