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Games Entertainment

Gaming As Image Statement 59

Posted by Zonk from the looking-good-there-dork dept.
In an editorial entitled Will Anybody Care That You Liked Gaming Before It Was Cool?, GameGirlAdvance editor ClockworkGrue discusses aspects of PSP Glamour, and what it means when gaming devices become sex symbols. From the article: "It's great that gaming can be trendy, and that the 300 pound guy on the train the other day and Paris Hilton are both PSP owners. Maybe now there'll be some demand for game-related clothing that breaks the basement-casual standard?" Update: 04/15 11:13 GMT by Z : To fix broken link.
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Gaming As Image Statement More

Gaming As Image Statement

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  • Recursive links ahoy. (Score:2, Informative)

    by Wogan ( 838747 )
    Can't RTFA.

  • Article text, no need for a link (Score:5, Informative)

    by Clockwurk ( 577966 ) * on Friday April 15, 2005 @03:47AM (#12242206) Homepage
    PSP Glamour: Will Anybody Care That You Liked Gaming Before It Was Cool?
    Posted by ClockworkGrue at 06:07 PM

    The DS was made to change the way that games are played.

    If the PSP changes anything about the way games are played, it's that now when you play, you might actually look hot.

    psp_mermaid.jpgSony marketing's ability to present the PSP as a "lifestyle accessory" rather than a gaming system has really impressed me. Witness Korean website PSPStyle. This is a series of 3 model galleries on the themes of 3 classic fairytales, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, and Cinderella. Throw in some glamour, add a PSP, and there you go.

    And that's what's so odd, really. I mean, yes the PSP is a sleek little device. It fits into the style of the photographs, but, I mean, they're so posed and awkward. It's like they decided to do Gothic Lolita night on The Price is Right. It's not really sexy or mysterious, it's just silly.

    When it comes down to it, the best glamour shot of a PSP wasn't even made by Sony marketing. It was made by some girl. I linked to the original picture from Kotaku a few days ago. Much to my surprise, the girl writes for gaming blog-thing RedAssedBaboon under the name of Hatsumi. She has in fact written about "the picture," finally proving that ours isn't the only website where women will fondle gaming hardware and then reflect on it.

    hatsumi_lick.jpgOne the one hand, I think it's really awesome that our gaming devices can look like something you'd want to be seen using. I remember when critics praised the Gameboy Advance SP because it was so small that respectible people could carry it discreetly. Why shouldn't the world learn to see people who play games as playful, sexy creatures? On the other hand, there's the flag waving nerdcore gamer in me who wants a handheld to be awkward and gangly because it means that when I do see one it's like a little sign saying "I am of your people."

    This is, of course, ridiculous. Random guy on the street with a GBA SP is no more likely to be anything like me than random guy on the street with a PSP. It's great that gaming can be trendy, and that the 300 pound guy on the train the other day and Paris Hilton are both PSP owners. Maybe now there'll be some demand for game-related clothing that breaks the basement-casual standard? After all, if there's one thing we gamers know how to do, it's play (and pwn) well with others, and the pool of "others" just got a whole lot bigger. Right now, gamers are coming out of the basement, into the lime-light, and you know what they look like? They look like me. They look like you. They look like Hatsumi. But they're all here because they love games. No doubt we'll get to have arguments over who was a gamer "before it was cool," but if it means that we can argue over a friendly wi-fi deathmatch, then I'm looking forward to such inanities.

  • Old news (Score:3, Insightful)

    by FidelCatsro ( 861135 ) <.fidelcatsro. .at. .gmail.com.> on Friday April 15, 2005 @03:52AM (#12242223) Journal
    Gaming has always been somewhat cool , Since the days of the NES a "nintendo" has been a household name , They would get featured on TV programs and on anything else you could fit a famicon.The playstation ran with it and was the "Cool" system for the later part of the 90s, Sure 90% of the people had no clue what the hell a playstation was or what it did , but alot of people owned one and everyone knew the name , Playstation became synonymous wth Console.Later the rebranding to PSX notched it up another few cool factors , yet people still called it the playstation (or the nintendo).

