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
Friday, July 25, 2008
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.
-Adam!!!
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.
If you're interested in what I had to say about this back in January, it's right here.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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.
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
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:
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
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?
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.
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:
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!!!
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!!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
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
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
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
Friday, July 18, 2008
Kids Want Wine Coolers, Too!
The problem with the 'mainstream' media's coverage of video games is that they don't understand them. Never did. Possibly never will.
I love this quote from Take Two CEO Ben Feder in a recent interview discussing the gaming press' coverage of GTAIV:
Okay. The CEO of the company has made it clear it's not for kids. The gaming media's figured it out. Now, when will joe-sixpack-media outlet catch on? The game=kids product model has been broken. Shattered. It's long dead. Just because kids WANT something, doesn't mean it's made for them.
Note: Have you tried Smirnoff Ice Grape? Oh my sweet heavens, that is some yummy boozy stuff! I'm sure the average 12 year old would love it as much or more than God of War 2. It must be for kids! (No, no, it is not.)
-Adam!!!
I love this quote from Take Two CEO Ben Feder in a recent interview discussing the gaming press' coverage of GTAIV:
"I think we've moved the debate from 'Okay, it's not a game, it's interactive entertainment,' and it's not for kids. It's not for kids.
Okay. The CEO of the company has made it clear it's not for kids. The gaming media's figured it out. Now, when will joe-sixpack-media outlet catch on? The game=kids product model has been broken. Shattered. It's long dead. Just because kids WANT something, doesn't mean it's made for them.
Note: Have you tried Smirnoff Ice Grape? Oh my sweet heavens, that is some yummy boozy stuff! I'm sure the average 12 year old would love it as much or more than God of War 2. It must be for kids! (No, no, it is not.)
-Adam!!!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Parents and Gaming
I just read a rather hum-drum article about how parents can keep up with the video games their kids play. The article starts like this:
Video games turned to computer games in the 90's. Console games have remained essentially the same for the last decade. Mortal Kombat showed how violent games could be 18 years ago. Doom, the first modern 1st person shooter, appeared 15 years ago. Grand Theft Auto 2 is over 10 years old.
This isn't new people. The graphics are better, the stories are better, and the content is more complex. Not different, just evolved. Some really kick ass. Other suck. Some are appropriate for kids, some not so much. It's been this way for decades now.
How old are these kids we're worrying about? How old are their parents?
What's more likely is people writing articles about the "mysteries of gaming culture" don't get it. Media types understand the media, and little else (I understand gaming, and little else, I admit it.)
Just like the article says "Gaming is now an $18.8 billion part of the entertainment industry. You have to dig your head in the sand pretty deep to be ignorant of an industry as huge as gaming.
-Adam!!!
Call it a generation gap or a digital divide, if you're a parent who is a little clueless about what video games are appropriate for your child, you are not alone.Who are these parents who don't understand video games? I know I'm an unusual case, but seriously. EVERY SINGLE PARENT I KNOW PLAYS VIDEO GAMES, at least a little. Now, if you're a grandparent, you *might* be off the hook, though at 38 I'm technically old enough to be one of those myself (my kid is 7, so no worries.)
Video games turned to computer games in the 90's. Console games have remained essentially the same for the last decade. Mortal Kombat showed how violent games could be 18 years ago. Doom, the first modern 1st person shooter, appeared 15 years ago. Grand Theft Auto 2 is over 10 years old.
This isn't new people. The graphics are better, the stories are better, and the content is more complex. Not different, just evolved. Some really kick ass. Other suck. Some are appropriate for kids, some not so much. It's been this way for decades now.
How old are these kids we're worrying about? How old are their parents?
What's more likely is people writing articles about the "mysteries of gaming culture" don't get it. Media types understand the media, and little else (I understand gaming, and little else, I admit it.)
Just like the article says "Gaming is now an $18.8 billion part of the entertainment industry. You have to dig your head in the sand pretty deep to be ignorant of an industry as huge as gaming.
-Adam!!!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Little Brother, a novel
Buy it, or read it. I started it this morning and I finished it just now. Damn. Good. Book.
Edit (found this on Facebook)
-Adam!!!
Edit (found this on Facebook)
| Website: | |
| Company Overview: | Book Description: Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days. When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself. |
-Adam!!!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
I'd Buy That for a Dollar!
Based on what I've read, micropayments are beating out time-based subscriptions when it comes to effectively separating virtual world patrons from their money.
Is this because people prefer to pay via micropayments, even though a site that features them typically costs the user more, overall?
I believe the biggest hurdle in getting a person to pay real money for any sort of online service is that first payment. The smaller the request, the more likely somebody will bite, and once that credit card is on file (and the first transaction proved worthwhile) subsequent transactions come much more easily, with less concern on the part of the customer.
