Gaming
KERNTYPE: the kerning video game
I am a type nerd and celebrate great typography in all of it’s expressions. I freely admit it. Two years ago this obsession took on a new direction about a year and a half ago with the release of the KERN video game for the iPhone. Now comes another kerning game called KERNTYPE. This is a web based game where you are given a series of ten kerning problems and you have to drag the letters of the word to try get as close to the correct kerning as possible. The closer you are to the perfect kerning the higher your score. It can causes quite a bit of competition around the the design studio for who can get the highest score and as you can see from the screenshot I retain my title of ultimate type nerd with a perfect score of 100.
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Running across brands and the Internet for chocolate
The UK ice cream brand Magnum had launched a very cool new microsite called Pleasure Hunt to promote their products. What makes the site so interesting is that you control a female avatar who starts on the Magnum site but then runs through multiple web sites including portals like YouTube and other sites for other brands like Samsung, Dove and Saab collecting Magnum chocolates. The experience is something like playing a hybrid of old school games like Pac Man and Pitfall. The game augments the simple right, left and jump game mechanics with the ability to jump on pieces of navigation, trigger animated actions that move you rom page to page or through long pages. Then, like any good game, they also change the pacing and move from the running / jumping mechanic to things like being able to control a hand glider or drive a car. All of this variety and interactivity adds up a to really great experience that keeps the game interesting and keeps you wanting to see what happens next. I also really like that Magnum went out and partnered with those other brands to use in the game because it’s great exposure for both brands and makes the experience a lot more interesting.
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2 Great video game campaigns
I am an avid gamer with the Playstation 3 as my platform of choice (you can find me at Gates-O-Hell) and campaigns for two upcoming games caught my eye this week.
Mom’s Hate Dead Space 2
I think when you are growing up as a boy it’s your job to see if you can drive your mother crazy. This happens partially because you are trying to struggle to find your own voice and partially because everything you like seems to offend and serve as a complete mystery to your mother. So the sequel to the survival horror game Dead Space taps into that human truth to create ‘Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2′ where they showed game footage to your horrified and mystified mother. Watch them all and see which reaction you think would match your mother.
Bulletstorm Last Call
My next campaign is for the upcoming game from Cliff Bazinski, the mind of behind Gear of War, is called Bulletstorm. The campaign spoofs the popular, well-done and first mature video game campaign I could remember called ‘Believe‘ for the Halo video game series. This version spoofs the dramatic tone and diorama subject matter with much funnier results.
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Real world experiences bring Tron Legacy to life
It’s funny how the smallest things can set us down a path that will change the rest of your life. For me the lightcycle sequence in the original TRON was one of those things because it was unlike anything I had ever seen and I became obsessed with 3D animation. That obsession influenced my decision on where to go to college to peruse 3d animation and work as a 3D animator after I graduated. So I am more than a little excited about the new movie Tron: Legacy.
One of the promotional items for the upcoming movie was created by Coke Zero called LiveCycle which draws on other real life games like the Mini Getaway Stockholm to create a real life version of the Tron Lightcycles game. Running the LiveCycle application turns you and your smartphone into a lightcycle that draws a wall behind as you move through the city. The more opponents that run into your wall the more points you score but don’t get cute because there is a speed limit detector that will keep you from jumping in your car.
Another TRON incarnation has appeared on London’s Southbank using projection mapping technology to bring the QEH to life in with visuals and the Daft Punk soundtrack. Inside you will find a re-creation of Flynn’s Arcade with original TRON arcade games, a Light Cycle replica and the TRON: Evolution video game.
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MINI Getaway Stockholm
Mini has launched a pretty cool iPhone app driven driven real world game for the launch of the new MINI Countryman.The game starts out with the simple challenge of asking you to find a virtual Mini located somewhere in Stockholm. Once you are within 50 meters of the Mini a button appears and you can take the Mini for yourself. You then realize that since you have taken possession of the Mini that other people are then trying to come after you to take it if they are within 50 meters of you. The app screen then changes over to show you the enemies that are coming for the car. At the end if you have the virtual Mini in your phone after one week you win a real version of the car. I think it’s a great concept because it utilizes the players in the game to keep the game going so it’s constantly in motion and energized by new players who don’t let it die off after the initial thrill wears off.
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Kmart In-store Gaming Reviews
In an effort to make the Kmart brand more relevant to a wider and younger audience they have decided launch a new initiative focusing on the gaming community. The brand is turning to gamers to post game reviews on MyKmart.com and snippets of the best ones will find their way to actual store shelves next to the games themselves. The space on the shelf label is limited so you have to treat the review almost like a Twitter post and they ask that it is helpful, constructive, well-written and will keep in mind a broad audience beyond diehard gamers. It is an interesting attempt to extend community building beyond the digital space but with the huge amount of existing gaming communities I think this will drive marginal game sales among existing customers instead of shifting new consumers to shop at Kmart.
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Browser Pong
The guys over at Stewdio have launched a very cool new take on the classic pioneering video game Pong done with three browser windows. The controls couldn’t be any simpler but it still is fun and you can play against the computer or another person.
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VW drives GTI launch with just an iPhone app
VW has decided to launch their new 2010 GTI soley through a new iPhone app that is an independent level of the racing game Firement Real Racing, which has already received 70-million downloads since launching back in June. In this version can choose between 6 different GTI to race with the best times competing to win one of six real limited-edition black GTI MkVI cars.
This is the first time that I know of where a brand is using an iPhone all as their only marketing and advertising for a product. The choice to build the app on top of an existing successful app was a smart one we have seen how badly building an app from scratch can go in the case of the Audi A4 launch application. This game actually makes the driving experience fun and gives consumers a strong impression of the car that could drive them into dealerships. I wish that link to the dealerships was more prominent because you have to realize that you will find that info under Showroom. Once you find it the functionality is well done as it uses your GPS location to find the nearest dealer and then ties into the iPhone nicely with options to call the dealership or map a route.
I think VW has made a lot of smart decisions in creating this app and an experience that will have a positive effect consumer who had this car in their consideration set but only time will tell if a free app can drive consumer to buy a $25-$30,000 car.
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Kern – The typesetting video game
I am a type nerd and I freely admit it. I proved it once again today by how happy I got after I downloaded and found out how freakishly good I am at KERN the new iPhone game from FORMation. It’s a typesetting game where a random type-centric word with a missing letter appears at different point sizes. the word beings to fall down the screen (the leading shrinks) and you have to get the missing letter to the proper space. The sooner your lock it in place and the placement accuracy is measured and your score is calculated based on the size of the type, the leading height, and the perfection of placement—all measured in points of course. If your placement is too bad you will form an unnecessary ligature and if you get five of them then you lose the game. The game design is a Bauhaus playground with a stark black background with clean white Helvetica type accented only the occasional grey line or interface element. the design and game play make KERN a fun diversion for anyone who loves typography. Also check out their Eye vs Eye iPhone game that pits 2 designers against each other to see who has the best eye for color.
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The U.K. has some pissed off hamburgers
Burger King in the U.K. has launched a new microsite called Angry Gram to promote their new spicy Angry Whopper. You create an Angry Gram by filling in six blanks on form letter and you much choose from available options for each blank. You get a lot more options for each blank than you would think and you can create some very funny combinations. When you are finished with the rant it is played out by a 3D animation of the Angry Whopper himself. I have seen this execution done for other products but this works for several reasons. The fact that you can really customize the message, that the product is kept as the center and hero of the concept and that the animation is entertaining and well done make it work. Plus isn’t everything funnier with a British accent?
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