Coupons? We don't need no stinking coupons!

So - you may have noticed that the front page of PlayGameWave.com has (finally) changed.

That's because there is a big couponing campaign going on right now and if you enter the right code, there are some serious discounts happening. We cut the price of the console, the games, the extra remotes, but only if you have one of those stinking codes...

So - how do you get one of those stinking codes? You have to know somebody who has one, that's how.

Tricky huh?

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

You know?

What I'm saying is, you know me, so...

Not Just in your Family Room Anymore

Next time you are in Tampa, drop by the Bilmar
Station Sports Tavern in Tampa on Hillsborough.

What you'll find there besides the requisite beer taps and multi screen TV's is a prototype of the new Game Wave coin-op that's gonna take the nation by storm.

This particular model is for 4-players and a 6-player model will also soon be available. All the regular Game Wave titles are available, like Rewind and ZAP21, plus other games like Texas Hold 'em.

Now - that's cool enough. What makes these things even cooler is all the games are what are known as "Redemption Games."

These are arcade games of skill that reward the player depending on how well they do - usually with tickets to merchandise of gift certificates. Or in this case, cash.

See, the idea is to make playing the Game Wave into an actual sport - where players can become pros.

From where we started, to where we are now, it's exciting to see where the Game Wave and it's multi-player interativity concept is going.

Apparently we're going to the bar, and if you're good enough - the drinks may be on us.

Both genius - and weird

Housewives of the early 50’s were convinced by an entrepreneur named Brownie Wise to hold these get-togethers for their fellow stay at home moms to demonstrate the latest innovation in plastic food storage containers.

The Tupperware party was born.

Tupperware's sales and popularity exploded, thanks in large part to Wise's influence among women who sold Tupperware, and her famous “jubilees” that celebrated the success of the highest selling Tupperware ladies.

And weirdly enough, although the idea of plastic containers to package food is hardly cutting edge as it was in post-WWII era, the parties have never stopped. “Jubilee” events are still held in major cities to recognize and reward top-selling demonstrators.

Brownie was a genius: Have someone demonstrate a product in their homes for their friends - and then have that person sell that same product for a commission.

I wonder what product, that people only get when they play it, would benefit from that grassroots marketing model…

If you got a Game Wave for Christmas - look what you missed out on....

Being in the gaming business, I can surely empathize with our competitors, especially over this past holiday season.

In our collective line of work, all everyone was trying to do was to get our products under people's trees so, hopefully, when they were opened they made the recipient happy.

Now - in the Game Wave's case - that's a given. But I wonder what the kids who received some of the following were thinking...

To me nothing says Christmas more than giving your kid a gun.

A gun that shoots Teddy Bears.


Dead animals you say? Well, what kid wouldn't love to have a nice stuffed Road Kill to snuggle with every night?


I bet you're upset now knowing you could have given your kids their very own cute and hugable human waste dolls...



... and if they were into that, you just know that they would love this...


It's never too early to set them down a career path. How about their very own HazMat training toys!


Or you could have gone straight to the "I want to scar them for life" gift and terrified the heck out of them with whatever this is:


We had a great Holiday season, and now it's back to work producing a whole bunch of games for 2008.

It's just too bad for us someone already cornered the defecation market.

Cheers - Gavin