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Intel wanted to launch a digital campaign that would increase its brand awareness and promote the incredible power of its new Core i5 processors, writes David Pugh-Jones*. We can’t see these processors, since they are embedded in our PCs, but they are in fact the backbone of these remarkable machines that we use everyday. The question was: how could Intel make these processors, which seem unfamiliar or even boring, come to life and really convey to the average consumer the possibilities they create? How do you build excitement around something that’s, well, invisible?

Lionsgate Studios and games developer Funtactix are launching The Hunger Games Adventures, a social gaming title which will open in concert with the film adaptation of the Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel The Hunger Games in March, writes Steve Mullins.

Players of the game will be able to explore the world of Panem – the setting for The Hunger Games trilogy – and complete missions that will take them to each of the ‘Districts’ and the ‘Capitol’ where they will interact with characters from the story.

Channel 4 Education is launching SuperMes, an online drama featuring virtual actors. The cast will improvise, taking direction from the production team, which will capture the action in the style of an observational documentary, where the action emerges from the ‘interplay of improvising artificial intelligences’.

Power To The Pixel is back with the third iteration of its cross-media course, The Pixel Lab, in Potsdam, Germany, at the beginning of July. Participants will develop the skills to create, finance and distribute cross-media stories spanning any combination of film, interactive, live event, mobile, gaming, TV, publishing and online.

Chinese online game developer has inked a deal with French footballer Nicolas Anelka for the global promotion of Firefall, a team-based shooter game. Anelka, who plays for Chinese team Shenhua, will participate in various promotional initiatives for the game and has granted The9 the use of his name, voice and likeness. The agreement is for one year with Anelka netting €2.7 million.

CityVille last month celebrated its first birthday, boasting 50 million users for social games developed Zynga. And thanks to an anniversary infographic from Gamezebo we know that CityVille has more burger joints in its virtual cities than both McDonalds and Burger King combined across the world.

Mobile marketing outfit Upstream has come up with The Challenge. Do you have what it takes for its latest recruitment drive? Upstream is looking for a team of marketing campaign managers, but it is looking online only, writes Sally Ratcliffe.

Forget about emailing that CV off for it to be spammed by some tired recruiters’ inbox, and start jumping through Upstream’s clickable hoops. All set to decrypt anagrams, show best figures in maths and match some cool emotions to a hypothetical scenario? Then you’re ready to crack on with The Upstream Challenge.

JWT London’s Innovation Lab has rolled out a portal for gaming outfit Playcast’s television and desktop audiences. The Lab’s head, Miguel Andres-Clavera, says gameplay and usability are at the core of the new digital hub, with social integration one of the main focuses.