It’s On Like Donkey Kong
Well, okay, not really . . . hi5 doesn’t offer Donkey Kong on its newly launched hi5 Games channel, but it does offer a variety of other animal-related arcade games like Eek!, Snake and Mahjong (featuring a cute little penguin).
This launch has not only opened up a whole new “gaming” side to me (that I thought I had lost in 8th grade after my Nintendo power pad broke from playing too much Nintendo Olympics) but also has made it a little more difficult to concentrate at work, while trying to focus on beating my co-workers’ top scores.
As we steer the company to a more socially-integrated entertainment site, the experience represents an important new monetization opportunity utilizing hi5 Coins, hi5’s virtual currency, which launched in December. Users will eventually be able to utilize hi5 Coins for direct transactions, such as premium content, advanced gaming features, and status upgrades. hi5 will also be offering new and immersive advertising options on hi5 Games, which allow brands to better engage their target audience.
Unique to other social media sites, hi5 is focused on deeply integrating social context with game content. hi5 Games makes it easy to play with existing friends and make new friends with hi5’s integrated messaging, challenge and invite features.
Today, hi5 Games offers users with a variety of casual games in genres such as sports, arcade, strategy and cards. hi5 Games will be actively adding more games to the site every month. Some of the more popular games that will be featured during the hi5 Games launch include Disco Bowling, Pool and Mahjong.
Game on!
