(* Source: Erick Schonfeld *) 

Erick says... 

Can video games save the music industry? Probably not. But video games are emerging as a powerful distribution channel for digital music downloads. Players of Grand Theft Auto IV can buy the songs they hear in the game from Amazon by making their characters dial a number on their cell phones.

Now the rock band Mötley Crüe (yes, they are still alive) is getting in on the action as well. They released a single from their latest album, Saints of Los Angeles, both in the video game Rock Band and as download on iTunes, Amazon and elsewhere. In the first week that the digital single was available for sale (the physical album won’t be released until June 24), it was downloaded 47,000 times on the Xbox alone compared to 10,000 times on iTunes and other digital download stores on the Web.

Maybe people who play Rock Band are just naturally drawn to the Crüe. Or maybe video games are just a better way to sell music. You get to hear the whole song as part of a more immersive experience. And if you just scored high in the game, you are probably more receptive to shelling out some cash for the song that helped you get there. All those feel-good endorphins have to be channeled somewhere.

Posted by brian tiong at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Dan Taylor *) 

Dan says...

As Wired's recent article on the fierce rivalry between leading gadget blogs Engadget and Gizmodo illustrates, no-one likes to be pipped to the (blog) post. So, it was with some frustration that I fired up my feed-reader this morning to discover that Daniel Langendorf from ReadWriteWeb spin-off last100 had posted an op-ed piece entitled 'What if Apple re-enters the console gaming market through the iPhone?' covering much of the same ground as a post that has been kicking around in my drafts folder for the past couple of months entitled 'Will Apple's next play be gaming?'.

However, whilst Langendorf joins the dots on Apple's likely play for mobile gaming with the iPhone / iPod Touch (check out the video of SEGA demoing Super Monkey Ball for iPhone if you've not already seen it) and speculates that they might follow it up with an "integrated game console for the living room - either a new product or the next iteration of the AppleTV", he doesn't connect the two, which in my mind is where the really interesting play is.

What the iPhone lacks as a domestic gaming platform is a big screen and what Apple TV lacks is an appropriate controller. Put the two together, connected via WiFi, and you've potentially got a Rolls Royce Wii (admittedly, with a price tag to match and you probably wouldn't want to throw your iPhone around the living room the way you do your Wiimote). That said, the potential of the iPhone as a controller for a secondary console is pretty interesting to my mind, combining the accelerometer of the Wiimote with the touch-screen of the Nintendo DS to theoretically provide a motion-sensing two-screen experience (e.g. tilt device to steer plane, stroke screen to target missile). Multiplayer would just be a matter of your mates whipping out their iPhones, selecting your WiFi network and joining the game, with information relating to the status of their on-screen avatar displayed privately on their iPhone.

More here 

Posted by brian tiong at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 (* Source: Mark Hefflinger *)

 



Take-Two Interactive announced on Wednesday that its "Grand Theft Auto IV" broke all-time day one and week one sales records, posting 3.6 million global unit sales on April 29, with a retail value of $310 million, and 6 million in sales for its first week, with an estimated retail value of more than $500 million. "Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

The previous sales record holder, Microsoft's "Halo 3," brought in $170 million on the first day it went on sale last fall.

Take-Two expects that Grand Theft Auto IV will sell 12 million copies this year.

Posted by brian tiong at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Duncan Riley *)

Moshi Monsters, from UK startup Mind Candy officially launched last week with a product that marries the ideas behind Neopets and Tamogotchi with a social network for kids.

Users adopt their own Monster and keep it happy by solving daily puzzles that are sent to each player. Monster owners can interact with their pets by tickling them, playing games, shopping, designing their rooms, and shortly by dressing them up. One core element being promoted for Moshi Monsters is the ability to build an emotional bond between the user and their Monster, which is achieved through flash animation and a complex behavioral engine. Monsters develop their own unique personalities depending on how well, or badly, they’ve been treated.

Players can connect and communicate with others through the Friends Tree, visits to other Monster rooms, Monster blogs, Newsfeeds, and a messaging system. The site is geared towards kids, so online safety is a top priority and the Moshi Monsters team monitors site activity to make sure it remains safe.

Now admittedly it sounds like Neopets or similar services with some social networking thrown in for good measure, but where Moshi Monsters stands out is with $10 million in backing from Index Ventures, Accel Partners, and Newmediaspark. Sure, money should never be the final judgement on any site, but well known VC firms think there’s something here worth investing in. I’m also no judge on what kids like (mine isn’t quite old enough yet to use this) so ultimately you (or your kids if you have any) can be the judge.

