January 22, 2005
Snowfight!!! A Viral Online Game for an NYC Blizzard!
It was five degrees Fahrenheit in New York City this morning when we got the full picture of the winter storm about to assault us. Within the day, a foot or more of snow was expected to fall on the city, while twenty-mile-an-hour winds would make for white-out conditions. In other words, we were about to get hit by a major blizzard.
When a big snowstorm hits, the best the thing to do--often the only thing to do--is stay indoors, and what better way to stave off boredom (or cabin-fever) while holed up inside than to play videogames. But before we hit the power button on that Sony PlayStation 2, X Box or Nintendo and salivate at the prospect of a day devoted to exploring all those arcane Grand Theft Auto San Andreas cheats, we recommend you try an online game perfectly suited for a massive snow day like today.
The game is called Snowcraft and it's a clever--yet utterly simple--well-designed and extremely addictive little Flash-based videogame with a subtle, wicked flavor. In the game, you control a team of three kids who must defend themselves from being pummeled to unconsciousness by the opposing green team of kids. All the round-shaped, parka-and-beanie-covered kids bare a passing resemblance to South Park's Cartman and Kenny.
The game was developed by major advertising and brand-marketing firm Nicholson New York (NNY), part of the Icon/Nicholson advertising group, as a cute interactive holiday card. But since the Chrsitmas season, the Snowcraft videogame seems to have taken on a life of its own as an Internet hit driven, of course, by viral word of mouth and blog linkage.
Links to the game (plus some links to some other snow-themed games) after the jump below. Check 'em out.
Happy Snow Day!
Posted by at January 22, 2005 06:23 AM
