Add Lightsabers To Your YouTube Player With ‘Star Wars’ Google Takeover

Google has a new way to get movie aficionados excited for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Alphabet-owned internet giant has launched a campaign dubbed #ChooseYourSide, which adds subtle Star Wars-themed changes to YouTube and other Google properties.

Star Wars fans can visit google.com/starwars to get the process started. After logging in with a Gmail account, fans are given the option to #ChooseYourSide, and given the option of whether to be part of the light or dark side of the Force. Once a side is selected, Google will work some behind-the-scenes magic to apply a Star Wars-influenced theme to YouTube. The changes are minimal, but fans will notice the progress, volume, and page-loading bars on the online video site turn into glowing lightsabers.

The #ChooseYourSide campaign also alters the look of other Google properties like Chrome and Google Maps

. Fans can choose to install the Awaken the Force Within Chrome app to see a new Force Awakaens-themed browser wallpaper every time they open a new tab. Google Maps turns its little Street View man into a stormtrooper (at least, it did for me when I chose the dark side’s black-and-red color scheme). Plus, fans who download the official Star Wars app will automatically get an Android Wear theme for their smartwatches, as well as various Star Wars events added to their calendars.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18, 2015. Until that highly-anticipated date, you can enjoy touches of Star Wars during your everyday internet experiences by visiting google.com/starwars. So now the question is which side will you choose?

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Published by
Bree Brouwer

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