I had no major quarrels with Wal-Mart, you know, besides the fact they are a soulless McCorporation against which mom-and-pop stores cannot compete and for which employees work for depressingly low wages. But after seeing their recent "Family Moments" ad campaign where the perfect photogenic, culturally diverse family sits down for a night of video games and everybody gets along no matter what game they play...now it's personal.
Don't get me wrong: I don't mean to suggest families can't have Game Nights or that they can't have fun with video games. The choices Wal-Mart makes in their commercials, meanwhile, are almost insultingly unrealistic. One memorable ad has Mom, Dad, Sis and Bro all huddled around the Xbox 360. Bro is apparently the family champion of the system, and on one lucky night, Sis "crushes" him. Mom and Dad are worried about Bro being angry, but he shows restraint and congratulates her on a good game.
Of course, no gameplay is ever shown; your imagination is left to wander as you hear the random bleeps and bloops coming from the TV set. Given the ages of the kids, though, I'd really like to know what game Little Sis is actually able to beat Big Bro at, possible coaching by Dad be damned. At the very least, playing the Wii would make more sense. And how many boys would really be that nice to their sister if they got killed in a game they were supposedly good at? I don't care if you're 12 or twice that age, you're probably going to want to smash something.
In one of their newer, more game-specific ads, Mom is practically the first one on the couch, eyes all lit up, demanding the kids get over to the system for...NBA Live 10? No offense, ladies, but even if you're not a mother, chances are you won't be salivating to play this game with your family. If Commercial Mom is anything like my real mom, chances are she'd be pushing buttons in a random fashion, asking questions like, "Who am I?", "Who are these people supposed to be?", "How do I move?" and "Whose idea was it to buy this damn game?"
There are other commercials in the series, which can be viewed
here. At least the Nintendo DSi spot is kind of funny; Mom is a bit eccentric, but her accomplishment is realistically proportionate even if her response isn't. For the most part, though, game enthusiasts will want to do a face-palm upon seeing these ads. Perhaps I'm a cynic, but most parents will be buying these games and systems so their kids will entertain themselves. More likely would be a family gathering around a board game or a movie. Moreover, the whole "all smiles" world where everyone is happier than you will ever be is nauseating. It's bad enough I have to see it in
Olive Garden ads, but don't let it ruin my gaming too.
Have you seen the Wal-Mart Family Moments ads on TV? What was your reaction?
Lifetime
Comments (113)
My mom used to pwn me and my brothers at "Life" on PS1. It was a game of sheer luck, but she still managed to hand our butts back to us every time.
But an NBA game? No way. She wouldn't even leave her flowerbed for a game like that.
I agree, I don't buy it one bit.
I don't think its realistic at all, sorry to say, my family was never like that, even when we had our NES man I feel old saying that, we never acted that way when someone won, either me or my bro would stomp off to our room making our parents regret ever sitting down to play with us.
lol my mom is more like "get off the console!" even when it's only been 5 minutes all week. my dad's the same. my sister doesn't understand why guys like videogames, and i just play them to pass the time.
definitely no family moments there.
Why shouldn't a mom be able to pwn her family in a sports game? Maybe for some reason she really likes games of that genre and obsessively plays them more than any other member and gets really good and then whups ass. I can totally see that happening.
I'm glad my family is not a video game oriented type of family. I don't share games with anybody either heh except my brother sometimes. I'm like the only person that actually plays video games or knows about electronics. I'll be damned if all of a sudden my own mom starts playing nba live and pwning me at it. Who does she think she is? Kobe Bryant? lol
I guess video games have become so mainstream that wal mart advertises it showing a family sitting down together to play games and consider it their family time together. I guess it can be considered the "norm" for a family to sit down together and play video games.
@black_lie@xanga - Perhaps she played basketball in high school or something, you're right. But it is still hella unlikely.
Well... my Mom hasn't touched a videogame since Mario Bros. 3 when she was my age and is constantly telling me what a collosal waste of time they are. My dad still won't play videogames with me because of the first time I beat him at WWF Wrestlmania when I was like seven, and I'm 21 now. And any time my little sister beat me at anything, I was definatly pissed and made her keep playing until I beat her at least fifteen more time, with a threat of being punched in the face looming over her head if she didn't. It was definatly a strange bonding experience, but much less wholesome and way more of my dad being drunk and swearing. I miss childhood.
