Journalism of Courage
Raakhi Sawant chose Toronto-born Elesh Parujanwala to be her beau,but on the internet,the show is far from over,with several suitors still wooing her. In the online game Rakhi Ka Swayamvar,players dressed as grooms gather under her balcony and move swiftly to catch her kisses and garlands,and scoot when the drama queen chucks knives and eggs in anger. The game was launched on June 29 and it received 4.3 million hits in 22 days, says Arun Mehra,chief marketing officer,Zapak Digital Entertainment,which is hosting the game for NDTV Imagine.
On the Internet,TV audiences,who,so far have been mere spectators,can now rewrite an entire script of their favourite shows in the gaming world. It takes several rounds of screening to be a Roadie on MTV. However,you just need to log on to mtvindia.com/roadies to compete in similar stunts. Whether its about jumping off a helicopter and stealing beer bottles floating near sharks in Booze Eye,or removing the immunity card from the jaws of a crocodile in Croc O Die,both these online games,based on Roadies,have a huge following. Crack the public poll with Salman Khan in Dus Ka Dum on setindia.com or if youre a nature lover,step into the shoes of Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel website in a game which is a replica of the hit show Man vs Wild. Similarly,you could test your memory in Dirty Jobs Memory Match game with Mike Rowe,again,online.
With casual gamers as its core target,the games are simple. The intention is not to test gaming skills. Its meant for a participant to sit back and enjoy, says Nikhil Madhok,vice president,marketing,NDTV Imagine. The response garnered by Rakhi Ka Swayamvar has Madhok thinking of other television series that could be converted into interesting games. Reality shows seem most suitable, says Madhok. Anuj Poddar,senior vice president,strategy and business development,MTV India,feels fiction also makes for engaging games.
The target audience will differ. With reality shows we look at the 15 to 25 years segment,but a show like Balika Vadhu could also inspire a game. There can be other games for housewives, he says.
To popularise the games,MTV displayed pop-up teasers during the Roadies auditions and sent SMSs to promote Slap Raghu. Star India publicises its games through banner campaigns across several portals,social networking sites,online communities and e-mails.
Using games as means of promotion will become more common as gaming is gaining popularity, says Madhok. All the MTV games,spread across micro-sites,will soon be brought together in a game arcade on the channel website. It should be operational by year-end, says Poddar,as he runs through the list of games,from Fast and Gorgeous to Splitsvilla and Stunt Mania. Also,up next is a mobile game based on Indias Got Talent.
