When Brands Become Games

Key Takeaways:

Taking a risk with a mascot is key to developing the brand and reaching a large audience

Although a recurring theme, content is always king. Negativity can be damning while positivity may create unforeseen benefits

Games leave legacies for the brand

(A game based on 7 Up’s mascot Spot. Credit: Giantbomb.com)

Licensed games have a checkered past. In the early days of the NES, Genesis, and SNES, there were some high quality games based on television programs or films. Specifically, a large majority of Disney games were received favorably due to the strong products from Capcom, a trusted, high quality developer in the industry. Capcom focused its efforts on the Disney cartoons, such as Ducktales and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, most of which were met with critical and commercial success. However, for every great game Capcom released certain companies would churn out poorly designed, sometimes unplayable game adaptations of popular movies or media, which would in turn hurt the brand significantly and likely pull support for a game sequel[1]. Unfortunately as the years have gone on the quality issue has turned more and more negative, with most licensed games maxing out at a mediocre review score. However, film and television adaptations are not the purpose of this post. Instead, this entry will focus on a subgenre of licensed games: Advergames (games that advertise a brand by featuring it in the game). More specifically, this post is all about the soda company 7 Up and its mascot, Spot, and his most notable game, Cool Spot. While there were other games that features the titular red spot, they were not as impactful as Cool Spot. 7 Up took a huge risk putting its brand into gaming systems, one that I believe paid off with the legacy it left. It was not the greatest game ever made, but it was solid, one with personality and fun, and it definitely provided the positive brand awareness needed to make an impact in a soda war dominated by two key players.

                                     

   (That can’t be healthy. Effective though. Credit: pintrest.com)

In the world of beverages, 7 Up stands out as a risk taker with its marketing. In recent memory it has made more provocative ads than its competitors (Make 7, Up Yours)[2]. Back in the 80’s and early ‘90’s, the key phrase used in the ad campaigns was “On the Spot” while other ads referred to 7 Up as the “Uncola”, differentiating it from competitors. The competitive positioning used was key for a market niche player like 7 Up that needed to make an impact. In fact, certain competitively framed advertisements targeted both Coke and Pepsi. In one specific instance, an advertisement shows a glass filled with a brown, carbonated beverage and then has the mascot Spot use a hose to drain the brown color out of the glass, revealing the clear liquid as 7 Up, and calling it the “Uncola”. If nothing else, advertising like this made 7 Up unique in an industry overflowing with competitors.

                                                        

(Very cool [Spot]. Credit: Snescentral.com)

These aggressive marketing tactics lead to the creation of several games featuring Spot. While Advergames existed before (Coke had a Space Invaders clone made for the Atari where players would use a Coke bottle to shoot the letters in the word “Pepsi”), there had never been a continuous effort like 7 Up’s Spot. Cool Spot specifically was ported to several consoles, making the game relatively inescapable if you owned one of the platforms it was featured on. 7 Up bet big that Cool Spot was going to give its brand and mascot a bigger presence in the world of video games. As a child, none of 7 Up’s advertising meant much to me until I played the game Cool Spot. Released for multiple consoles in 1993, the game followed 7 Up’s Spot, the red, 7 Up spot with sunglasses, hands and feet, on his side scrolling journey to save his fellow spots. Spot could shoot soda bubbles out of his hands to defeat enemies, most of which were creatively designed (ex. crabs with polka dotted underpants). The game itself was filled with lush environments, an upbeat soundtrack (composed by noted game composer Tommy Tallarico), and challenging platforming elements. Now there were instances of repetition and the challenge skewed a little harder which detracted from the overall quality, but it was still considered a critical success. So much so that it still looks like a successful case study, and seems to be largely protected from animosity unlike a lot of other Advergames.

                                             

                            

                        (Sunglasses make mascots cooler. Credit: coolspot.wikia.com, reddit.com)

Most importantly, Spot himself resonated with users as well as most mascots. The amount of carefree swagger the character has makes him easy to resonate with. From his gingerly walking motion to his sweet shades (personal opinion - sunglasses make most characters cooler) and how his attack came from a flicking gesture. The sound effects carried over from the commercials as well, and fit with the character’s identity. I believe that even if Spot was not the mascot of a company for a period of time, the solid quality of the game would have made him a success. There is a fine line for mascots between cool and obnoxious, and Spot was certainly on the side of cool while others who’ve failed leaned towards obnoxious (ex. Bubsy…ugh). Nevertheless by the mid ‘90s Spot’s time as the mascot for 7 Up was over, which tends to be the natural occurrence with brands and specific marketing campaigns. To be fair, Spot appeared to be universally liked, but with changing markets it’s not overly surprising to see him fade away.

                                    

                                        

                                     (This is how the game starts…Credit: Destructoid.com)

More importantly though, did Cool Spot help drive traffic towards 7 Up? The answer is not simple as sales data is limited[3]. However, within the game 7 Up paraphernalia is present everywhere: a 7 Up bottle is Spot’s means of transportation into the first stage, the 7 Up logo is an extra life, and little 7 Up bottles provide Spot with extra health. Not to mention the bonus stage’s take place in a gigantic 7 Up bottle where Spot is tasked with trying to grab all the letters that spell out the word “Uncola”. Clearly the game is overflowing with advertisements for its product, so much so it might seem overwhelming to gamers. Yet, it seems that players look at the game favorably, even many years later. If you take the time to look up top Advergames, licensed games or Cool Spot reviews you’ll find that it seems to be held in relatively high regard.

