The Business End
Atari signed a licensing agreement with the Weinstein-helmed "Project Runway" television series. In an attempt to get the ladies into the video game racket, Atari is developing a series of "Project Runway" games for the Wii.
While geek chicks will argue there are plenty of women on the game scene already, like my current girl-crush Olivia Munn, there no denying that with games that promote stealing cars and beating up hookers might turn some of the female targeted audience off.
What the companies are banking on, is that in addition to the games that most women play already like puzzles and fitness games, that blood, guts and military tank free versions will appeal to the untapped ladies market. The video game industry has risen to surpass the music industry in sales figures, according to WWD.
The Project Runway Video Game, set to launch on March 2, 2010, will feature the stars of the television show, Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn and Micheal Kors (Where's Nina Garcia?) handing out challenges to gamers like those similar to the shows. Maybe design a dress for Christina Aguilera? Use the "Macy's Accessory Wall" and the "Loreal Paris make-up room." And, possibly, should this project take off, there may be room for more big brands to slide their names into sections of the virtual studio and even the walls.
Atari and Wii is not the first to crack into this market. Games like "Fashion Week: Junior Stylist," "Imagine: Fashion Designer" and similar simulation games complete with malls and such have been out there. But with the support of a hit show and Wii, it has a little more backing for the older and mass audiences. The Project Runway Season 6 finale was watched by 4.2 million viewers, according to TV Guide.
Photo: Amazon.com, Imagine: Fashion Designer
I remember working as a freelancer at a major fashion magazine, making schedules and responding to New York Fashion Week invitations for the editors. My favorite public relations rep were sending emails back and forth, joking of course, that we need to make a "Fashion Week" board game, complete with the politics, and planning it takes to really work behind the scenes to make this glamorous spectacle.
He sent me an email saying: "You have landed on "Your name is not on the list. Go back 5 spaces."
I returned " I just drew the " What?! Don't you know who I am card?! Must find me a seat."
I suppose that game wouldn't be as fun for young girls dreaming of a career as a fashion editor, designer or stylist. It sure was fun for the two of us to joke about though. Who knew we were actually on to something?
I'm curious as to if Heidi, Micheal Kors and Tim Gunn will look like those weird weeble wobble Wii characters.
If I were to make a game it would be based in the world of couture and luxury. If you're really into fashion, and though you are embarrassed to admit it, you've gotten a little turned on by the Barneys.com shoe page or seeing a Dior slide show on Style.com.
And if you are like me, you probably don't have $2,000 to drop on a pair of black leather over-the-knee Lanvin boots. If you even could, and you could live with yourself knowing that your parents never made that much money in two months, you may question the practicality of 6 inch stiletto heels when your profession requires you to run all over the city, schlep trunks and balance shopping bags.
It be great to have the kind of graphics the guys get in Call of Duty or "Grand Theft Auto. Maybe your animated character work its way up, through all of the folding fashion publications, from lowly unpaid intern and then to assistant, then to an Anna Wintour-like powerhouse. You'd go on fashion adventures like attending Paris Fashion week where you'd get to choose whatever you wanted from McQueen and Givenchy. Another part of your mission would be to get to the House of Dior, to meet your best friend John Galliano, who has chosen you as his muse. He would then let you into his extensive archive. Then, the hard part of the game would be choosing if you want to wear a vintage dress worn by Grace Kelly or just have your buddy John create a new one just for you.
It's kind of like The Sims, but more fun. I created a Sims character that looked like myself, dressed it, bought it furniture, but after a while, it got depressed and was begging for change. Yes, as you can imagine, I lost interest in playing The Sims soon after. If my fashion virtual game is as hard as it is in reality, I might want to stop playing it as well.
