In the ad, one woman buying Horde Game Fuel notices another woman buying Alliance Game Fuel; the first woman transforms into a male Orc, the other turns into a female Night Elf, and the two battle in the supermarket.

Narratives involving two women fighting over merchandise aren't incredibly inventive, but the fact that the women turn into the female and male characters featured on the bottles helps the storyline avoid the oft-used girl-on-girl "catfight" scenario.

Still, the WoW players who watched the ad on YouTube aren't very impressed. Commenter "Gnuzzk" writes:

why is it 2 girls thats not realistic.. should be 2 fat greasy nerds

"Siberner12" replies:

because if they make it woman then nerds think if they get Mountain Dew they might get pussy.

Ah, so the commercial featuring two humans turning into monsters and fighting in the supermarket is unrealistic because women don't play WoW, and the few who do are ugly. Or maybe we've all completely misinterpreted this complex soda commercial! "WowvidZZ" explains:

i dont think you guys get this commercial they're 2 mom's and they're picking up mountain dew for they're WoW playing family when all of a sudden they see that they're on opposite sides and fight

Of course! The only reasonable explanation is that they're two mothers so devoted to their greasy sons' gaming habits that they will attack anyone who buys the enemy's soda. That's not really junk food we can believe in.

Earlier: Yup, It's True: Girls Play Games

But for some women, gaming isn't new. This writer had a childhood shaped in part by Ms. Pacman and Intellivision's Burgertime. Later, Yoshi's Island, then Tomb Raider and Resident Evil were major obsessions. These days, according to Mack, "You're seeing women playing games like 'Dance Dance Revolution' and 'Guitar Hero'—women under 35 who want to do something fun and social."

Except gaming is not always social. There are women who like to hole up and escape inside of a game just like the guys do. (One of them happens to be my mom, who's addicted to the game Bubbles inside her Motorola Q.)

But this is about marketing dollars. And the budget doesn't go toward advertising to women, says Mack. "The money is where the hardcore gamers are. They're the ones who are really passionate about it and the ones who are going to go out and buy the beta version in order to be part of the next 'Halo' game," she explains. "But more and more, as these consumers groups open up, [marketers] will focus on these growing segments." Fine with us — as long as they don't feel they have to make the console pink.

Survey Finds Women Own More Game Consoles Than Men [Online Media Daily]
Earlier: The Do's And Don'ts Of Chick Gadgets, According To 'Wired'