British gay gamers get pitched
UK gay magazine Attitude in their latest issue has the first video game advertisement specifically targeted at the gay market. The advertisement is for Sony's karaoke title Singstar: Anthems, which when originally reviewed had people noticing that there was a bit of a stereotypical queer quality to the track list. Looks like Sony went ahead and is trying to capitalize on that.
Although many complain about the fact that different gamer demographics are popping up (casual, female, gay), it's fascinating to see a major company like Sony actually take note of a specific demographic and target it. Singstar is not widely available or known in the U.S., otherwise it would have been interesting to see if this ad appeared in gay publications Advocate and Out. Gay brand loyalty is well documented at this point, so even if readers of Attitude aren't interested in Singstar, they recognize that a company actually targeted them as a consumer.
This is an indicator that video game marketing isn't just for the hardcore gamer magazines anymore. Companies are looking to diversify their audience as the cost of the product and general acceptance of gaming increases. Although game ads have shown up randomly in some major magazines, this niche marketing certainly puts a new spin on things. Attitude is still a mens publication, gay or straight, men still make up a majority of gamers. When game ads start showing up in Cosmopolitan, then you know something big is going on.
