Gaming and advertising OnLive

A few days ago I read about the unveiling of an innovation that combined two of my core passions; games and advertising communications. OnLive is a platform allowing for users to play full games via internet streaming through an OnLive box. It is truly a technological innovation that I believe will converge interactive entertainment (games) and interactive media communications (advertising and branding).

OnLive will potentially bring mass gaming to a new level of accessibility. No longer will we need to have a particular console or a beefed up PC that can calculate a weekend trip to the moon, no longer (hopefully) will we see endless “fan boy” banter trying to macho one another based upon 360 vs. PS3 vs. BMW... hopefully. Provided broadband technology can progress in time for the mass launch of OnLive, we may soon experience the epoch of connected, live and viable mass gaming free from hardware restrictions.

Technology has seeped into our lifestyles, and the internet has evolved from being perceived as a geeky niche to a core part of our daily lives. Sony successfully made computer games cool and socially acceptable building upon established innovations pioneered by Nintendo and Sega with the PlayStation brand; Mario and Sonic had gained guest list status towering that of Hollywood since. Similarly, Apple created the iPod that successfully provided the image conscious consumer with a product and brand that allows them to proudly carry a gadget without going covert and leading to wanting that PowerBook. Most recently, Sony PlayStation HOME brought a virtual social world to the mass casual, hardcore and web 2.0 gamer. HOME is a virtual world that was accessible by every PlayStation 3 owner, had more social credibility thanks to the Sony PlayStation brand than Fifth-Life, and allowed for brands such as Diesel to virtually peddle their branded wares. Could OnLive be what brings online gaming to the masses? It looks promising indeed.

I still remember playing WipEout 2097 on the PlayStation back in 1997 and noticing what I think is the first ever in game advertising of a real world brand in the game. Red Bull banners adorned tracks and I felt connected to the real world as I sped about in a blisteringly fast and unrealistic craft without wings. Good times. Since then, advertisers and brands have wised up to the potential of in game advertising, a favourite example of mine being in Ka (aka Mr. Mosquito in the western world) on the PlayStation 2, with household anti mosquito brands galore and more recently with Red Bull launching their own Red Bull Air Race PlayStation HOME space. Metal Gear Solid 4 saw our very own Solid Snake carrying around an in-game iPod to jam to as he sneaks about the place (the sticks work well to emulate iPod controls... take note Apple!).

My only concern is the likelihood of the gaming giants to support such an open channel, sacrificing what is quite obviously a viable business model of investing in a controllable market. I am of course referring to their own consoles. The PlayStation X, Nintendo Yuu/Mii/Wii, Xbox 1080p, all allow for control over market segments within the fastest growing entertainment market the world has ever seen. I hope that all can reach an agreeable meeting point that does not involve the loss of diverse choice to the consumers or the mass laying off of talented geniuses. Just think of the possibilities; Sony bringing their technological innovations in entertainment, Microsoft broadening their online LIVE services, and Nintendo contributing their blue-sky creativity. OnLive could also allow for Sony PlayStation HOME to reach a broader audience, in turn allowing brands with virtual presence such as Diesel to reach more gamers, via a socially accepted virtual space. Let's hope everyone can find a common ground to move this kind of technology forward.

The future is soon, and I believe in it.

Twitterfone UK

Since its launch in the US in 2006, Twitter quickly gained media attention and Twitter-ers in and around America. Twitter is a quasi micro-blogging social networking tool for those that have been watching dancing bananas. It allows Twitter-ers to Twit (update) their feed as and when they wanted - sound like a status update on a recently face lifted book anyone?

At first I was sceptical; I thought ‘why would I Twitter when I was updating my Facebook status with titbits of my life and thoughts already?’ In the US Twitter allowed users to Twitter via mobiles, allowing for short and punchy updates to be made conveniently without having to go online and login anywhere, however this functionality was not yet enabled in the UK. Last night Twitter launched a partnership service with Vodafone UK allowing Vodafone users to send free SMS updates to their Twitter feeds. Mobile Twitter had arrived in the Kingdom of the United.

At the moment I think Twitter is at risk of becoming (if not already) the ultimate mass opt-in spam marketing service. On my Twitter, I seldom receive the personalised updates that I was expecting. The ratio of personal Twits compared to marketing Twits on my feed is about 1:100 – not an exaggeration nor inspirational as a user. I am sure many a marketer is in the mind frame that if they harness Twitter for their brand, they are instantly riding the peak of an innovation wave in marketing communication, however I beg to suggest otherwise. Direct emails are largely looked at as Spam, and I believe that unless marketers tailor their Twitter marketing to become effective and likeable updates, they will drown in a riptide of hostility. Perhaps the introduction of media features to Twitter will help them out? I shall observe will much interest as always. Tools such as Twilert are very interesting; a progressive Twitter marketing tool that I believe will help everyone toward a balance between the social and marketing aspects of Twitter for marketers and end-users alike.

On a personal note, I updated my Twitter for the first time via mobile yesterday evening as soon as I heard about the new service. Let’s see if I become a regular mobile Twitter-er. Are you going to twitter via mobile SMS?