People who choose a video game over their loved one should be punched in the face. That is a horrible advertisement and marketing strategy. They should also be punched in the face. I'd go on, but it would get very ugly lol.

Is "it" ugly because it got punched in the face? (Lol. My humor is dumb.)

Yeah, it's definitely not a good marketing strategy. I'm tired of feeling like I'm left out of the gaming community when women make up almost half of all gamers.

Lol I get the humor! Cheesy humor is usually the best!

Gamestop is just pissed that female gamers are kicking their ass!

That reminds me of the Hardees commercial of the really hot scantily clad girl eating a really messy burger..Scandalous. It doesn't bother me( I also want that game!)

I am lucky. My girlfriend loves to play games with me.

Letting media display sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. thoughts and the like is a casual way of making those things okay. Sexualizing women in commercials makes it okay to do in real life because, after all, it's "just" a commercial and if that's not serious, why should it be in life? These things DO make a difference and if anyone did the research, they'd know that. Girls would not be as obsessed with their looks and many would not be with eating disorders if media didn't constantly show them what a "beautiful" body is and advertise to them all the exercise and diet equipment they need to be "desirable". Just because it's something casual, it doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect. It actually seems to have MORE of an effect because blatant sexism is so easily cast off as "not bad" because it's something "small".

I'm not the target audience? Really? No, I am, and that's why it's wrong. I like Twisted Metal. I want that game. I HATE flowers but I WOULD give them to my male partner. I AM the target audience but they ignored me and other women because I was born with a vagina. There's a problem with that, plain and simple.

By the way, I know you're entitled to your opinion and I'm sorry if I sound angry. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry that this kind of stuff exists and people just let it happen because it's "not a big deal".

Agreed. The promotion itself is completely fine. The marking, however, is NOT.

Think your reading into it a bit to much and looking for reasons to take issue or be irritated about it. Your going to give youself a stroke or heart attack long before your going to change the world much less this add. Take a breath... don't ruin your day/life over them and don't buy thir product if you don't like what they sell or how they advertise. For me personally? I'm not bothered or even mildly irritated about or by it - its a commercial.

I agree with CS.

It sucks, but men choose gaming over real-life quality time with their girlfriends/friends/fa mily way too often. I'd like it to come with a bat, so that I could beat the life out of his X-box.

more or less this

It's solid B- advertising to me.

You first paragraph. The way worse argument is a form of minimizing and derailing, I really don't care if there is worse or better stuff out there that has nothing to do with the example in question. I'm I supposed to be grading everything on a curve? The second half misses the point entirely no one is saying an add can't have a target audience, what they are saying is that they are targeting that audience using sexism and stereotypes.

Your second paragraphs weather or not it done purposefully is irreverent, it does that is the point. Sexism does not require intent, stereotyping does not require intent, cognitive biases do not require intent.

"and it is helping financially strapped gamers buy something nice for the hunnies."
No, it not it convincing you to buy a game nothing more, nothing less. They idea they are "helping" you is illusory it is the great lie of marketing. You before the purchase of the game had greater power to buy something nice for you hunnie then you did afterwards.

Let me put it to you this way I recently order a sex toy for $20 off would you say that is EF therefore helping me pay off my student loans? The principle is the same by offering that deal I do have more resources to spend then if I had purchased it at full price. However, it clear that this isn't helping me pay off my student loans, it is still a net hindrance as putting all my money in to them would pay it off even faster.

The irony are that by making the offer less objectively helpful is how the illusion of being "helpful" is created. 20 more dollar in the bank is more helpful to buy stuff for Valentine's (or pay off loans) then a coupon for ten dollars off at one specific retailer. It only by limiting our choices do we find one "helpful" and the other not. It a psychological trick and a smart one.... and that it works even in a thread that is basically asking for critical thinking is kind of scary.

I do NOT take offense to this at all-I'm a women, too. I actually think the ad is kind of funny. Maybe I'm just weird, though.