The acquisition two years ago of the Star Wars brand by Disney has opened up a whole world of merchandising opportunities for the company. Whether it’s clothing, mobile phone accessories or Stormtrooper models, George Lucas has certainly made his millions over the years when it comes to merchandising.
But it’s not just Star Wars that has had a monumental effect on the merchandising industry. It seems that we can’t get enough of space-themed popular culture, whether it’s Starship Troopers hoodies or Star Trek-themed games – so just what is it that makes the space theme so irresistible? And why has it specifically had such an effect on the gaming industry?
It’s visually unlike anything else
If you’ll pardon the pun, the visuals of space-themed games are quite simply out of this world. With the plethora of graphically sharp, high definition console games out there, there is huge scope to make space-themed games visually stunning. Take the recently released Destiny, for example: though it’s online only, the graphics on the game have received critical acclaim from both PlayStation and XBox fans.
It has a sense of humour
While console and computer games are often considered ‘serious’ with their epic battles and stern lead characters, the space genre certainly has a capacity for a more light-hearted sense of humour. In 1997, Hasbro released one of its many different ‘spin-off’ versions of popular board game Monopoly: the Star Wars Saga version. The game featured a digital die in the form of R2D2 who would pick a number at random while making an amusing bleeping noise – hardly the stuff of serious role playing game fans!
It has a limitless imagination
While today’s modern day console games are moving away from the traditional ‘linear’ plot and instead focusing on more of a ‘sandbox’ mode (think 2011’s Skyrim), the space theme has even fewer limits when it comes to gaming. It’s perfect for capturing the imagination of kids too, which is probably why the space gaming industry is making such a huge amount of money at the moment. Even the boffins at NASA are jumping on the bandwagon: their website has its very own ‘Kids’ Club’ featuring games from Toy Story to space-themed Angry Birds.
While Star Wars may be the dominant figure in space-themed games, there is simply no limit to just how far space-themed games can go, making for an even more exciting future in the gaming industry.