I saw the diaper ad (above) on N4G today. While my first reaction was an audible “WTF”, my surprise was quickly replaced by pure pride in the gaming news site that we at Sarcastic Gamer have come to adore. Let me wax all “parental” after the jump.
As a father of three kids (and the target for this ad), I felt somewhat legitimized when I spotted this. For a long time I have felt like the old man (at the ripe age of 33) when hanging with my fellow gamers. Seeing this ad, gives me hope that there are more dudes like me out there than I previously thought, juggling the diapers, job, stressed out wife, dirty car, long commute, and a hobby (gaming) that I was scared I might be too old for. They wouldn’t have bought the space if there weren’t research to back it up. Sure its an ad for pants that absorb urine, which is way uncool. But its a real product that I REALLY use (not personally… on the kids… stay with me here)
The fact that this ad appeared on this site, while probably ranking seriously low on the gaming news Richter scale, was like a sign for me. A sign that gaming, in the eyes of advertisers, presents a much stronger and diverse audience than the glassy-eyed pimply teenager with a baggy under his mattress. It’s news, (the good kind) to me, because it means “they” know I’m here, and there must be enough of us round these parts living a family life to warrant an ad campaign on an expensive site like N4G.
For breaking the poop barrier, and being the first gaming site in my experience to run a diaper campaign, I am tipping my hat, yet again, to N4G and Future Media for making older geeks feel like we matter.
All of that from a diaper ad. What was I thinking?
Okay, now an impromptu poll.
How many of you fit into the “Married w/Children” category? Do you think that this is a random meaningless ad, or do you think it’s another sign that gaming is breaking down previously-impervious demographic stereotypes?
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20 responses so far ↓
1 Tweep // Feb 27, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Married with one diaper clad little one and another soon to be diaper clad little one on the way… Everything but the long commute sounds about right.
2 Sean "rothbart" Workman // Feb 27, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Married, with two kids evenly enough spaced apart that I bought diapers for what seemed like FOREVER!
3 Erik "Z thirteen07" // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Married! 2 kids, one of which is 7 months old now.
4 Dirty Deacon // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I’m Not married, I don’t have kids, but I am glad to hear of your justification non-the-less. I’m 25, and you guys are really making me feel young haha. I sometimes feel somewhat the same though. If I talk about video games in front of my 60 year old father, he looks at me like I’m a retarded. He thinks that I am way to old to be playing games. That is until he came down to Orlando, FL to visit me while I was in college at Full Sail. He saw all the huge, old, cheese smelling Game Design students and how serious there degree program was. Now he understands a little better. I don’t think there is anything inherently adolescent about playing games than partaking in any other form of hobby, its just the way we have always been portrayed in Media “glassy-eyed pimply teenager with a baggy under his mattress”, but this will change drastically as we begin to get older and start filling in jobs for the old folks who never “Got It”.
5 greatbluehunter // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Divorced, 37 with four kids(none in diapers anymore) and still a hardcore gamer.
Rock on…
6 Tom // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Married, but no kids. 36 years old however, so you aren’t the oldest one out there!
7 Adam // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’m not too surprised. The NES is what- about 20 years old by now? Those who’ve been there since the beginning are getting up there in the years.
8 Doc // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:40 pm
@Adam WTF does that mean “Getting up there”… good grief. lol
9 Tweep // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I think, teasing, that someone should ban Adam…
10 Eoco the SG writer // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:51 pm
@Adam and why is he talking about the NES?
11 TOO KINGS // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I’m 29 and have an uncle who is a hardcore gamer as well. I think games are growing up with us, it will still be a couple of generations before it’s not frowned upon by the “non-gamers” as childish but we’re well on the path. If you think about it almost everyone has played a video game at some point.
12 Mojo // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:56 pm
My boy is the same number of weeks old…as the number of times I’ve prestiged in CoD4. (4)
I’ve actually been gaming more in the last few weeks than ever, because of the need to remain awake so the wife can get some real sleep.
13 Riley "TheBrain76" Maher // Feb 27, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I’m 32 and married with a 5-year-old and a 3 1/2-year-old.
14 irish boy90 // Feb 27, 2008 at 3:46 pm
i am 18, wow do I feel young
15 Doc // Feb 27, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Horrifically, this comment thread is beginning to resemble a really BAD dating site. Like dudes no chick would ever want, myself included… lol OMG.
16 mpgd1kon // Feb 27, 2008 at 5:28 pm
ya um im 14 and uh u guys r really old
17 RaiseHavok // Feb 27, 2008 at 5:39 pm
You are never too old to game Doc. Never.
18 Pablos102030 // Feb 27, 2008 at 6:47 pm
14 here
19 Adam S // Feb 28, 2008 at 7:38 am
17 and I had a huge baggy under my bed till I finished the contents TWO NIGHTS AGO BOO YEAH. Mm, Right, now its all good, but as soon as Im back in school (after feb break) Im sure the world is going to come crashing down and the people I smoked it with will turn on me and there will be “fronting,” “player hating,” “no respect” and “gangster tripping.” And so goes high school, at least Im done applying to college.
20 Modified mummy // Mar 4, 2008 at 6:00 am
No paper to the realtionship, but my partner and I have been together for 5 years this month, and have two wee ‘un’s (ages 4 and 8 months)
I’m 22 though, which makes me one of those terrible delinquent teenage parents (well, previously!) that you hear so much about
My 4 year old is helping me keep my gaming ‘habit’ alive, as he’s discovering gaming too. I’ve decided to start him from the beginning(ish) though. He’s currently on Pac man
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