Is the subscription model less effective than micropayments...probably. Why? Because the initial cost for even a month (ourWorld's premium membership costs $6.99/month) is more than the minimum cost for many micropayment sites. What if there was a trial that players could purchase for $1? What if a promise of no additional charges was made, and kept?
Would it be worth the transaction costs of the 'trial' to get that customer's credit card on file? How much more likely would a customer be to subscribe after a successful and valuable $1 transaction? (Hint: A lot.)
Edit: In order for the $1 option to work, upgrading to a full subscription must be hyper-easy. Single click easy. Otherwise, much of the hurdle for subscription remains.
-Adam!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hooking Up
Put teen girls and teen boys together in a virtual world setting and the first thing that happens is they start hooking up. I freely admit I was taken by surprise by the pervasiveness of this culture of virtual boyfriend/girlfriends. In ourWorld, you can enter any room at any time and there will probably be at least one person puttin' the virtual moves on another person (or more.) Some people seem to take this 'dating simulation' very seriously, while others quickly dismiss the 'dating' as nothing more than play-acting.
I'll tell you this much, the fighting over spurned virtual love seems sincere enough.
To what extent should this sort of thing be discouraged, tolerated, or promoted?
The only wrong answer is to merely tolerate the practice (the default response.)
If it's discouraged, you simply say "no dating" and be done with it. At first we were amused when we noticed Dizzywood.com had "no dating" in it's code of conduct. A few weeks later, I see exactly why it's there. I'm sure they're serious about enforcing the rule, too. This is ideal for sites aimed at younger kids. For the most part they aren't interested in dating, and the rule clarifies not only what is allowed, but makes it clear WHO is supposed to be on the site.
What about promoting dating? My concern (and parents, I'm sure) is that the dating sometimes turns into cyber-sex. I think providing dating 'tools' that are in-bounds taste and age-appropriate-wise, you'll minimize your users' desire to go beyond those bounds. If your users are interested in dating, let them date. Let the date system be fun, engaging, one-on-one, and end with a virtual kiss at the door (rather than a chat log that makes me want to wash off the ick with brillo pad.)
Either prevent it or shape it. Half-hearted strategies will provide a sub-optimal result.
Oh, and kids, don't type anything you don't want a fat 38 year old gamer nerd reading. (I wish I could get that message to every teenager in the world.)
-Adam!!!
I'll tell you this much, the fighting over spurned virtual love seems sincere enough.
To what extent should this sort of thing be discouraged, tolerated, or promoted?
The only wrong answer is to merely tolerate the practice (the default response.)
If it's discouraged, you simply say "no dating" and be done with it. At first we were amused when we noticed Dizzywood.com had "no dating" in it's code of conduct. A few weeks later, I see exactly why it's there. I'm sure they're serious about enforcing the rule, too. This is ideal for sites aimed at younger kids. For the most part they aren't interested in dating, and the rule clarifies not only what is allowed, but makes it clear WHO is supposed to be on the site.
What about promoting dating? My concern (and parents, I'm sure) is that the dating sometimes turns into cyber-sex. I think providing dating 'tools' that are in-bounds taste and age-appropriate-wise, you'll minimize your users' desire to go beyond those bounds. If your users are interested in dating, let them date. Let the date system be fun, engaging, one-on-one, and end with a virtual kiss at the door (rather than a chat log that makes me want to wash off the ick with brillo pad.)
Either prevent it or shape it. Half-hearted strategies will provide a sub-optimal result.
Oh, and kids, don't type anything you don't want a fat 38 year old gamer nerd reading. (I wish I could get that message to every teenager in the world.)
-Adam!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
A Million Dollar Idea
What if:
A game site sold game downloads for $1 each.
The site also offered game developers a one million dollar prize for the first game that reached one million downloads (in addition to standard compensation, whatever that is.) If a developer can make something that one million people will pay a buck for, they get the money. Of course, the site's still making money off the other games, plus the money after the prize is awarded.
The real issue is figuring out what people will pay, and how much more you can sell with a really low price. It costs nearly the same to ship 1,000,000 copies of an online game as it does 50,000,000. Would 20x more people buy a $1 game as a $20? Popcap thinks the answer is no, but their dev costs are way higher than average.
What about flash/java games? There are plenty that are worth a buck, though perhaps not with all the free stuff out there. There's also a concern that something that costs $1 isn't worth as much as something that costs $20, even if a publisher can make the same amount with both pricing options.
Seth Godin recently touched on a similar issue regarding Ebooks, and I think the same model applies to online gaming.
-Adam!!!
A game site sold game downloads for $1 each.
The site also offered game developers a one million dollar prize for the first game that reached one million downloads (in addition to standard compensation, whatever that is.) If a developer can make something that one million people will pay a buck for, they get the money. Of course, the site's still making money off the other games, plus the money after the prize is awarded.
