Playboy has unveiled “the sexiest videogame trailer ever” for Darksiders, a three-minute mix of T&A and gameplay footage that says infinitely more about Playboy’s attitude toward gamers than it does about the game.
First things first: This is not sexy. I’m open to other opinions here but having some bikini-clad bimbo sitting, kneeling, squatting or otherwise being in the way of gameplay footage projected on a wall isn’t sexy. It isn’t hot. It isn’t even interesting. I can’t see the video because of the T&A and I can’t see the T&A because of the video. (The bikini is kind of in the way too.) It’s a lose-lose situation.
But here’s the real problem: It’s insulting. There’s nothing even remotely clever or creative about this trailer; it’s just a bored-looking woman standing in front of a wall with Darksiders footage projected on it. I could do this in my basement, although to give Playboy its due credit I probably wouldn’t look quite as good in a bikini. Yet non-gamers will inevitably see this and have their opinions affected accordingly, which is to say it will reinforce their view of gamers as nothing but a gang of horny, juvenile idiots. And who can blame them?
In case you’re wondering, the young lady being paid to pose awkwardly is Jo Garcia, Playboy’s “Gamer Next Door” and “Cyber Girl of the Year.” Aside from taking her clothes off, she also blogs about games for the site, such as in this video preview for Darksiders, which is almost as painful to watch as the “body art trailer.” Whatever Playboy was looking for in a videogame blogger, it sure wasn’t gamer cred.
Am I wrong here? Is my gamer embarrassment legitimate, or am I just too old and curmudgeonly to “get” this kind of thing anymore? Check it out at Playboy.com (perfectly work safe, it’s all very tame) and decide for yourself, but honestly, if this is what Playboy wants to bring to the gaming scene, I think it should just stick to the straight-up porn.
