Waiting in line just got fun.
Carnegie Mellon spinout,
Evil Genius Designs, is launching interactive and branded entertainment played on a mobile phone while you wait in line. Developed from an
ETC research project,
Get in Line Games, EGD is positioning itself as a great way to pass the time in amusement parks, concerts or sporting events.
More than just a game, EGD creates “queue-munity,” explains founder and CEO Tracy Brown, a grad student who grew up in Pittsburgh’s West End. “What’s unique is there’s no software to download, anyone can dial the number to play. When you play, you’re playing against people waiting in line at the same time.”
Several of the games place players on random teams. “If one team wins, they will seek each other out in line to high five and go back to the place they were waiting.”
EGD’s team is comprised of four ETC graduates who specialized in location based entertainment and game development. The team has worked with The Walt Disney Company, Thinkwell Group, Activision and
Schell Games. The plan is to sell interactive game technology that is customized for each venue; the group is seeking the financial support of local investors through
BlueTree Allied Angels.
So far no one has developed a technology that works quite like EGD’s, says Brown. Advertising dollars would be earned in a number of unique ways, including sponsors who place ads in the game.
“We think the marketing opportunity will be in the millions years from now,” says Brown. “This is really hot. Anytime in brand marketing you break through the noise of advertising and reach the customer in a novel way, it has real value.”
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Writer:
Debra Diamond SmitSource: Tracy Brown, Evil Genius Designs
Image courtesy Evil Genius Designs