i'm a game-her.
i'm cross-posting this with my blogger blog. the event was just too fun to keep to myself!
b.
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a little while back, i got a huge surprise in my inbox. brand about town had stumbled upon my blogs and wondered if i might consider being a brand enthusiast for a girl-oriented campaign centering around the nintendo ds lite. my obligations would be minimal: i'd receive some nintendo products over the next year, and i'd also host a "girls' guide to gaming" party for me and 30 or so bay area women. the marketing company would coordinate the event and pay for all the party's expenses, and my responsibility would be the guest list.
i read through the email, did some google searching, and thought back to my nintendo-playing days as a child. we had the original nes, and after school, my mom, sister, and i would play super mario (1, 2, and 3) and the legend of zelda. after about 48 hours of buddhist-like contemplation, i responded and said, "i'm in!" (only in longer, more structured paragraph form).
a little time went by, and soon enough i was organizing everything to work from home post-mike-sweeney-like knee surgery (bandages, legal drugs, and buttered toast, oh my!) when the receptionist informed me i had a package. lo and behold, i opened this white box to find a cute onyx-colored nintendo ds lite with pink rhinestones in a chic pink case! colleagues came by and salivated, and one even borrowed it later in the day and played brain age 2 (i think she simply wanted to make sure it was safe for me to play... thanks, l.!). that first weekend, todd my little nintendo once or twice over the weekend, but i think the pink heart will safely deter him from slipping it in his pocket on the way out the door. phew. thank goodness for sparkles.
a few weeks ago, the wonderful women at brand about town hosted my nintendo party, officially titled "a girlfriends' guide to gaming." i rounded up almost 30 women and we made our way down to dogpatch studios on the east side of portrero hill. i've never been down to the dogpatch (i've driven past it, but that's about it), and i didn't quite know what to expect, but i knew there'd be no dogs. ruff.
everyone seemed to have a lovely time, and how could we not? we were greeted at the entrance with a sandwich board dedicated to me (which is very hard for an introvert to digest...) and sped up in the elevator to the 2nd floor where we were immediately impressed with the whole shebang, which included an amazing light-filled loft space decorated with furniture, rugs, tables brimming to the edges with game-related gear (like brain books for brain age!), simple yet elegant flower arrangements, and a corner "bar" area featuring champagne, wine, sodas, appetizers, and amazing desserts.
the staff set the room up with very comfy L-shaped couches (note to self: a-line skirts and low-to-the-ground couches don't mix! nor does anything with those "men in black"-inspired mini rump stumps-- see the white things in the background!), and each couch served as a different game station. as each woman completed or played at each station, she received an adorable little charm for our charm bracelets (it's like elementary school, only WAY better). and gimmicky, yes, but still incredibly fun:) at the end of the night, everyone was gifted with their own personal nintendo ds lite.
there wasn't much more i could ask for. not only did i thoroughly enjoy myself, but i also met lots of friends of friends (and some friends of friends of friends). normally, i'm totally skeptical of free stuff, viral marketing (although i loved that indiana jones lego boulder video from portrero), and such, but as a brand enthusiast, i feel like there's no catch. well, except for those short couches. and for nintendo's sake, i'm willing to lightly brush that aside.
and if anyone has any nintendo ds game recommendations, i'd love some suggestions! i think i'm ready to supplement brain age with a few "action" games...
b.
---
a little while back, i got a huge surprise in my inbox. brand about town had stumbled upon my blogs and wondered if i might consider being a brand enthusiast for a girl-oriented campaign centering around the nintendo ds lite. my obligations would be minimal: i'd receive some nintendo products over the next year, and i'd also host a "girls' guide to gaming" party for me and 30 or so bay area women. the marketing company would coordinate the event and pay for all the party's expenses, and my responsibility would be the guest list.i read through the email, did some google searching, and thought back to my nintendo-playing days as a child. we had the original nes, and after school, my mom, sister, and i would play super mario (1, 2, and 3) and the legend of zelda. after about 48 hours of buddhist-like contemplation, i responded and said, "i'm in!" (only in longer, more structured paragraph form).
a little time went by, and soon enough i was organizing everything to work from home post-mike-sweeney-like knee surgery (bandages, legal drugs, and buttered toast, oh my!) when the receptionist informed me i had a package. lo and behold, i opened this white box to find a cute onyx-colored nintendo ds lite with pink rhinestones in a chic pink case! colleagues came by and salivated, and one even borrowed it later in the day and played brain age 2 (i think she simply wanted to make sure it was safe for me to play... thanks, l.!). that first weekend, todd my little nintendo once or twice over the weekend, but i think the pink heart will safely deter him from slipping it in his pocket on the way out the door. phew. thank goodness for sparkles.
a few weeks ago, the wonderful women at brand about town hosted my nintendo party, officially titled "a girlfriends' guide to gaming." i rounded up almost 30 women and we made our way down to dogpatch studios on the east side of portrero hill. i've never been down to the dogpatch (i've driven past it, but that's about it), and i didn't quite know what to expect, but i knew there'd be no dogs. ruff.
everyone seemed to have a lovely time, and how could we not? we were greeted at the entrance with a sandwich board dedicated to me (which is very hard for an introvert to digest...) and sped up in the elevator to the 2nd floor where we were immediately impressed with the whole shebang, which included an amazing light-filled loft space decorated with furniture, rugs, tables brimming to the edges with game-related gear (like brain books for brain age!), simple yet elegant flower arrangements, and a corner "bar" area featuring champagne, wine, sodas, appetizers, and amazing desserts.
the staff set the room up with very comfy L-shaped couches (note to self: a-line skirts and low-to-the-ground couches don't mix! nor does anything with those "men in black"-inspired mini rump stumps-- see the white things in the background!), and each couch served as a different game station. as each woman completed or played at each station, she received an adorable little charm for our charm bracelets (it's like elementary school, only WAY better). and gimmicky, yes, but still incredibly fun:) at the end of the night, everyone was gifted with their own personal nintendo ds lite.
there wasn't much more i could ask for. not only did i thoroughly enjoy myself, but i also met lots of friends of friends (and some friends of friends of friends). normally, i'm totally skeptical of free stuff, viral marketing (although i loved that indiana jones lego boulder video from portrero), and such, but as a brand enthusiast, i feel like there's no catch. well, except for those short couches. and for nintendo's sake, i'm willing to lightly brush that aside. and if anyone has any nintendo ds game recommendations, i'd love some suggestions! i think i'm ready to supplement brain age with a few "action" games...
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