The last time Paris Hilton had anything notable to do with video games, she got the name of her own game wrong and rocked up to an autograph signing an hour and a half late.
But while she might not have a deep track record of associating with video games, that hasn’t stopped HTC from latching onto the hotel heiress to promote the HTC Vive.
Image: HTC Esports, Twitter
HTC tweeted out a couple of photos with the socialite and businesswoman playing around with the virtual reality headset through their official esports account, oddly describing Hilton as a “VR guru”.
From model to actress to DJ to VR guru – @ParisHilton does it all. pic.twitter.com/eADfWfREL9
— HTC eSports (@HTCeSports) June 30, 2016
It seems like an odd stretch. Hilton doesn’t really have anything to do with gaming. If you’re going to promote something through your esports account, why wouldn’t you pick a representative that had more of an authentic association with technology in general?
Unsurprisingly, users on social media weren’t overly impressed.
@HTCeSports @htcvive I was going to buy a vive, changed my mine now!
— Rich Smith (@mrfavus) July 1, 2016
@HTCeSports @ParisHilton @mat Uh, why would ANYONE care?
— Ron Simpson (@rgspol) July 1, 2016
@HTCeSports @htcvive @ParisHilton no please no…just don’t.
— Cristian Tamas (@Trancez0r) July 1, 2016
@HTCeSports @nchan @ParisHilton @htcvive ?
— Ms. Donkey (@Ms_Donkey) July 1, 2016
In fairness, it’s probably a better promotion than HTC getting someone to break the world record for the longest video game marathon while immersed in VR. That record, incidentally, went to Derek Westerman in May when he spent 25 hours playing around with the Tilt Brush painting app. “So at first it seemed really tedious being in here and I’m realising the way to pass the time is to make little art projects,” he told the Daily Mail.
Can’t imagine what games you’d want to play for 25 hours straight — or whether you’d even be able to do so. I tried playing The Vanishing of Ethan Carter in VR recently and I did not feel well.
Comments
12 responses to “Even Paris Hilton Is Getting On The VR Train Now”
I could probably play Elite for that long. Maybe sneak in a little supercruise nap along the way to Hutton…
Not saying the article itself is at fault, but we need to accept stuff like this – we should all want gaming to reach out and grow by engaging mainstream……er, ‘talents’ like Ms. Hilton.
“Paris Hilton does it all” is a pretty risky tagline considering how she entered the limelight in the first place, but that aside, why exactly does Paris Hilton’s involvement sell me on VR? I don’t see the connection other than their synergistic struggle for relevancy.
I don’t think it’s meant to. You’re a gamer, you’re either sold on it already or you’re not. If I had to guess I’d say this is them trying to appeal to non-gamer audiences they don’t really understand, coupled with not having all that much to actually show those wider audiences.
I mean as much as the VR companies have been insisting this is bigger than gaming they’re sort of falling short on applications for the technology that don’t appeal purely to gamers and tech fans. Getting someone trendy in to promote it is all they can really do to try and get their foot in the door with other audience, but they’re not giving her much to work with and for any clout she has with her fans she’s going to get booed down by HTC’s Twitter followers.
One could make a crude joke in relation to the Vive wands…
Second night in Paris VR? No thanks..
I can’t imagine what Paris Hilton could do on VR to sell VR to the masses….
Actually I can imagine quite a few things…
Who?
wait… i though she died or something or did kim just out whore her or something
.
She seems like an ideal candidate to make the first Neuromancer Sim Stim – See the world through the eyes of your favourite celebrity as they go about their day
Dude, not ragging on you or the article, but here’s where I think you’ve missed the point:
VR isn’t just a gaming platform. We’re treating it as such because that’s essentially where its launch lies and the fact that gamers (and porn, but that’s another story) are going to be the driving force of the tech, but ultimately it’s like saying it’s weird that Kim K uses an iPhone or that Obama uses a PC. HTC isn’t a video game company, it’s a tech company. Even what they call her – “VR guru” – doesn’t reference games at all. I dislike Paris Hilton as much as the next person, but the fact is she’s a celebrity that most of the world knows, which comes with a whole ton of marketing power to the masses.
Plus, given that the most famous thing she’s known for is being one of the first with a viral Internet sex tape, it’s kind of a brilliant piece of marketing by HTC. Tweeting to the masses (read: people who aren’t into video games like we are) a single image that subconsciously links someone with that kind of reputation with a new, incredibly immersive device, without actually saying anything of the sort? Stroke of genius.