                          

                                           

                                        (Looks good to me. Credit: gamecult.umwblogs.com)

In my opinion, the main reason Cool Spot was so successful is that when you say the game's concept out loud you naturally think it should be a disaster – a platforming game based on a mascot of a soft drink. Consumer Packaged Goods companies are not often present in the gaming industry and thus the initial expectation is the game will focus on branding instead of quality. Cool Spot, while still littered with a lot of advertisements for its product, made sure that Virgin developed a quality product to not tarnish their brand. Cool Spot defied the odds presented before it and left itself with a strong legacy. Advergames still exist, but few have managed to equal or surpass the reception of Cool Spot. Meanwhile, Spot has since faded away. It will be interesting to see if Spot ever makes another return. Though he did have a sequel (Spot Goes to Hollywood) it was not nearly as successful as Cool Spot. However, with retro revivals becoming popular in today’s media, I could definitely see a return for Spot. If 7 Up wants to invest in the brand in the gaming media I believe players would be very intrigued. Then again, I’m guessing the marketing team at 7 Up is much different today than the one many years ago when Cool Spot was released, so he may have to remain in dormancy as solely an example of what a commitment to a solid product can truly achieve. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m dying for a 7 Up.

---

[1] LJN was a particularly poorly received game developer that destroyed the legacies of potential game adaptations

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGs-6oyGbdE

[3] There are no sales’ figures for the game on VGchartz.com, I’m trying to see if I can procure some figures on sales from 7 Up and Doctor Pepper Snapple Group

Interview with Tom Kalinske - Former CEO of Sega of America

Key Takeaways:

A great team fuels the creative process

For certain brands, if you target certain consumers, additional demographics may follow

If you do things that can be copied, you don’t have a strategy

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Mr. Tom Kalinske a few weeks ago for my post on Sonic the Hedgehog. Mr. Kalinske has been the CEO of Mattel, Sega and Leapfrog over his illustrious career. He was inducted to the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1997 for his works. Mr. Kalinske is also one of the key protagonists of Blake Harris’ Console Wars, which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the Sega/Nintendo rivalry. With the recent announcement that Sonic the Hedgehog would be inducted to the Video Game Hall of Fame, I thought it would be nice to share our recent discussion. Having spoken with Tom regarding his work, I was particularly impressed with the passion he had for the brands he worked on.  A special thanks to Mr. Kalinske for taking the time to speak with me for this blog.

                                     

                              (Tom Kalinske and Sonic the Hedgehog. Credit: nytimes.com)

JCR – What common threads and trends did you spot over the years? How did you identify market growing potentials, not only in Sonic but in other brands you worked on?

TK – Each one’s a little bit different I think of those examples, of course the classic one for me that really started everything was Barbie. I have to say that I don’t remember if this is in Console Wars  or not but when I was at Mattel and I was a Product Manager, the founder of the company, Ruth Handler, walked into my cubicle and said, “Barbie sales declined last year. The company is down to $42 million in revenue. The Wall Street analysts say it’s over for Barbie, my retail buyers say it’s over for Barbie, my sales force say it’s over for Barbie, what do you think about that?” I said, “Ruth that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, Barbie will be around long after you and I are gone.” She said, “That’s what I wanted to hear! I’m going to talk to [Kalinske’s boss] to put you on the Barbie brand.” A few weeks later I was made the Marketing Director for Barbie.

I had asked [Handler], “What makes Barbie great?” This is back in 1973, she said, “Well, with Barbie a girl can imagine to be anything she wants to be.” I said, “Ruth, that’s fantastic, I’m going to use that in all our communications” and I did while I was at Mattel over the next 17 years. I either myself used it, the agency used it, or the marketing people used it in all communications. The point of all that was with this doll, children could imagine anything they wanted to be, and it became the cornerstone of strategy for us because we did a number of Barbies that were themed to different things. I did President Barbie in 1976, I did Astronaut Barbie sometime in the 70’s, obviously we did Teacher, Doctor and even did Lawyer Barbie, but that [Lawyer] didn’t sell. I did all these different themes way back then and special fantasy play Barbies way back when as well. The common theme there was “Be anything you want to be”. Interestingly, a number of years after I left they stopped using that line and sales started declining. I noticed that this year they began using it again though.

That same kind of theme, this “use your imagination”, was really an important part of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as well. As I’m sure you’ve noticed He-Man looks exactly like me (laughs), but that came out of research again. We researched all these different themes of male action figures, whether it was regular things like policemen and firemen to Marvel characters to DC characters to space – Star Wars was taken by Hasbro so we couldn’t do that. This heroic figure, a big fantasy figure emerged as the winner. Once again it was because he was heroic, very muscular, and he was a good guy. He was going to do good things. He was going to thwart the enemy, Skeletor in that case, and save his world, which was Eternia. So again, the same kind of thing, imagination/imagination play.

