Virtual Pan-handling

One of the main reasons I play ourWorld is to experience the game as typical players experience it. When I play ourWorld, I do so as a regular player, with a regular membership. Nothing more or less than any other member with a paid subscription would have.


One of my policies has been to accept all friend invitations. I don't want to miss out knowing somebody who I really want to know. Unfortunately, that's not how it really works. Too many friends essentially eliminates friends as a useful tool. They're just random names on a 1000-strong list, and I still only know a couple dozen as 'real' online friends.

While my account is no different than any other, I do use it for a few official functions. When players win ourWorld Contests, I use my account to award the prize codes. An unfortunate side effect of issuing these codes with my main account is now people think it's okay to ask me for free coupons and Gems (ourWorld currency, normally only available for real money.)

I could handle one or two people a day asking for free stuff, and then taking no for an answer. Unfortunately, since awarding the contest prizes, I now get lots of people asking repeatedly. So many requests that it's sapping the enjoyment out of playing ourWorld, and that is intolerable.

My solution is semi-harsh, but I plan to stick to it. Players get one free pass. Ask me for free stuff (or give me a sob story about how you can't afford anything, which is worse) and you get one warning. Ask me again, and you're off my friends list.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, players panhandling for free stuff are not the players who are ponying up their credit cards and purchasing memberships and virtual currency. That means my friendship is based on how actually friendly they are. Most of the ourWorld friends I talk to regularly are very nice and I don't care if they are members or not. Even huge sites like Club Penquin only have about 5% paying members. That said, if you're a high maintenance user, bugging me daily, you might consider making a purchase. I will happily contribute to a relationship based on social niceties. I will happily contribute to a relationship based on an customer/provider relationship. While its hard to mix the two, I think I do a good job with friends who are also customers as well. Bring nothing to the table, and I don't think it hurts me or ourWorld much to remove you from my friends list. That's all I'm saying.


-Adam!!!

Twitter-Done

It keeps coming up in media, in casual conversations, even at work. Twitter.

I signed up months ago, but this time I'm really going to try and sort out what Twitter can do for me. Heaven help me.


The book, Remix, really is worthwhile.

-Adam!!!

I Know My Family Will Be Prepared

More debate over violent video games. This time with conclusions I can support.


Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

-Adam!!!

They Know "Comfortably Numb" is Friggin' Awesome, Right?

Violent Media Numb Viewers To The Pain Of Others


Another study designed to support an established behavioral theory. i.e. video games are bad.

Let me make a list of things I think could generate similar results:

• A bad day at work
• Traffic Jam
• Headache
• Most media I define as 'awesome'
• Pink Floyd, Slipknot, or Barry Manilow
  
• Dealing with agressive pan-handlers daily
• Being hungry
• Being full
• Wearing orange (don't know until you test it.)

My point: Lots of things can impact how we react to a given situation, particularly in the short term. People are drastically impacted by their environment, and video games are a kind of environment. Have the kids play violent video games for a year and see how they act (compared to a control) a year later. That might hold some weight.

I particularly like how the article paints the research as "[filling] an important research gap in the literature on the impact of violent media."

Rubbish.

-Adam!!!

A Simple Plan

I don't need another T-shirt. It's epic how much I don't need another T-shirt. I may NEED this T-shirt.

A Simple Plan

Available from threadless.com

Another slice of awesome courtesy of Wil Wheaton.

Phone Privilege Day at the Home

PPDatH is an old Wizards of the Coast Customer Service phrase (coined by Jeff Harris, who should contact me if he reads this. DUDE!) We used it any time the day's ration of crazy/stupid/incomprehensible callers outnumbered the sane ones. We handled rules support for Magic: The Gathering, so the 'sane' bar was already set pretty low!

Nowadays, when I handle support, I do it mostly via Email. The primary advantage to Email is the ability to step back from the insane for a moment. Once my wits are in place, I can then tackle the problem du jour with the optimistic vigor I have worked so hard to cultivate. Still, there are days...

When I first started with ourWorld, I read up on community management. There was precious little usefull information out there on how to handle a large number of online contributers*, particularly teens. Most of the attention was spent on how to *be* a member of a community, rather than how to manage one. What written help the internet could provide, proved useful. I'll share the most imporant bit:

"You are a moderator, not a therapist."

It's shocking how often this phrase helps me do the correct thing. And there you have it.

-Adam!!!

* A quick Google search for 'virtual world community management' brings up a host of articles now. No idea if they're any good. When I have time, I'll need to see.

The Transitory Nature of Things

I think there is a desire for things to be permanent, yet so much that we treasure is made even more valuable by the knowledge that its not forever.

I'm toying with the idea of a communal art-project for ourWorld, that allows players to cover up the work of the previous artists, or if left too long, vanishes with time. I love the notion that players could impact their virtual world, if only for a little while. It's just an idea, and I'll have to do some convincing to make it happen. It's not technically prohibitive, it can be monetized, and it's pretty fraking unique. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of Transitory. Here's a clip from my last robot fight. My robots were the losing pair.



-Adam

Are we that?

Today's post from Seth Godin got me thinking (as they often do).

Authenticity

If it acts like a duck (all the time), it's a duck. Doesn't matter if the duck thinks it's a dog, it's still a duck as far as the rest of us are concerned.

Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not "being who you are".

That's because 'being' is too amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.

As the Internet and a connected culture places a higher premium on authenticity (because if you're inconsistent, you're going to get caught) it's easy to confuse authentic behavior with an existential crisis. Are you really good enough, kind enough, generous enough and brave enough to be authentically a hero or leader?

Mother Theresa was an atheist, filled with self doubt. But she was an authentic saint, because she always acted like one.

You could spend your time wondering if what you say you are is really you. Or you could just act like that all the time. That's good enough, thanks. Save the angst for later.

In the case of a ourWorld, or any virtual world for that matter, there is a question of Who We Really Are. ourWorld is distinctly different than the creators had in mind when they started. That's not a bad thing because our team is fast enough and smart enough to adjust to the realities of who most of our players are and what they like. But the switch, I think, has left us less defined than we ought to be. Are we a dog or a duck. We set out to be a dog.

Virtual Worlds based on established brands, like Disney, have the ability to take a concrete idea/brand and ask "are we that", and if the answer is no, make adjustments. ourWorld is for teens who like games and socializing, but asking "are we that" is still too broad a question. Even though we are acting like a site for teens who like games and socializing, does that establish a recognizable identity? More to the point, does it help define who the players are?

Like I said, it got me thinking. I'll have to think about it some more.

-Adam!!!

Happy Valentine's Day - Mollusk Style

Octopus Blind Date on Saturday, 2/14 at noon. Witness what happens when sixteen arms, six hearts (three hearts each) and two giant Pacific octopuses meet on Valentine’s Day. Aquarium biologists set the mood with decorative hearts, roses and romantic music at the Octopus Exhibit. But it’s up to the octopuses to decide whether or not love is in the water!

"Hey baby, you got a sweet set of tentacles..." (Totally G-rated)

-Adam!!!

