The time is right for pervasive social gaming

December 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I remember a quote from a Microsoft exec around the time of the Xbox 360 launch, in which he outlined his dream of console gamers being able to play a title like Halo on a console, but also contribute to the game via mobile devices. (I think it was J.Allard, but trying to find the right issue of adult-orientated games mag Edge from two years ago proved fruitless).

The response on forums and the letters page the following month were full of dismissive replies from ‘hardcore’ gamers.

But rather than being a bad idea, it was simply a case of bad timing. The conditions are now perfect for a cohesive game universe to reach people 24/7, wherever they are, and whatever they are doing.

Obviously for starters we have convergent devices as games consoles which have a prime spot in the lives and living rooms of a lot of people, and achieve acceptance by also playing DVDs, streaming movies etc.

Then we have mobile devices, most notably the iPhone, which opens up a gaming app world previously inaccessible to those embarrassed to be seen in public with a Nintendo DSi or Sony PSP. And bearing in mind the ever-increasing average age of gamers, the shame factor is a key point.

Thirdly we have the world of Farmville and Fishville on Facebook, and the myriad of other social games created by the likes of Playfish and Zynga. The largest of these games has more members than Twitter, and taps into both the viral distribution mechanisms available on social networks, and the most insightful game theory to ensure return visit.

The tipping point will simply come when a console manufacturer who runs a gaming network e.g. Microsoft, enables their user database to feed mobile devices and social network games in addition to the Xbox Live network. You’re already using your MSN Live Passport (or whatever it’s called now) to sign into every MSN service from hotmail, to MSN Messenger, to Xbox Live. And various third-party services allow you to share your gaming interactions with automatic feeds to Facebook, Twitter etc.

The next stage will be a 24/7, multi-medium, pervasive gaming experience which has the potential to completely overtake the likes of Second Life and World of Warcraft, which are still tied into one specific universe.

My money would be on Microsoft to be the brand to make it happen. They’ve got more experience of providing a live online gaming platform, they’ve obviously got experience in unifying the logins across products, and they’ve led the way in a converged device which allows for gaming, traditional entertainment, online game shows, integration with Twitter, Faceook, Last.fm (which got 1 million new users in the first few days of integration), and an investment in Facebook.

Plus they’ve also got a handful of selected titles which could make the leap. Halo is the flagship title which could justify revitalisation after this long leading the way and a few initial forays into spin-offs (Halo Wars for example). Grand Theft Auto is something I already tipped as a potential sure-fire win as a virtual world, and would also lend itself to pervasive gaming (Look at the success of Mob Wars on social networks). And then there’s a title like Call of Duty, which now boasts the world’s largest army (thankfully it’s only virtual), and a military management/resupply function would tie in to the overall themes.

I’m just amazed it hasn’t happened in 2009, and definitely predict it’ll occur in 2010. We’re already not far away with many people using online communities to check out videos, images, tips etc during the day to fuel their evening of gaming. Now it won’t just be our friends and contacts who we can carry around with us 24/7 – it will be those entire virtual worlds in which so many of us enjoy our leisure time which will be with us all the time. There are times when the tasks in those games can feel like a second job, but when they become all pervasive, perhaps that’s the point where a virtual world or gaming occupation actually becomes widely accepted as a primary job?

Filed Under: Digital Culture, Videogames, xbox 360 Tagged With: , , , ,

The social ages of videogames

November 19, 2009 By 2 Comments

I’ve been thinking about the concepts of game theory, play, and videogames for a while now – and they’re a lot more prominent in my thoughts considering the recent coverage of the success and controversy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Coincidentally, there seems to have been a rise in discussions about whether videogames and social networks are turning our youth into antisocial loners sat in dark rooms, existing on caffeinated drinks and sugar, and basically living up to the outdated stereotype peddled out every so often by media and politicians too old to bother actually spending some time experiencing this world for themselves (Obviously I’m generalising, and the fact most 30-40 year olds have grown up with computer and video games means coverage gets more balanced every year).

I started to think about my own 27 year+ love affair with videogames (Writing that made me feel shockingly old all of a sudden – I started young!)

My own introduction to videogames was via a family friend who had a 48k Spectrum – I have memories of sitting around chatting and playing various games, before investing my time gently persuading my parents I had to have one.

And from there, my gaming really splits into 4 distinct periods:

  • Going to a friends house to play console games (This was the era of the Megadrive and the SNES, when 4 or 5 of us would meet after school and hangout whilst playing games for lengthy periods)
  • Going to a friends house to hook up PCs for primitive LAN parties. (In the era of the 486, networked gaming meant a kitchen table creaking under the weight of prehistoric desktops and enough cabling to connect a small village)
  • Having friends come round at university to play videogames (Having first invested in a Sega Saturn, I’d realised I should invest part of my student loan in a Sony Playstation. A better longterm investment than my donations to the Student Union bar).
  • Hanging out with friends via Xbox Live now work and family mean I can’t visit/go to the pub etc as much as I’d like. (I’d dropped out of gaming until the Xbox, but being able to play online quickly, easily and without a PC was too much to resist – and since then almost all of my friends have succumbed)

Of course I also spent time playing single-player games when no-one else was around, but the idea of playing in a total social vacuum seems to me to be a myth – why else would you conquer a game or a high score table if not to share that triumph?

