Gamestation Defends "Sexist" Ad

[Plurralbles]

and what if they said it was more expensive than the girlfriend? I mean... how is that any better? Is that even worse!?

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Only people with a really low IQ will be offended.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

(The "it's a joke, it's not sexist" people: notice how the joke doesn't work if you change it to "Cheaper than your boyfriend."? Funny how that works.)

This is actually a pretty good point.

On a slightly related note, what would happen if they'd actually written that? Obviously women's right groups would be all "This is how you do it", right? No, what would happen is, male gamers would be all "How dare you imply most gamers are gay", rather than female gamers being all "how dare you imply most gamers are male". My point being, people will whine at even the tiniest fleck of pretty much anything, and they will interpret anything however they want to get something to whine about.

Notice how this ad does not imply that most gamers are male, or that most gamer's girlfriends are cheap(or expensive for that matter). All it says is, well, 30£ is pretty damn cheap compared to the price of most girlfriends(how the hell is that an insult?) If you seriously have a girlfriend who's been less than 30£ (or about 50 bucks) so far, i envy you like hell.

I think there's a big difference here that you're not noticing. "Cheaper than your boyfriend" would mean that the game costs less money than having a boyfriend does. This wouldn't make a particularly offensive or even interesting advertisement.

On the other hand, "Cheaper than your girlfriend" could mean that it costs less money than having a girlfriend does and again that wouldn't be offensive or even interesting as an advertisement. But it also has another strong meaning implying that your girlfriend herself is a commodity, drawing a parallel to prostitution. I don't know if perhaps this just isn't an idiom you have or if it isn't very robust for you (that is to say maybe you think of the other meaning first when you hear the phrase), but, at least for me, that's the first thing that comes to mind when I see the sign. Most people I know would consider it very offensive. And, in case you or anyone else doesn't have that idiom, it's worth pointing out that the description above isn't some metanalysis of what the idiom means - it draws a parallel to prostitution that's very salient for most people.

And the fact that people will whine about anything just means it's harder to see when the whining is pointless or not. It doesn't mean that all whining is pointless.

 

[MausuZ]

im sorry did i say i wanted sex? see thats you generalizing. i bet thats why i get accused of being a rapist because girls like you just assume stuff. plus you dont realize that guys do have it tougher when it comes to dating

No you didn't say sex. You said:

every joke has a grain of truth in it
im sorry i have to say something here ive been in 4 relationships in my life and all of them wanted gifts and cash. and none of them wouldnt do anything with me unless i did give them crap. and they werent paris hilton/kim kardashian expys they were girl gamers. hell theyd just run off with some rich pretty boy. one girl whom i had everyting in common with refused to date me because "i look like a rapist". the point is, dont act like no girl dosent want money/gifts. cause they do. i think you need to look at this from a guys perspective, guy finally gets a relationship after years of rejection, get told that if he dosent give her money/gifts, shell leave him. and he already has difficulty getting a girl so hes got no choice.

And the part "and none of them wouldnt do anything with me unless i did give them crap." leads me to believe "anything" doesn't mean just games or movies or sitting down and talking because most people will do those things with friends, regardless of any gifts given or not given.

Either way this thread is not about your trouble with women, it's about the sexist article on the sexist defence of a sexist ad. I still stand with my opinion that the ad saying "cheaper then your girlfriend" is just as bad as saying the same thing but replacing "girlfriend" with anything else that is discriminatory and defending it the way they did is not acceptable.

 

[Dragunai]

I happen to be friends with several guys in my local Gamestation.
The manager is actually a really awesome guy and the older staff I still know are also pretty laid back dudes, so I dont see them being "pro sexism" ... although I do find it a bit unusual that I have visited MANY videogame shops in my humble lifetime and never seen a girl working in any of them.

"Cheaper than your girlfriend" doesnt say to me that a female is cheap, it says they are high maintenance and expensive.
That Ad speaks to me and the rest of the cynical males in the world who agree that I would rather spend £30 on a copy of Black ops and £30 for a years XBL than spend £80 - £120 or so on a series of dates only to get told "You just want to be friends" before you see her with another guy the next day.

