Marketing Video Games
from the the-pox-revolution dept
A really fascinating article from the NY Times (meaning that I think it’s worth registering to read this article) about Hasbro’s new marketing campaign for their new handheld video game, Pox. The article talks about the strategy they used in finding the “alpha kids” in elementary schools around Chicago, explaining the game to them, and having them give out more of the Pox devices to their friends. The game itself doesn’t sound all that original. It’s really just a portable version of Battlemail, with some advanced features. However, it certainly is somewhat viral. The article, though, has some very interesting stuff about why this game was only marketed towards boys. They look at how boys and girls react differently to video games – and also make some points about people who are scared that any sort of “violent” video game will be a bad influence on children. Worth reading. Now, how can I get my hands on one of those Pox devices? I want to challenge kids in my neighborhood…
