How Big Brands & Celebs Are Collaborating With The Gaming World

 

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According to WePC, ‘The video gaming industry is now estimated to be worth $159.3 billion.’ Video game culture is most prevalent in China, with the USA close behind followed by Japan.

Data retrieved from Tech Injury shows that ‘60% of Americans play video games daily.’ In relation to demographics, ‘The average gamer is 34 years old.’ Statistics show that there are more male gamers than female, however, the number of female gamers has gradually increased over the last few years. Tech Injury, 2021.

Why is gaming so popular?

Gaming is popular for so many reasons, with one of the main reasons is that gaming is a fun way to escape reality. Gaming serves as a great distraction from the daily monotonous bores and pressures of the real world. Video games can transport you to exciting and scary places, and there’s something for everyone, from the strategist to the thrill seeker, life stimulation, to action and adventure. 

Watching TV is a passive experience, ideal for relaxation, yet the gaming world allows you to actively participate. In the gaming realm, there are no restrictions, you can create new realities, virtually adopt new skills, and become a whole different person.

Covid 19 has affected the popularity of gaming. Statista reported that ‘In spring 2020, gaming quickly emerged as one of the most popular activities during the initial outbreak of the global pandemic as user engagement and spending surged between February and April of that same year.’

Big brands and celebrities have been watching trends, and are seeking to make connections. For companies and famous people, there are a number of beneficial ways to get involved with the gaming world. Let’s explore a few of the ways that brands and celebrities are embracing gaming culture.

1. Brands Are Partnering Up 

Many big brands have been partnering up with games-based companies, with lots of exciting results:

Bumble 

Back in 2019, dating app Bumble partnered up with Gen.G esports. The partnership set out to create a team made up entirely of women (the first of its kind at Gen.G). The team Fortnite team is called ‘Gen.G Empowered by Bumble’ (sometimes referred to as ‘Team Bumble)’. The team is made up of Kristen Valnicek, Madison Mann, Tina Perez, and Hannah Reyes.

Win2All commented that ‘Even though Fornite is one of the most popular video games in the world, no women competed in the main event Epic James First Cup Finals. Bumble's partnership with Gen.G sought to address the gender gap in the esports world.

Bumbles Chief Marketing Officer, Gina Chung Lee explained that ‘We started this partnership to empower women with the correct tools to compete in esports. We’ve been able to see success all across the board, seeing how the general landscape has changed for women in esports since the partnership launched.’ (Esports Insider, 2021).

Louis Vuitton

The leading fashion brand collaborated with League Of Legends, designing clothing (or skins). Players could then purchase these clothes for their gaming characters. Louis Vuitton didn’t just design clothing for the characters, but matching outfits for the gamers themselves. Of course, the clothing wasn’t strictly for gamers, (just anyone who could afford the price tags!). According to The Drum, ‘the real-world clothing line sold out within an hour of launching.’

Seiko 

High-end watch company Seiko collaborated with Pokémon to produce some super unique watches. The initial collection featured Pokémon such as Mewtwo, Eevee and Pikachu. A few months later Seiko released another collection, featuring old-school Pokemon like Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. Collaborations like this allow both parties to reach new markets and boost their brand power. In the past, video gaming wasn’t seen as a ‘cool hobby’, but over the few years, the world of gaming has been given a fresh new identity.

 

Gucci 

Another luxury collaboration worth mentioning is Gucci. The renowned fashion brand joined forces with an Esports brand called Fnatic, under this partnership Gucci created a new version of their smartphone watch ‘The Dive.' The watch was available for a limited time only; a sleek watch designed to resemble a diving watch, hence its name.

2. Brands are using in-game advertisements

Over the last few years, brands have been experimenting with many different types of digital marketing. By working with the right animation studio many brands have created engaging and entertaining animation content. Content like this works perfectly to capture the attention of new audiences. Other marketing options include working with influencers, or creating podcasts.

Brands can also advertise by using in-game ads, these are a fantastic way to promote a business or product. Companies can use programmatic advertising to target gamers according to their interests. Brands can place advertisements on many game objects, whether it’s the clothing of the players, signs, or billboards. Equally, these ads could be banners or audio advertisements.

How are celebrities connecting to the gaming world?