Incedently, one of my friends in New York told me that apperently since the release of Bl: Ops the rate of teenage pregnancy in the USA has decreased 17% so this ad & that fact means girls are being slowly superceded and replaced by videogames and better yet, consistantly alienated <3

Soon they will all wake up and realise that they ARE expendale / replacable, nothing special and if they want to rant and ***** about feminist rights they can do it to an empty room full of OTHER females because the male populace will be too busy shooting communists in the face.

HIGH FIVES!

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

I couldn't help it, I lol'd. And I'm a female. This is just another one of those things where they could have walked on by, shaking their heads because of how lame , albeit smirk-worthy, the joke was. Too big a deal was made out of this, and some women are being far too defensive and taking this as a very personal attack on themselves as a person. Not every man thinks a woman is a dollar-tag, and not every woman is high-maintenance and a gold-digger. Some men and women need to learn to laugh and shrug their shoulders at the stupid stuff once in awhile, and they'll be a lot happier and live a lot longer. Not everything needs to be a crusade.

Lame is a good way to put it. I sometimes think that video game advertising gets the bottom of the barrel agencies. Or they just pull random ideas from brainstorming sessions in the office, where the "winner" beats out common sense or, as in this case, actually good humor out of sheer attrition.[footnote]Okay, we have to pick something, ANYTHING, to end this stupid meeting. Bob, you win, congratulations, who wants lunch?[/footnote]

As for a world where people take things less seriously, oh what a glorious dream.

*Now just thinking a "counter" ad: "29.99: That you don't have a girlfriend to spend on, anyways!"

 

[thedeathscythe]

She doesn't even understand the ad, it's not saying girls are cheap, it's saying they're expensive, and buying that game at that price is less expensive than your girlfriend. So she just fulfilled another stereotype in my own eyes.

Which one, if you don't mind my asking?

Ahahaha, after you quoted me I tried to think of some stereotypes, but alas, I was just kidding. I do like that someone actually tried to figure out what I meant by that.

 

[IronicBeet]

[blockquote] But Neil Ashurst, the head of public relations at Game, which bought out Gamestation in 2007, said the ad may be edgy but simply reflects the realities of gamer demographics. "We welcome everyone into our stores and the Gamestation brand reflects its customer base which is still predominantly the traditional core male gamer," he explained. "Our marketing and in-store POS does, and will continue to, appeal to that audience. Throughout its existence, Gamestation has always been slightly edgy and occasionally controversial. Our customers love this about us."[/blockquote]

I'm sorry, but someone fire this ************ immediately. As in, NOW. Before he deals any more damage to the medium. "Traditional Core Male Gamer", my ass.

YOUR fucking advertisement reflects the realities that you and your PR department have the brains of a bunch of ADD-Addled pubescent shits on Xbox Live. YOUR advertisment reflects the realities of a demographic that means jackshit in a time where the word "Gamer" means FUCK ALL. And it means even LESS when you apply genders. I can only assume that this "Traditional Core Male Gamer" is more than enough proof that Neil Ashurst has never EVER known the touch of a woman.

How about an idea, Gamestation? Fire this sexist pig-headed fuckstick and his entire retard department, and forge a brand new image with a new PR department that attracts both male and female gamers of all ages. Yes, this will yield higher profits and will move our industry forward in an unprecedented way. Idiots like Neil are moving us backward.

You are THE maddest person I have seen this year.

 

[IronicBeet]

It's not sexist. It doesnt imply that women are cheap. Talk about missing the point OP. It means that women are expensive and the game is cheap. *Facepalms*

No, it's saying that this (allegedly) low price has rendered the game cheaper than your (allegedly) already cheap girlfriend.
It's quite offensive, make no mistake.

The sentence is ambiguous, it can mean either one. Thinking that it's saying "Your girlfriend is cheap" is a reasonable way to look at it, but don't act like the other way to look at it ("Having a girlfriend is expensive and our games are cheap") is invalid.