When I went to Sega and we were searching for a new character as described in Console Wars, we didn’t have a lot of choices. Right from Day 1 we began working on Sonic - we did change it in the U.S. compared to what the Japanese originally wanted the character to be: we removed the big fangs he had, [love interest], the rock band. When we smoothed him out we made him a friendlier character that everyone could identify with, but you also might have noticed, he was kind of a smart ass. Part of this was the original plan was that he was the smart ass kid next door who you really liked but he got away with a lot of stuff but he was still fundamentally a good guy. That’s part of Sonic’s personality and from my toy experience as soon as we saw Sonic, just as we had done with Masters of the Universe we started planning a television show. In 1991 I remember meeting with Haim Saban about doing a television show and that evolved into several meetings with ABC executives and then later with Andy Heyward who was running DIC Productions and we ended up doing both a network television show and a syndicated television show which had never been done before where you had both a network television show and a syndicated television show for a kids’ property on at the same time. That obviously made the character all that more popular and was great marketing for us obviously. Overall, the general theme is imagination play and being able to identify strongly with the characters.

                                   

                                               (The fastest thing alive. Credit: denofgeek.com)

JCR - After the success of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, what did you find to be the biggest hurdle working at Sega?

TK - Well in your head you know it’s really hard to continuously have a big break game from the character. After that the big struggle was how do we get the team to come up with an even better Sonic. It was really hard work. At the same time we are working on Sonic CD as we knew we had to learn how to program for CD-Rom as that was the storage medium of the future, so we’re working on that too. So it was really difficult, and if I remember correctly, we were not able to fully accomplish it. We ended up taking the next effort the team was working on and dividing it into two games [Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles]. It was originally one game and we divided it into two, which was necessary to release on time for the business, but probably didn’t make for the best product, and I think that was the challenge. Going forward in time, shortly after I left Sega, I don’t think subsequent Sonic games have matched the quality of what we had while I was there. It’s not because of me, but just because it’s so hard to do, to maintain that quality level. One thing I will hand to Mario is that they’ve done a really good job of that for the most part. There’s a few turkeys they got out there too but for the most part they’ve done a good job at it.

Once you build a successful franchise or brand, whether it be a Barbie, or a Masters of the Universe, or a Hot Wheels, or a G.I. Joe or a Star Wars, or a Pokemon, or a Mario, you have to work really hard to screw it up. It will withstand an awful lot of abuse by the folks running the brand.

                                            

(A nice photo op for Kalinske. Credit: spokesman.com)

JCR - Having gone from Toys to Video Games, how did you learn to adapt to the culture of a product set you were unfamiliar with and grow the industry over time?

TK - Well do remember that Intellivision Group originally worked for me so I had some exposure at Mattel on video games. Of course it was completely different technology, it was 2-bit technology, which we marketed to the teen market. Also remember the original handhelds that we did at Mattel we marketed to adults, we did not market those to children. They were originally marketed as Father’s Day gifts so I had some understanding of the business. What really knocked my socks off was when I saw the difference [between the Intellivision and Genesis]. I had not been playing video games for a long period of time in between and all of a sudden I see 16-bit technology and I was used to Intellivision’s technology and holy cow was this really a wonderful surprise. Then when I looked at what Nintendo was doing, it seemed obvious to me that I had to shift the business, lead Nintendo positioned for younger children and go after teens and adults with Sega. You might say well yeah you’re doing all this sports stuff for adults but you’re also doing Sonic the Hedgehog, which was certainly for kids as well as teens and adults and that’s true; but, if you are marketing to teens, the younger brother is going to come along. To me it was all a natural transition.

I always did believe and I always tell marketing students this – you should know more about the industry when you enter into a role than anyone else in the company. You really have to study the industry and become an expert in that industry. For a while I was that when I first entered the video game industry. Today I’m certainly not, but back then I was.

                                  

               (Home of the Hedgehog, Sega. Credit: Segabits.com)

JCR - Sonic the Hedgehog has certainly seen better days on the console. Now it seems to be moving toward mobile. Do you think this is an experiment, or a long-term change, and do you agree with the strategy? 

TK - Well I’ll tell you, it’s so hard for me to figure out what they’re doing. I actually made an effort last year to get to know Sega as it exists today in the United States. So I visited their operation here in San Francisco, Sega Networks. I thought that meant they were working on networks, but that’s their mobile operation. So clearly they are moving towards mobile operations. Then I went down to LA to what is now Sega of America, and that’s now mainly a licensing arm. They are licensing the character out for products, comics and what have you. Over in Orange County there’s Atlus, which is a game development company. The interesting thing to me was none of these parts seem to communicate with one another and I don’t quite understand how you can have a cohesive strategy in the United States if you don’t have these parts all in sync. Now Sega of America in Burbank has a very strong licensing team with really smart people, but they’re not the ones doing the development. In that same office was the team working on the Sonic movie, so I did see a little bit of that work going on and hopefully we’ll see a better movie out of [that group].

If I were running it, I think you would have to have some mobile products out because so many people are using tablets or iPhones today, no question about it, you have to do something there. But I also would have Sonic still on consoles, and I would have him on more than just the Nintendo consoles, which freaks me out by the way. Given my relationship with Nintendo wasn’t so good, it’s hard for me to accept Sonic’s on Nintendo, going to the Olympics together in Rio.

                                        

   (The current version of Sonic… Credit: seganerds.com)

JCR - Say you’re back at Sega today, how would you fix Sonic?

