Sony is running an ad in support of the PlayStation brand that has me somewhat … well, stunned. Every time I see it I get more and more annoyed. As I said on Twitter, it’s essentially a clarion call to sociopathy.
If you can’t watch the video, the camera focuses on a young man wearing a Joker-purple suit and suspenders. He sits in a wrecked vehicle, marveling at his undamaged hands. He steps out, begins putting on gloves, and, as if channeling Michael Pitt in Funny Games, a fourth-wall-breaking monologue begins:
Who are you not to be great?
You, the imagination of a brilliant child and the powers of an ancient god.
Who are you to be ordinary?
You, who can rescind life or raise the dead. [A building collapses in the background]
Who are you to be afraid?
You, who can serve as judge and jury while hoarding infinite lives.
Who are you to be a slave to the past?
You, who can travel time like the oceans and rewrite history with a single word.
Who are you to be anonymous?
You, whose name should be spoken with in reverent tones or in terrified whispers.
Who are you to deny greatness?
If you would deny it to yourself you deny it to the entire world.
And we will not be denied.
[Our "hero" leaps into battle.] fin
If you’ve read anything about sociopaths* you can see a number of the markers of sociopathy brought to life in this advertisement: a narcissistic belief in one’s own greatness; the belief in the ability to alter the past through one’s own words (i.e., lying); the belief that you deserve recognition, not anonymity; the belief that you are an elevated being and that those around you do not matter; the belief that you have a right to determine life and death of your lessers.
"And we will not be denied."
It’s shudder-inducing. And, frankly, I think it’s a remarkably dangerous marketing strategy for an industry that finds itself under fire for, well, inspiring acts of violence by budding sociopaths. As Mollie Hemingway said of the ad:
@SonnyBunch It's like it was made by people who want to censor/regulate video games as the cause of Sandy Hooks, etc.
— Mollie Z. Hemingway (@MZHemingway) June 25, 2013
Look, I own a PS3. I only play a couple of games a year, but I enjoy them, and I enjoy the incredible violent ones most of all. I reject the idea that video games cause violence or create an atmosphere that degrades life, just as I reject the idea that books and movies are responsible for assassinations or other crimes. The deranged will always find an excuse for their derangement, whether it’s the media or their upbringing or some collection of perceived enemies hounding their every move.
But Sony’s not doing those of us who make this argument any favors with this campaign.
It may be instructive to contrast Sony’s paean to sociopathy with a previous Sony ad:
"Long Live Play" focuses not on the gamer but the gamer’s characters: The ways he has helped them overcome obstacles; the way he has improved their "lives"; and the ways he has inspired them to overcome the game’s obstacles. It also closes humorously, with a series of gods, soldiers, and aliens cheering a framed photo of a kinda-nerdy gamer. "For all he does … for all of us. To Michael!"
This is a way to create gamer-as-god-figure without it being remarkably creepy. It’s grandiose, in a way. But it’s also grounded, humble, and funny. And it’s way less likely to scare the normals.
*If you’re looking for someplace to start, I was impressed by The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson.
Photo Credit: BrittneyBush via Compfight cc