The outset of the next generation is full of funny, weird and awesome publicity stunts. We have PS4 apartments, Xbox One hotels, McLaren Taxi Cabs, and we also have a guru offering to help with your pre-PS4 anxiety.
Yeah, I'm not joking: Sony Computer Entertainment Spain "created" the bearded character of Maestro Shaval (Master Shaval), an alleged Indian Guru whose mission is to bring peace and relaxation to those that suffer from excessive stress due to the wait for the upcoming console.
Like a controller controls a PlayStation, the mind controls the body - Maestro Shaval
The campaign started from relative obscurity about three weeks ago, and has grown in popularity in Spain until it exploded in the past three days during Madrid Games Week, where the Guru pranced around the show floor and on Sony's stage distributing blessings, pearls of wisdom and PlayStation-oriented wellbeing advice.
Maestro Shaval even has a website, with an absolutely hilarious test to measure your pre-PS4 anxiety. You can find the google translated version here, and it's understandable enough to take the test and read some priceless questions and answers like...
What does the term "Menage a Trois" suggests to you?
- A french dish.
- A recurring scene in some dirty movies.
- MPS4, my PS Vita and me.
If you had a dull sunday afternoon, this is going to brighten it up.
After doing the test you'll be granted a special (and hysterical) video with Maestro Sheval describing your pre-PS4 anxiety level and providing an exercise to help with it. The videos are in Spanish, but you should definitely be able to understand most of them by activating YouTube's auto-translated captions.
Of course Maestro Shaval also has a twitter account, where he distributes pearls of wisdom like "to avoid yur pre-PS4 anxiety increasing to the stars, let's join objects four by four," or "divide the remaining days by four to realize that there aren't so many. Enjoy playing games on Sunday."
Below you can find his hilarious introduction video and a gallery of pictures with him in action. So, what's your pre-PS4 anxiety level? But more importantly, did Kevin Butler finally find a worthy successor?
//www.youtube.com/embed/rWdJlOM3IF8