Posted by brian tiong at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Nic Tan *) 

I've been a little jaded by the Facebook phenomenon lately and I needed a different fix... Enter Ego (still in beta) by Punch Entertainment, a little startup in Mountain View. These guys used to port console games to mobile phones for carriers like Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile etc.

After playing it online for a day, I find that Ego is like a cross between a Tamagotchi, a Mii, Facebook and IM. Your avatar starts off with very basic attributes and levels up by developing a stronger persona or archetype through in-game interactions called Socializing. Going from high school to college to adulthood, you can be buddies with not only your friends, but with the whole American Idol crew, the folks from Lost (all AI driven) or random avatars with AI kicking in when they're not online - based on those users' past actions. As you progress in the game, you unlock rewards that help refine your personality instead of buying features.

Ego is built as a social networking game for mobile phones with online components through their site, a Facebook app and beyond. It was awarded "Most Innovative Game" at Game Developers Conference 2008. The target demographic is teens and up.

http://www.ego-city.com/

Posted by brian tiong at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Paul Glazowski *)

Been hearing about cafe.com for a while now from friend from Boonty.  Paul here gives a good write up about its features.  Read on... 

Paul says...

Launched today, a new site devoted to social gaming Cafe.com is targeting the casual gamer demographic with a starting lineup of 50 titles, some that may be familiar, some which may be new to players.

The New York, NY-based site, purportedly under development for more than two years and the so-called brainchild of Boonty, “one of the largest causal game platforms in the world,” allows users to network and compete with friends known and unknown, courtesy of an import tool that facilitates the invitation of social connections listed on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Hi-5, which makes getting started easy, whatever communications platform you might already prefer when communicating with personal associates. Address book and IM service imports are also made possible through Cafe.

The service emphasizes five points to market itself to prospective users, three of which are especially pertinent, given the competition in its burgeoning industry. (Read: SGN and Zynga.)

First, the company lays claim to a good number of social networking features, and the bridges it has so far established are pretty convenient. No need to go through the rigamarole of inviting friends entirely manually via that totally old, passe thing called email to spar against one another via a multiplayer title. Simply pull in your contacts from a myriad of outside sources, including several well-established social networking sites, and you’re pretty much set to offer up challenges to willing parties. Mind you, Cafe stresses security controls, so you don’t have to maintain an open profile. If you only want to play with people you know, no problem. You may do so.

Also, some titles on Cafe allow for two-player combat, while others provide space for as many as 6, making the website into a sort adaptable roundtable of casual gaming. Quite fun. Single-player is possible, of course, but…you know…who really wants that? Play together, we say.

Third, the games provided on Cafe are complex enough for gamers to attain “boosts,” which can add levels for increased skills and strategy. Yes, many games today built for the Web-based industry deliver such intelligent environments, but Cafe may give you the right mix of casual atmosphere and gameplay progression that you’re looking for. It’s all about taste, and if Cafe serves you right, well, all the better.

A few other items worth mentioning. Cafe is employing a “micro-transactional” business model, based on Cafe Coins, which can grant gamers “boosts,” among other things. The company, having observed the growing popularity of similar systems in Asia and Europe, considers it a strong possibility that online gamers in the US will latch onto the concept as well. To fuel interest in its proprietary currency, Cafe provides new registrees 10,000 coins and will soon offer other promotional “virtual gifts” as well as host online gaming tournaments.

It’s also important to note that Cafe is hoping to cater to an equally male/female userbase. According to data put forth by the company, some 60% of women interested in a casual gaming experience online are over the age of 26. Cafe is looking to grab a healthy percentage of that segment of the Web-connected population.

On the whole, Cafe looks rather appealing. It’s the right mix of variety, simplicity, and convenience that just might make it a winning proposition. Visually, it is inviting. Will it prove enticing enough amid higher-profile fare? And will gamers wish to visit Cafe rather than have Cafe visit them (on their respective social networks)? Only some real-world experimentation will help to determine the answers to those questions. At the moment, I feel reasonably bullish about Cafe’s prospects. But as for its likelihood in achieving great popularity, I’m skeptical.

Posted by brian tiong at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Sean P Aune *) 

Sean says...

While we all wait for firmware 2.0 for the iPhone an iPod Touch, there are still plenty of games out there help distract you from work. These nine represent but a fraction of what’s waiting out there; we’ve had some fun with ‘em, and hopefully you will, too.