Happy Valentines Day (for fun and prizes)

We're almost done with the ourWorld Valentine's Day photo contest. We've had thousands of entries, and I expect close to 200 finalists by the time Valentine's Day has come and gone. From there we'll whittle the best down to a few choice images, and then the winners.

To see the best entries, check out the ourWorld Photos Flickr page.

Happy Valentine's Day!

-Adam!!!

P.S. You are all bitch for doing that

This blog boils down the difficulty of handling online support for kids into a pure, uncut, resin: COPPAKids

For your entertainment, I'll post a bit right here:

“ I cant make a [COMPANY NAME] acoiunt, why. Its says Im 12 years old or younger
but IM NOT. I want to make a Acount. Please let me.PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!!!

0 Comments

“ hey [WRONG NAME] my name is [BLEEP] like the car but i am not a car i love all kinds of sports do you think we could be friends and i am a great singer in the school and how did you become famous please write back

2 Comments

“

Dear [COMPANY] Feedback,

It says that I am under 12 when I am not. I am 13, but please don’t tell anyone that. I hope all this feedback is kept private. Please let me become a part of [COMPANY], I really want to! =]

From
[RIDICULOUS USERNAME]

0 Comments

“

hey [company name] people can you erase the thing on my computer that says you are under the age of 13 because im 20

p.s. you are all bitch for doing that

There's more, all 100% awesome.

-Adam!!!

All Hail the Emperor of Humanity!

My past seems to be taunting me in unexpected ways this week. 10 years ago, this would have been the coolest thing ever. Now...well, it's still pretty darned close!



I want one!

WarHammer 40k was my obsession of choice for many years. I still have all the old mini's tucked away in my closet, just in case the galaxy turns out to need defending after all.

-Adam!!!

Rules Are Made To Be Broken

...and thank goodness.

One of my tasks is to manage the ourWorld photo contests. Of the 950+ Valentines Day contest entries we've received so far, I've reviewed roughly 600 of them. Happily, I've been able to discard about half of the entries because they didn't follow the contest rules close enough to be considered.

The theme of the contest was couples (Valentine's Day, after all) so I required that there be a couple in every photo, and the names of the couples be either visible or provided in the text of the entry. This rule has a simple purpose. I want to give both people in the winning photos a prize. As it turned out, the rule DQ'd about 30% of the entries. We said we wanted the photos to not be from the in game photo-studio, again because the names of the Avatars would not be visible (also because those photos tend to look the same.) Another 20% out the window. A few players didn't get to the bottom of the rules where we imposed a 5 photo per player limit, designed to keep individuals from spamming us with entries. It's hard to enforce, unless players sent us 6+ photos in a single Email entry, as many did.

Could you imagine 900+ worthy entries? What a nightmare that would be! I'm torn on whether I want to keep these 'complex' rules as a filter, or make sure that future contests are as easy to enter as possible. Most of the best photos follow the rules closely, thus maximizing the chance of winning. I had to let a few good ones go, though.

If anyone reading this is thinking of entering the contest, also take note of the judging categories. Of the remaining 300 valid entries, about half didn't meet the specific judging criteria close enough to be put in one of the three finalist categories.

• Fashion - Both avatars are dressed up and looking cool (or unique, or silly, or something!)
• Dancing - Both avatars are performing a dance move. Some of my favorites have features avatars photographed dancing in sync. These are hard shots to capture, but worth it.
  
• Quote - The avatars are saying something sweet or funny. This is the least populated category. Of 600 entries, I have less than 20 finalists in this categories. Emotes, 'I love u', 'wanna be my gf', aren't quite sweet, funny, or original enough to make the cut. With only two more days left in the contest, this category is wide open.

Read the ourWorld Photo Contest Rules on the ourWorld Blog

-Adam!!!

In Another Life...

Graphic design is what I went to school for, and a couple of years back I took one last stab at getting back into that business. To get back into the swing of things, I decided I'd do some free logos for Battlebots teams that requested it. I was a fan and many of them really needed better logos! I had a couple of takers and was generally pleased with the results. While most of the teams are long gone (though Battlebots may be back soon), logos are forever. Case in point, Infernolab's reuse of my work:

I couldn't be more pleased that Jason thought enough of my work to reuse it after all these years. I'm also pleased it blew up without serious pixilation. My designs were too focused on web applications back then (but hey, that's why I was working for free!)

More pics of this sweet arcade cabinet.

My obsession with combat robotics is still alive and well. Our club, Western Allied Robotics, will be holding its next event at the Seattle Center House on April 12th, Easter Sunday! I designed the WAR logo and site graphics well.

-Adam!!!

Update Day

I love update day on ourWorld. That's the day, roughly every two weeks, where we update the site and add new features.

This last update occurred on a Friday (normally it's on Monday) and instead of adding new features, we actually did some system house cleaning, which for many players, actually had a negative impact on their experience. It's been rough on many of those players. I agree with everything we did, but I totally understand how they are reacting. I'm sure I'd feel the same way.

Membership cancellation - We hadn't been turning off lapsed subscriptions. In some cases we provided a free coupon last year and those players had enjoyed most of the paid member benefits for months and months. Lots of players assumed they were keeping those features indefinitely, without subscribing.

Super Rewards - One of two features allowing players to earn free Gems (which normally cost real $) wasn't working out for us the way we wanted. It was deactivated. Now friend referrals and links like the image posted on this blog are the only ways to get free Gems.

Friends Limits - Some players in ourWorld have accumulated thousands of friends. It was drastically slowing down our system. Now free accounts can only have 200 friends, paid memberships can have 1000. This is causing the most pain for players.

Notice how all three of these features only (seriously) impact non-paying players. I'm being told repeatedly that players are leaving because of the changes, but how should I feel about that? If they aren't willing to become members, we're losing their contribution to the community, but little else. At least on an individual level. New players are still coming in record numbers, and they'll never know that players ever could have over 200 friends, that Super Rewards was ever there, and that back in the day, a one month membership could provide months of premium benefits.

The question remains, is the free experience of ourWorld good enough? I'm confident it is, as we keep adding to what is available to free players, just not as quickly as the premium features. Non-playing players don't consider what they bring to the table, and they shouldn't. Their job is to play and to come back if they like it, not come back if they don't. Our job is to try and keep them coming back in numbers large enough that a tiny percentage that do pay, will pay. Then, once they have paid, make sure they get their money's worth. Easy! (If only...)

-Adam!!!

Be careful, kids!

If you don't read check out GraphJam every day, you're missing out.


Quick! There isn't anyone named sexiboi18 in ourWorld yet. (groan!)

-Adam!!!

Real or Miniature

I created a quiz on Facebook! Can you tell which photos are of real things and which are of miniatures? Some people can!

I think this will take you to my quiz (Facebook membership required)

This started out as a regular photo!

The effect that makes the photo look like a miniature is called Tilt Shift. I've been interested in photos that have been modified this way since I first noticed it a few years ago, but never bothered to try it myself. Now there's a simple web tool that does the basic modification for you.

Check out Tilt Shift Maker!


