EMPTY X-GAMES

The winter "Extreme Games," later shorted to "X Games" for the sake of translation and branding, officially launched in 1997. This annual event gained unique influence, somehow affecting the competition mode of the Winter Olympic Games, due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes, and consistent fan attendance.

However, it was changed a lot by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Buttermilk looks like a ghost town," local skier Brent Haynes told Xinhua Saturday, referring to the tight COVID-19 restrictions implemented for the 2021 X-Games.

There were no spectators, no motorsports, no concerts, no booths filled with "swag," the memorabilia coveted by attendees, and the usual four-day event was trimmed to three-days.

For 20 straight years, ESPN's winter extravaganza has been held at Buttermilk Ski Area outside of Aspen, but the usual 120,000 fans who attend the event were absent.

Instead, tight security and warning signs greeted local skiers who visited the venue hoping for a peek of the Olympic-bound stars.

In anticipation of the slim fan pickings in 2021, ESPN showcased an elaborate Virtual X Fest online site appealing to the young ski enthusiast.

Wisconsin-based experiential marketing agency GMR began working on Virtual X Fest in November, when ESPN went ahead with the 2021 X-Games again, to the excitement of competitors, but with fans seemingly left out in the cold.

But now, X-Games fans can use an avatar to find X Games merchandise areas, and even a place to take a selfie and tag it with X Games-related stickers.

In addition, the innovative marketing approach includes a bulletin board where fans can click and find updated information on the latest X Games news, posters from the past two decades of X, and a number of hidden features.

X Games producers say if they can attract "even 10 percent," of normal fan interaction at the games with the virtual offering, "it's a win."