The Birth of Gaming Tourism

The Birth of Gaming Tourism

Xbox believes gaming is for all. Yet games marketing focuses on action. To target a new audience, McCann London created a new reason to buy games. Not to play. To visit. The centrepiece was The Rough Guide to Xbox – the first travel guide for virtual worlds. Xbox transformed into a travel brand, with a stand at the UK’s biggest travel expo, tourist board-style ads, in-game guided tours, and even game bundles re-framed as package holidays. That was all before Covid. But when the pandemic hit, it cemented this new way to travel.

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- Xbox / Microsoft
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What did the judges have to say?

D&AD Jury

It's just a brilliant idea. A great use of the immersive nature of video games turned on its head to create a newsworthy story that was incredibly executed.

Pete Baker
Film and Experiential Director & Senior Partner
The Glue Society

The work emphasizes and promotes a positive message and reflects gaming and its communities, showing that game worlds are not just built for competition or violence, they provite charming, immersive and eye-open alter-universes. – Kailin Zhu

Kailin Zhu
Senior Designer
UsTwo

It's different, it's relevant and it gives a whole new dimension to open world games. Brilliant.

Pancho Cassis
Partner & Global Chief Creative Officer
David The Agency Madrid

It's gonna be an industry classic. It turned around a whole category in a classy way, showing gaming from a different lens$no one saw this idea coming. But what I love the most about this one is that it will be timeless. There always will be more places, universes, and landscapes to explore.

Hugo Mario García
Creative Director
MediaMonks

It's just a brilliant idea. A great use of the immersive nature of video games turned on its head to create a newsworthy story that was incredibly executed.

Pete Baker
Film and Experiential Director & Senior Partner
The Glue Society

The work emphasizes and promotes a positive message and reflects gaming and its communities, showing that game worlds are not just built for competition or violence, they provite charming, immersive and eye-open alter-universes. – Kailin Zhu

Kailin Zhu
Senior Designer
UsTwo

It's different, it's relevant and it gives a whole new dimension to open world games. Brilliant.

Pancho Cassis
Partner & Global Chief Creative Officer
David The Agency Madrid

It's gonna be an industry classic. It turned around a whole category in a classy way, showing gaming from a different lens$no one saw this idea coming. But what I love the most about this one is that it will be timeless. There always will be more places, universes, and landscapes to explore.

Hugo Mario García
Creative Director
MediaMonks

It's just a brilliant idea. A great use of the immersive nature of video games turned on its head to create a newsworthy story that was incredibly executed.

Pete Baker
Film and Experiential Director & Senior Partner
The Glue Society

The work emphasizes and promotes a positive message and reflects gaming and its communities, showing that game worlds are not just built for competition or violence, they provite charming, immersive and eye-open alter-universes. – Kailin Zhu

Kailin Zhu
Senior Designer
UsTwo

It's different, it's relevant and it gives a whole new dimension to open world games. Brilliant.

Pancho Cassis
Partner & Global Chief Creative Officer
David The Agency Madrid

It's gonna be an industry classic. It turned around a whole category in a classy way, showing gaming from a different lens$no one saw this idea coming. But what I love the most about this one is that it will be timeless. There always will be more places, universes, and landscapes to explore.

Hugo Mario García
Creative Director
MediaMonks

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The Birth of Gaming Tourism