BattleFleet - The classic game of hunting for the enemy navy to sink it while hiding your own.

D & D Roller - Why carry around a bag full of dice like the old days? Whip out your iPod Touch or iPhone, hit this site, and start rolling the dice for your games.

HeadsYouWin - In this modern day of credit cards, sometimes you simply don’t have a coin to flip, this iPhone/iPod Touch web application will solve the problem for you.

Kenny Rogers Roulette - Not only is it roulette on your iPhone, but you get to see Kenny Rogers staring at you!

Kingdom Game - A real time strategy game where you control a kingdom, buy defenses, buy and sell goods in the market, build diplomatic relations through embassies and more.

Lights Off - Click a square to turn a light on or off and see what happens to th squares around it. The ultimate goal is to turn off all of the lights.

Reversi - Also known as Othello, Reversi is a popular and old game, and now you can play quick games where ever you may be.

Tetris - It just wouldn’t be mobile gaming if there wasn’t some way to play Tetris on it.

XBox Live Friends - Add your friends Gamertags to the app and you can check their online status and gamer card from anywhere.

Posted by brian tiong at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Paul Resnikoff *)

As the influence of major labels continues to recede, a number of ambitious power-players are filling the void.  Early predictions called for the rise of the ultra-powerful management agency, though unexpected retailers like Starbucks, performance heavyweights like Live Nation, and even big-boxers like Wal-Mart are now commanding the most attention.

But when it comes to commanding the most hours of undivided consumer attention, the gaming industry is frequently unparalleled.  The hyper-distracted consumer of today is mostly a multi-tasking, surface-oriented animal, but games often defeat those tendencies.

And that spells a solid promotional platform for up-and-coming bands, especially those wishing to target a younger demographic with larger amounts of free time.  "It's just a new way of going to where kids are, versus where they're not - like radio," said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of Music and Marketing at Electronic Arts (EA), during a recent discussion at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX.

Instead of tapping established artists, Schnur is pursuing a more cutting-edge approach.  "I want someone to hear a song in a game that they'll hear on the radio two years from now," Schnur said.  "We want to be ahead of the curve."  And that means starting careers in a serious way, by starting with gamers who are seriously listening - over and over again.  "For the past seven years, we feel we've been pretty instrumental in helping to break and expose new artists," Schnur continued.

So why simply hand those success stories to others?  That is undoubtedly a question Schnur started asking himself.  And in March of last year, EA formed a collaborative venture with Nettwerk Music Group called Artwerk, one that started signing, distributing, and promoting artists on its own. 

That sounds like a direct competitor to major labels, though Schnur carefully characterized Artwerk as a next-generation publisher.  "Artwerk is not a record label, it's an aggressive, proactive music publisher that delivers master recordings, film and TV synch deals, advertising placements and distribution - it goes way beyond games," Schnur explained.  "We feel that record sales don't matter anymore, from a publisher's point of view - cross-platform global song placement does."

So what kinds of artists is Schnur talking about?  The first signing was Junkie XL, and others include Datarock, Airbourne, and Chromeo.  Some of those groups were discovered at SXSW, according to Schnur, a result that bucks criticism of the event as an overpopulated, hopeless endeavor for artists.

As a self-defined publisher, EA frequently partners with labels, and Schnur still pays for the use of songs and recordings.  "We pay for other people's IP," Schnur assured, though he was less confident that other gaming companies are doing the same.  Still, the total licensing amounts involved are mostly modest. "You won't make your yearly nut from a gaming license," Schnur advised.

Posted by brian tiong at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: eMarketer *) 

Pow! Bam! Whap! Watch out! Here comes a hot new ad space!

Posted by brian tiong at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Kristen Nicole *) 

The Gamers Developer Conference (GDC) 2008 began yesterday, and it’s been interesting to see some of the announcements that have come out of the conference so far. As you may have noticed, gaming (which was already huge) is creeping into our every day web activities more and more, on a more complex level. And by “more complex” I mean that it’s more integrated.

Today, we hear of Avatar Reality’s upcoming launch of an MMVW called Blue Mars. Those at GDC 2008 get a sneak preview of the virtual world, and you Mashable readers get a bit of a sneak preview as well. The graphics are probably the most noteworthy aspect of Blue Mars, especially at this stage of the game’s life, but equally as important are the platform options Avatar Reality will be extending to third-party developers for creating games of their own.