The real issue is figuring out what people will pay, and how much more you can sell with a really low price. It costs nearly the same to ship 1,000,000 copies of an online game as it does 50,000,000. Would 20x more people buy a $1 game as a $20? Popcap thinks the answer is no, but their dev costs are way higher than average.
What about flash/java games? There are plenty that are worth a buck, though perhaps not with all the free stuff out there. There's also a concern that something that costs $1 isn't worth as much as something that costs $20, even if a publisher can make the same amount with both pricing options.
Seth Godin recently touched on a similar issue regarding Ebooks, and I think the same model applies to online gaming.
-Adam!!!
Spore: You Rate Me and I'll Rate You Right Back!
Logged in Spore users are allowed to rate each other's creations, helping to ensure the cooler ones make their way to the top of the popularity mountain. With 600,000 creatures already uploaded in the last two days, I'm not concerned with mine getting noticed. What I am concerned about is the BAD rating one of my favorite creatures received! Any Spore fans reading this, please take a look at my creatures and give them a thumbs up if you like them.
If you have creatures you'd like me to check out, just let me know. I promise no thumbs down if you do too!
-Adam!!!
Who would give this little cutie a thumbs down?
If you have creatures you'd like me to check out, just let me know. I promise no thumbs down if you do too!
-Adam!!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
S'more S'pore
Is it the best $10 I've ever spent? Not sure. It's far from the worst. I've got the full Creature Creator now, and it's easily $10 more fun than the trial version. You can see my creatures on my Spore Site. For some reason, only my Basilisk shows up on the Spore site of 400,000+creatures (in two days) and while I'm proud of Basi, my Rust Monster is probably a little cooler.
This little guy is doing his dance...
Awwww...cute!
-Adam!!!
This little guy is doing his dance...
Awwww...cute!
-Adam!!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Spoooooooooooooooooooooooooooore!
I've been waiting for this for quite a while. I'm extremely excited about Spore, and the Creature Creator Trial is a great taste of what's to come. I made this creature in about ten minutes. I've made four since downloading the demo a couple of hours ago. It's a lot of fun.
The Creature Creator made it simple to upload videos like to my YouTube account. As you might imagine, there's quite a few there already.
Update: I've added the Spore App in Facebook. I'm looking forward to it working (it really doesn't, yet.)
-Adam!!!
The Creature Creator made it simple to upload videos like to my YouTube account. As you might imagine, there's quite a few there already.
Update: I've added the Spore App in Facebook. I'm looking forward to it working (it really doesn't, yet.)
-Adam!!!
Who Are You?
When internet chat began, the only ID you had was your conversation partners' names. Nowadays, customizing avatars has gotten to the point where you can recognize other users' avatars based on their appearance, in addition to their always visible name.
What if a virtual world abandoned the default practice of automatically displaying a pre-defined name (made up, anyway), with the option of getting to know a person's name more like in the real world - Introductions and communication (asking!)?
What if YOU chose the names of the virtual people you interact with? What would be the difference? What if you could see the names other people chose for you...?
From a practical standpoint, the current system is probably the most efficient. People with nametags are generally more approachable than people without (Hi, my name is Scott!) but put in the context of a VW game where anonymity is desirable or part of the obstacles that must be overcome, it would be a cool way to set a site apart from everything else.
-XXXX!!!
What if a virtual world abandoned the default practice of automatically displaying a pre-defined name (made up, anyway), with the option of getting to know a person's name more like in the real world - Introductions and communication (asking!)?
What if YOU chose the names of the virtual people you interact with? What would be the difference? What if you could see the names other people chose for you...?
From a practical standpoint, the current system is probably the most efficient. People with nametags are generally more approachable than people without (Hi, my name is Scott!) but put in the context of a VW game where anonymity is desirable or part of the obstacles that must be overcome, it would be a cool way to set a site apart from everything else.
-XXXX!!!
Putting the amp in Champions
Cryptic, the fine folks who brought us City of Heroes/Villains, is working on the Champions MMORPG. As I've posted before, I can't wait.
Here's an Escapist Magazine interview with long-time Champs creator Mike Long. He seems really optimistic about the project, as am I!
-Adam!!!
Here's an Escapist Magazine interview with long-time Champs creator Mike Long. He seems really optimistic about the project, as am I!
Somebody needs to cut down on the spicy food
-Adam!!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wow! Gifts!
Last night, tongue firmly in cheek, I requested additional furniture for my SmallWorlds house, dedicated to The Big Lebowski. I was pleasantly surprised to get an Email today notifying me that I was given two virtual couches and a candle! Yeah!
The Dude is enjoying his new couches and candleThanks Joe Ninetytwo, I'll just slip the rent money under the door!
-Adam!!!
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