Why are Transformers games still so popular?

"Transformers, robots in disguise!". There pretty much won’t be anyone of a particular age anywhere in the western hemisphere that won’t know that catchphrase. Though the line itself, which was the battle cry from the original TV show’s opening score, isn’t used any more, Transformers are probably even more popular now than they were during the late-’80s. Today a whole new generation of kids are getting into Transformers thanks to the huge international success of Michael Bay’s box office smash hit Transformers movies.





But why are Transformers so popular and just how have they managed to last the test of time? Well to start with the toys, the idea was simple: a car, or a truck or a plan, that morphed into a robot. Up until this point, children had to make do with a toy very much staying exactly the same for the duration of its life, and therefore they had to rely solely on their imagination to make the most out of it. However when Transformers came along, it wasn’t just a fancy TV advert that dressed-up another dull static toy with an incredibly over the top sales pitch, these things actually did what they were advertised to do. No batteries, so extra pieces that needed stuck on (and therefore spoiling the instantaneity of it) and no skill required whatsoever. Look it’s a fire truck, and now it’s a menacing robot. The perfect toy. Not only did it give the impression of somehow getting more for your pocket money that you would if you had just bought a regular toy car, but the ‘hidden in plain sight’ element was a massive draw for young boys around the world. These robots were a secret and anyone looking at it would just assume it was a regular toy, until you unfolded it and instantly gained some schoolyard credibility.

However, the real push that made Transformers so hugely popular with children was the animated TV show. It started around the same time the toys were launched and was centred around the team of Autobots (good guys) on their intergalactic quest for new energy sources. The Decepticons (bad guys) then launch an attack, and each show was pretty much based on the struggle of good over evil. Now not only was this primetime toy advertising straight into the target market’s front room and imagination once or twice a week, combined with a ridiculously catchy theme tune, but it also gave ready made storylines for kids to re-enact at home with their own toys. This had never been done before and the result was a huge explosion in the number of toys sold. As well as blatantly promoting their own toys under the guise of children’s television, the creators of Transformers also unwittingly got children around the world to think about complex issues such as saving energy, defence strategies and planning huge attack operations; needless to say their playtimes had just gotten a little more advanced.





Today, Transformers games are just as popular as the toys, as Transformers: The War for Cybertron has become one of the most downloaded video games of 2010. Like Star Wars though, Transformers is as huge today as it was in the ‘80s thanks to its lucrative movie franchise, which has immortalised the toy for at least another generation, where kids will pick up where their parents left off.