VIBE Game Club College Tour to Be Presented By Boost Mobile and Motorola

Vibe.com, October 20th, 2005

The 20-stop tour will bring the hottest hip-hop music and top Xbox® and PC videogames to a host of historically black colleges and universities throughout the country. The VIBE Game Club College Tour, also sponsored by Xbox and AXE Deodorant Body Spray, will kick off on October 24, 2005, at Texas Southern University and will run through November 18, 2005. ADVERTISEMENT

The VIBE Game Club College Tour, produced by Game Live -- the country's most established video game live event company and executive produced by NaviGame -- a specialty marketing agency helping brands reach gamers, will combine two of the most influential and coveted entertainment platforms in today's pop culture, videogames and hip hop, as VIBE's live music extravaganza, "Yardfest," will be featured at five of the campus stops. The free event is expected to reach some 40,000 video game and hip hop fans at some of the top schools in the country, including Florida A&M;, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T;, and more (see Vibe Game Club College Tour page for full tour list).

"The African-American audience represents a huge segment of gamers and an important demo for brand marketers," said Andrew Klein, president of NaviGame. "It only made sense to combine the music and games in one platform, creating the first-ever video-game lifestyle tour to hit this audience. In order to enhance credibility, we partnered with VIBE magazine to take their VIBE Game Club in-book section and make it come to life on tour."

The VIBE Game Club College Tour will offer video-game enthusiasts and trendsetters their first experience to play many brand new games, all while listening to emerging and established hip hop artists. Games to be featured include: Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06, Burnout(TM) Revenge, Need for Speed(TM) Most Wanted, America's Army®: Special Forces, BLITZ:® The League(TM), Halo 2® Multiplayer Map Pack (Live Tournaments), NCAA® Football 06; NHL® 06; NASCAR 06: Total Team Control; NCAA® March Madness® 06; NBA LIVE 06; Battlefield 2: Modern Combat(TM); Marvel Nemesis(TM): Rise of the Imperfects(TM); Madden(TM) NFL 06; James Bond 007: From Russia With Love(TM); Conker(TM): Live and Reloaded; F.E.A.R.; Jade Empire(TM); Forza Motorsport(TM); 50 CENT: Bulletproof(TM) -- SNEAK PREVIEW and Delta Force Black® Hawk Down®, F.E.A.R.(TM), SSX(TM) On Tour and FIFA 06.

Musical highlights from the tour will include performances by Young Jeezy, Juelz Santana, Ghostface, Redman, Smitty, T-Pain, Rhymefest, Little Brother, Bubba Sparxx, T. Waters, Tango Redd, Styles P., Franchize, Noah, Ray Cash, and more.

"With hip hop juggernauts and artists like Def Jam and 50 Cent creating their own games, it is clear that there is tremendous synergy between these two entertainment genres," said Antonio Capretta, CEO of Game Live Events, producer of the tour. "The VIBE Game Club Tour brings live event video gaming, interactive tournaments and cutting edge music right to the student's doorstep. It's all about creating an authentic live event experience."

In addition to the games and music, Boost Mobile and Motorola will be hosting the "Game Behind the Game," an interactive forum that introduces tour attendees and HBCU alumni, who are in the video game, music, and entertainment industries, with the hopes of offering advice, wisdom, and guidance on how to break into those businesses.

"Much of Boost's success comes as a result of understanding that there can be a healthy balance between entertainment and education," said Daryl Butler, Senior Marketing Manager for Boost Mobile. Partnering with Vibe and Game Live Events will provide an excellent platform for young people to enjoy the newest video games as well as speak directly with potential mentors in a developing industry that offers diverse career opportunities."

Additional sponsors represented on this tour include: AXE Body Spray, who will be showcasing their new custom branded game MojoMaster, a virtual fantasy game of seduction for guys, as part of their experience on tour, Xbox and Alienware High Performance systems.

For game tour schedule and performing hip hop artists, visit the Vibe Game Club College Tour page