-Adam!!!

Twas the Season...In Pictures!

One of the high points of my ourWorld holiday season was dressing up as Santa. I took a lot of in-game photos, visible on the ourWorld Photos Flickr account.



I received a lot of requests. The kids wanted, in order of popularity:

1. A pony (an off-color inside joke, I think)
2. A girlfriend/boyfriend. Sometimes specific, sometimes general.
3. Money
4. World Peace
5. Puppy

To be fair, money and peace were a toss up, with money gaining a slight edge towards the end. My avatar now looks like it does in the sidebar here. That image is automatically updated and yes, you can click it to join ourWorld.

-Adam!!!

The Deep End

I just received a comment about the ourWorld experience. This sort of feedback is really helpful as we try to mold our site's First Impression.

There are two factors that play off each other poorly.

1. To provide a consistant new user experience, new users need to appear in a part of your world designed to accomodate them.
2. When all sorts of new users appear in the same place, they tend to detract from the experience.

New users are more difficult to handle, in-game, than just about any other sort of player. They don't know what to do. They don't know what to say. If there's any kind of etiquette, they don't know it. They don't yet have a vested interest in the site or the community, so they're prone to a level of rude/crudeness that mellows as players settle in.

I like YoVille's party system, because its easy to find and it gives even the newest players a framework for discussion. TOPICS.

The ourWorld experience starts with a mission-based tutorial, but that doesn't last long, and it doesn't satisfy the need to establish communication with the other players. Those other players also don't know what to say, so its common to see a crowded room full of people not talking (or talking crap.)

I will say that once ourWorld players do make some friends, they have a lot of fun. Our loyal players are extremely loyal, and I think its because our work is paying off with a strong, entertaining, experience. (of course, I'm biased.)

No solutions today, but food for thought. That might be even better.

-Adam!!!

Time to Pick One

In today's ourWorld update, we added a "heart" feature. Each player gets exactly one heart that they can give to a single bestest friend.

My ourWorld Crush/Match is my real life wife. Back off girls, he's taken!

Virtual dating on ourWorld is commonplace. Everyone is looking for a bf or gf (mostly girls, as they outnumber boys) and a fair number of players, of both genders, collect virtual sweethearts much the way one collects weapons in a first person shooter. I believe "playa" is the word for their activity.

Now, it seems, each person will have to pick a favorite other person (or not), declared for all ourWorld to see. Time will tell will see how dramatically this changes the social scene.

Already I can see girls becoming each other's BFF's to avoid choosing a single guy. Not sure that will work for guys who, due to their relative scarcity and the number of available girls, are more frequent offenders.

Note: If you are an ourWorld player who just found out you weren't your sweety's favorite, that cheatin' other person didn't deserve you.

-Adam!!!

I Have Talented Friends

One of my oldest buddies, Bryan Edge-Salois, is a freelance writer. Here he brings us...

8 Myths About Video Games Debunked

I believe these myths are dying of natural causes, as the general population of gamers more and more represent the general population, overall. These myths are still embraced and spread by an ever-shrinking group represented by:

• An older non-gamer demographic.
  
• The not-yet-in-the-21st century wing of the mainstream media. (Dr. Phil, for example.)
  
• A minority of vocal anti-gaming zealots. These folks have an uncanny knack for getting the the ear of the previously mentioned media people.

Don't worry. As long as you ignore them and stay off their lawn, they can't hurt you nor take your XBox away.

Merry Christmas!

-Adam!!!

Even Freedom isn't Free

One of the most common inquiries sent to ourWorld support are requests for more free stuff. Its not surprising as the ratio of free vs for-money content has shifted, gradually at first, but more so lately, towards stuff that only paying customers have access to.



We have a lot of kids playing, particularly younger teens. I understand they don't have control over whether or not they become customers as a credit card or PayPal account is required (we do accept by-mail payments, but its not a popular option.)

Just today we got a from a player who wanted us to make items cheaper because, and I quote "I honestly don't want to spend money for a online game. (No matter how cool the game is!)"

Her honesty is nice, but she is saying explicitly what the cynic in me thinks every time I read a message requesting we give more away for nothing. If she's never going to become a customer, her value to ourWorld is based on her contributions to the community and the number of paying customers she refers to the site. Statistically, that's not a huge value to us, so I have to say no. Over and over again.

We could give more away for free if:

• Doing so will radically increase the retention of Tourists, leading more to eventually become Customers. The numbers don't currently support this.
  
• We can increase the value of Tourists (through ads, promotional deals, or something else I haven't thought of.)
• The free items lead to additional purchases by the players who do spend.
  

If the players' requests don't have an impact on one of those three things, the answer has to remain a polite, but firm, no.

-Adam!!!

Super Tourists

When I first wrote the series of posts covering Tourists, Customers, Fans, and Super-Fans, I wasn't in the Virtual World business. Now that I am, I want to re-explore Tourists. Not just any Tourists, Super-Tourists!


Quick recap: I call the players who are using the free version of your product Tourists. They are checking it out, and maybe they'll pony up some cash and become customers. (Note: Tourist is the literal name of non-paying players in ourWorld. I don't know if that's coincidence or not. I came up with the term Tourist long before I ever heard of ourWorld.)

If you are a player with a free membership this is what you offer:

• You might buy something and become a Customer.
• You contribute and enhance the community, increasing the value of the game for Customers and Fans
• You may refer other players to the game, so even if you never become a Customer, you may be responsible for someone who eventually does.

Note: A Tourist who doesn't do any of those things may be harmful to your game. Community contribution is subjective, and freeloading troublemakers can be an issue. Tourists who constantly use up the time of your support staff can also be an issue. I hate to cut anyone loose, just in case there is potential, but sometimes you have to.

Super Tourists are players who bring a lot to the table, besides their own money. They are as involved as a Super Fan, only without the check-book. They enhance the community by having a lot of friends and being fun to play with. They refer a lot of players to the site, many of whom become customers. For games where volunteers are needed, they're front and center. It's generally accepted that volunteers don't do it for the 'stuff', but for recognition. It may be that Super Tourists require more 'free stuff' than normal customers because their lack of spending limits their experience.

As I've recently posted, ourWorld has just started an assortment of reference features (click the avatar in the sidebar!) but we haven't started ID-ing Super Tourists yet. I'm not even sure how many (if any) there are. I'm going to look into it.

-Adam!!!

Idle Mice are the Devil's Work

"im bored"

When looking through chat logs, nothing drives me crazier than seeing that phrase. It's maddening, because it seems like we could do something, but nobody really knows what. Playstation Home just launched and the most common comment I've seen about it is that it's boring. (That and it will be good when they expand it. Why does that sound familiar?)

Virtual Worlds are, for the most part, extremely fancy chat rooms. The problem is, they look like games, so there is a sense that something more ought to be going on. But what?