TK – (Laughs). I have to get [my team] back in order to do it I’m afraid. It’s not me, you got to have the right team, and boy, that was such a special team. If I can’t get them, it would be really hard to recreate that same kind of intelligence and feeling for the product. That’s what it comes down to, I mean if you get the right people that really understand the character working on it I am sure they can come up with a great Sonic game. It takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m sure they could do it. I just don’t understand how they’re operating today, but I’m no longer an expert in the video game business so I’d have to learn all these new things. I’d have to learn about Steam and other methods of distribution. I’m still a guy who believed in selling packages at retail and so much of the business has gone away from it, so much is now direct download and certainly an awful lot of it is still online. So I’d have to get back immersed in that if I were entering that role again. But to come back to where I started, it’s all about having the right team.

JCR – Well I’d advocate for a reunion.

TK – Laughs. The crazy thing is I’m still close to most of those guys. Interestingly 3 of the key members of the team were female back then when there were few females in the video game industry. I keep in touch with Al [Nilsen] and Shinobu [Toyoda] as well.

JCR – I think it’s just waiting to happen then

                              

               (Kalinske has focused on educational entertainment as well. Credit: sega-16.com)

JCR – What’s your leadership style? How do you get a team to buy into the character, get on the same page and become that big of a success?

TK - Back in those days I was a lot tougher than I am today. I’m just a nice guy today but all my former colleagues say, “Gee you’ve mellowed a lot.” I didn’t notice this but apparently I wasn’t very mellow back then. I was pretty ferocious about going after Nintendo. It’s kind of nice when you have this one enemy to go after and form a strategy around. It’s singular in nature. We’re going to do everything we can to harm our competition and we’re going to do the best things we know how to do ourselves to make sure we make a great product.  It’s sort of fun to be on the attack mode all the time. Whether that’s in advertising, or in PR events, or you know the brilliance of Al [Nilsen] doing  a shopping mall tour where we introduced the Super NES before [Nintendo] introduced it, where we had teens come in and play Super NES and also play Genesis and then say “OK, which one do you like better?” We won those about 80 percent of the time. My leadership style would be to sit and collect the best ideas we had. Everybody would throw ideas out and we’d discuss them, and then often we would go with the craziest of those ideas. I don’t know whether that’s inspirational or not, but I did push them pretty hard: to be original, to be creative, and to be different. I think it comes out in the stories.

I always said that if we’re doing things that our competition can do we don’t have a strategy. Strategy is when they can’t fully copy what you’re doing. I think we certainly accomplished that most of the time.

JCR - I really like that, if you're doing things that the competition can do, we don't have a strategy.


If you enjoyed this post, I would recommend following Mr. Kalinske on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ThomasTkalinske

Games for the Sake of Games

Key Takeaways:

Shadow of the Colossus is a key example of a game that can be interpreted as art

Unique marketing campaigns may be necessary for an inherently artistic game

Games have made so many leaps and bounds in multiple facets and should be considered art

                                    

                                                          (Art? Credit: returnoftheretro.com)

“To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.” (Roger Ebert, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/apr/20/roger-ebert-games-as-art)

Despite his objections, Mr. Ebert was misguided and biased in his assessment on whether video games should be considered an art form. The quote came shortly after his poor review of the movie Doom, which was loosely based on the game of the same name. Nevertheless, as recently as the year 2000, video games have been legally awarded first amendment rights similar to their brethren in literature and film. As time has passed the debate has continued to rage, especially in more recent years as games with deeper plot lines, moving soundtracks, and unparalleled visuals have become more prevalent. To me, 2005’s Shadow of the Colossus is the game that settled the debate – games should be considered art. Specific for this blog though, how does a company sell a game that is based on intrinsic artistic value? Or are artistic games a sunk cost, meant merely to prove that the industry is capable with competing with all forms of entertainment?

                                                          

               (Music, an integral factor in the games as art argument. Credit: themmnetwork.com)

Although a matter of opinion, I believe video games have always been an art form. Perhaps this is a subjective response to validate my hobby, but I truly believe that from its inception there have been numerous features to qualify the medium as an art form. Naturally visuals play a key role in defining a game as art, as several games shift from realism to minimalist, to water colors, etc. I personally find that music is a key differentiating factor in what makes a game a piece of art. Take my last subject, Mega Man as an example. The series has always been known for one key presentation feature: music. The Mega Man soundtracks have always been unbelievably catchy, which in and of itself with limited musical capabilities on the NES is quite an accomplishment. Contrast the soundtrack of Mega Man 2 against film scores and even in some cases music albums and you’ll find that Mega Man 2  is not only comparable but in some cases may surpass the other media. There may be no lyrics and limited melodies, but the hooks and inventiveness of the themes are present, and the effort to create something beautiful is evident. Looking beyond the Blue Bomber, the level 1-1 theme from Super Mario Bros. may be the most iconic stage theme ever created. Anyone who is familiar with video games is aware of the theme, it's synonymous with gaming. In my opinion, I would compare the stage theme with the John Williams’ Star Wars’ theme, it is that recognizable. Other series are known specifically for music, such as Final Fantasy. With such an intense devotion to sound that rivals feature films, it's no wonder that national recognition has started to become commonplace. As recently as 2012, the game Journey received a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, meaning video game music has now entered the realm of mainstream award recognition.

