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Future of Play: Playing with Fire

Sabrina Jetton, Senior Creative DirectorJune 15, 2020/ 2 min read

What’s a little risk among friends? Consumers are eager to get into the game, but risk-taking in an unstable world can feel destabilizing.

Our conventional consumer-driven world places a premium on comfort and safety because that’s what we think consumers really want - but is it? Engagements at the intersection of safety and risky convention-busting play are on the rise. Brands that embrace experiences that give people new permission to safely exercise and experiment with their bolder, badder selves will win.

The Opportunity: Be a Gamemaker

Businesses that don’t mind indulging their wild side, win big. Dominant brands are creatively leveraging storytelling and game-inspired experience design to set boundaries that are meant to be broken - tapping into consumers' craving for risk and reward, and their need for taboo-shattering play experiences that help them feel more vital, alive, and human.

Brands forge lasting bonds when they invite consumers into the game to challenge conventions, break rules and exercise their creativity. Gamemaker brands leverage game mechanics to design experiences that have clear boundaries, yet still appeal to risk-hungry consumers, enabling them to experiment, explore, and totally shatter conventional taboos.

Brands establish fierce loyalty when ‘players’ feel safe in the knowledge that the game designers are on their side. Brands become allies and buddies, helping players discover things that give them a leg up and equip them to feel bold and win big.

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