• Games - I'm beginning to think that Virtual Worlds are an imperfect fit with games. Pure gamers aren't interested in the social aspects of VWs and social players aren't all that jazzed about single player or competitive gaming. A percentage of players are interested in both, but I have no idea what that percentage is.
• Exploration - Making a VW large enough where exploration is fun for more than a few minutes is difficult and expensive. In ourWorld, most of the 'regulars' spend most of their time in the condos (private member-only locations) rather than hob-nobbing with the noobs in the public spaces.
  
• In-World Activities - This shows the most promise, and what I'm working on with ourWorld right now. Something for your character to do, that isn't really competitive, and doesn't keep the player from being social. If the social players can't chat, they tend to steer clear of that activity. Pretty vague, huh. Yes, I'm still working on the specifics myself.
• Organized chat - YoVille has a fabulous feature where players can set a topic-specific party and invite interested players to their place. The topics range from age-specific (under 15s only), X-rated (of course), and the more mundane (Jonas Brothers Fans.) I think this is a key boredom killer, as it focuses the chat and the community rather than distracts from it.
  

Part of the problem for both ourWorld and (I imagine) Playstation Home is the teen audience. As stated before, a notoriously hard group to please. Still, teen players are a lot of fun if you can make them happy. OurWorld is starting to get into a groove, with regular players and a constant stream of new players (click the avatar...)

-Adam!!!

Old Man Winter

One of my best friends, Mark Gardiner, is a talented photographer. I submit proof:

Winter

Thanks, Mark!

Who is that handsome anime-looking dude?

OurWorld is adding a new feature, an affiliate script that grants the player ourWorld Gems (the currency that normally costs $) if people use its link to join the site.

If you were to click on that avatar image and join ourWorld (and save and gain a couple levels) I'd get +10 Gems. Nice.

Wylde (that's the ourWorld me!)

I love this kind of stuff.

Is Henry Rollins really helping?

There was a 2003 british TV show called Full Metal Challenge, which I quite enjoyed. One of the two hosts was Henry Rollins.

I was just reading a review of the show, and the reviewer really despised Henry Rollins' role as co-host of this gearhead-centric game show. While he didn't bother me, I did wonder why he was there when I watched the show. Why was he there?

Attaching a celebrity to your product provides attention. This is handy when you're product is a little outside the norm and/or in jeopardy of being overlooked. The producers of the show decided they needed somebody that would get noticed. They went with Rollins, and while the choice may have turned a few heads, that was the point.

The downside is that one person's awesome bad-assed musician/writer is another person's loudmouth tattooed knucklehead. People who watch your show (or play your game) want it to be represented by people who they identify with. People they feel are like them or people they would like to be more like. If that connection isn't made the result is always some flavor of poor. If the connection IS made, the results can be spectacular.

A celebrity endorsement is part of the story you're telling about yourself? The attention is a given, but it'll be a waste if the story doesn't make sense in the end.

When your worst is good enough

I just bought another pair of shoes from Zappos. My size 13's make it hard to find shoes I like in styles I like. In fact, it's nearly impossible in a brick and mortar store.

Not long after placing my order, they sent me this Email:

Dear Adam Conus,

Good news!

Although you originally ordered Standard (4 to 5 business days) shipping
and handling, we have given your order special priority processing in
our warehouse and are upgrading the shipping and delivery time frame for your
order.
Your order will ship out Monday, October 6th 2008 and be given a special
priority shipping status so that
you can receive your order even faster than we originally promised!

Please note that this is being done at no additional cost to you.  It is
simply our way of saying thank you for being our customer.

What does this say to me? Well, I know that everyone gets a message like this, so while I liked it, I know I'm not special or anything. What do I think it really means? I think it means the basic level of shipping/service they reserve for when they are slammed (Christmas, perhaps) and anytime they can provide better-than-promised service, they do.

Smart. That's why I recommend them. (That and their shoes are awesome.)

They also provide a link so I can market for them: My shoes. So thoughtful!

-Adam!!!

It doesn't matter if the customer is right or not.

This is a quote from a post in The Escapist Magazine Forum:

The Customer is Always Wrong

I had a customer come in all angry-like. He comes up to the counter and puts a movie he had bought on the counter and said "This movie is gay!" So I take a quick look at the movie and see it is Brokeback Mountain. I had to restrain my laughs, but anyways some of the other customers started to chuckle. I told him "We can't refund movies if they are not defective." So he then says "Well it does have a small scratch on it." And I promtly told him "The movie DID work when you put it in the DVD player, or else you wouldn't know that this movie is in fact about 2 gay men."

The post is meant to provide a semi-humorous take on the idiocy of customers, in particular that one. The thing is, the repugnance of that one person aside, there are a couple of things wrong with this picture.

First, the customer's expectations were not met. They wanted a cowboy movie, and they got a gay cowboy movie. Let's be honest, there is a pretty big difference. Whose fault is it they didn't know what they were getting? Not everyone is plugged into movies the way geeks like myself and the sort that work at Blockbuster are.

Second, in this case, Blockbuster's 'no refund' policy seems to have resulted not in the savings of a couple of bucks, but instead a pissed off customer and a (possibly) vandalized DVD.

Customers are people. Flawed, irrational people. People make mistakes all the time. How those mistakes are dealt with is frequently the difference between those people staying customers and those people becoming somebody else's flawed, irrational customer.

-Adam!!!

It doesn't matter to a Kid

Its obvious to everyone in the industry that Club Penguin is doing things right. Will the same strategies work for teen and adult products? Of course they will.

Club Penguin owes popularity to Disneyland attitudes

I think I spend too much time worrying about the nuts and bolts of ourWorld, and not enough on creating the right attitude. I mean, the people I speak to directly get what I can generate personally, but I haven't managed to broadcast that ideology.

-Adam!!!

Capitalism - Not on Mythic's Watch!

WAR declares war on Gold Farmers

Here's the thing. If you know people are going to be farming and selling gold, why not just build your game in a way that takes advantage of the practice, instead of employing feeble, expensive, and (I predict) useless tactics that prevent the sellers and the buyers from playing the game they want to to play. If I were building an MMORPG, I'd build a safe system for buying and selling gold right into the game, add prestige incentives for use, and take a slice right off the top. You have to START with that in mind, because depending on your game, too much gold too quick could certainly mess things up.

I think this falls into the category of, "World of Warcraft does it this way, so this is how it must be done." Of course, WoW doesn't really stop gold farming, but smaller companies will try to 'succeed' where WoW failed. Have fun guys.

Games are about what the players want, not your 'vision' of gaming utopia. If players want to buy gold, I say sell it to them.

A Break from the Virtual

Myself and the family unit took a few days and visited the real-world hotel and waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge, just south of Olympia, WA.

The hotel was of the standard of come to expect from themed destination lodgings, pretty high. The staff was extremely well trained. Eye contact with any member of the staff resulted in a friendly greeting, but it never came off as canned. If I hadn't been for three days and two nights, I may not have noticed. Towards the end of the second day, I had decided it wasn't coincidence. Needed toilet paper, got it in minutes (my son dropped our last roll in the 'drink'.) Good test, and they passed, all with a smile.