                                       

                              (Indiana Jones and Uncharted’s Nathan Drake. Credit: gotgame.com)

Where the video game has truly improved upon most though is in the story, and why I believe video games need to be considered art on parallel levels of film and literature. In the early stages of gaming, there were not a lot of story elements in gaming. Most games revolved around defeating an enemy or saving a princess. Today though, games are far more thought provoking with plot twists, betrayals, romance, etc. The developer Naughty Dog is known particularly for its excellent story lines. 2013’s The Last of Us imagined a post-apocalyptic world where a father who had lost his child needed to travel across the United States with a young girl who may have developed an immunity to the virus that caused the worldwide chaos. The character development of each individual is unparalleled in gaming, and brilliantly delivered through cut scenes and dialogue during missions. The developer’s long running Uncharted series follows a treasure hunter through his exploits across the globe in search of rare jewels and artifacts. In my opinion, it is a modern day Indiana Jones with better writing and characters (not including Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was fantastic).

                          

                                                       

                                          (Settled the debate for me. Credit: Sonicstadium.org)

Returning to Shadow of the Colossus though, the game is a tale of a silent hero who is looking to revive his deceased lover. In order to do so, the character (named Wander) must defeat 16 colossi in a forbidden land. The world is desolate, with few living beings (mainly the colossi, Wander, his horse Agro, salamanders, and birds). The player is left to explore the world searching for each colossus, guided only by the light reflected off of the character’s sword to find out where they are located. There are no other objectives to the game. The colossi themselves are enormous, something that had not been seen in gaming prior. The typical size is similar to most buildings in other games, and the process of defeating a colossus is different for all sixteen. Strategies range from scaling a colossus’ fur and stabbing it in the head, climbing up a gigantic sword after a colossus strike and then looking to attack the stomach, or shooting a colossus in the eye while riding your horse. Each battle is tense and somewhat like a puzzle, accompanied with beautiful orchestrated music and lush environments[i]. During the conquest, minimalist story sequences come from a few concerned individuals travelling to the land after Wander. By the end of the game, these characters, who include a shaman, find the player possessed. As it turns out, the 16 colossi each contained an essence of a dark entity that was locked away previously, and by slaying all the beasts the entity is released and possesses the player. The shaman then conjures up a spell to lock the beast-like monster again, and the player is forced to struggle to move towards the shaman, but the efforts are futile as the character tumbles back into a fountain and is turned into a baby. The group departs, and as there is no sign of the shaman, the deceased lover reawakens, only to find no one except the baby. She takes the baby in her arms, and with no colossi left, the credits roll.

                              

          (A very intense ending sequence. Credit: Youtube.com)

This was the first game I ever played where a twist truly affected me emotionally; moreover, the ability to not control the fate of my character made me rethink everything I had previously encountered in gaming. I rooted for the character to bring back the princess, and to not only see it snatched away from him but also watch him become corrupted was gut wrenching. This was not supposed to happen. This was not a happily ever after. Although there may have been warning signs along the way, I bared no concern for the outcome, thinking things would turn out for the best. Nevertheless, the game ends the way that it does, and having the opportunity to play as the now corrupted character trying to approach his beloved in a futile attempt creates an emotional connection between the game and the player. That emotional connection is what leads me to believe that games truly can become an art form. In the opening minutes of The Last of Us, a 2013 survival horror adventure, the main character bears witness to his own daughter’s death, beautifully displayed and acted. It is nearly impossible to not be somehow emotionally affected by the moment. Considering the breadth of feelings that occur in such a short period of time, I would consider this game as well to be a display of artistic prowess.

                             

                                           

                              (A fake skeleton from the hoax. Credit: giantology.typepad.com)

Given Shadow of the Colossus is an adventure game focusing on boss battles and an artistic motif, how does a company market this kind of game to consumers? In the case of the game, a substantial amount of the appeal comes from the varying boss characters. The colossi are enormous, unlike anything gaming had previously seen. In order to generate interest prior to launch, an elaborate hoax was created in both Japan and North America in a blog portraying the colossi existed. The blog was titled “Giantology” and followed the findings of 28 year old on apparent giant activity across the globe (http://web.archive.org/web/20051029065715/http://www.giantology.typepad.com/). Postings included the study of giant skeletons found across the world, on land, underwater, and washed up along the shore. All the stories were fictional, and created by Sony beginning nearly 9 months before the game was released. The blog featured fake local news reports and stories as well, and the reach of the blog was wide, gathering 25 million viewers from 110 countries. It was a unique way to introduce the antagonists of the game, and as a result, the game went on to sell over 1 million copies globally. The game was also a major critical success, reeling in multiple Game of the Year awards and currently holds a 91 score on Metacritic. Furthermore, it placed highly on several game of the decade lists, including number 2 on IGN, a very prominent online publication.

                                  

              (An outstanding experience. Credit: entertainmentmonthly.com)

Regardless on your experience with Shadow of the Colossus, the central question remains: Is a video game art? I strongly am in favor of supporting games as a type of art form. In today’s world we are surrounded by all forms and facets of literature, drawings, photography, etc. from the highly advanced virtuosos of the genre to the beginners writing short stories or trying to pick out the right filter for a photo of a sunset. At the end of the day, if an emotional connection between a person and the medium occurs I would consider it art. I know my perception of art may be different than others, but I do not understand why some individuals are closed off and overly protective of the term art. There are varying degrees of art quality, but the concept itself should be accessible. It’s worth noting as well that there may still be a generational gap present. Video games became popular when Mr. Ebert was in his late 30’s/40’s, so I think it’s fair to assume that he might have been biased not having grown up with the medium, and I think it will be interesting how the arguments develop over time. Lastly, the fact that video games finding their place as art is controversial is a good sign, because I believe that historically controversy is a good sign that an impact is being made.