 

[drh1975]

I thought it was funny. People need to lighten the fuck up. Life is far too short to cry foul over a videogame ad.

 

[IronicBeet]

'the Gamestation brand reflects its customer base which is still predominantly the traditional core male gamer'

In other words we don't care if we offend women becuase we will get our pennies anyway.

Nice. >_>

You do realize that you've said that same thing in 3-4 separate posts that weren't replying to anybody so far, right?

 

[Hoopybees]

Uff. I can see why the girl's annoyed but it's practically a 'your momma' joke, I assume it's meant ironically. As long as their whole campaign isn't hanging off of similar jibes I think it's probably okay.

Yeah, but shouldn't a company be a bit ashamed of using 'your momma' style jokes to advertise their products? And shouldn't all gamers, but particularly this large bracket of male gamers - who usually like to consider themselves intellectually sophisticated - be ashamed to be the target demographic of 'your momma' jokes?

And to all those who claim it's not saying girls are cheap but rather expensive, isn't that (if you're offended by stereotyping) just as bad? It's promoting the stereotype that girlfriends are just a demanding drain on your wallet. Great.

I think the employee had every right to complain about this ad. I happen to think it's in bad taste. I can totally understand why the company thought it would appeal to the typical male gamer (and, looking at this thread, why it does - the company clearly knows its market), but she still had every right to take exception to it.

And guys on the Escapist keep making threads wondering why they have trouble with women when they're the 'nice guy'... Bleh.

EDIT: to Hoopybees - sorry if this post was a little strong; I don't mean it as a personal attack, but I'd read a lot of the rest of the thread before I quoted your post, so you might have caught a little of the general bile I'd built up to the responses here. =S

It's no problem. And I do agree that the people trying to rationalise this away as having some other meaning are clutching at straws and have entirely missed the point anyway.

I just think that this ad is aimed at a gamer demographic, not as sexists, but as a group of people who enjoy that kind of tongue-in-cheek humour. Some of the most loved games are laced with it so I think it's a fair assumption.

I mean, I'm a girl, and I laughed. They're trusting us to be at least intelligent enough to realise that they're joking, and I for one feel happier that there are some companies out there who aren't patronising enough to think that no-one will get it. It just depresses me when people react to humour with outrage, it's one of the few unifying things we have that everyone can appreciate.

[EDIT] Haha, this is so childish but I now have 69 posts. Hee. 69.

 

[RaikuFA]

well when youve been accused of being a rapist just because youre ugly you start jumping the gun

Errr...Is there something you'd like to tell us, Raiku?

a girl i asked out that ive been friends with for a year or so said i was too ugly for her and said i look like id rape her

on topic i still stand by my statement on how every joke has a grain of truth

 

[Ice Car]

I giggled. I honestly see why that could be sexist and offensive, but come on, it's sort of funny isn't it?

Hm, this was the captcha.

What is this I don't even...

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

'the Gamestation brand reflects its customer base which is still predominantly the traditional core male gamer'

In other words we don't care if we offend women becuase we will get our pennies anyway.

Nice. >_>

You do realize that you've said that same thing in 3-4 separate posts that weren't replying to anybody so far, right?

Sorry I didn't think I was repeating myself and I also didn't realise I had to be replying to someone to post...At the time I was having a heavy discussion with Venerus(sp?) so was probably answering him I can't remember tbh it wasn't that important to me.

 

[Haydyn]

First thought: Oh, it is cheaper to buy this game than the amount of money you spend on your girlfriend. This ad isn't really bad.

Second thought: Wait, I think it means cheap like slutty, ya, that's pretty rude.

Third thought: Ya, easily offensive. Banning sexual descrimination, but allowing that is hypocritical. What's the point of insulting your target consumers anyway?

 

[Ninjatastic]

I'm not going to wade through 13 pages of comments, but I honestly can't understand why this article was written in a way that appears to criticize the girl for expressing an opinion that this was sexist. You're automatically biasing the entire conversation that happens in the comments with that last line. Way to go.