Exploiting Mainstream Gaming - "Gamer" [insert item here]s!
 

This was featured on today's Penny Arcade. I understand the need marketing bigwigs feel to get in on the growing "gamer" subculture, but who the hell are they trying to kid? Sticking "gamer" or "gaming" onto an ordinary item doesn't suddenly make it exclusively for one group, or even optimized for it. What the hell makes the "Power Gamer Fusion" any different from the normal Fusion? Is it imba? Does it take 3 Heavy Support and 2 Troops? Does it spam Tanyas?

I'm honestly looking for reasons why or how things like this could possibly succeed. It's not serious to go into Discussion, and it's not directly related to a game (just the "Gamersploitation") so it didn't go into Gaming.

Because there are people who define themselves as gamers and are happy to reassert themselves in their self-definition by buying products marketing tells them are intended "for gamers." The flaw as far as razors are concerned is that the vast majority of these people are around the region of 13 years old.

There are still a lot of people who just don't understand video games as being nothing more than a form of entertainment. People who think that game violence is making murderers of their children, people who think that video games are a tool of satan (or what-have-you), and yes, people who think that people who play games somehow have different needs than people who don't.

Or maybe Gilette thinks we badly need a collective shave and they want to "put our names on it," as it were, as a sign of encouragement.

Haha. And also 'Gamer Grub' from a long time ago they did a comic about.

But really this is not worse than, say, Superman toothpaste, or Spider-Man bubble bath. I mean, hardcore Spider-Man fans do not need to bathe more - which is to say that they in fact should bathe, certainly, more than they currently do, simply not moreso than any other normal induvidual should need to.

The "word" just set me off or something.
 

HAY KNOW WUTZ IMBA?!!?!!11? MODERATORSLOLOL


Edit: So, yeah, the idea of spamming Tanyas was overlooked by me at first thanks to "imba." Man, that would be amazing. "Got a present for ya!" "ha ha ha ha ha!" x like 50.

It really is different, actually.

In fact if they had the Super Mario Super Gillette Razor or the Sony Playstation Beard Trimmer I think I would go into cardiac arrest.

You want to sell me a gamer razorblade? Make it let out sounds while I'm shaving.

Actually, scratch that, I'd buy a Star Wars razorblade that made lightsaber noises.

From... Joy?

I think it's similar - It's just weird that its marketed towards teens and young adults instead of 5 year olds with a Hulk onesy.

OMFG STOP BANSPAMMING OR I REPORT U 2 GMZ


More seriously though, I would be totally fine with "gamer" shaving equipment if it came in "Master Chief Yellow", "Marcus Fenix Black", or "Kratos Flesh-Colour"... but all they did was they took a razor blade, made it orange, and said it was "powergamey."

Seriously though I think RT is onto something with that lightsaber razor.

I'd buy it!


This too!

But for now I'll stick with my Quattro kthanks.