Shimmy Right, Arm Sway, Shimmy Left

This week Microsoft came to our office to demonstrate the new Xbox Kinect technology. For those of you who, like me were skeptical about it's technological competence, fear not. I tried it out for myself and although losing a Kinect boxing match to one of my colleagues, I left feeling excited about the thought of actually buying one. The motion sensor is extremely accurate and picks up your every move. I particularly enjoyed cutting some shapes to Rihanna when playing Dance Central and you can even watch yourself back - not the best showreel if your moves fail to match the dancing talent of pro group Diversity!

On the business side of things, the kinect has officially set the record for selling the greatest number of units in the shortest space of time. Since it's launch just under a month ago Microsoft has seen sales reach over 2.5million, over taking the benchmark that Nintendo set in 2007 with the release of the Wii.

With consoles increasingly appealing to a wider audience, more and more people of all ages are kitting out their homes with the latest gaming technology. You only have to watch Saturday night TV to see Dame Helen Mirren boasting about how she's improved her balance using the Wii Fit. As a result I predict that in-game advertising will actually be a more important part of a brand's advertising strategy. Although in-game advertising is not new, it is rarely considered a crucial part of a brand's overall campaign. I believe this will soon change.

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All Hail for 'Halo: Reach'

The release of anything new is always exciting, especially in the world of gaming and dedicated fans will go to extreme lengths to get their hands on a copy of their favourite game. To avid gamers, video games are not just games they are a kind of lifestyle - a hyperreality parallel to their everyday lives.

Today I witnessed the run up to the release of highly anticipated Xbox 360 game 'Halo:Reach'. For those of you who are new to gaming, Halo Reach is a video game set in the year 2552 where humanity is locked in a war with the alien covenant on the human colony of Reach.

I was sent to Westfields shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush where there was an outdoor display advertising the new game. 3 giant pictures of characters starring in the game were hand painted onto the exterior walls of Westfields. The display had a stop-in-your-stride kind of effect as many passers-by were greeted by these wall paintings as they entered the food terrace of Westfields shopping centre. This shows great innovation and creativity especially since these were not billboard ads, rather they were hand painted wall art creations in Europe's largest indoor shopping centre.

To add to the hype of 'Halo:Reach' a live stuntman wearing a jetpack was seen soaring into the sky towards Nelson's Column during a 30 second flight to further publicise the game release. This was a great PR stunt which added to the overall anticipation of the new game. For me this further indicates the fine line between reality and the hyperreality of the gaming sphere, where the two worlds seem to co-exist.