The following article is part of Dot Dot Dot’s bi-monthly ‘Pulse Check’ series that provides real-time industry analysis by connecting the dots between trends, brands, and wider cultural movements.
James Davis, founder of publisher and consultancy Drawn Distant sets out to provide a style perspective on the ever elusive universe of gaming. It’s the world he knows best. Earlier this year he wrote for our insights brand about Side Questions: The Secret to Community Growth. The response was big!
This week Davis speaks with an expert behind some of the biggest gaming and fashion integrations to date, including Gucci, Versace, and Coach. Here’s what he has to say.
Gaming is one of the most important cultural territories to be in today, we’ve established this.
But many brands are still sleeping on it. And we get it as it’s a confusing space. There are Gorillaz running around in Fortnite. HIDDEN.NY is digging deep into the archives, making a collection around a 25 year old game called Jet Set Radio. Kids are “stealing a brain-rot” on Roblox. Huh?
As a marketing extraordinaire, burying your head in the pixelated sand is no longer an option. Why?
Roblox (the platform “for kids”) has recently reported a 54% YoY growth in the 13+ category, which means the audience is ageing into spend, both digitally and physically. Video game film and TV adaptations are rumoured to be replacing the Marvel Cinematic Universe in budget attention.
Meanwhile, Yu-Gi-Oh x Nike just took over the entire gaming and anime-verse - once again proving that anime is more than just a trend, it’s a mainstay amongst Gen Z and Alpha. All the while side quests continue to make their way off platform into the cultural zeitgeist, just ask those who clamored and clawed their way to Corteiz’s 24hr Subway take over in New York.
The time to have a gaming strategy was yesterday. But don’t worry, we’ve got you.
Ask an Expert
Now, we could try to convince you ourselves why having a long-term gaming strategy will do more for a brand’s bottom line than almost any campaign, collaboration, or investment into hospitality or design (fields many brands have recently branched into), but we feel you’ll need to hear it from an even bigger expert.
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