From the looks of it, Blue Mars will be along the lines of Second Life or Sony Home, where individuals can create realistic representations of things that could occur in real life (shopping, home decor). It could be right up the alley for retailers and brands that would like additional options for integrated online marketing campaigns. I’ll admit, I’ll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of Blue Mars so I can try it out comparatively, though it won’t be available to the public until after Spore is scheduled to actually be released. We’ll see how much free time I have left after that!

Posted by brian tiong at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Sean P Aune *) 

The Nintendo DS is the latest and possibly most popular handheld game system from Nintendo. As has become tradition with just about every game system, there is a large and active homebrew community making all sorts of tools and toys for it. We’ve gathered 20+ examples of some of the things your favorite game system for those on the move can do that you may never have known about.

Make sure to read the instructions for each as some require different homebrew installs than others. The DSWiki has detailed directions on how you can get in to the homebrew world.

Art

Animanatee - An animation program that allows up to 10,000 frames of animation, or until the memory runs out.

Colors! - A pressure sensitive art program that you can save your artwork via memory card or email it over Wi-Fi.

FlickBook - A simple animation program for making small animations.

Phidias - An art program that lets you create detailed images saved to the BMP format.

Communication

DS-AIM - A version of AIM for your DS.

IRCDS - Internet Relay Chat comes to your handhel.

SvSIP - A VoIP tool based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Still in development and only handles basic phone functions at thi time.

Emulators & OS

DSLinux.org - If it’s electronic, somebody stuffs Linux in it, and the DS is no different.

DSMouse - Turn your DS into a wireless mouse for your computer.
Emulator-Zone.com - A repository of several emulators for the DS.

Goomba - An emulator to run original Gameboy games on the DS.

SnezziDS - Away to run Super NES games on the latest iteration of the Nintendo handhelds.

Utilities

DSFTP - Allows you to set up an FTP server on your DS, also includes instructions to incorporate it it into other homebrew programs.

DSLiveWeather - A client to access Weather.com’s weather information.

DSOrganize - A lightweight organizer for your DS that also includes a RSS reader, file browser, web browser, IRC client, text editor, calculator.

DSReader - Another popular ebook reader that also allows you to turn the DS sideways to read it in more in the orientation of a traditional book.

DSVNC - A VNC tool to allow you to control a computer over a private network from your DS.

Image Viewer - From the same homebrew group behind Moonshell, uses an app on the computer end to convert photos for better viewing on the DS and then gives you a viewer inside the DS.

Moonshell - A popular media player that can use MP3, OGG, MIDI, AAC and other audio file formats. Can also show JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TXT files and some videos.

TextViewer - Can read several file formats and allows for text bookmarking so you don’t lose your place.

Treasures of Gaia - A Google Maps application that works both in French and English.

TxtWriter - This allows you to create simple txt files using a modified on-screen keyboard. Can be saved to a memory card for transfer.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Kristen Nicole *) 

Avatar creation tool Meez is announcing the gold launch of its distributed gaming service, and a related API platform, which had already been in use for casual games, and other social networking uses, as seen with the recent integration with AOL’s instant messaging tool.

This particular initiative touches on both of these aspects of online communication, to be used for casual games and social networks. It enables game publishers to tap into Meez’s existing user base across the social networking landscape, including Facebook and Friendster. Similar to the deal between Meez and Sears, this API offering can also provide additional monetization options for game publishers. From Meez:

* In-Game Avatars (“Meez Inside”) – Users can import their avatars into a game and use it to represent them as they play, creating a highly personalized gaming experience, which was formerly available only in high-end console gaming. Game players can become the bartender serving friends in Bar Room Blitz, now available at http://apps.facebook.com/meezroomz/, and will be able to have their Meez avatar bring down the house as a DJ in Dance Floor Destroyer later this week.

* Emoticon Avatars (“Meez Enhanced”) - For games without human characters, the user’s individual Meez sits next to the game, reacting with a wide range of emotions as the user plays, such as falling “dead” when the game ends, or giving the thumbs up when the player gets a high score. This experience can now be seen across the games at Meez, as well as at Friendster Games and Perfspot Games.

The interesting thing about the Meez API is the interaction options that provide an added networking element in accordance to whatever the game publisher has created with their casual game. For those that would like to layer in social networking tools for their existing games, the use of Meez avatars may be a viable option.

In response to initiatives like Meebo’s API offering, which provides an option for layering in chat tools for casual games, Meez’s interactive avatars looks to extend its interactive tools in order to provide alternatives to the larger trends occurring within the gaming industry. As the bigger game networks like EA Games look to offer more casual games on the web, the casual gaming trend is really beginning to take advantage of tools offered across the Internet.

