Super Mario 3D Land launched in the U.S. last weekend, and to celebrate, Nintendo turned Times Square into a real-life level from the game complete with colorful foam pads and warp pipes. The publicity stunt was meant to drum up buzz for the newest Mario game released for Nintendo's 3DS.
Okay, so maybe the warp pipes didn't actually work. Still, it was a brilliant marketing stunt that attracted tons of New Yorkers, a good portion of which seemed to attend decked out in costume. Here's hoping that the success of this stunt will get Nintendo to pull more interactive publicity stunts for their new games. I don't know about you, but I would kill for the chance at playing Pokemon in real life.
Public Gamer Playlands
Super Mario 3D Land Gets Recreated in New York's Times Square
Trend Themes
1. Interactive Gaming Experiences - Companies could create interactive gaming experiences that bring video games to life, drumming up buzz and attention for new game releases.
2. Real-life Gaming Environments - Businesses could create real-life gaming environments that mimic the environment and gameplay of popular video games for fans to enjoy.
3. Augmented Reality Gaming - Developers could create augmented reality gaming experiences that allow gamers to merge the virtual world with the real world, offering a unique playing experience unlike any other.
Industry Implications
1. Gaming - The gaming industry could capitalize on the trend of creating interactive and real-life gaming experiences to attract more players and generate buzz for new game releases.
2. Advertising and Marketing - Advertising and marketing companies could use interactive and real-life gaming experiences as a way to create buzz and generate attention for their clients and their products.
3. Theme Parks and Attractions - Theme parks and attractions could use popular video games as inspiration to create new rides and attractions that offer a unique and immersive experience for visitors.