    So now we have the PSP and the DS , tell you what the PSP is going to get called a gameboy by most people as will the DS .
    Im sorry but Paris hilton is not a sign of something being cool ...Can anyone tell me what the hell this woman has done(Being a rich slut does not make you cool) ....
    My point being The PSP and DS are cool for the very same reasons that the Playstation , Snes, megadrive(Genisis in the US) , NES and Gameboy were cool.
    They are the cultural icons for the games industry , they are the hoovers of the gaming world, People will walk up to you and ask "OOOH is that a *PSP* can i see".Nothing new here just the same old fashion sheek that has been on the edge of gaming since the NES

    • Re:Old news (Score:2, Informative)

      by Mahou ( 873114 )

      if you havent watched this yet (stole the link from 8bit) watch it! [zaq.ne.jp]
      it's kinda long though

    • Re:Old news (Score:3, Insightful)

      by WaterBreath ( 812358 )
      There's an inherent difference between the days when NES was cool and now, when the PSP is cool.

      That difference is that the NES was cool on the playground, at school, among kids. Every kid wanted to have an NES. Whether they were in grade school, or high school, or college. But adults? They usually (special note: not always, but usually) bought them for their kids.

      The PSP is a phenomenon in that we who were kids when the NES was the "big thing", are now adults, mostly in or done with college. And we
      • Same thing hapend with pong ,pac-man and space invaiders . a hell of alot of the players then were mid 20s in the pubs and bars.The only diference now is that its more of a portable commodity ala a mobile phone

  • Guess what! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The 300 lb nocturnal trap door spider that preys on 2L bottles of Moutain Dew and snacky-cakes, he's not going to become a metrosexual no matter what. Not for a PSP pocket, not for a Paris Hilton sex video, and probably not for sex with Paris Hilton. The chic gamers will be the freaks they were before last week when they started bedazzeling their PSP.

    The gamers that look like gamers look the way they do, not because they game, but because personal appearence isn't important. Tommy Hilfiger isn't changin

  • Huh? (Score:5, Funny)

    by NemesisBubu ( 745363 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @06:29AM (#12242684) Homepage
    Let me get this straight. Fat guys are losers and Paris Hilton is cool?

    *Moves to Mars*
    • Three guesses which publisher the article's author works for?

      Actually, I think you only need one guess.

    • Let me get this straight. Fat guys are losers and Paris Hilton is cool?

      Nope, both are losers. However given the choice, I think most people (of either sex) would choose to sleep with Paris before sleeping with a fat gamer.

  • ...and? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gl4ss ( 559668 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @07:22AM (#12242855) Homepage Journal
    so what? everyone who is young enough is a gamer now. every kid learns to play games nowadays.

    it's not 'cool', it's just something that everyone does..

  • Paris is soooo much like me... (Score:4, Funny)

    by 88NoSoup4U88 ( 721233 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @07:27AM (#12242870)
    Wait...

    Because... Paris "cumslut" [southparkstudios.com] Hilton has a PSP, -I- want one too ?
    Where's the link in that ?

    The only thing I -want- now I know she has a PSP, is for it to get hacked.

  • So... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ...the 300 pound guy on the train the other day and Paris Hilton are both PSP owners.

    Is there any better reason not to be a gamer?

    • Re:So... (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      i think sony should sue. that's worse than libel or revealing trade secrets!

  • I Hope Gaming Isn't an Image Statement (Score:4, Insightful)

    by robbway ( 200983 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @09:09AM (#12243443) Journal
    Let's compare to other image statements: hairstyles, clothing, and cars. All of those have a good run, sometimes up to 3 years, but when they're out, they're really out. It's called backlash. I'm afraid if the trendiness of games continues, game quality will diminish. Then the majority of development funds will be in PR bills to the point that when the blacklash hits, no company will touch games with a 10-foot pole. I liked it much better when everybody did it, and not because of some celebrity.

