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CNN Live At Daybreak

Live Like Hef

Aired May 14, 2003 - 06:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. Playboy is giving you the chance to live like Hugh Hefner, at least virtually.
Go back to New York and Susan Lisovicz. She's got the skinny on that.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, Playboy is going 3-D. It's getting into the fast growing video game market with "Playboy: The Mansion." The game will give players a chance to walk in Hugh Hefner's slippers or maybe even his silk pajamas. Gammers can live in his mansion, entertain guests, throw those famous Playboy Mansion parties and run the Playboy empire.

Now, Carol, there is actually a supposed strategy here. The idea is for gammers to generate enough money so that you can add additions to the mansions, things like a zoo or tennis courts or extra bedrooms for the guests. And in order to generate the money, you have to run the magazine smoothly, which means overseeing such important tasks as the playmate photo shoot. You get the idea. It really taxes your intellectual capacities.

What we were watching was the demo version of the game. It won't be available until late next year, sadly.

COSTELLO: Darn! Is it being marketed to young people like kids?

LISOVICZ: I would have to think males are the -- males of all ages are the -- are the -- are the target audience. My favorite quote from one of the developers, Carol, is "we're not mimicking mundane life here. There's no vacuuming, there's no changing babies."

COSTELLO: No.

LISOVICZ: But we already knew that.

COSTELLO: No, I was going to say changing clothes, but I guess they just take them off.

LISOVICZ: Yes, exactly.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Susan. Look at the futures.

LISOVICZ: Slightly higher. As you know, investors took a breather yesterday after two stellar days of gains. The Dow lost half a percent. The Nasdaq composite fell slightly. The big economic report of the day, retail sales for April expected to rise four tenths of a percent, but that's much weaker than March's 1.2 percent jump.

COSTELLO: Understand. Susan Lisovicz, many thanks.

LISOVICZ: Sure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com






Aired May 14, 2003 - 06:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. Playboy is giving you the chance to live like Hugh Hefner, at least virtually.
Go back to New York and Susan Lisovicz. She's got the skinny on that.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, Playboy is going 3-D. It's getting into the fast growing video game market with "Playboy: The Mansion." The game will give players a chance to walk in Hugh Hefner's slippers or maybe even his silk pajamas. Gammers can live in his mansion, entertain guests, throw those famous Playboy Mansion parties and run the Playboy empire.

Now, Carol, there is actually a supposed strategy here. The idea is for gammers to generate enough money so that you can add additions to the mansions, things like a zoo or tennis courts or extra bedrooms for the guests. And in order to generate the money, you have to run the magazine smoothly, which means overseeing such important tasks as the playmate photo shoot. You get the idea. It really taxes your intellectual capacities.

What we were watching was the demo version of the game. It won't be available until late next year, sadly.

COSTELLO: Darn! Is it being marketed to young people like kids?

LISOVICZ: I would have to think males are the -- males of all ages are the -- are the -- are the target audience. My favorite quote from one of the developers, Carol, is "we're not mimicking mundane life here. There's no vacuuming, there's no changing babies."

COSTELLO: No.

LISOVICZ: But we already knew that.

COSTELLO: No, I was going to say changing clothes, but I guess they just take them off.

LISOVICZ: Yes, exactly.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Susan. Look at the futures.

LISOVICZ: Slightly higher. As you know, investors took a breather yesterday after two stellar days of gains. The Dow lost half a percent. The Nasdaq composite fell slightly. The big economic report of the day, retail sales for April expected to rise four tenths of a percent, but that's much weaker than March's 1.2 percent jump.

COSTELLO: Understand. Susan Lisovicz, many thanks.

LISOVICZ: Sure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com