Posted by brian tiong at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Nicholas Deleon *) 

And who said World of Warcraft was a waste of time? Turns out you can win a couple of ducats if you’re good enough.

Starting in April, Blizzard will start a contest where players will compete for a grad prize of $75,000. It’ll be a 3v3 Arena contest where players will try to out-PVP each other. To make things intersting, the contest will be held on servers where you can automatically create level 70 characters with the best gear available—the contest is about skill and guile rather than who has the most time to raid and raid and obtain gear the hard way. An even playing filed. Much appreciated, Blizzard. (Not that I’ll enter; my PVP skills can be best described as “atrocious.”

The contest ain’t free, though, with Blizzard charging $20 for North American entrants, and around the same amount in your local currency.

Posted by brian tiong at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Paul Glazowski *) 

Like online gaming? EA has noticed.

Yes, so it seems. News broken a couple of days ago by Curt Feldman of Gametap, a subscription-based gaming service on the Web, Electronic Arts, one of the largest publishers of video game entertainment, is working to assemble a social online division of the company that will develop, among other things, titles that operate on platforms all over the Internet. According to Gametap’s report on the matter, EA has already begun “testing the waters” with a game dubbed Facebook Smarty Pants [Facebook login req.], a “repurposed version of (2007’s) Wii-exclusive trivia title bearing the same name.

Looking at the clear potential to be gleaned from a large archive of social Web-based games on networks of various stripes (not only Facebook), this looks to be precisely the right moment for EA to make a move into the regions of the Internet populated by people of a variety of ages. With broadband having become something of a near ubiquitous utility for a sizable percentage of the US, Europe, Asia, and places elsewhere, now is as good a moment as any for an interactive-media giant like EA to make a significant impression on the Web 2.0 scene.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Michael Arrington *) 

Want to play a MOG (multiplayer online game) passively while surfing the web all day? Then you’ll like PMOG, the first game developed by California and UK-based GameLayers.

PMOG, which is currently in private beta with 150 or so users, is a Firefox add-on that lets you interact with other users asynchronously on websites you visit. In some ways it is like Stumbleupon - users can create “missions” which are groups of websites under a theme (one is called “Laugh, Hard” and is a group of humor sites; another is called “Tech News Tour” and includes links to Engadget, Gizmodo, Digg and Slashdot). When you go on a mission a controller appears in the bottom right of your screen, letting you move from site to site.

Users can also be more mischievous, leaving mines on websites that other users stumble onto and cause them to explode. Points are deducted unless you’re wearing armor. Other users can also attach “St Nicks” to users who leave a lot of mines, which causes their next mine not to work. Finally, a user can add a “portal” to any page, which is a link to a new website. Click it if you want, although there very well may be a mine waiting for you at the other end.

All in all it’s a lot of fun. While on the phone with CEO Justin Hall, I asked him to go to Google, where I had a mine waiting for him. He tripped it, causing damage to his armor. I thought it was hilarious.

You have to rack up points to buy mines and all the other stuff that makes the site fun. Every unique domain that you visit gives you two points, so you get points just from surfing the web. You can also give gifts of mines and other tools to others by leaving “crates” around. Justin’s fiance, Merci Hammon (the company’s CCO), gave me a gift of ten mines while I was testing the service, all of which I am aiming at Justin.

Gathering points and completing missions leads you to higher levels, where you eventually choose a character type. There are six characters in all - two are “chaotic” and leave a lot of mines and portals. The rest follow the “torch of order” and focus on protecting others or creating useful missions.

All those user created missions create page views for the sites covered, so it gives an incentive for people to add them. And here is one possible business model for the game - having advertisers create sponsored missions that give users some reward for completing them. A badge, for example, or points. Hall says they’ll look at other ways to eventually make money once the community is more mature and they see how people use the service.

The game is easy to play because you gain points in the background while surfing the web, and interact with others only when you want to (or when you stumble on a mine). What makes it compelling is the inspired design and storylines that they’ve created as well. When and if you join the service, watch out. I’ve left mines all over TechCrunch to trip you up.

Posted by brian tiong at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Kristen Nicole *) 

GameStrata began as a developer of community tools for gamers, and is now getting ready to launch a new online community of its own, in order to provide a more in depth look at the games you like to play, whether it be on a game console or on the PC.

