'Lindsay Lohan's The Price of Fame' Takes On 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood'

While it may sound like the title above is comparing the new reality shows of two famous starlets, in reality, Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian are now doing battle in a different medium, Apple and Google's app stores.

In the wake of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood reportedly making the star $85M of the $200M total haul of her app (these numbers may be dramatically higher by now), I predicted that this would spark a trend of other celebrities trying to get into the app game with their own branded content.

Next up is none other than Lindsay Lohan, who usually is only in the same sentence with video games when we're talking about her lawsuit against Rockstar for their 'depiction' of her in Grand Theft Auto 5 (the actress featured in the game is a rough amalgam of the worst aspects of young Hollywood, but it's clear Lohan sees herself in the character).

Now, Lohan has her own game, Lindsay Lohan's The Price of Fame. I expected a clone of Kim Kardashian's game, but it actually isn't that at all. It's far more mechanically and conceptually simple (which, if you've played the Kardashian game, is saying something), where you simply swipe upward to get more fans. You buy upgrades to increase the rate of fans gotten passively, or per swipe. Really, it reminds me a lot of Clicker Heroes, the flash game (soon to be an app) where you simply click on monsters until they die, and upgrade your active and passive damage through upgrades.

But Lohan's game has a bit of an edge to it, one that mocks the kind of 'glamorous' celebrity lifestyle glorified in the Kardashian game. Upgrades include butt implants, botox, sex tapes, rehab stints and even faking your death. Entourage members can include weed dealers, space Dracula and Illuminati members. The most fun aspect of the game is racking up enough fans to see what new level of ridiculousness you can unlock.

Even if it is a joke, it is still meant to be a moneymaking venture for Lohan, as the game includes an expected amount of no-nonsense microtransactions like straight up doubling your fan total or collection rate for real life cash. And of course it's dying for you to connect to Facebook to share your fan total with friends.

I was surprised with how much work went into the design and polish of Kim Kardashian's game, which is in part why I think it was so success. That game even got me, someone with zero interest in fashion or celebrity culture, hooked for a spell. Lohan's Price of Fame is a completely different type of game, but it's kind of hilarious to see her own version be a harder edged, cynical look at the same concept of acquiring fame made aspirational by Kardashian. Kardashian's game has fallen down a ways in the top 100 apps list in the store from what I can tell, but even if she's still earning a fraction of what she was making earlier, it's still a huge source of revenue for the star. Lohan's game isn't found in the top charts yet, but it just launched, and if I had to guess, we will see it there at some point, as is the nature of the app store. Though it's unclear if Lohan will have the same lucrative deal that Kardashian had with her publisher.

This is a weirdly amusing game, and mildly addictive if you don't mind infinite amounts of swiping. I'll be curious to see how Lohan's title does in both the Apple and Android stores.

Buried in the game is one free upgrade, which boosts your fans by 50% instantly. It takes you out of the app to this New York Times piece, ' Love People, Not Pleasure. ' An excerpt:

'Consider fame. In 2009, researchers from the University of Rochester conducted a study tracking the success of 147 recent graduates in reaching their stated goals after graduation. Some had 'intrinsic' goals, such as deep, enduring relationships. Others had 'extrinsic' goals, such as achieving reputation or fame. The scholars found that intrinsic goals were associated with happier lives. But the people who pursued extrinsic goals experienced more negative emotions, such as shame and fear. They even suffered more physical maladies.'

Lindsay ' Meta' Lohan everyone. I'm actually impressed.

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