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