Gaming - still hot and getting hotter

Those that feel Gaming is "old school" in the interactive space or no longer the "cutting edge, new idea", think again. It is hotter than ever. Clients continue to brand themselves within gaming, agencies continue to model integrated opportunities to include branded gaming. While plenty of industry support exists to support this, perhaps most telling is that, per market research NPD Group, U.S. video game sales rose 25 percent in June to $844.5 million.

This is in part thanks to Nintendo's dual-screen portable players the new box office-hit inspired "Cars" video game, per an editorial on MediaPost. Just think: the new "Cars" video game (launching in sync with the movie's release) sold roughly 646,000 units in its first month alone, outperforming previous top-performing launches for "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." Anita Frazier, an NPD analyst, told Reuters: "Normally, we expect good things in June with graduation and Father's Day gifts helping to spur retail sales, but this performance goes beyond typical lift from those occasions."

Gaming continues to grow, and with it, a myriad of new opportunities for brands.