There are many examples of celebrities connecting to the gaming world. For example, hip-hop legend Travis Scott worked with Fornite to provide an in-game concert for game players. Throughout game-play, users could see the concert advertised on posters. The concert worked by featuring a huge hologram of Travis, within the world of the game.

Recently, Ariana Grande offered users a similar experience. Her amazing show, 'The Rift Tour' was enjoyed by millions of people across the globe. Anyone who missed the show can still check out the highlights of Ariana Grande in Fortnite.

The takeaway

As the world of gaming becomes increasingly popular we can expect many more brand and celebrity collaborations. Technology enables us to achieve so much, and it’s likely that gaming tech will only become more advanced. For big brands, advertising in the world of games is a fantastic way to target the right demographics and engage with new audiences. For ambitious brands, the gaming world holds many opportunities and possibilities.

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The Sims 4: Updated Spa Day Pack

 

Yay! Guess what? If you already own The Sims 4 Spa Day Game Pack, you can now enjoy some additional features at no extra cost. This will include massages, manicures, pedicures, nail art and facials.

 With wellness as a skill, there will be new Zen Guru and Self-care Specialist aspirations. Children Sims can now take part in yoga and meditation, so cute! Go ahead and load into Origin to access the update.

The Spa Day refresh update will be available from September 7 on Origin PC/Mac, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, and PlayStation®5.

The Sims 4 Spa Day

Chapter 2 Season 7 Finale Event Operation: Sky Fire

 

Didn't Chapter 2 Season 7 fly by this summer? It is almost Autumn and this September on the 12th to be exact, a new Battle Pass will be here. Operation Sky Fire takes place in 4 days time.

 For content creators and streamers unlike The Ariana Grande Rift Tour which was available across 4 days, with multiple opportunities to record and replay the event, Operation Sky Fire will only be available to play once. 

Be sure to complete the Superman quests to unlock the skin, pickaxe, glider and shadow style. Additional quests outside of the Battle Pass such as the Lebron James quest, will be available next season too. Check out more via the Epic Games link below. Have fun guys!

Epic Games

How to Make a Viable Career Out of Gaming

 Turning your favourite hobby into a career seems unimaginable, but it doesn’t have to be. Recently, a lot more people are working for themselves, either as their primary source of income or as a hobby or passion that pays. The gaming industry is the ultimate perfect place for this. Here's a few tips on what to think about..

Image Credit.

1. Decide which avenue to explore.

There are more careers than we realise in the gaming industry, it's important to some research about potential jobs and the key skills required. Video game development and design require specific skills and qualifications, so it may be beneficial to invest in your education to get into this career path.

Working for yourself as a streamer is another potential career option, and while you don’t need formal qualifications, does require a lot of commitment and dedication. You will need technical skills, as well as knowledge of how to render and edit videos for appropriate software used. Very easy to learn with many online tutorials available. 

It is also key to develop good business and marketing skills and to make sure that you have open and approachable ability to interact with fans and followers, and engage with them. You’ll also need to determine what your unique selling point will be. Many streamers focus on certain game genres within main stream titles, and essentially develop their own brand, through gameplay of a particular game.

2. The right gig.

Whichever route you choose, you’re going to also need some impressive reliable equipment. For development, programming, artwork, or design avenues, your computer will have to be powerful enough to manage the workload, files and software. If you will be working from a gaming office as part of a team, much of this equipment will be provided, it also helps to have some at home too.

Voice actor and voice overs for in game storylines, it would be a great investment to have a high-quality microphone and a sound-proofed quiet area to work from. This is also true for a streamer. A streamer will at least need a good microphone and may benefit from a decent camera for promo shots as well. Good your content is - great sound and video quality, which will gain a great amount of viewers during live streams. 

Your computer will also need to be powerful enough to run the games you’re playing, so consider a high processor, at present those being anything from i5, i7, and most recently released i9. A fully ergonomic setup will allow you to stream in comfort for longer, which is vital as part of your career.

3. The Business side of things.

If you decide to work for yourself, you need to set yourself up as a business or brand. Marketing and project management skills are a must, so that you can develop your brand successfully and earn money. Acquiring a business email and/or PO Box address is another great ideal. Professional and easy to do. You can do this easily by using PhysicalAddress, a great company to consider that specializes in virtual business addresses.

*Partnered post.