  • Reality check (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Nothing Special ( 700074 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @09:36AM (#12243662)
    Gaming may be more and more an accepted thing to do by the populace, but I'm still gonna bet that the popular people and the outcasts aren't going to become blood brothers because they can both purchase a PSP. People are who they are and a piece of technology isn't going to make them be seen any different by the people around them. Nor will technological accessories. Sure, they may get more attention...but the attention is not about them, but about what they have with them...and when, invariably, the PSP grows stale, then so, most likely will interest in the person. Besides, people are still going to hang out with who they are comfortable with, their own friends, whether they be the sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - and they will be happy with that.
    • I agree with you on your point regarding people are going to hang out with who they are comfortable with; however, from the way you are speaking in regards to popular people vs. outcasts, I am lead to believe that you are still in high school.

      I understand that there are people who are well known in a "scene" (Gabe & Tycho?); however, does anyone really believe in the whole "popular vs. unpopular" struggle post high-school? When I went to college, sure there were people who were well known; however, I
      • actually I used "popular and outcasts" vis a vis the author of the article and her example of Paris Hilton and the 300 lb. guy on the subway.

        And sadly, yes, i believe the whole popular vs. unpopular stuggle extends post high-school. Not in the same way (no lockers to shove us into, but velvet ropes to keep us out), and not to the same magnitude...but certainly there are similar barriers to popular social acceptance, e.g. Money, Beauty, etc. that make it hard to break in if you lack those traits. Because t

        • Re:Reality check (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Chi Hsuan Men ( 767453 )
          In terms of social acceptance, I think representing Paris Hilton as popular and the 300 lb. guy on the train as an outcast is a fallacy. After all, celebrity status is simply a result of marketing. The throngs of proles who worship these people are doing so simply because of their status. They have no actual connection to these people, other than the marketed status that they have wholly swallowed. As a result, their "popularity" is somewhat false. People care about the CELEBRITY, not the person. I wo
          • Sure, celebrity may be marketing, but you have to have something to market to the people. and the throngs of proles who worship these people because of their status are the same proles who worshipped the popular kids in high school because of their status. Celebrity is 90% popularity, to say so otherwise is to be naive.

            Think about it, Why is Paris Hilton a celebrity? What did she do? What positive contribution to society has she made that should garner her the status that she has? None. she is not even a

    • "sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads" Nice reference :)

  • Why Do We Hate The Activity We Love? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Chi Hsuan Men ( 767453 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @10:52AM (#12244259) Homepage
    I don't understand why it is such a revelation that people play video games. Honestly, I don't think this is earth-shattering news. Growing up, my father was a heavy proponent of the "get your ass outside, play sports, and break a limb" philosophy. As a result I am a very athletic. I go to the gym regularly and I play basketball / softball in leagues. However, my father also enjoyed taking me to arcades. He too, liked picking up the occasional video game. We played Parsec and Blast-o on our Texas Instruments game console. As a result, I am involved in a gaming group and I play CS:Source and World of Warcraft. My father comes over my place frequently and we watch sports together. One day, I fired up the PS2 and showed him Madden 2005. He could not believe how far video games have progressed and what is capable now with the technology that is out there. He certainly wasn't any good at the game, but we had FUN playing the game together. ...isn't that what it's all about? Having fun? Why do gamers hate the activity they love? Why, in the article, did we feel the need to stereotype a gamer as the "300 lb. man sitting on the train". You know folks, there are gamers out there who are probably MORE attractive than Paris Hilton. ...oh yeah, I forgot, attractive female gamers are a myth. My bad. I understand there are people who sit in front of their computers and play EQ / WoW all day. Hell, I have a friend who is five years out of college, doesn't have a job, but has plenty of time to beat Ocarina of Time for the nth time. Why are these people (along with the 300lb. man) the community-appointed representatives of the hobby we adore?

  • It's Official.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by CFTM ( 513264 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @11:03AM (#12244378)
    I will not being buying a PSP. Not that I had planned to buy one of those things in the first place but to own something "trendy" that Paris Hilton owns *shudder* ... I really really really hope she OD's soon and stops wasting my oxygen.