The waterpark was pretty good too. All indoors, which is nice for the dodgy northwest weather. That does limit the size, but not too much. You can go on all the slides and attractions in a couple of hours, but the slides are fun over and over, so we kept busy. Two small slides, two medium sized (utilizing inflatable tubes), and one big one. The big one was pretty sweet, I must admit. A wave pool, and 'play' pool, and plenty of water features for kids and adults alike.

One of the hotel features I did not expect, but ended up really enjoying was called MagiQuest. It's essentially an electronic scavenger hunt played throught floors 1-5 of the hotel. The players have wands that electronically keep track of the player's progress. Tons of fun for hours and hours. I saw hundreds of kids playing, all at $25+ a pop. Great idea!

The biggest knock against the park was the food. It wasn't bad, but for an "all in one" experience like Great Wolf Lodge is, there wasn't much variety.

• A buffet open for Breakfast and Dinner. About $14 a plate for breakfast and $18 for dinner. To pricey for me. I didn't try it.
• A bar and grill. Very small, but decent. About 20 entrees to choose from. Good number of choices on the kids menue.
  
• Starbucks
• Pizza Hut. In addition to my least favorite Pizza in the world, they also sold breakfast sandwiches. I didn't try them.
• A donut/coffee/bakery/candy counter. Yum, but not filling.
• In the water park, there was a burger/hotdog/sandwich stand. Nice, but very out of the way unless actually using the park.

Pepsi is everywhere in GWL, so I'm wouldn't be surprised to see a KFC, Taco Bell, or other Pepsi franchise opened in the future. Anything would help. It's very, very kid friendly, so I'm not too surprised that no 'fine dining' option was available. I would have welcomed it, though.

-Adam!!!

The Teen Challenge

Most Virtual Worlds are for kids (6-8) and tweens (9-12). ourWorld is, for the most part, for teens (13+).

From a community standpoint, that provides a lot of challenges. Teens are notoriously difficult to please. The content teens want is basically juvenile adult content. They want to swear. They want to talk about sex. Some want to talk about booze and drugs and everything else any sane site admin would want to avoid entirely.

So, what do we do? We monitor. We have clear expectations. We remove the worst offenders. The most important thing I do is treat everyone with respect. I say "There are kids here, we don't know how old anyone is, and we can't have this sort of thing." Either they get it, and the problem is solved, or I shut them down, and the problem is solved. Some of the people I chat with most frequently are people I've sent Code of Conduct warnings to. Good kids (with dirty mouths, like that's something new!)

I'd say 90% of the kids on ourWorld are saying and reading things their parents wouldn't completely approve of. I'd say less than 5% are saying things that are really out of line. I review chat logs, but that doesn't give a good sense of the conversation, as it happens. I wander around the site using in an assortment of guises, making conversation or just reading. Most of the time, these teens are talking like teens, which is tough for a grown up like me (and their parents) to handle, but there is nothing wrong with it.

In the words of a generation older than even mine, The Kids are All Right.

-Adam!!!

The Best of the Virtual Best

What Virtual World features have really impressed me?

ourWorld - Avatars. Anime-inspired design combined with literally hundreds of different clothing items results in a nearly infinite array of looks for the players. With so much game time spent looking at avatars, I think avatar design is critical to the success of a VW. Ourworld's diveristy is only eclipsed by sites allowing user generated content (like 2nd Life), but without the challenges that come with UGC.

Dizzywood - In game play. Most of the fun of Dizzywood happens right in the main world. Activites, both solo and group, are everywhere. Much of the action happens in plain view of everyone. If you are engaged in a game that takes place in its own window, your avatar displays an icon so the other players know you're engaged. If I was 10, Dizzywood would be my game.

Smallworlds - Missions. Until they run out, Smallworlds keeps new players busy with a large assortment of rewarded tasks. They show off the world, teach how things works, provide an income, and kill boredom. I gave up on Smallworld soon after the missions dried up.

Whirled - User generated content. I'm a sucker for UGC. Whirled does a reasonable job of sorting the stuff so the best is accessible and the worst remains obscure. While there's a community of creators, the barrier was too high for me to participate. Still, there's some really interesting stuff on Whirled that no 'pro' would ever think to make happen.

YoVille - Parties List. With a lack of real games, YoVille is essentially a big chat service. Players can always check the party list to see if there are any like-minded people hanging out. If you don't see one you like, it takes about 10 seconds to start a party of your own.

Pet Society - Avatar Games. It's simple, and there's not enough variety yet, but I love the fact that I can play ball, frisbee, and jump-rope with my Pet Society pet. The games are super simple, but it keeps track of personal bests and issues trophies and rewards for exceeding benchmarks. I think this sort of play-with-my-avatar stuff would work in a lot of other games.

YoVille, Pet Society - Facebook Apps. I can't believe how quickly games built into Facebook grow. It's nice to have them right at my fingertips as I'm always checking Facebook anyway.

Toppstown, Bella Sara - Real World Tie-In. Products bought at retail unlock Virtual World content online. I think we'll be seeing a lot of this in the future, as the potential for revenue is huge.

Most of these 'bests' are really just great ideas that other worlds haven't adopted as standard yet. Cross pollenation is inevetible, because there's no way you can ignore a great idea just because somebody else thought of it first (unless they 'own' it somehow.) Avatars, games, public and private rooms, and stores selling virtual stuff for play money WAS pretty innovative. Obviously, there's room for so much more. These worlds have already started taking those next steps. I can't wait to see what's next. Heck, perhaps I'll come up with what's next!

-Adam!!!

More Value

We bought a tube of kids shampoo that says "Limited Time Value" on it. I think the idea is that we're getting extra shampoo for free. Am I? I'm not sure I can believe that. All the tubes of that brand were the same price and had the same amount of shampoo. Is the price going up soon? In that case, I'm not getting more now, I'm just being informed of getting less in the future. What the heck does "Limited Time Value" mean? It doesn't make any sense.

When Hidden City Games launched Clout (a collectible poker chip game) a few years back, we had two products.

1. The Starter Game - 30 chips, rules, and tape measure for $15.
2. The Booster Pack - 2 chips for $2.50

The idea was we'd give the players a price break on the starter so it'd be easier to get into the game. The response was exactly the opposite. Everyone figured that if we could afford to sell 30 chips for $15, there's no reason at all that 2 chips should cost over a buck each. We got asked over and over again, if the chips are .50 each, why not sell 5 for $2.50.

Truth was, we couldn't sell the boosters for cheaper. The booster price is where we planned to make our money, and the starters were selling at about cost. While we could explain that to people one at a time, and they'd usually get it, the organic story that took root was that Clout was a rip-off based on the booster prices. That (along with it's crappy name, problems with distribution, rulebook issues, and million other sad mistakes) eventually sunk the game. I'm not sure if making the starters cost more would have helped, but minimizing the disparity would have solved that one problem. The value problem.

Value isn't something you label a product with it. Value is the feeling a customer gets when the experience with the product meets expectations and turns out to be worth the money that was paid. More value means the feeling is stronger. No value means the money was wasted in the mind of the customer.

Put value into your product (or game, or service, or whatever you do) rather than on the label. THAT is what makes sense.