My kids have a long time coming before they could ever beat me at anything, seeing as how they are not quite three and one, but the first time it happens I'm not sure how well I'll take it, haha
It's sorta normal in my family (there'd be more yelling, but the idea'd be the same). I think it's only grossly unrealistic to people who have strong preconceived notions of what demographics play games, what games they ought to be interested in, and how they ought to react while playing.
Most of us play games. My Mother adores Halo (though she's playing Farmville on Facebook now), and she's started Street Fighter IV. She's about to buy Dragon Age Origins as well. The only ones who don't really play are my sisters, and they still play Mario.
dude, the black kids who were playing wii. seriously wal-mart?! NO ONE would ditch their friends to play wii with their little sister with their parents there and UGH! what is with all these much older brothers and much younger sisters?!!?!??!
Wal-Mart is EEH-VEHL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's unrealistic, but it's nothing to get upset over. It's certainly not a conspiracy and I think all of you need a sedative.
I facepalm.
I just about died with your use of the word 'McCorporation.'
Haha I thought I was the only person who thought the Olive Garden & Walmart commercials were retarded/unrealistic!!! Finally somebody else!
Compared to LG Group, Wal-Mart isn't bad or soulless.
hahahaha!
Walmart is full of crap.
Aren't most commercials unrealistic anyway? I don't usually shop at Wal-mart because Target is closer. I had nothing against hardest level until this post so here's a link to Penn & Teller's Bullshit episode defending Wal-mart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LN50mJGSo
I'll ignore the generic comments about Wal*Mart that really had no relevance to the general post, even though I'm just itching to tear them apart. But what's wrong with the commercials depicting families getting along and the mom being excited to play a video game with her kids? I'm a gamer, and even if I don't like the game, I'd be excited to play it with my kids. It's about spending quality time with your kids, not whether or not you really like the game. Same with the brother congratulating his sister for beating him at something - there are several games I've played that are a little more kid-relevant that that commercial would work for. And not all guys would want to break shit just because their little sister beat them at something - some guys actually can gracefully lose. *gasp* Really though, what commercial is actually realistic? Commercials are made to promote sales, and showing a mom sitting there dumbly pressing buttons on a controller or a brother chucking his controller across the room because his sister beat him IS NOT going to make sales, no matter what company is putting the ad out. My big question is how in the hell can a commercial to promote video game sales effect your gaming? Is your gaming experience that dependant on a tv commercial that isn't even relevant to playing any specific game, but to purchasing a system?
My mom bought a Wii and she kicks my ass in bowling "Wii Sports" all the time. And... about Wal-mart? "I see fat people."
lol this one is entertaining. *thumbs up
My kids are 10, 9, and 7. Josh is the oldest. He's the video game champ, but his sisters will beat him at Mario Kart Battle mode. (Game Cube)
All of us play video games. We all have our favorites and what we're good at. Personally, I would think the basketball game was stupid and wouldn't bother with it, but that's me.
We have a Wii, and the youngest is the best of the lot of us at the bowling. I've got the Platinum Medal in Pool and the Shooting Range.
We also have a PS3 and John, my husband plays Metal Gear and other first person shooter games. I run the guy into the wall and can't figure out how to turn hum around right again. Josh is better at it than I am... yeah, we let our 10-yr-old play Metal Gear... *shrugs*
The idea of the commercial is not to depict reality, but to promote the prices of walmart's gaming products versus those of another company's. Walmart's low prices are what makes it "family friendly." The idea of them showing something more "realistic" (or at least your definition) would not attract or entice a parent looking to bring their family together, but turn them off to the idea of spending extra money. Either way, this logic is flawed - i've been to people's houses where parents are willing to participate in games as enthusiastically as a the kids. Some siblings do get along, especially when the sibling is significantly younger. When theres a teenage brother or sister and a younger ( younger than 9), the older sibling is practically trained to be appropriate and loving at all times. My sisters, who are 14 years older than me, were never allowed to fight or curse around me until i was much older (12 or 13). your pessimisic assumptions about a modern family upset me, just because they provide no hope for there to be a functioning, happy family in today's world. Already, kids are surrounded by negative influences (divorce, reality TV).. these sort of conditions aren't healthy. However, Your article is pretty witty. Some of the phrasing did bring a smile to my face, despite the hyperbolic context.