    [Yes, that's a terrible thing to say. I know this but I stand behind my comments.]
    • How has Paris survived this long? Aren't her 15 minutes over? I really do not see what is so interesting about a rich, dumb bitch... Does it make those of us without money happy that at least we aren't stupid? Does she appeal to the masses because she has everything she could want in life and can't handle ordinary jobs? Where does her popularity stem from? I really just don't get it... (i'm also all for her ODing... although i would prefer a funnier death... "I've always heard to not listen for a train on t

  • I'm sorry, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by hollismb ( 817357 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @11:11AM (#12244466) Homepage
    Gaming will probably never be 'cool' in the proper sense of the word. Accepted, yes, but 'cool', I don't think so. There's lots of things that are well known, talked about, and great sources of conversation that aren't cool, perse, but society doesn't really have a problem with them. Sure, I can go get my haircut, and the stylist might ask me if I've seen any good movies lately, but that doesn't exactly mean that if I walk in and start babbling about Sin City or the next Star Wars movie, that she's gonna think I'm still cool. There's things you can expound upon and still be cool and then there's things that simply aren't. I can tell you this, I'm not going to be having a conversation in some bar and mention to some girl that I'm pretty good at Halo 2, or tell her about the time I got a double-kill with a single shot from a sniper rifle. I'm sorry, but I don't see myself getting the digits after that one, if you know what I mean.

  • Gaming image (Score:5, Insightful)

    by frikazoyd ( 845667 ) on Friday April 15, 2005 @11:14AM (#12244497)
    It is a natural thing to assume that a video game culture exists. Video games have been amazingly popular since the 80's, and have only grown in popularity since then. What companies haven't figured out is how to penetrate the market.

    Want to know why? Companies have no idea what the typical gamer is like. The stereotype has changed so much, it's impossible to get everyone and their dog to like exactly the same thing. Gamers are everything from sweaty perverted nerds (as seen in Dead or Alive 3 commercials), people desperate to be cool (as seen by this link [penny-arcade.com]), a bunch of lazy kids (as seen in any commercial you can think of where kid X doesn't want to do homework then suddenly pigs out on pizza product Y), and... well... you get the picture.

    What the corporate world doesn't realize is that everyone plays games. You can't get the attention of the 13-year-old sex depraved "gamer" without shunning a few "grrl gamers" and serious adults. Likewise, you're not going to get much love from the adult/retro crowd without sacrificing the interests of "Hal0-Xb0x-R0xx0rz3000" and his buddies in Junior High. Sony and Blockbuster and anybody else that can jump on the bandwagon are trying as hard as they can to fit the "gamer" peg into the square hole, but they don't realize that the "gamer" peg is only one of the pieces out there. And that is why there are so many loyalties and fanboys for every product you can imagine.
  • Oh I can hear the cries now:

    OMG! Gaming is mainstream, now I have to quit or I'll look like a trend follower!!! Honestly, this is nothing to loose sleep over. Paris got a PSP, so what? She'll get bored with it when her aids/pimps aren't around to help her find the power swich.(kind of like the "any" key on her dell).

    And if gameing DOES go mainstream, at the very least it means we can start bringing girls to out halo 2 lans.

  • Alright, I'm saying this only cause I've seen too many of the replies. I don't think the author meant the literal Paris Hilton, nor do i think it matters whether's she hot or not. To get across the point, the author is just using Paris Hilton as a symbol of Bimbo Average, or Super Popular Girl.

    And by the way, if you would stop doing something just because one or some popular people are doing it, such as buying a PSP, you're a Conformist Rebel who entertains thoughts of being an "individualist" while you'
  • NetHack.
  • Here's my perspective on what is cool and what is not cool. First of all, it's a relative term. What is cool to one group is not cool to another.

    For instance, a string of critical hit rolls on a D20 is incredibly cool to a nerd and will be talked about for weeks. If you were to mention that to Paris Hilton she would give you a blank stare and then laugh at you and say something like "Ummm...isn't my crotch jewelry, PSP-thingy cool?" Same thing will happen if you try to talk to a nerd about the lates

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