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Now I’m curious what that Quake 3 ad was. Just lots of gore?
Comment on Vintage gaming advertising pictures: a gallery
Nefara@lemmy.world 1 week ago
I remember seeing these ads as an impressionable young gamer and getting the idea that Playstations had games that were scary and weird, and Nintendo games and handhelds were for boys. Generally the ads told me “this is not for you”. Because I only ever saw ads for specific PC games and never for PCs themselves, (they were aimed at adults, not in the kind of magazines and comics young me was perusing) even though I was still not the target market it clicked more with me. I think that might be a part of why I’ve only really gotten into PC games over the years. I knew there were games I’d like and games I wouldn’t, and never got the same platform level messaging
I remember seeing an ad for Thief and thought it looked cool, and I remember being super grossed out by that Quake 3 ad, but I never felt unwelcome or out of place playing PC games. The focus on marketing to young males is really obvious in these console ads.
Examples of some PC game ads I remember working for me and led to me getting them:
cdn.mobygames.com/…/18308445-thief-the-dark-proje…
bus_factor@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Nefara@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Kolanaki linked it above. It’s a disgusting crusty gamer den implying the game is so addictive you’ll live in filth. I remember that image being on the first couple of pages of a PC Gamer issue from the late 90s or early 00’s.
sthetic@lemmy.ca 1 week ago
You put your finger on it. Most of the ads say, “this is not for you,” to a young girl.
Old ads for cars, alcohol, cigarettes etc. were like that as well. They’re aimed at the hotshot guy who has a chick he’s treating poorly, or more accurately, the guy who wants to have chicks throwing themselves at him. They have nothing to offer a woman or girl, because why would she want to be ignored arm candy?
I guess the one with the woman holding a controller in the bathtub may be an exception.
I’m sure a lot of boys and men were weirded out by these ads too.