"For Girls Only"--Nintendo Invites Females to the World of Video Games

Don't be fooled; pretty girls don't play games.

As a long time fan of Nintendo, I like to say that they can do no wrong in my eyes. "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY" and all that. But with their new ad campaign, they have hit me and all video game loving girls where it counts: right in the chromosomes.

I wasn't originally going to write about Nintendo's "I am not a gamer" videos. Seeing them on the company's YouTube channel, I was mostly unmoved. After reading Zack at Nintendo Gamer Thoughts's article ""I am not a gamer': Nintendo's Identity Crisis" (check that out, interesting read), I sat on the topic for a few days, unsure how to respond.

And then I got mad. 

Here's one, just in case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing it:

The commercials themselves are, for lack of a better word, stupid. As a natural sceptic, I don't trust spokespeople and automatically assume that they are just in it for the money (because let's be honest, they are). So, having a "celebrity" come right out and say that they don't normally use the product is a huge fail in my eyes. I discounted these advertisements as a minor misstep. The fact that the two commercials both star young females stating that they don't normally play video games must be a coincidence, right? Right?

Don't worry if you're the wrong gender, Nintendo's got you covered.

Nope. Not on your life. Nintendo doesn't just imply that girls don't play video games, they separate the commercials into an unique playlist which has a name that spells it out for anyone who didn't quite get it (which includes me, the bright eyed fangirl).

I understand the facts: as a girl gamer, I am part of an exclusive minority. Most of the girls around me wouldn't pick up a controller to save their life and even if they did, they probably wouldn't know how to use it. And yes, when they see these commercials, the "brilliant" pitch might inspire to buy one of these titles. But they aren't the ones paying attention these videos; the girl gamers are. And ignoring the fact that a lot of girls do play video games and behaving as if females need their own little section and a formal invitation to usher them into gaming is ridiculous. Last time I checked, the medium was not a "gentleman's club".

Thanks for the invite, Nintendo. Too bad I never thought I needed it. 

Male or female, gamer or not, how do you feel about Nintendo's new ad campaign?