There are forums, leader boards, and of course, the actual games that users can take part in online. Theres even a good amount of development going on within the gaming community to bring new products like chat and media-sharing options directly into the games themselves.

But GameStrata takes bits from most of these concepts and rolls it into a community for dedicated gamers. Think of it as a leaderboard on steroids, where you can see an even more detailed look at your own game, including your skills, the weapons you use, and more. GameStrata does this by working directly with the gaming companies, like EA Games, in order to get some interesting stats for the gamers that are signed up in the GameStrata community. So you can see not only your own stats, but the stats from others. What’s the weapon of choice, kills scored for specific classes, etc.

This brings an interesting look at players, the overarching trends taking place in gaming communities, and some key details that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. This type of data would be difficult to get in a centralized location, and the good thing about all this collected data is that it’s being used for the benefit of gamers themselves. Would game developers be intereted in this type of community?

Most likely. Developers like EA Games are working on increasing user engagement for game players in an online market, and research is a big part of that development. So having a community that’s benefiting from such quantitative information that’s also creating its own self-contained metadata is a unique look at overall trends.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Erik Schonfeld *) 

An important part of any blockbuster movie’s revenues these days comes from merchandising deals—all the ancillary toys, T-shirts, and backpacks that flood stores after the release of a Harry Potter, Spiderman, or Star Wars movie. Now that virtual worlds are popping up where residents actually pay for digital representations of avatars, furniture, clothing, and other items, perhaps there is a new licensing opportunity there for the movie studios. Paramount Pictures and Habbo, a virtual teen hangout with 8 million members worldwide, may have just struck the first such deal.

In February, Habbo will begin selling virtual goods inspired by The Spiderwick Chronicles, timed for the release of that Paramount movie. It will later add virtual items from Beowolf and Mean Girls, two other Paramount films that have already come out. Habbo says it has 1.8 million members in North America, which is the area covered by the deal. It will be a long time before virtual merchandise licensing comes close to matching the revenues from real-world licensing (typically, each item costs less than $1), but for Paramount the money is almost a secondary consideration. As teenagers pass these things around on Habbo, it is great marketing for the films. They are giving the movies their own personal stamp of approval, and expressing their identity through the characters and virtual objects from the films.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Billsdue *) 

The largest online gaming market in the world is in China.  I have always believed this for all of 2007 despite some reports and now this post shows the numbers, revenues and (huge) profits.  Interesting read to how and what Chinese gamers are into and what drives them.

Giant Online's (NYSE:GA) ZT Online (征途) MMORPG has almost 1,000,000 peak concurrent users, making it one of the largest MMORPGs in the world. It also quite a money spinner, generating USD $54M in revenue and USD $39M in net income in Q3 2007.

"Good equipment means money. Unlike other games, in this game there are no items dropped when killing monsters or completing missions. "We all want the best," said Lu Yang. "You have to go to the system's shops to buy materials, and then use the system smith to make them. Or, you could go gambling."

Paying to open a treasure chest is ZT Online's lottery, "like a casino slot machine."

"Gambling" means "opening the treasure chest." Gamers can buy keys and chests from the system for cheap: one yuan per set. When the key is applied to the chest, the screen will display a glittering chest opening. All kinds of materials and equipment spin inside the chest like the drums on a slot machine as the wheel of light spins. Where it stops indicates what you've won. Chests will frequently contain the high-class equipment that gamers desire, but the spinning light wheel always passes over them.

This clever set-up is infinitely alluring, and there are always countless people engaged in frenzied competition over chest numbers. 

As gamers unflaggingly open chests they sometimes chance upon something good, but the vast majority of the time they gain nothing. Each time they receive nothing, however, makes them all the more impatient to open the next chest. Their every click represents one yuan, one more yuan....like an endless sandglass, their money trickles away, becoming a stream as the clicks accumulate, a current heading toward the unseen system.

More here 

Posted by brian tiong at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Nick Wingfield *) 

Sounds like eBay all over again, only this time... all the goods are virtual and with the estimates and predictions that 80% of the online population will gave a virtual self by the year 2010, I guess this is the new limitless legal marketplace that all gamers were looking for. Welcome eBay2.0.  

A start-up plans to help game companies get a grip on the booming illicit market for virtual goods, including everything from currencies to magical swords that help players advance in online games.

