Sony has widely pulled out an ad from its European PlayStation YouTube channel, presumably because of the spot’s obvious sexist connotations.
The ad, which first went online on 21 November and was soon set to “private” can still be viewed elsewhere on YouTube.
It features an attractive brunette ‘doctor’ who at first appears to be suggesting the viewer has been ‘pleasuring himself’: “I bet you’ve already done it today. Or are you afraid you’re doing it too often? In your bedroom under the blankets? Or perhaps you prefer the kitchen or the toilet? Or do you like it in the garden?,” she goes on.
The ‘climax’ reveals that she wasn’t being sexually suggestive but, was talking about the Remote Play feature on the PlayStation 4 that allows users to play games anywhere, via their PS Vitas and Xperia Z smartphones.
According to many critics if this spot was Sony’s attempt to prove that it also has a female following for its ‘joysticks’ then it has completely lost its marbles to say the least. It makes assumptions and potentially offends everyone: that gamers are sex-starved teenagers who see women as nothing but sexual objects, and that women can only be included in the gaming conversation if they’re drop dead gorgeous.
While it can be argued that spots like this should never make it past approval stage at any time for any brand, the fact that it was released now, at the height of debate around sexism in the gaming industry, can’t be overlooked.
Talk about being at the wrong place, at the wrong time and ‘doing it all wrong’; no wonder the guys at Sony were quick on their feet to make the video private.
