Sony Ericsson Xperia Play ads ride negative gamer stereotypes

Do you look like the guy on the right? Is your gaming routine one part FPS, two parts testosterone, and all FUUUUUUUUU? Then the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is the phone for you! Sony Ericsson isn’t in a position to be singling out consumer markets in the smartphone industry. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that they were the laughing stock of Android and a big part of the reason why many Android phones still ran outdated software. The new Xperia series is Sony Ericsson’s bold move to shed the stigma they acquired over the last year and to turn around its shrinking market share. When the Xperia Play was officially revealed I was quite convinced that it was a game-centric smartphone done right. One of the biggest issues with touchscreen phones is that gameplay is hampered by your fingers covering up precious screen real estate. By putting the controls into the slide-out tray Sony Ericsson created a phone that was worth buying not only for its smartphone capabilities but its unique physical advantage it had in the gaming realm over other smartphones.

So when I envisioned the Xperia Play’s ad campaign, I figured Sony Ericsson would emphasize on how this phone was ideal to use both as a smartphone and as a gaming device. And by gaming device, I mean something that would would be superior to use with almost any mobile game out there, be it a shooter, poker, Bejeweled, or Angry Birds. Instead we got a series of ads that tell you nothing about the phone aside from that Sony Ericsson believes that it is meant only for raging teenage adolescents that fit perfectly into that gamer stereotype that has lingered and been reinforced over the years. Into casual gaming? You won’t find it in the Xperia Play. Want something for mom or grandma that isn’t an iPhone? Forget the Xperia Play. Have sociopathic tendencies, have an infatuation with breasts, and find it necessary to use profanity to show how hardcore you are? Then pick up the Xperia Play!

I can understand where Sony Ericsson is coming from. They’re trying to build a Kevin Butler vibe with the Xperia Play. Yes Kevin Butler did appeal to the known gamer stereotype but he also exploited various abilities of the PlayStation 3 and focused on different game genres that catered to a wide variety of market segments. Kristen Schaal just comes off as scary and insulting. I’ll give Sony Ericsson points for catering to its business consumers with one of the ads. It starts out mildly amusing but immediately tells you how the Xperia Play runs the latest Android version, has a plethora of business-oriented applications, and…oh what the fuck. “Or you can just edit spreadsheets!” Fuck you. I understand that Sony Ericsson is trying to flaunt how the Xperia Play is great for both business and games, but this is not how you do it. But if you’re looking to completely alienate the fastest growing gaming market segment then this is exactly how you do it. Videos below or just hit the source link. I really don’t care which you choose. I just really hope Sony Ericsson decides to churn out some ads for the Xperia Play that are actually useful and not insulting.

Source: BGR