DAN'S PAPERS, September 11, 2009 Page 29 www.danshamptons.com
‘Royal Pains’ Begets Royal Pains Game By David Lion Rattiner If you’re going to produce a top ranked television show, then you better be sure that you market it effectively. And that includes thinking outside the box. USA Networks, the station behind the hit TV show “Royal Pains” about a concierge doctor in the Hamptons, is going the extra mile to market its show to viewers. So far we’ve seen USA marketing department blast promos all over its network, book the actors on talk shows, and turn local taxi cabs into billboards for the show. But one very remarkable marketing scheme is hitting the internet in the form of a video game—that’s right, a video game for a television show. We’re not talking about a video game like Grand Theft Auto or something that you would pop into your Xbox 360, we’re talking about a videogame that you would play on a website, more specifically, on USA Networks Website. It’s not an easy thing to do however, which is
why Glow Interactive, an interactive advertising agency in Manhattan that specializes in creating video games, was hired by USA Networks to create it. The project caused a stir in Southampton as game developers came out armed with cameras and crews to film extras who had been hired to be in a video game known as “Hamptons Hot Spotting.” The premise is to seek out potential customers for Hankmed, the fictional concierge medical company featured in the show “Royal Pains.” Peter Levin, cofounder of Glow Interactive, explained that this kind of marketing is employed by USA Networks frequently. “USA Networks is one of our biggest clients and we’re constantly developing games and interactive media for them,” he said. “In this particular game we wanted it to be really authentic. So to add to its authenticity we actually headed out there. We did a similar thing for the television show ‘Monk,’ where we actually went out to L.A. to
create the game.” Glow Interactive is also going to create other games for “Royal Pains” that will be featured on the “Royal Pains” website, including a game called “East End Express”—a hilarious game about driving on the expressway to get to the Hamptons. Another game in the hopper is “Tipsy Tinsley,” where the player controls a socialite who has had one too many martinis and is walking home from a summer party. The goal is to prevent Tinsley from falling over. The real purpose behind all of these games, of course, is to captivate users and get them hooked on the television show “Royal Pains” which, so far, according to ratings anyway, is doing a very good job at just that. Levin explains, “The game is built to support the show, so if you go to their website you can check it out. USA Network does a really good job at developing games for their programming.” I asked Levin why it was necessary to come all the way out here to film when so much of these video games is animated at a computer. He explained that it had to do with authenticity. I finally asked if it had anything to do with taking a company trip out to the Hamptons. “Oh absolutely it did.” Laughs. “It was a great day to put it together. It certainly could have been a worse location.” You can play “Hamptons Hot Spotting” and other Hamptons related games soon at the website www.royalpains.usanetwork.com.
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