And during this period I played sports a lot (school teams, inter-mural teams at university and becoming a bit of a gym addict), played music, read a fair amount, had girlfriends, drank beer, went clubbing etc. All the things you associate with a well-rounded social teenager and adult.

The only real difference was that rather than hanging out listening to music, or watching films etc when we hung out at home, much of the time was spent sat chatting and issuing instructions, suggestions, commentary and insults towards whoever was in control of the console/computer at the time. And once I’d become addicted to the Xbox I became friends with work colleagues and other local gamers who I then met in the physical world to either play games, sink a few pints, or even work on ideas like the sadly dormant at the moment Disposable Media. Some of that gaming experience and the friendships I’d made also led to my first work experience in the media, and indeed my first paid freelance work published in a national magazine.

Obviously a sample size of one isn’t going to give much insight into gaming as a whole, but I figured that amongst all the other dangers of video-gaming, a career in the media industry hadn’t been highlighted yet!

Enough self-indulgent biography – I’m off to play some Forza Motorsport – which has more than enough community and social aspects to warrant a more analytical blog post of it’s own later in the week…

Filed Under: Videogames Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Xbox could rule the living room with bundled internet access

February 14, 2009 By 3 Comments

Since I questioned Microsoft’s change in marketing strategy for the Xbox, I’ve been thinking about positive suggestions for boosting the market share of the Xbox 360. And I think I’ve got a good one, although it might be bit odd – as always I’m hoping your comments will aid my thinking.

The idea came to me as:

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a major attempt to ‘own the living room’ with a device which converges gaming (especially online gaming), videos, and other entertainement and community building.

Xbox Controller by A_Hermida on Flickr (CC Licence)

Xbox Controller by A_Hermida on Flickr (CC Licence)

The Xbox Live service is a major selling point for the Xbox.

Videos on Demand were one step towards convergence.

Then integrating with Netflix was the next step to boost the pretty measly catalogue of videos on demand. (Sadly still unavailable in the UK).

US broadband suppliers are starting to limit data. Meanwhile in the UK, far lower limits are normal. In fact, one major reason for my decision to go with Zen Broadband was that they offered a decent data limit for 2-8Mb connections, unlike most other ISPs (It’s the maximum speed I can get in my area). But even with a 20GB limit, I’m getting closer and closer to hitting the data limit every month, as more and more of my media usage is online.

So why doesn’t Microsoft bundle internet access with the Xbox 360/Xbox Live accounts?

There may be issues around conflicts of interest etc, but if Microsoft wants to own the living room, particularly outside the U.S, then perhaps becoming an ISP, or partnering with an existing supplier might be the best move they could ever make.

1. If they offered the highest data limits in the market, they’d give an added incentive for families to pick the Xbox.

2. Increased data limits would encourage the download/renting of full films online – as it is, a handful of films would mean no more internet for a month for me.

3. They could ensure maximum compatability, and also work to reduce issues with lag and connections. There are still many issues with online gaming, especially given the speed differences between U.S and U.K for example.

4. They’d be in a position to stimulate broadband improvements, and drive down prices by subsidising the costs with the increase in revenue from an uptake in sales, Live Accounts, and VoD. Plus it may stimulate more innovation in the services being offered. And they’d also be able to benefit from offering services from the entire Microsoft business to families which are likely to have other internet-enabled devices alongside their Xbox.

5. It gives an added incentive for people currently using/considering a PC as a media centre to use the Xbox instead.

It seems to make sense, but in my enthusiasm I may have missed some reasons why this would be difficult/impossible – so please do help improve my thinking through the comments.  Maybe we’ll end up with better broadband because of it!

Filed Under: Business, marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The sense of censorship

July 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment

I’ve just returned from some very interesting conversations, held on a beach on the Isle of Wight.
Despite the sandy taste of the lager, games journalists (among other things) David McCarthy and Kieron Gillen had a particularly interesting chat regarding censorship.
Originally focussing on the banning of the game Manhunt 2 by the BBFC, it also covered censorship of film, comics, and any entertainment media.

On one hand, I’m a big believer in the freedom of speech, and will happily sign up to defend anyone’s right to talk complete cobblers. At the same time, I’m regularly disapointed in the fact that a lot of people will believe the cobblers.

The optimist in me wants to point out that if there is film, text or a mixture which offends you, you can avoid enountering it. There are enough programmes to allow you to filter the internet, for example, with varying degrees of success.

At the same time, if someone does suggest something like a Blogging Code of Conduct, it’s entirely optional whether or not you sign up to it or not.

Sadly too many people seem to be unable to work out for themselves that they probably should watch disturbing films like A Clockwork Orange, or Assault on Precint 13, and avoid the latest horror franchise to follow this year’s trend for more and more gory fun.

This is one of the few posts I make, where I don’t already have a slightly patronising solution in mind… But I do think it’s an issue which will become ever more important. After all, if your new site is based on users supplying content, where do you draw the line on that content? Do you adopt the most lax legal approach of only ever reacting if there’s a complaint? Do you decide to let everything go, just to make a point, no matter how abhorrent? Or do you make a huge commitment to try and avoid anything offensive?

So far games seem to have got away with a relatively lax approach. Film seems to react only when there is something which can’t be defended as art. Meanwhile U.S comic firms voluntarily formed the Comics Code Authority in 1954. All three are capable of incredibly beauty and emotion. So which one was the right way to go?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Older Posts