HSBC advert references GTA

Quick factoid before the video: did you know that the NES, the Nintendo Entertainment System, was named as such, because Nintendo back then worried about the negative connotations that the term “family” has in the US?

Family being negative? What? Let me explain. The Famicom was named as such in Japan because back then – much like the Wii is now – the little white and red console was marketed as a family thing; a game system where the whole family can play on. Nintendo was worried that the Famicom would be a bad name to use in the US, especially since in the US, families (back then) don’t play games together.

If I go on to describe the great lengths that Nintendo went through to disguise the NES as a toy instead of videogames console, then I’ll probably bore you. (Surprising that more than a decade later Nintendo is marketing the Wii as if it was an international Famicom) Point is, different folks from different areas of the world see things differently. Which is the point of the HSBC commercial below.

Also, the GTA video in this commercial looks a bit weird… GTA 4? Nah.. That’s just probably us…

Regardless, this is a nice celebration of the fact that video games are so mainstream, that even HSBC, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, are referencing them. We now wonder how a certain ace-attorney would react to this advert?

Quick factoid before the video: did you know that the NES, the Nintendo Entertainment System, was named as such, because Nintendo back then worried about the negative connotations that the term “family” has in the US?

Family being negative? What? Let me explain. The Famicom was named as such in Japan because back then – much like the Wii is now – the little white and red console was marketed as a family thing; a game system where the whole family can play on. Nintendo was worried that the Famicom would be a bad name to use in the US, especially since in the US, families (back then) don’t play games together.

If I go on to describe the great lengths that Nintendo went through to disguise the NES as a toy instead of videogames console, then I’ll probably bore you. (Surprising that more than a decade later Nintendo is marketing the Wii as if it was an international Famicom) Point is, different folks from different areas of the world see things differently. Which is the point of the HSBC commercial below.

Also, the GTA video in this commercial looks a bit weird… GTA 4? Nah.. That’s just probably us…

Regardless, this is a nice celebration of the fact that video games are so mainstream, that even HSBC, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, are referencing them. We now wonder how a certain ace-attorney would react to this advert?