A few weeks ago my little sister FaceBooked me a link to the online game, “Parking Perfection.”

The game was created and hosted by the French car company, Peugeot. I sheepishly admit I was addicted to it for a good seven minutes.

I recently came across an online game made by Mini. Similar to Peugeot’s, the goal was to navigate around obstacles and preceded to the next level.

But after 90 seconds I was frustrated and clicked on. Why? It was simply too complicated. The site was much more sophisticated, designed with characters and flash video. Each time I died I was forced to again watch the video clip that began the level.

Kudos to Peugeot for understanding that we want to play a game, not watch pointless flash clips; for understanding that we don’t want to watch the loading bar crawl from 1% to 99%.

Peugeot’s game was simple, easy to play and fun. Its for that reason that weeks later Lindsey and her friends are comparing their times and scores.

Note to Mini: Yes, your site was impressively designed and looked “cool,” but I spent more time waiting and watching then playing. Keep it simple, and maybe next time your game will be worth passing on to my friends.

PS

Don’t feel too bad. Your in good company. Many digital campaigns make these same mistakes.

Left: Mini, Right: Peugeot