America Online has created an online game with Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor" and other reality TV hits, called Gold Rush.
The game will award two prizes of $100,000 (in gold) every week for seven weeks to pop culture-savvy players. In the final stages, three winners will be picked and sent to join Burnett as he creates the online game show that awards the final $1 million prize.
Michael Wolfson, chief creative director, AOL, notes, "The game vivifies the entire value of the web. The pop culture orientation ties in two of the biggest behaviors that drive the web: gaming and interest in celebrities."
Burnett points out the benefit to AOL, "It's a free service, so AOL will reach many more people who will get to sample its services. And AOL also gets exposed to different advertisers."
CBS is also involved in the campaign; various clues to the contest will be provided in CBS shows such as "Survivor," and there may be a final face-off that will air on the network.
Additional Resources:
AOL Goldrush
