MSNBC Goes Interactive in Movie Theaters

From Online Media

by Les Luchter, Wednesday, May 9, 2007 6:00 AM ET
WHILE SPIDER-MAN 3 ENJOYED THE largest opening weekend box office ever this past weekend, those who saw the film at National Amusement's The Bridge: Cinema de Lux theater in Los Angeles received an additional treat courtesy of MSNBC.com: a pre-movie video game dubbed NewsBreaker Live that they could play from their seats.

Attendees were shown a live msnbc.com RSS newsfeed on the big screen, and as each person moved either to the right or left, their collective actions controlled paddles that "smashed up" the real-time headlines with a bouncing ball, causing them to fall. Simultaneously, the audience moved to "capture" the headlines before they dropped off the screen entirely.

"There's a single camera at the front of the theater that's recording the audience's movements," explained David Polinchock, chief experience officer for Brand Experience Lab, which developed the game with strategic communications firm SS+K and Etcetera Edutainment, part of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center. "As they lean left and right, the camera records that, puts it in the computer system, and that's how they interact with the game. So they, in effect, become the joystick...."

Msnbc.com says NewsBreaker Live is part of the site's new branding campaign--"A Fuller Spectrum of News"--that also includes a NewsBreaker online game and a NewsStream screensaver, and is backed by TV, print and online ads.

NewsBreaker Live will run through July preceding such other major blockbusters as the sequels to Harry Potter, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic 4, as well as the new Transformers. Theatergoers in Philadelphia and White Plains, NY will also be able to enjoy the fun, which one 20-something male in Los Angeles called "the sweetest movie waiting experience I've ever had."

The Impact of Being a Gaming Parent

By: twistedcaboose

We’ve all heard it before, “Video games are bad for kids”. The press, some celebrities, religious leaders and of course politicians want to blame events and actions of our children on video games. This is our opportunity as gaming parents to prove them wrong.

Video games mean so much more for parents. Being a gaming parent means more quality time with our children and more sharing. It gives us insight to what our children enjoy and gives us control over what our children do.

Although I was a gamer when I was a child and young adult, I lost touch with the gaming world until after my son was born. I am the mother of a 16 year old son. Being close to my son has meant stepping into his world and enjoying what he enjoys.

My son’s gaming began on the Nintendo Gamecube at around the age of eight. His game of choice then was Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It had been years since I picked up a console controller. I played badly at first but I would sneak into his room at night while he was asleep to practice and hone my skills. His gaming time was limited because he was young and reading and learning were more important at his age; each night we would play for an hour and on weekends a couple of hours per day. We would take turns on the controller. I would usually only play if he was having a hard time getting through something. We each would have our attempts at defeating the unbeatable bosses. I shared in the excitement when after 20 grueling tries he would finally beat a level or boss and I would bask in the hugs, kisses and pride when I beat a level or boss he could not defeat. And yes I even spent late nights while he slept looking for hints and walk-throughs.

After a few years on the Gamecube and a few years older his attention was set on the Xbox and PS2. His first love on the Xbox was Halo: Combat Evolved. I watched him play campaign and shared in his triumphs and then the ominous question came “Mom, can I play online?” This was my time to shine as a parent. My answer; “Get the other controller.” We hooked up to Xbox Connect and with some of my sons friends and were live within minutes. At first we created or joined rooms where only my son’s friends and a couple of their parents could play. Then together we ventured in to the world of multiplayer with unknown rivals. Sometimes we would get profane kids but they would be booted from the party immediately. I was REALLY bad at first. I had never actually played campaign with my son; just watched. My son and his friends constantly called me a “noob”. I practiced for hours at night just to be able to look up and walk at the same time. My skills and enjoyment of the game began to increase. My son would have his friends over and we would all play Halo until the wee hours of the night; laughing, giving each other high fives, eating junk food and ribbing each other if we died too quickly. On one of those nights my defining moment came that proved me a gaming parent. A kid we had been playing with was talking “smack”. Nothing profane just the normal stuff like “you suck” and “I can beat without trying” and “my dad could beat you”. My son, bless his heart, says “Dude my mom can beat your dad.” What? No pressure here! The kid gets his dad on and he and I exchange hellos and then game on. My heart was pounding, my palms sweaty and the boys were cheering for me. In the end I beat his dad. He and I had a great opportunity as parents to teach all the kids a lesson; sportsmanship. We exchanged the good games and talked about the game a bit and his son played with us a bit more. The light hearted smack talk continued and in the end my son’s favorite line to the kid was “dude my mom beat your dad in Halo”. They laughed. We still laugh about it.

With the release of Halo2 the gaming together continued for years with my son and his friends. We ventured into Match Making together and found a good group of friends to game with. I would hear some of his online friend’s stories about school, getting their drivers license, how they did on tests and some of his friends that were in college and how they were doing; a great group of friends and people in general.

I then found a website for older gamers that not only let me enjoy my gaming with my son but other gamers that had similar life experiences; 2old2play.com. The site offered me a choice from over 9000 gamers to play with that share a lot of what I share. Many are married, some are single. They have homes, cars, jobs and stress. Sometimes we talk about our kids, some ask for advice and insight or help; but we all share our lives and love of video games. Many of us have met face-to-face. We get together and play. We all relieve our stresses together. Many of us have children that we game with; the majority in fact. It is a safe haven for gaming adults. I have made real-life friends that share what I love.