-Adam!!!

YoVille, a few days later

YoVille did an update yesterday changing a couple of things.

1. Added a chat filter, replacing many swearwords with 'yadda'. This has created my favorite YoVille term, 'motheryaddaer'. While not empirical, I've noticed swearing (by dodging the filter) increase by a huge margin since the filter has been put into place, though it is likely the newness of it has spawned a lot of boundary-testing. I found the lack of a filter refreshing, but am not at all surprised it has been added. I guess teens will have to satisfy their swearing needs in real life.
2. Added Trades. The concept of virtual world trading has a lot of pitfalls, but my naivete shielded me from a big one. "16yo for sale", meaning a bit of cybersex for some virtual coins. Virtual prostitution, it seems. Either the offers are scams, or they're not. For once, I hope there's a lot of scamming going on. When we add trading to ourWorld, I am going to be on this issue like a motheryaddaer.
   

Now, I'm 38. What that basically means is I have no business being on YoVille according to most of the inhabitants. The usual coversation is:

"Hey"
"Hey"
Where you from"
"You?"
"How old are you?"

At that point I have to lie, be evasive, or fess up and the conversation is OVER. I've decided never to lie about my age (or anything) in a VW, so I have a lot of short conversations. Thanks to "Grown Up" parties in YoVille, I've experienced some nice chats with nice people, but outside of those chats, my presence is unwanted. I think I come off as creepy.

Truth is, working on ourWorld has got me a bit addicted to Virtual Worlds. I usually like the few kids who tolerate my presence after knowing I'm an oldster. I like gaming online. I just need to get over the fact that even though I work on a Virtual World, they aren't for me (at least not any I know of.)

-Adam!!!

Naughty-Grams

I've stepped up the chat monitoring on ourWorld this week, making sure the site's Code of Conduct is followed by our many, many members. I've sent many warnings, and deactivated a few people's chat functions. The thing is, most of them don't know what the CoC is.

The question is, how do you provide that info to players who aren't the least bit interested in it?

Here are the basic rules, in no particular order:

• No sex talk. Nobody really knows the age or gender of any of the players. We just can't have it. This sort of talk in the public areas is a more serious offense than private chat (though as I write this, I wonder if my priorities are straight.)
  
• No abusive chat. That means no racism or personal attacks (though if I eliminated everyone who used the terms Biitch, ghey, or a$$hole we wouldn't have any players left.) From a practical standpoint, I'm shooting for PG-13.
• No sharing personal information. Asking for Emails, phone #s, names, and photos is a major no-no. Providing it is also prohibited. Requesting to meet in person gets your account deactivated immediately.
  

Thems the rules. I just need to communicate them somehow. Suggestions welcome.

-Adam!!!

Yoville

Yoville is one of two facebook virtual worlds I've started playing this week. It stands out in a few ways, and doesn't stand out in a few others.

Stand out features:

• Runs straight out of Facebook. As somebody who's on Facebook daily, that's nice.
• No chat filter at all. You can debate the value of this, but it's nice to just say F*** every now and then.
• Money -> Food -> Energy -> Dancing. It's all tied together in simple, fun little bow. Other things you can do with money:
• Get drunk. It's hilarious. Drunk avatars sway from side to side. While drunk the entire screen is blurry. If you're really drunk, it's too blurry to read the chat text. The effect is quite temporary.
  
• Buy coffee. You avatar moves faster. More coffee = more speed. Also temporary
• The usual new clothes, new furniture.
• Events. Players can label events and (I think) put restrictions on who may attend. Girls only, for example. There's always a huge list, thanks to the Facebook bump of players, I'd guess.
• Money options
• Job - show up once per day and get money
• Casino - Just a slot machine for now. I've doubled my money with it, so I like it.
• Play simple one-on-one games with other players. Tick-Tac-Toe and Rock Paper Scissors are the choices. Meh.
• Buy fake money with real money. I'm tempted to drop $20 so I can have a tricked out place. We'll see. If I'm still playing it in a week I may take the plunge.

I am so0 wasted (13% drunk)

Less than stand out issues:

• Not too many games to play. Tic-Tac-Toe doesn't quite cut it. If I wasn't winning with the slot machine, I'd never go back.
• Avatars look stupid. Little body/huge head design. Combined with the fully open chat,booze, gambling, and a lot of adult themed parties, it creates a weird toddlers-cruising-for-action vibe, that I find off-putting.
  
• Ho-Hum choice of features, so far. Aside from the booze, coffee, and the ability to say f***, it's very vanilla. If they expand it rapidly, I see a lot of potential, though.

-Adam!!!

I said, he said, he said, he said.

This is funny to me, as Chris Anderson wrote a post basically saying the same thing. Essentially, "This is what I meant, and Seth said it better."

What I said. What Seth said. The best part of his post was:

"Great design is intuitive. Great design eliminates confusion. But not for everyone, not all the time. The words and interactions you use often have a sophistication that will confuse some portion of your audience.

Why not consider making it easy for the confused to ask for help? And treat them with respect when they do. If you don't create a little confusion, it's unlikely you've built something remarkable.

And to go one step further: sometimes it's okay to lose the n00bs. Not in an arrogant way (except for some brands) but in a way that says, "this might just not be for you..."

What Chris said was in his book, the Long Tail. What Seth said regarding that.

Good stuff, all around.

-Adam!!!

Platitudes

" Wendy's^®, we're unrivaled in our passion for giving people what they want — and uncompromising in giving people what they deserve."

Apparently this statement does not apply to the sour cream in their sour cream and chives potatoes. For the second trip in a row, my local Wendy's has failed to include this portion of the potato ensemble with our family meal.

When we called the restaurant , the 'manager' offered to provide the sour cream if we returned to pick it up. Wrong answer.

I wrote Wendy's to complain. The response is supposed to come in the next two days.

The correct answer is: Come back and we'll give you your meal for free, and your next meal is free.

The sour cream isn't really a big deal. Me being pissed about it IS a big deal, and I am pissed.

In case you were wondering which Wendy's is hoarding their sour cream, it's:

230 RAINIER AVE. SOUTH
RENTON, WA 98055 US
(425) 271-6251

-Adam!!!

Dizzywood's Arbor Day Foundation Event

Dizzywood is rapidly becoming the coolest play site for the under 12 crowd. Since it's very much a kids-only site, I'm pleased that I can talk it up so freely without worrying about undercutting our work on our teen-oriented ourWorld.

Three months ago (around arbor day, I think) one of the Forests in Dizzywood was chopped down by a villain. The event centered on an activity allowing the kids to get seeds and fertilizer and grow the trees back.

Yesterday, several months later, they just updated the Forest, fully grown back. The entire thing designed to show that the kids could help improve the world by growing trees. Awesome.

This is the message I received:

Hi Adam,

Here's the latest Dizzywood news to report to you (not exactly earth-shattering, but earth-impacting!):

As you may recall, about three months ago, we started an event in Dizzywood, where players were challenged to replant the trees of Wildwood Glen. (The area had been destroyed by Emperor Withering, Dizzywood's arch-villian, and players were asked to plant a tree to help the cause.)

