recently game developer digital steamworks was kind enough to work on a proof of concept for a bit of advergaming called “super jack”. the idea here was simply to show a potential client what a game based on their brand might look like.
working known brands into viable video game ideas isn’t as simple as you might think. the brand has history, the brand has an identity, and these things must be protected. while i might think it funny and worthwhile to see company x’s mascot brandishing firearms and destroying bad guys, that sort of concept usually won’t fit with the image the corporation is trying to project about themselves and their product.
with a pizza chain like dominoes for example, one of the first ideas that pops into your mind is “a game about delivering pizzas!” this concept immediately creates an issue though: reckless driving to deliver pizza eventually causes destruction and death. some pizza chains were forced to stop advertising “30 minutes or less” by lawsuits that claimed this sort of guarantee wasn’t in the public’s interest.
so games built for brands like nike, jack in the box, or diesel have to take this into account while still delivering a play experience that is compelling enough to draw people away from “feature” quality games released by top tier game publishers. it seems that part of this is solved by creating smaller games (time-wise) of equally high quality. these tv commercial sized games can be played a very short amount of time, enjoyed fully in that time, and potentially replayed many times without becoming dull. i know this is possible because of things like deathmatch quake… a single level can provide hours of “repetitive” fun.
check out the digital steamworks jack video by clicking on the image below.
contact murray at digital steamworks if you want to speak to the developer that did this animation using the unreal engine.
“jack in the box”, the jack image, and all related materials are (c) jack in the box inc, 2005.
7 responses to “advergaming – super jack”
That would be pretty interesting idea. Produce adver-games with only deathmatch playing. put it in a form that people wouldn’t mind playing.
That actually looks like it could be a fun game, I say slap some more detail on the main character though
oh man. i can totally see jack dropping two thugs off a rooftop in a televised commerical.
gotta arm him with an e.coli blaster…
While AdverGaming is a good idea, it is not a new idea. A silly, and most obscure, example of this is the Nippon Man game produced in Japan for the late NES console. He has a bowl of Ramen for a head and he punches bad guys in spandex. As stupid as the game was, I respected the company for taking a light-hearted look at themselves even though I have no interest in their product at all. Companies should worry less about tarnishing their mascot’s image (which in and of itself is a goofy thing) and worry more about reaching the less-accessable markets this kind of game would target. Respect goes a long way.
don’t do it! ‘keep it underground’ i think was mentioned..
unless of course, the money generated will go in support of the Oz of which some of us are still waiting for..or maybe perhaps the strawberry shortcake you were working on once before 😉
Anyhow, I am sure the game will success if you create or help with it..due to popular market..just don’t get chewed up & spit out the other side.., keep it real.
w~
Looks pretty sweet – I think if a company could produce a game with their “feel” or characters in it and the game actually ended up being a good game, it could be huge for the company.
I KNEW IT!!! i always knew jack was evil!!! that sounds like an interesting game … I’ll play it … after i beat alice in nightmare mode!!! it is hard