Live Gamer Inc. is developing an online marketplace where players of Internet games will be able to safely trade in virtual goods, a business that is often plagued by fraud. In the biggest departure from current methods of trading in virtual goods, Live Gamer says it will only allow trading of items with the blessing of game publishers. Live Gamer is working with Sony Corp.'s Sony Online Entertainment division, Funcom GmbH, Ping0 Interactive Ltd. and other online-game operators to integrate its trading system with their titles.

Live Gamer, based in New York, is attempting to tap into the thriving economies that have emerged around online games, often without the consent of publishers. Within fantasy games like Vivendi SA's "World of Warcraft" and Sony's "Everquest II," players can achieve status and advancement for their in-game characters by acquiring powerful weapons, armor and game currency. But many people prefer to purchase those virtual assets with real money instead of putting in the long hours of game playing required to earn them.

More here 

Posted by brian tiong at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Techcrunch *) 

We’ve covered a variety of casual gaming sites before on TechCrunch. It’s a hot vertical, particular since the rise of the Nintendo’s Wii console proved that there was a huge willing market for games that don’t need a 4 hour long instruction session from a gaming geek.

South Korean company NHN comes with strong credentials. The company is claimed to be the be “the leading internet company” in its home market and has a huge gaming presence in Japan and China, with the company claiming 170 million registered gamers in China. Its US arm NHN USA Inc launched the ijji.com gaming portal in 2006, and since this time its grown to high levels, with Alexa counting the site at 580, but notably 256th spot in the US (yes yes, Alexa cant be trusted etc.., but sites don’t get this high on Alexa without some traffic).

Ijji.com offers a variety of games including traditional titles such as Poker and Chess, and then site specific games including a warfare game by the name of Soldier Front, a shooter called Gunz and a couple of other games. I’d read about their driving game “Drift City” on Something Awful this weekend so this was my starting point.

Casual Gaming

Most people would presume that casual gaming would equate to quick to play, but with Drift City the word casual is someone’s idea of a joke. First up was the site telling me that I needed to be using IE 7 to play the game (no mention of Windows, but that’s a given), so I switched across to a virtual machine running Windows to get started.

The next hurdle: a 700mb + download. Why you need IE7 when the game runs on its own software is beyond me. Ijji.com also scrimps on a decent server to handle downloads; I may only have a 2mb cable connection but the 700mb took nearly 4 hours to download via a Windows installer program that gave no indication of download speeds or how long it would take. The only option on the download was to turn off P2P sharing, which warns you that if you turn it off your download will be slower, how wasn’t explained but it never takes me that long to download something off BitTorrent for example so perhaps others weren’t using this option.

Then there is a number of screens during installation, and it attempts to install something called XFire, a gamers communication device that isn’t necessary for the game, I hit cancel on this one and finally got to the game itself.

Game play

This is a free game so you wouldn’t expect top level graphics, and you don’t get them. It feels a little bit like the classic arcade game Outrun, which if you’re old enough to remember the game isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

You start with a standard car which you can drive around a city scape which is apparently on some sort of mining focused island in the North Pacific (I tuned out during the intro screens). Like say Second Life or similar virtual worlds you can communicate with other members. Driving itself is as hard as using your arrow keys, and all cars are automatic so there’s no gear shifting. Control gives your car “boost” powered which as the name suggests makes the car go faster, and SHIFT allows you to drift around corners ala The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.

Beginners are presented with tasks that involve driving to one point, picking up an item (by driving over the target area) then returning to base. You do this in an environment which is rich with other users and computer controlled cars as well. Half the fun is driving into other users and things, although you lose “boost” power by doing so.

After getting past a certain point, users can upgrade their cars, change colors and take on new tasks such as special deliveries, goals that earn you money for upgrades etc..

At this point you also have the ability to race other members. The social side of the game allows you to join with other members in teams and participate together. Races offer a variety of challenges other different courses.

Overall

It took me soo long to actually get to the point of having Drift City running that I was prepared to rip shreds into the game and NHN for it, but having eventually got online and played Drift City for a while I actually enjoyed it. It’s not going to appeal to a generation raised on cutting edge computer gaming but for those a little older (and the installation process aside) it’s a bit of casual fun.

Is it however the future of casual gaming? Ijji.com’s offering are a step above the true online casual gaming offered by startups such as Kongregate, but they’re got a much lower barrier to entry than say Second Life or Project Entropia. Many of the low graphics (mostly 2D) virtual worlds such as Club Penguin and Habbo Hotel target kids (and usually girls) where as Ijji.com has an older masculine target audience and offer games that don’t require an ongoing presence or commitment to succeed. If Alexa can be believed this isn’t the future of casual gaming, it’s the now of casual online gaming, and it will likely find a growing audience.

