How did anyone ever come to think that the gaming world is hostile to women? This GameStop training video from 2009 shows just how welcoming the video game retailer has been to “one of the world’s most fascinating creatures.” Yes, we’re talking about the enigma that is the human female.
In the video, an expert in “womanly studies” attempts to explain to GameStop staffers how to understand “a segment of the species that remains a mystery to over fifty percent of the population today,” analyzing staged interactions between male staffers and some of these mysterious females.
In addition to the weird sexism of the video, which manages to be patronizing to women and men alike, the video features some amazing graphics (relying heavily on stock photos of these mysterious “women”), brilliant acting, and extras who are supposed to be standing frozen in the background but can’t help compulsively blinking.
The worst part of this video is that despite its cringeworthiness it probably did help some male GameStop staffers deal with women in a slightly less patronizing way.
H/T — Polygon
It’s going for ‘camp’ in the best tradition of Acorn Antiques style parodies: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTznu59InY)
No, this has to be satire. I don’t want to live in this world, ugh.
How hard is actually freezing a video and bringing in the narrator to do their thing? I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s easy, though I’m terrible at making videos, so I wouldn’t really know.
Also… why would any woman agree to participate in this?
I worked at Gamestop for six months. It was by far the worst job I have ever had. I can’t decide whether I’m surprised or not – the store I worked at had a female manager, and there were women who worked there too. I’m wondering if it’s different at the more remote stores?
Still. Gross.
So women are a mystery to every single male and also to some of the other women, too? That doesn’t sound right, somehow.
Just the other day, I was at the local EB (Australian Gamestop) and they spent 15 minutes trying to convince me I had to buy both a New 3DS and an old 3DS because New 3DSs don’t play original DS games (spoiler alert: Not true). The same store asks me if I own a Wii U every time I buy a U game (“Remember, it won’t play on an original Wii or a computer!”) even though I’ve been a regular for eight years and bought my U from them.
I’m not sure if they think I’m stupid because I’m a customer or stupid because I’m a woman, but this video makes me think it’s the latter.
I’m not sure I want to be in a “symbiotic relationship” with a Gamestop employee. (Note: I actually think they’re being a tad tongue-in-cheek with this video, but I’ll bet you it went over the heads of most of the males it was aimed at.)
“over fifty percent of the population”? So women are a mystery to some women?
“looking in multiple directions!!!”
Serious ninja moves by these women.
^ In fairness, I’m a woman and people in general can be a mystery to me.
Maybe I’m part of those stats.
@Shalimar
All men + all honey badgers = 51%
But… I say “dude.”
@dhag
http://i.imgur.com/qeP4CCX.gif
It wouldn’t have to be all men. Could be 90% of men and 15% of women. Still seems pretty wrong, though.
Alternatively, they got to “over 50% of the population” by counting Janet Bloomfield’s Twitter accounts as separate persons.
Even if this was meant completely facetiously, it’s still really, really obnoxious.
As an ex-GameStop manager, I can promise you this is par for the course when it comes to the company’s view of women. This video is horrible, but it’s nothing compared to the crap company-produced morning show that played thirty minutes before opening. It was full of vile racist, sexist stuff on the daily.
*feels less guilty for ordering her games rather than supporting the brick and mortar GameStop*
I know this is probably not entirely serious but I get SO TIRED of being treated not as a person with likes, dislikes and opinions, but as some “mysterious unfathomable other.”
Sorry, but have you actually found any sources for this being a real thing and not just a parody? Her name is “Ima Smartone” for god sake. When The Escapist posted this six (6!) years ago, it was under the headline “Parody GameStop Video […]”
When it re-surfaced this week I spent an evening trying to locate the true source, but wasn’t able to. Self-proclaimed GameStop employees in various comment sections make claims in both directions; some say they did watch this, others say there’s never been video instructions of sales personnel.
Even if it turns out to be real, isn’t it quite possible it’s an instance of reverse psychology and satire? A great example for one such instruction video is the old Stapelfahrer Klaus, which aims to teach warehouse staff how to safely operate and work around fork lifts, through an hilariously over-the-top splatter film. Youtube that piece of pedagogic genius, and tell me how this (supposedly) GameStop video isn’t similar?
I’m genuinely asking; does anyone have a proper source for this video?
@WatermelonSugar: Oh, well, now I’m doubly pissed that the only dedicated video game store we have in town is a Game Stop unless I want to drive in to Knoxville.
We had a Game Crazy, but that went out of business and a lot of its shelf hangers (and a couple staff) got recycled into a Packard’s Games, but that one lasted about 18 months, mostly on hosting Magic games in the back room.
Still no dedicated space to play tabletop anywhere that I’m aware of.
Even the promotion is obnoxious. “Hey, females love games that will make them skinny or whatever, and they also love magazines about makeup and blowjobs, so lets sell them both! Yay! This will totally get more females to be gamers!”
The narrator’s name is Ima Smartone. There is no way that is real.
@Falconer Game Crazy? Did you perhaps see their training video?
Zelda Scott makes me laugh/cringe.