ZynGaga! What would a Zynga/Gaga collaboration look like? We have a few ideas.
Lady Gaga and Zynga, the wildly successful online gaming company behind FarmVille, are in talks regarding a possible promotional deal, reports the Wall Street Journal. The report is light on details, but the deal would likely be pegged to Gaga's forthcoming album, "Born This Way," set to drop May 23. Gaga and Zynga have teamed up once before, but that was an altruistic effort, to raise money for Japan. This deal, to judge from the WSJ blurb, is all about promoting Gaga herself, to Zynga's 250 million active users. So what would a Zynga/Gaga collaboration look like? We have a few ideas.
A Gaga game
This would seem, by far, the least likely scenario, but we can dream, can't we? Wouldn't you rather play FameVille than FarmVille, a game in which you sow virtual rumors about yourself, and harvest the publicity that results? Or perhaps Diva Wars, where you slowly level up by picking fights with the likes of Beyoncé and Britney? I, for one, would play ZyngaPokerface, a game in which your bobble-headed avatar stands rigidly still for hours on end without displaying any emotion at all.
Visiting Gaga's farm
More common Zynga promotions involve interacting with branded content within the game. McDonald's, for instance, let users interact with a McDonald's farm within FarmVille for one day. Gaga doesn't give off much or a rural vibe, but if she does build a Zynga farm, you can expect it to be sleek, angular, white, and irrigated with virtual human blood. Visitors can find Gaga herself in the chicken coop, encased in a giant egg.
Music video placement
The Journal reports that Dr. Dre (who shares Lady G.'s record label, Interscope Geffen A&M Records) previously joined forces with Zynga, streaming a music video in Mafia Wars. Placing gangsta rap in Mafia Wars makes a certain amount of sense. The question is, in which game would you place a video like "Bad Romance" or "Telephone"? PetVille? FishVille?
Gagaphernalia
Mafia Wars has also made money by including paraphernalia--brand-associated objects--in its games. Dre-inspired headphones made an appearance. Miami Vice, Southland, and The Green Hornet have all had branded guns appear in the game. Be on the lookout for a "meat dress" add-on in FrontierVille soon.
[Images: Flickrs users DonkeyHotey, petercruise]
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