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[i] Seriously, Kow Otani’s score is absolutely brilliant, I highly recommend it.

For Everlasting Peace

Key Takeaways:

Consistent releases are good in theory but dangerous in practice, franchise fatigue is real

Do not blame the fans for your mistakes

Mega Man is the best franchise ever (Totally biased)

                   (The Blue Bomber himself, from each of his series. Credit: pop-break.com)

My grandmother did not understand the magnitude of the situation. After trying for years to defeat the vaunted Rock Monster (aka the Yellow Devil in Japan) from the original Mega Man, I had finally won. The year was 1991, the TV was a tube with 7 channels you needed to turn a dial for, and I was around 4 years old. Timing the jumps required near perfection as the monster split itself into multiple pieces that flew across the screen. Landing thunder beam shots directly in the eye of the monster was daunting, and at age 4 I had no idea what the pause trick was[1]. Hearing the victory jingle and watching Mega Man himself get teleported into the next level was nothing short of exhilarating. 18 years later as I was sitting down to play an NES inspired Mega Man 9 with graphics and sound similar to the older games I was overwhelmed by the rush of feelings that I once had playing in my grandmother’s kitchen. Humming along to the music as I went through numerous “Game Over” screens, I had not felt the same joy in decades. Since my childhood, I have spent countless hours playing through the Mega Man franchise, including all the seven series that have made it to the west (Classic, X, Legends, Battle Network, Zero, ZX, and Star Force) and have found that most brought a fun-filled, action packed experience. Yet even as a third party mascot crossing over multiple consoles, the Mega Man franchise does not usually reach the coveted million seller mark. This sales gap combined with the departure of one of the creators of the character (Keiji Inafune) has led to long periods of dormant activity for the Blue Bomber, causing rifts between his maker, Capcom, and the fans who crave more robot blasting.

                          

     (It’s even harder than it looks. Credit: Youtube.com)

Back in the 1980’s, having a solid mascot was crucial for most video game companies and even more so for Mega Man, who became the face of Capcom. Nintendo had Mario, the clear champion of the realm, and Sega started with Alex Kidd but was on its way with Sonic by the early 90’s. Granted these were first party platforms that needed a signature character to market their systems, but even before Mario and Sonic there were other crucial characters. Pac-Man was practically the poster child for success in the arcade era and for the company Namco. Capcom, a third party developer based in Osaka, Japan, needed to make an impact. Its first attempt, Captain Commando, was, while a nice play on words, a poor choice as he was originally designed as an old man and meant to appear solely on ads and box art. It wasn’t until 1991 he was made to look younger and was given a quality beat ‘em up game for the Super Nintendo, but by this point in time Mega Man had become the face of Capcom. In 1987 the company’s executives tasked a team with goal to create a character to be the mascot for the company (and naturally be a hit in the industry). After much deliberation and development, Rockman (the Japanese name for Mega Man) was released on December 17^th, 1987. The name Rockman was used as an homage to Rock music, one of several times the series would use different music related names (ex. Mega Man’s normal name is Rock, his sister is Roll, his dog is Rush, Cat is Tango, his rivals are Bass and Treble). Although Mega Man is called Rockman in Japan, when coming to the states former Capcom VP of Sales Joe Morici opted to change the name to Mega Man to make the character more relatable for the western market.

                                         

(Ready to Rock? Credit: Wikipedia.org)

The game’s premise is to defeat several robot masters who all specialize in a particular weapon or element (Iceman, Elecman, etc.). While the Blue Bomber starts off with his normal mega buster for minimal damage, he gains the powers of the fallen boss robots after he defeats them. Each boss is susceptible to one of the other boss’ powers. What made Mega Man different though is that the player is allowed to choose the order to tackle the game’s villains. While simple in nature, this concept was revolutionary in the early stages of gaming. Instead of going through a practice level or forced to go along a predetermined path, the player now had choices to make, effectively making the gameplay unique and customizable. After defeating all stages, a gauntlet stage set is opened to tackle the main villain, the evil Dr. Wily. Although the run and jump platforming seemed simple on the surface, it was extremely difficult. However, with tight controls, it was always the player’s fault if the character perished, and when a challenge was completed it was very rewarding. Couple the gameplay with outstanding music (a staple of the franchise) and Capcom thought it had an absolute hit on its hands.

      (Stage select, a revolutionary concept for the series. Credit: Youtube.com)

While the original game sold fairly well, it was not enough to warrant a sequel, and Capcom looked to move on from the character. However, Capcom employees cared for the metal hero so much that they decided to work on a sequel, which Capcom allowed as long as the individuals continued with their regularly scheduled work. In essence, Mega Man 2 became a labor of love, and it showed. The game was more challenging yet more accessible, the music was brilliant, and the overall experience was a blast to play. Naturally, the game sold extremely well worldwide, and Capcom had found its mascot. Through today, Mega Man 2 sits as the best-selling Mega Man game at 1.51 million units. Capcom continued with the original franchise through 6 iterations on the NES, 1 on the Super Nintendo, and 1 on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. By the time Mega Man 8 was released though, the year was 1997 and the character had grown tired while Capcom released two new versions of Mega Man in the X series with a much darker tone and the Legends’ series, which focused more on exploration type adventure. Thus, the Classic Mega Man remained dormant for 10 years, the dormancy of certain series which would become the norm for the franchise.

