Rock Bottom. Droga 5 has possibly created the worst campaign ever.

Dezember 8th, 2011 • 3 comments Games
Tags: Ads, Agencies, Brands, Creativity, droga 5, Ethics, Gaming, Ideas, Industry, Politics, World

If the following video is no hoax it has the realistic chance to become one of the most disgusting, cyncical pieces of marketing I have ever seen. I thought the ‘concept campaign’ White Bull Army was pathetic. But the crap idea that Droga 5 is about to launch for gaming headset brand Turtle Beach is hard to bear.

Check out the video

Quote: “Gamers want the immersive feeling of being in a warzone. Turtle Beach takes you there.” Even if it is a hoax (it will be in the end): Putting a first person shooter into the same context as a war zone where thousands of people died and millions suffer every day makes me want to spit out.

And no, I disagree. Not any PR is good PR. This is shit. Cynical, pathetic shit. I am ashamed to work in the same industry as the guy who came up with this. (via adverblog)

Stuff We Like. Selfcontrolfreak’s Interactive Videos.

Oktober 20th, 2011 • Experimental, People, Tech, We like
Tags: Amsterdam, Cool, Creativity, Experimental, Funny, Gaming, intelligent, Pechakuchanight, People, selfcontrolfreak, Tech, video, visual, We like

Last night I attended Amsterdam’s Pechakucha Night at Roest. Most of you probably know the concept: Random people present their business concept/idea/art theory/whatever on 20 slides and they only have 20 seconds for each page before a heartless Powerpoint algorithm switches to the next one. The one person that definitely stood out for me was Olivier Otten – a young Dutch Creative/Developer who tries to play with very playful ways to interact with video under the name Selfcontrolfreak.

I don’t want to say much more. Just one thing. Gamification is not about badges and check-ins. Traditional playful, interactive metaphors have been around since the 1990s. But even two decades later I know of few platforms which are as much fun as this one.

Check out his 22 simple, playful video examples and start playing with Selfcontrolfreak.

Great Ads. Sony PS3, Long Live Play.

Oktober 6th, 2011 • Ads, Games
Tags: Ads, Agencies, Brands, Cool, Creativity, Funny, Gaming, Ideas, Lifestyle, sony, visual, We like

Some campaigns are different. Sony’s “Long Live Play” PS3 Campaign may be one of them. Playstation brand’s ad agency Deutsch Inc. really did a great job. But just check it out…

Nintendo. Can you please fucking google it?

August 25th, 2011 • Advice
Tags: Advice, Brands, Funny, Games, Gaming, Nintendo, Service, Wii

So it seems as if Nintendo is not willing to answer certain game related questions at the hotline anymore. A good alternative: google it, you moron.

Gaming. EA’s Call of Duty Elite explained by TheLegendofKarl.

Juni 3rd, 2011 • Games
Tags: Black Ops, Brands, Cool, Creativity, EA, Funny, Gaming, People, Social Gaming, Social Networks, Strategy, Tech, Tools, We like

For me as a digital market guy the gaming industry is in many ways a blueprint for what is happening later on social networks, mobile phones and on websites. Gamification? I think the concept of social networks itself was invented by the game industry years before anybody ever heard of Facebook. For years many games had more social network elements embedded than many social campaigns today. Do for example check out the new Call of Duty Elite trailer which is all about EAs new multiplayer service. It’s not a campaign, it’s not a mobile app – it’s a pretty comprehensive social product which will now become organic part for some of the most popular entertainment products ever.

Thanks to creativity online for the link.

I love it. Russia’s History told by the worker of a Tetris Factory.

Mai 14th, 2011 • Politics, We like
Tags: Cool, Creativity, Funny, Games, Gaming, history, Ideas, Lifestyle, Music, Politics, Russia, Tetris, visual, We like

I guess the following film tells one of the smartest stories in a music videos that I have seen so far. It was created by the ‘world’s best neo-post-post-music hall anti-folk band’ Pig with the Face of a Boy and it stages the story of Russia from the perspective of a worker…well…who is responsible to spin the Tetris blocks that fall down from the sky. A great metaphor to describe life in Russia since the 1870s and a very nice, clever song. Well done guys. I hope you become really, really successful. Check out the band here…

Yahoo’s Bus Stop Derby. Digital Out of Home Galore.

Dezember 7th, 2010 • 1 comment Brands, Experimental, Social
Tags: Brands, Campaign, Cool, Display, Experimental, Games, Gaming, Media, Out of Home, Tech, Touch, We like, yahoo

Traditional brands go digital? Well, it’s vice versa as well. After Foursquare has taken over Times Square Yahoo now goes local with this nice and engaging idea – the Yahoo Bus Stop Derby. In this two-month challenge 20 bus stops (unfortunately all of them in S.F.) are turned into social gaming hubs with interactive 72-inch touch screens. The winner wins the ‘world’s biggest neighbourhood party with OK Go’. To be honest, I get sick by these kind of incentives starting with ‘the world’s biggest XYZ’. But I think Yahoo made a good job in bringing a casual digital gaming experience into reality…what do you think?

(via adverblog)

Epic Win. Add some RPG Spice to washing your Car.

Juli 10th, 2010 • 1 comment Games, Mobile, Tools
Tags: App, Creativity, Funny, Gaming, Ideas, Mobile, Todo, Tools

Welcome to the fun version of to-do lists. Epic Win is a new mobile app that that lets you gain experience points and find rare loots for all the boring stuff that you usually procrastinate away. In other words – it puts some RPG spice to doing the laundry or going to the gym.

By completing tasks you make your character evolve. And of course, everything you achieve is sharable via twitter and Facebook. Check out the trailer that already looks like fun. Learn more on the app’s trailer page. (via)

Civilization. The evolution goes on.

Januar 24th, 2010 • 1 comment Games
Tags: Brands, Business, Civilization, Cool, Creativity, Future, Games, Gaming, Prediction, Social Gaming, Strategy

One of the most succesful computer games ever is about to reinvent itself completely. Sid Meier’s civilization is not only a brilliant computer game, it is also very flexible as it has found the way to consoles, iPhones and soon to Facebook. This is more than just an adaption. CIV is a highly complex strategy game, not necessarily dedicated to be played with simple interfaces. But it mastered this challenge and might soon redefine social gaming – in an unpredicted evolution in UX, marketing and gameplay.

I love Civilization. Chances are high that you played it. It can easily be labeled as one of the most addicitive pieces of entertainment ever. The rules:  you become the leader of a primitive tribe on a fictional continent (or real scenarios). Your job is to make this tribe flourish and to turn it from cavemen in 4000 B.C. into an advanced civilization ready for space conquest.

CIV has a 12% share of my teenage days as it made me play for days. Once you have built the Pyramids or declared War on this other tribe you could not stop anymore. And…the simple gaming principle did not rely on superior visual effects but on an outstanding and highly intelligent game. No two Civ matches were the same as the complex combination of environment, your people’s properties and your neighbours mixed up to a time-eating complex which you simply wanted to be the best in.

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Figures. The Gaming Industry.

Januar 19th, 2010 • 1 comment Business, Games, Trends
Tags: Business, Future, Games, Gaming, Strategy, Trends, visual, World

We all love Info visualizations. Similar to the ones by The Oat Meal this one explains us the wonderful world of video games. The gaming industry succeeded in becoming the #1 entertainment sector, to be at the forefront before music and movies. And even though there was a drop in video game sales in 2009, it’s quite impressive to see the industry recover.

Here are a couple of figures revolving around this industry. Don’t forget to check out the numbers behind the adult movie industry as well (thx to geekologie).