Singer turned actress Minh Hang from the Tet holiday blockbuster Giai cuu than chet (Hot kiss 2) endorses Cyberworld’s game Ran Online

As the Vietnamese online game industry goes from strength to strength, companies are expending great care in choosing celebrities to endorse their products.

However, given the nature of the product, being a celebrity per se is not enough.

One provider says that apart from the quality and attractiveness of the game itself, choosing a representative has to be a careful exercise because that person has to vibe well with the gaming community in many ways.

One of the important deciding factors is that the celebrity knows how to play the games they endorse; be able to reflect in some ways the personality of the people featured in the games; and directly contribute to the game; like providing music or singing a theme song.

Singer and keen gamester Lam Truong was the first to endorse an online game in Vietnam: Vo lam truyen ky (Swordman) distributed by VinaGame.

Containing several numbers sung by the popular singer-songwriter, it was voted the best online game of 2006.

For the sequel, Vo lam truyen ky 2 (Swordman 2), singer Thanh Ngoc won the contract for 2009.

Another popular singer, Dan Truong endorses and sings the theme song of The gioi hoan my (Perfect World) distributed by Quang Minh DEC. Like Lam Truong, Dan Truong has an account for the game.

Actress, singer and model Minh Hang, who stars in the film Giai cuu than chet (Hot kiss 2), endorses the game Ran Online from Cyberworld. Hot kiss 2 has already raked in more than VND20 billion (US$1.14 million) at the box office this year.

Then there are singers Khong Tu Quynh and Vuong Bao Trung, who scored the contract for Chien Quoc (Warring States), released last year by Saigontel (Saigon Telecommunication and Technology Corporation).

Controversial signing

Public opinion is paramount in choosing a celebrity.

Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) recently introduced the game Linh Vuong and signed up actress Hoang Thuy Linh to endorse it.

Hoang Thuy Linh had become a very popular star after she played an innocent teenage girl in the television series Nhat ky Vang Anh (Vang Anh’s Diary).

Then she achieved notoriety after a video of her having sex with her boyfriend was posted online in 2007, which people thought might end her career.

Linh returned to the mainstream spotlight last year with short stints in several music concerts and fashion shows.

Her appearance in the Linh Vuong game has caused quite a fuss in the gamers’ community, and some have even threatened to boycott it because of her reputation.

“VTC Game chose Hoang Thuy Linh because her story is in keeping with the spirit of the game,” the company’s Deputy Director Hoang Trong Hieu said.

“Linh Vuong is a long journey of ups and downs where a player who seems to be defeated can overcome all odds and triumph,” Hieu said, adding that the game now had more than 300,000 registered players.

Thuy Top, a rival of Hoang Thuy Linh, endorses Thien long bat bo (Tian Long Ba Bu) from FPT Online.

Already well-known for many photographs that highlight her voluptuousness, the pictures of Top on the game’s website have caused a ruckus with some people saying they do not match the character she is representing.

Reported by To Tam