         

(Yes, they’re all some form of a Mega Man. Credit: Capcom-unity.com)

Despite the dormancy of the Classic series, Mega Man continued onward in his newfound niches, possibly the most influential of which was the Battle Network franchise. The Battle Network series focused on an action-RPG style game where the user would control two characters, Lan Hikari, a 5^th grade student, and his NetNavi, Mega Man. Lan would connect to different jacks across the world to have Mega Man delete viruses, after which the player would be rewarded with either money or chips, to use as enemy weapons at a later time (similar to the previous versions of the character). The chip collecting process had a similar feel to that of Pokémon, where users hoped to collect all chips for endgame bonuses. The reason this series is notable though is because it debuted in 2001, nearly 14 years after the first game in the franchise, and brought Mega Man to a whole new generation. All characters, including robot masters from the original series were reimagined, and the game launched with an anime that was revered from its inception. Although I personally love all the series (particularly Classic), the Battle Network series is the reason Mega Man is still known today. Speaking with Brian Austrin, prominent blogger and reporter on all things Mega Man from Protodude’s Rockman Corner (WWW.Rockman-Corner.com) he believed that Battle Network was the key for long term success for the character. In a recent interview he stated that the best decision Capcom made with the franchise was as follows:

Developing Mega Man Battle Network. This sub-series, alone, brought Mega Man to a whole new audience, a bunch of kids, who revived the franchise. This was a time when interest in 2D platformers was waning and experimental games, like Mega Man Legends, were underperforming. Capcom tapped into the "hobby and collecting" genre that was popular at the time and made it their own. Kids ate it up. No Mega Man series has been more successful than Battle Network. Period.

Naturally, I agree with his assertion. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to note that previously the collectability used in Pokémon was successful here, along with launching a cartoon alongside the game. While the Battle Network series did not approach the monumental numbers that Pokémon did, it still carved out a solid return on the investment. However, Capcom realized right away it was onto something and like the other series began pumping out annual sequels. In turn, this lead to a short lifespan for the Battle Network franchise, which unofficially became defunct in 2006[2]. Still, with multiple million selling games at a lower cost (handheld platform, similar graphics and sound for each iteration) Capcom was able to take advantage of the series’ popularity. Regardless, another series was laid to rest in obscurity.

                      

                                  

                                      (Similar, yet different. Credit: Megmana.wikia.com)

Without going into too much detail, there are technically a total of 8 series within the franchise. Even as a diehard fan, I find it difficult to keep track of 8 different Mega Mans running around. What’s worse is that if one of the series is poor quality it gets magnified, especially in today’s mainstream media. For example, looking at the only franchise I haven’t had firsthand experience with, the Rockman Xover series, Capcom tried to break into the mobile gaming era with a new Mega Man and it was a colossal failure. The idea was perfect in theory: release a game on a storied character on a platform hundreds of millions of people owned and hope to capitalize by bringing in characters and enemies from all series for the 25^th anniversary of the original character. Unfortunately, Capcom forgot to make the game challenging or interesting, and players were left with a boring social RPG unlike anything in the series. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly a social RPG is to this day. The fan reaction was so poor that Capcom decided to not release the game in the United States. The game ceased operations for good less than 2.5 years after its release, making it a black mark for the franchise.

                                                                       

                                             (Seriously, what is this? Credit: Destructiod.com)

While there are still other disappointments (Mega Man X7, why?) the true issue is Capcom’s need to churn out games on a regular basis. When Capcom knows it has something people enjoy, it tries to replicate it as quickly as possible with minimal changes to the core design, which in turn leads to franchise fatigue. The devoted fans are kept happy (which is always important), but those less exuberant may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of titles. After Mega Man 2 was a huge success Capcom rushed to ensure Mega Man 3 would make it to holiday demand. Thankfully, quality was never an issue as the game is probably one of the most revered in the franchise as a whole. Capcom made 6 Classic Mega Man games on the NES, and I cannot think of another franchise that was able to release 6 titles of a franchise on a single console. Inevitably, outside of the hardcore fans, casual users cannot tell the difference between games, as Blake Harris said recently, “I love the games but it is the same thing over and over, less of a story to it than the Sonic and Mario games. I have trouble remembering which Mega Man is which.” This is why when a new series is due for release it becomes a pivotal moment for the franchise. It’s another opportunity for Capcom to reclaim the casual fans it needs for the series to be a rousing success. Furthermore, it gives the company an opportunity to show to its longtime Mega Man fans it still cares about the history of the character. This is why something like Mega Man Battle Network was successful while others (Rockman Xover) may have not been.