Present day; my son has moved onto PC gaming while I remain a console gamer. He still picks up the Xbox 360 controller every once in a while and still games with me when new maps come out for Halo2 and still enjoys playing some of the other games with his friends every once in a while. I am still a die hard Halo fan and play every night with my friends and am involved with 2old2play.com doing whatever I can to help. Even though I don’t play PC games I understand what my son does and still share in the joy when he reaches a goal. A couple of months ago I found myself dropping everything to watch my son play Shadow of the Colossus on his PS2. It was a beautiful game to watch, the creativity and game play; I sat in awe. My son even appreciated the artistry involved in creating this game. I watched almost every minute that he played and we talked about the features in the game. Gaming has brought a new level of closeness between him and me.

Now that you’ve read my tale of our gaming experience you may ask, “What is the impact of being a gaming parent?” Look closely at the text that I’ve bolded. You notice words like closeness, joy, share, talk, love and many more. These experiences are the impact. We as adults are the purchasers of these games for our kids and ourselves. We are the leading buyers in the industry. At some point as parents we can choose to let video gaming be another wall between our kids and ourselves or we can pick up a controller or put our hands on a keyboard and become part of our children’s lives. In the time of technology our kids will game in some way. Parents have the opportunity to venture into the world of technology with their kids or stand on the side lines.

I challenge any politician to read this story and tell me that video games are bad for MY son. In fact the opposite is true. What you find in this short story of our lives is an experience of togetherness, love, understanding, friendship and sharing. One simple thing, gaming, it is what makes us closer. For some families it’s sports or music; for my little family it’s video games. In fact this is only a small sample of why video games are good for our family and others like us. Go ahead, tell me that all of these things: quality time, limited, excitement, hugs, kisses and pride, shine, together, laughing, defining moment, gaming parent, cheering, sportsmanship, real-life friends, love, understand, share, joy, we talked and closeness, are bad for my son. Then I will ask you what you do with your children that leads to a better understanding of them, sharing with them, talking with them, that allows them to open up to you, that impacts their lives.

I control what my son sees, plays and hears. I have taught my son lessons through video games and made myself available to him to open up and communicate. I control what video games my son buys. I share in my son’s life and love of video games.

I am an impact on my son’s life because I am a gaming parent.

Advergaming

Video Game advertising, where is it heading?

Advergaming is the business of placing advertisements in video games to advertise or promote a product, organization or sometimes a viewpoint. There are two types of Advergaming

Static in-game advertising
Dynamic in-game advertising

Static in-game advertising consists primarily with virtual billboards and in-game product placement that can not be altered once placed in the game.

Dynamic in-game advertising can be altered remotely by the advertising agencies and can be product tailored according to geographical location or time of day. This allows the agencies to delivery time-critical advertising campaigns, such as movie launches.

A report by eMarketer is showing a huge increase in spending when it comes to marketing inside of the video game space and analysts expect a minimum of a 22 percent increase by the year 2011. Personaly, I believe the percentage will be much greater than the 22 percent.

Looking at some recent cases of video game advergaming, a successful new marketing trend has developed. Burger King was immensely successful in their advergaming campaign by launching three Xbox and Xbox360 titles -- Gamers actually spent money to play a game created with one purpose in mind: advertising.

1. Pocketbike Racer - Racing game pitting Burger King mascots against one another.
2. Big Bumpin - Bumper car game pitting Burger King mascots against one another.
3. Sneak King – An adaptation of the stealth action genre, but instead of sneaking up and snapping someone's neck, you gives them the gift of food.

Advertising in video games will continue to build heat and produce stacks of profits. What scares me is how far will it develop? The last thing I want and I truly mean this… The very last thing I want to see is Mariah Carey at the glamorous age of 90 in short shorts singing ‘Vision of Love’.

We've all grown used to ads on google, personal blogs, and social networks; video games is just the newest kid on the block. With approximently 50% (or more) of the entertainment hours being spent with a controller in-hand instead of watching TV, how will advertisers market products to you? Advertisers are simply taking the advertising to where your eyeballs are in hopes of re-capturing the demographic of people not watching TV.

I believe gamers do appreciate the presence of in-game advertisements because it makes the game more realistic. However, how much advertising will be considered too much? Where will advertising placement be considered inappropriate?

How will advertisers tap into millions of subscribers of fantasy role playing games?

A Toyota billboards in racing games, a Subway banner behind home plate or a crate of Red Bull in first action shooter games – realistic. But an advertiser trying to blend a product into a medieval or even a fantasy realm setting and keeping it relevant seems impossible. Can you imagine seeing an Elvaan character eating a Burger King Whopper in Final Fantasy?

At the moment, it seems as if everyone is winning with in game advertising. Gaming companies have a promising revenue source. The companies behind the advertising have seen significant increase in product purchases, game developers feel the extra revenue allows them to introduce and experiment with new ideas and gamers appreciate the realism.

But if I start seeing Mariah Carey or any other pop tart ads, I’m going back to television!