PLOOB.COM - Gaming 2.0: Have It Your Way.

Nov 13, 10:10 PM

Have It Your Way.

The most exciting release this weekend for me is not the PS3. It is not the Wii. It is the new series of advergames being launched at Burger King on Sunday: Sneak King, Big Bumping, and Pocketbike Racers. Check out this interview on Gamasutra with Philip Oliver of Blitz, who are the ones who developed the games.

To me, this is truly gaming 2.0 and next generation. Companies like Burger King taking video games seriously and recognizing that they have really become a medium in which to reach consumers and disseminate a marketing message is major step forward for the industry.

Some things I would like to highlight from the interview:

BK was much more interested in how their characters (the King, Subservient Chicken) would be portrayed in the games than how many times Blitz could fit the BK logo into the game. This to me suggests a deep understanding of the medium – it isn’t about just putting your logo in there (as it is often the case with TV/print), it’s about the characters, the interactive game experience.

Oliver notes how XBLA has enabled his company to pursue ideas that they previously would not have been able to move on when trying to sell the idea to a publisher.

Burger King worked closely with XBL and Blitz to make these games respectable titles. I think in advergaming, making sure the game is fun is critical because of the inherent resistance a lot of gamers tend to have against “evil” corporations. To adapt a line from Seth Godin, if it is worth playing, people will play it.

A trailer for one of the games on Youtube here

Damn, all of the sudden I have the craving for a Whopper…

-Jon

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