Thanks to the efforts of Dizzywood citizens, we're thrilled to report that 15,000 virtual trees have been planted in Dizzywood, which will translate into 15,000 real trees to be planted in forests that needs them most through our partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. (Press release attached, which will go out tomorrow.)

This accomplishment was celebrated with a party in Wildwood Glen today - and the unveiling of a statue to commemorate the hard work.

I've attached a "before the replanting" and "after the replanting" screen shot to give you some idea of the lush new landscape in Wildwood Glen. We hope this activity has shown the players of Dizzywood how each person can make a difference -- and that as a collective group, anything is possible.

And here are the pictures:

Before

After (much better!)

I'm pleased that I planted and nurtured my share of trees as part of this whole thing. It really was fun, and this payoff puts it over the top. Once again, well done Dizzywood!

-Adam!!!

Dungeons and Dragons, a humble suggestion

Only Wizards of the Coast have the resources and the customer base to support a major online initiative for an pen and paper RPG.

Make the D&D website essential, and make the books the key to unlocking it.

Players Handbook

• A character generator that is updated with any and all errata.
  
• A database of characters uploaded by users. Think Spore. Players enter the stats, skills (whatever they call them now), etc. and all characters that meet the criteria come up.
• When errata is issued, players can opt-in to updates. All characters they've got online are automatically updated.
• Using the massive collection of artwork already available, character portraits are available from the entire history of D&D.
  

Dungeons Master's Guide

• When used in conjunctions with the PH, characters may have lists of magic items (assuming items are still in the DMG)
• Map, scenario editor and database Similar database to character editor, allowing players to build and share rooms, lairs, or whole adventures.
• Magic Item editor and database.
  

Monster Manual

• When used in conjunction with the map, scenario editor, monster stats are included as statblocks or whole descriptions.
• Monster editor and database.

Here's the kicker. Don't give it away. Put a code in every book that unlocks that book's content on the site. Players who don't buy Monster Manuals don't get access to the Monster Manual content. Players who don't by Player's Handbooks, don't get the character generator.

Suddenly used books are far less valuable than new books. P2P versions are also compromised.

Releasing a new Monster book? Add some featured content to wet the player's taste, but require the book's code to get all the new monsters in their database. Releasing a Forgotten Realms book with new character content? Do the same thing. Give them a little, but only customers with the codes get all that new content.

Make the D&D website essential, and make the books the key to unlocking it.

-Adam!!!

Scrabu-More!! Wordscraper

That didn't take long. Woo Hoo. Now I can uninstall that crap Scrabble plug-in (after defeating my wife, natch!)

Scrabu-Less

Hasbro/EA's new Scrabble (Beta) Facebook app shuts Scrabulous down.


It happened, my favorite* Facebook app, Scrabulous, is gone. In its place is Hasbro/EA's Scrabble Beta Facebook app. I find it hilarious that the new Scrabble game is currently non-functional and there are over 400 threads (not posts, threads) full of anger and spite against the game giant and its strong-arm tactics. I'd say 1 in 50 has a nice thing to say about the new game.

No Scrabulous.
No Scrabble.

I imagine in a day or so we'll see what the real reaction to Scrabble will be. The reaction to a playable Scrabble game. I suspect the hard-core Scrabble and Scrabulous fans will play, though some reluctantly. Angry casual players (like me*) will abandon Scrabble in all its versions altogether, and new players will gravitate to it at a similar rate to the original Scrabulous.

* Yes, Scrabulous was my favorite Facebook app and still not particularly dear to me. Facebook apps don't do much for me, at least so far. The Spore app is my new favorite Facebook app.

Edit: Scrabble Beta is up and running now. My first word...tong.

-Adam!!!

WoW spelled backwards is...oh, never mind

Warhammer Online Creative Director says World of Warcraft "has had a corrupting effect" on game development.

I couldn't agree more. I saw it at Wizards of the Coast, I saw it at Hidden City Games. I haven't seen too much of it at my current gig, as not too many of my current com padres play.

Wizards appears to have drunk the cool-aid with their newest edition of D&D. 4th edition of D&D is designed to play more like an MMO. Maybe in the table top format, that's an improvement, but it sounds more like marketing/executive creative thinking than game designer creative thinking. I can't say for sure, as I haven't played 4th edition D&D.

All the developers and designers at Hidden City Games were neck-deep in WoW, and it seemed to me, who doesn't play, every single design choice for the Bella Sara website (yes, horses for girls was influenced by WoW) was compared to how it was done in either WOW or XBox Live. I don't mind telling you it became tiresome.

To quote Paul Barnett from the article a started this post with:

"You can't be the Beatles. If you try and be the Beatles, you'll end up as the Monkees,"

-Adam!!!

Virtual World vs MMO = Casual vs Hard Core?

It may be that the real difference between what we consider a Virtual World and what we consider a Massively Multiplayer Game is the sort of players that play the games, and how those players are catered to by the publishers.

I recently read an article (sorry, I no longer have the link) that made the assertion that so-called hardcore gamers are far more apt to purchase subscriptions than so-called casual gamers. Casual gamers, it said, preferred to pay using the micro-transaction type models.

While there are certainly examples of hard-core games offering micro-transaction content as well as casual games offering subscriptions, from a demographic standpoint, the division is obvious. Most Virtual Worlds are moving, at least in part, to the micro-transaction model. In just the last year, it's becoming generally accepted, despite the drawbacks, that the micro-transaction model is the strongest choice for a successful Virtual Worlds. World of Warcraft, and most hard-core MMO-type games, have settled on the subscription system as the way to go.

Hard-Core -> MMO -> Subscription Payments
Casual -> Virtual World -> Micro-transactions

No so much a rule, but a guideline.

-Adam!!!

All too Real for Faketown

Faketown files for bankruptcy

A shame really, as I have a fondness for sites that feature a lot of user generated content. Faketown was like a 2d Habbo Hotel with a lot of options for customization. I can't say I'm surprised, as I expect a bit of a virtual world shake-up in the next 12 months or so. Barring some unexpected uptick in the market (people staying home rather than driving around, for example) there won't be room for all of these worlds, even on a medium as infinite as the internet. It's still a zero-sum competition for people willing to provide those magical credit card digits. Let the best worlds win.

Faketown's 2d World

Worlds that feature user generated content must find ways to put the best stuff front and center. It must also have ample designed content to get people into the swing of things before they're ready to take off on their own. I'm not sure Faketown ever managed that, but I didn't spend enough time on the site to judge fairly. I did think it was neat, but, like many players, I prefer the more advanced 3d experiences available elsewhere.

-Adam!!!

Platformations

The Scrabulous/Scrabble thing really got me thinking about platforms and how they relate to intellectual property (IP). Scrabulous did Scrabble a huge service by providing the game on a new platform. It's unclear whether or not there would be a Scrabble on Facebook unless Scrabulous proved there is a demand for it.