                                                                   

                                                 

                              (Unrelated – did you know Mega Man has sick flow? Credit: gamespite.net)

While Capcom does seem content on letting certain iterations of the character fade (Mega Man Zero, ZX) its most recent activity with the Blue Bomber has led to irate fan backlash. Since 2010, there have been no new releases in the franchise aside from the aforementioned disaster Rockman Xover and 2015’s Mega Man Legacy Collection, a port of the first 6 games in the Classic franchise. In that timeframe no fewer than 4 Mega Man games have been cancelled, including Mega Man Legends 3, the long awaited follow up to the cult series. The second game ended with a battle on the Moon and left the titular hero stuck in space. While there is still major speculation as to why all the cancellations occurred, a large reason is thought to be the falling out between the father of Mega Man (Keiji Inafune) and Capcom. Although multiple individuals contributed in creating the character, Inafune is largely deemed the one responsible for designing the original Mega Man. After Inafune left Capcom in 2010, 4 projects were put into obscurity and eventually cancelled: Mega Man Legends 3, a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG Mega Man Online, Mega Man Universe – a game where users could design stages and characters like in the recent Super Mario Maker, and Maverick Hunter – a potential First Person Shooter. Capcom reportedly cited a lack of fan interest for the reasons behind the cancellations, whether that was valid or not is up for debate. Naturally, it led to disappointed and angry fans, particularly those wanting Legends 3. Fans have taken to social media to convince Capcom how much they want the game with a Facebook site dedicated to getting 100,000 individuals to like the page for a commitment to the product. It hit the 100,000 fan mark shortly after its inception, so the demand still exists. Yet the Blue Bomber remains largely quiet, but hope still seems to be apparent. The Classic Mega Man was included on the roster for Super Smash Brothers WiiU/3DS, with a cornucopia of nostalgia with music, level and weapons from the series. Plus, a cartoon is planned to hit the airwaves by 2017. If that is a success, surely more games will follow. To cite Brian Austrin again “As a fan, I want nothing more than to see it thrive. It all depends on what network it will appear on, how they will market it, and, god willing, if it will attract non-fans. I am prepared for certain liberties to be taken - a different and perhaps vastly unique interpretation of the character. But it's all for the greater good. If the cartoon is a success, you can guarantee we'll see more games.”

                                   

               (Previous Mega Man cartoons. Credit: Megaman.wikia.com/rockman-corner.com)

For a franchise with over 100 games, it’s odd that Mega Man is not a household name like friends Sonic and Mario. While he may be a 3^rd party character, he is still remembered by most individuals who played games back in the 80’s and 90’s, and yet Forbes writer Paul Tassi thinks that “he's definitely slipped into the ‘nostalgia’ pool, and kind of drowned in it.” I think there is still potential for the Blue Bomber to make a comeback though. At the end of the day, both casual and hardcore fans root for longtime characters (much like Sonic); we all want to see them succeed. Without question, Mega Man 9 was a success, and while Mega Man 10 may not have been as acclaimed, it certainly was not a disappointment. After Capcom put Mega Man 9 into the gaming landscape other companies followed suit with the return to retro style gameplay, graphics, and sound (ex. Sonic 4). With inexcusable mistakes like leaving Mega Man off the roster for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, it seems like Capcom doesn’t understand just how powerful its own character can be if given the opportunity. While the Resident Evil and Street Fighter franchises are the bestsellers for the company, it needs to understand that it has an incredible mascot that deserves respect. It’s frustrating as a lifelong fan to see it remain in obscurity. Keiji Inafune left Capcom and started his own company to create Mighty No. 9, a game focusing side scrolling action very similar to Mega Man, and it raised nearly 4 million dollars on Kickstarter. While it’s gone through development hell since ($251 hard earned dollars donated right here…), the big takeaway is that players want more Mega Man. It can be Classic, Legends, Battle Network, Zero, whatever, the fans want it, so hopefully the company will realize that and make it happen. Personally, I think Capcom is the king of the fighting genre, and with a huge array of characters in the franchise I think a fighting game would be a lot of fun. Consumers love character mixes from various games, and Capcom fighters are typically the most revered, it seems like a perfect match.

                                         

               (Mega Man’s intro from the latest Smash Brothers game. Credit: Youtube.com)

For me, Mega Man is a difficult character to study. As I sit in my office with my favorite Robot Master (Cut Man) action figure that I’ve had for decades and have literally travelled around the world with on my left and my awesome Mega Man/X silver statue on my right, I find it hard to articulate thoughts without bias. To me, Mega Man has been and always will be the best character in gaming, from the music, to the challenge, to the subtle personality in the heroes and villains, the franchise truly has a lot to offer players. While I think consistency in annual releases was a great idea at its inception, I now see that it was a mistake as the drought for new content is that much more magnified as a fan. If we are to truly enter a new era of content for the character I would advise Capcom properly pace the releases to something more in line with successful franchises (Super Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy). It is also absolutely inexcusable for a company to cite fans as the reason behind cancellations. In actuality, I strongly believe it was largely due to Inafune’s departure, but by citing fans the company created a lot more anguish in the community. Regardless, at the end of the day, we’re enthusiasts, and if given the content we so desperately hunger for, all will be right. It’s been a long time since I was battling the Rock Monster in grandma’s kitchen, but Mega Man 9 reminded me of that experience and so much more, so here’s to the next time, whenever it may be.

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[1] The “pause trick” in Mega Man allowed the player to pause the game and resume play quickly to score multiple strikes on an enemy. It’s extremely useful for the Rock Monster

[2] I’m a huge fan on the franchise as a whole, nothing’s officially defunct until Capcom calls me to let me know.