It’s all about being innovative. If you don’t think of ways to improve entertainment and overall lifestyle in general settings, then what’s the point?   Movie theatres (for a long time) have been one of the main staples of entertainment in modern-day society and have been for decades, heck, almost a century. Growing up, you became accustomed to waiting in the dead time through advertisements and other promos for upcoming movies in the year while munching on snacks. During that time, there’s not a lot of interaction beyond talking about what’s coming out, or if you decided to pick up one of the Cineplex Magazines while reading in dim lighting (depending where you sit). With the boom of technology and less people going to the movies, gradually over time, there had to be something to come around and entice the general audience into having a rewarding time at the movies beyond just the movie itself (and even that’s not always a guarantee).

Enter TimePlay, and for people who have not been familiar with the concept, it’s an app that serves as your key to participating in a pre-movie game that tests your movie knowledge in ways that you probably didn’t know. You think you know everything there is to know about movies, like your favourite lines, actors, and celebrity trivia? Well, TimePlay is a way to not only prove to yourself, but also to show off a bit or look embarrassed when it came down to your friends – and all you need is a Smartphone. This has been one of the best innovations of the movie theatre since IMAX, and right now if you live in Canada, you have that upper edge when it comes down to your overall experience at the movies (let’s not discount Cineplex Entertainment’s UltraAVX screens and VIP Cinemas becoming more frequent in the country). But what if there was more to Timeplay than just a game to kill some time, earn some Scene points, and win other prizes in the process? What if it was able to be played in other venues like bars? That would enhance the bar/restaurant experience as well, wouldn’t it?

I had the pleasure to head down to the wildly popular Real Sports Bar & Grill during the last Toronto Raptors game in order to test out the 1^st of its kind, TimePlay Sports, where I didn’t exactly have any expectations, but I had a feeling that it would be pretty close to the game play of the movie theatre version. After having dealt with technical issues with freezing before, I was hopeful that things would go smoothly for me this time around. Since it was a Basketball night, the game tested Raptors knowledge (favourite Raptor, 3 Raptors to average 15PPG, etc.) and overall NBA answers (last 5 #1 Draft picks, all time 3s leader, best passer, etc). What I noticed was different was that there were a lot of categories just when you thought it was over, because you were constantly reminded of where your placing was, and it’s not like the theatre version where it doesn’t seem as competitive, but when there are 2 free (I repeat, free) Raptors tickets on the line, you definitely have to bring your A game to the table along with your thirst and appetite. Despite some little hiccups on my phone and my phone wasn’t able to load the screen fast enough sometimes to answer the questions as fast as I could, I still managed to wrangle in a Top 5 finish (4^th overall), and 5 chances to win Raptors tickets (although winning free tickets would have been awesome right then and there).

TimePlay reminds me of the Mattel game, Scene It? (they have a lot of versions – Disney being the one I played last) and just what that game has done for the household, TimePlay has done for the movie theatre, and with what the possibilities are for bars, you’re going to get a lot of participation from customers, especially when you have full houses for Leafs and Raptors games. When it comes to high profile events like The Superbowl or the NBA/NHL Playoffs, the possibilities for more prizes and a lot more people playing increases, and eventually larger venues can adopt this game, especially with newer stadiums and arenas being built to accommodate Wifi for a better experience for the fans. I appreciate TimePlay for branching out and testing the waters in a larger market. The range of opportunity is wide open, and if you happen to be at Real Sports during a Leafs or Raptors game, then you’ll definitely want to test out your sports knowledge and have some fun while you’re at it. It just adds another element of interaction and is another way to get people to enjoy their time out with family and friends (good for dates too, to test out how competitive the other is; just a suggestion). Innovation for entertainment – I’m all for it. I can’t wait to see what becomes of TimePlay Sports, but for now

That’s My Word & It STiXX