This puts fan-developers in a tight spot. If they want to introduce a beloved game to a new platform, they have to deal with the corporate command-and-control legal machines that still dominate our info-wants-to-be-free world. Hasbro has made their position clear. They don't want anyone having fun with their property unless they are directly involved. At least that's a position. In most other cases you just have to guess whether the 'rightful owner' cares whether or not you release a game on a new platform, be it Facebook, the I Phone, or whatever cutting edge thing is coming down the virtual pike. If you're lucky, unhappy IP owners will just tell you to stop. If you're unlucky, they might sue.

The creation of great ideas has never been the hard part. See: inspiration vs perspiration. The hard part is turning those ideas into something of value to the world. The law should go further to protect people (and companies) who create that value, rather than protecting those who have great ideas but are unable or unwilling to share them in ways that provide the most value to the public.

There are a lot of pitfalls in my suggestion, but nothing we couldn't sort out with some work. Just an idea that alone will bring little value to the world.

-Adam!!!

Who plays What and When?

A report from Casual Connect, regarding the demographics of gamers.

It's far more complex than even I suspected, and I suspected it was pretty complex!

-Adam

SUE is only worth 3 points

It looks like it has finally happened, Hasbro is suing the facebook app, Scrabulous.

Last year they 'requested' scrabulous be taken down, it wasn't, and now Hasbro and EA have released an 'official' Scrabble facebook app. I haven't had a chance to play the new app but it's off to a rough start.

Scrabulous gets a 4.2 out of 5 star rating. EA/Hasbro's Scrabble Beta gets 1.7 out of 5. This isn't about what's best for Scrabble players. This is about Hasbro maintaining complete control of a decades old game.

Scrabulous (I'm losing)

Scrabble Beta (Can't get anyone to play)

While I will remain critical of Hasbro's "sue anyone who makes something cool with thier games" strategy, I do realize they are acting within their rights. I just think it's a mistake that hurts them, their fans, and the properties they claim to be protecting.

If you're interested in what I had to say about this back in January, it's right here.

-Adam!!!

Ich bin ein Habbo-ite!

I was asked today to check out Habbo's economy, how they charge, and what they charge for. I see no reason not to share my findings with all (both?) of you! I just signed up today, so this is very much a first impression of Habbo's economy. I know there's more to it than this, but this is what I could dig up in a couple of hours.

SnowStorm, one of several games I can't try out in Habbo

Habbo is a stingy virtual world. Pretty much everything costs coins (also called credits), and coins aren't cheap!

Follow this link to see all the ways Habbo will take your money. It's pretty impressive, actually. Coin Purchase Page: http://www.habbo.com//credits?&hotelclient=1

• 300 Habbo Coins (50.00 USD)
• 200 Habbo Coins (34.00 USD)
• 150 Habbo Coins (27.00 USD)
  
• 100 Habbo Coins (18.00 USD)
• 50 Habbo Coins (9.50 USD)
• 25 Habbo Coins (5.00 USD)

Items range in cost from 1 (for a rubber duck) to things in the 20's.

Collectibles - Habbo releases (weekly, I think) an item that will only be available that week. The current item is a gondola (Italian canal boat) for 25 coins. They claim the original collectible, released back in 2005, was sold for 4950coins (About $800), though I'm not sure how they came to that number. In any case, collectibles seem to be a 'stock market' sort of thing in Habbo (plus they're pretty neat!)

Trophies - Trophies are an interesting item in that you can write something permanent on them when they are purchased. The idea is you reward yourself or other players with them.

Pets - At 20c pets are a little pricey, and they come in three flavors: cats, dogs, lizards

Games - You need tickets to play all but the lamest of the Habbo multiplayer games. Tickets are 2 for 1 coin, or 20 for 6 coins. When entering the game room, there was an ad for The Dark Knight (I've seen it, lay off!) I don't know what you get if you win the games, but I expect there's prizes.

Habbo Club - It's hard to tell, but it looks like it's 20 coins per month. You get:

• Access to special items - there's a Habbo Club tab in the store.
  
• Free furniture item each month
• Special room layouts (non club members get boxes only)
• Jump to the front of queue lines when waiting for rooms to load.
  

Oddly enough, I couldn't find were to join the club, but it seems like a big deal.

They have a 'coin subscription' listed on their payment page, but they are no longer offering it. I'm curious as to why they stopped. Another interesting thing about their payment structure, they only allow three 'purchase attempts' per eight day period, at least with normal credit cards.

-Adam

Tee Em Eye

Too Much Information

It's a constant battle communicating with online players. There's information they need, information they want, information they don't know they need, and information they think they don't want. Simple!

Most Virtual Worlds are complicated. The more things there are to do, the more features you offer, the more places there are for players to get tripped up. No matter how simple you make each thing, a whole lot of things results in a complex system.

Most people want to figure things out for themselves. If they need help, they'll ask for it when they need it. This has a few repercussions:

• Features that players can't figure out for themselves are inherently problematic. It's tempting to only release simplistic features.
  
• People need the right help at the right time. They're not paying attention before they try to play. They've forgotten after they've given up. That's a narrow window.
• Engineers, designers, and programmers like to suggest demos, tutorials, and FAQs (oh, they love those FAQs). While not terrible solutions, they aren't particularly effective, either.

What a player sees when he or she skims an FAQ

For complex features, you need the thing to either ramp up complexity gradually, have a robust help system, give live tours/demos, or accept that not everyone's going to be interested enough to survive the learning curve. Is it worth it?

Yes. In fact, hell yes!

Once a player has mastered any sort of learning curve, they are more than just casually engaged. They become special. They become elite. Time is an investment, and when that investment pays off to a player, everybody wins. That's a big deal, and worth working for.

-Adam!!!

Grrrrrl Power!

This isn't a surprise to anyone who's close to internet gaming, but just in case you're late to the party...

More Girls Get Into Gaming

Spend 10 minutes in ourWorld and you'll notice many, many, many girls. Whether they're gaming or socializing, that's hard to say, but they're online and MIGHTY! Go Girls!

Edit: A pretty common girl/boy ratio in ourWorld's Cake Mania Room (note: the guy is me)



-Adam

What's the diff?

What is the difference between MMO's (Massively Multiplayer Online games) and Virtual Worlds?

Generally speaking, MMO's use client side software more extensively, but many, many VW's do as well, including Second Life, the granddaddy VW.

MMO's usually have a single, overriding game element. Virtual Worlds usually revolve around a number of smaller scale flash-type games. Is that really a difference? I'm not even sure that's a valid characterization of the MMOs vs. VWs.

I really think the primary difference is one of focus. MMO's are primarily about the game, with the social aspects an important, but secondary aspect. VW's are meant to emulate the social aspects of the real work in a convenient virtual setting as their primary function. They include a game or games to facilitate the social aspects and provide something for less social players to do.

That's pretty slim. Perhaps the real answer is there is no big difference, other than that which the publishers choose to market and the fans choose to perceive. World of Warcraft is a Virtual World, but more than that it's also a MMORPG. There are RPG games in 2nd Life, but more than that, it's a Virtual World.

What do you think?

-Adam