Posted by brian tiong at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Techcrunch *) 

Casual gaming is getting bigger everytime I look at it.  Here is another article... 

Nick Gonzalez says...

Casual gaming is a big business. A video games analyst at IDC, Schelley Olhava, estimated 2.6 million casual games were purchased ($52.7 million) last year. But in game advertising firm NeoEdge says they can triple the revenue of these games by serving ads instead of charging. Their rich media ads are served as pre-roll, post-roll, or interstitial advertisements in games. Today they’ve taken the system, Neo ARM, out of private beta and opened it to all developers.

MochiAds is another casual gaming advertising system we’ve covered in the past. Unlike MochiAds, NeoEdge doesn’t rely on developers to insert ads through a self-serve toolkit, but instead adds the advertising code to a developer’s game themselves (a potential bottleneck). Revenue from the ads are split about 50-50. NeoEdge says they can integrate with more formats than just flash games (i.e. download games), although flash appears to be format affecting most developers. Their system delivers the ads dynamically from their servers over the internet, making it possible to target ads based on demographic info provided by publishers.

But 100% free doesn’t seem to be the whole story. Long before social networks casual gaming sites discovered the value of micro-transactions. King.com collected $27 million from gaming micro-transactions last year. Nexon made $250 million in revenue in 2005, mostly through micro-transaction game upgrades. Kongregate is launching their own micro transaction system for game developers as well. A blended monetization model between ads and micro-transactions seems the best strategy for getting the most money out of visitors.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source: Sean P. Aune *)

We usually talk about things to help you with your work, now we’re going to help you relax! Actually, scratch that: if you get hooked to any of the games on this list, you might actually lose your job. Listed below are 30+ free MMORPGs for you to enjoy.

Don’t forget to check out our post where you can suggest future toolbox topics! (This list, for example, came from one of the suggestions.)

Anarchy-Online.com - A 3D game set in the far future; it features multiple expansions, and is a winner of many awards.

ConquerOnline.com - An MMORPG mixing elements of kung fu with magic.

Cronous.com - A 3D fantasy MMORPG that supports zoom-in and zoom-out graphics effects.

DarkEden.com - Who can resist playing as one of the creatures of the night, a vampire.

Deicide - A3D fantasy game with a skill system divided in to close, ranged, white magic and dark magic. As with most “free” games, it’s free until you try to get the really good equipment.

Dofus.com - A manga inspired, strategy based game with over 3.5 million players. Free for basic play, costs for extra content.

Drift City - Get ready to jump in your car and drift race around the city. Has a very anime inspired vibe to the artwork.

DungeonRunners.com - Choose from fighters, mages, or rangers, and explore a fantasy game where some dungeons can take as little as 15-minutes if you’re strained for time.

Fishing Champ - Proving that any thing can be turned in to an MMORPG, now you can wile away the hours fishing for virtual fish.

Flyff - Short for “Fly For Fun”, Flyff is a highly rated, and popular MMORPG set in a fantasy environment.

Hero - Set in a land filled with ancient Chinese myths, it’s a martial arts take on a MMORPG.

Heroes in the Sky - Takes to the skies of the World War II Pacific theater, and over the skies of Normandy.

KalOnline - A MMORPG set in a medieval world with a large amount of advancements.

KnightOnlineWorld.com - A 3D medieval game that heavily encourages partying up with other players.

Martial Heroes - A 3D game set in the world of martial arts fantasy fighting.

MythWarOnline.com - Goes for the classic 2D, painted backgrounds feel.

Ran Online - Set in a fantasy version of Asia where somef orm of evil has come from the sky; it’s up to you to figure out what the hell is going on.

Rappelz - A fantasy game set in a 3D world where you can party up and kill monsters.

RF-OnlineGame.com - Set in a far off galaxy, it’s an immersive sci-fi game with three warring factions.

Risk Your Life Part 2 - Another 3D fantasy environment.

Scions Of Fate - A 3D game based on a comic of the same name.

SecondLife.com - With appearances on CSI: New York and the American version of The Office, this game gets bigger by the day. While the game can be free to play, don’t be surprised when you start spending tons of money to buy yourself an island.

Sherwood Dungeon - From MaidMarian.com; no registration is needed, just enter a name and hit enter.

Shot Online - Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and wish you could go golfing? Well, now you can! Yes, it is a golfing MMORPG.

SilkRoadOnline.net - A fantasy game set around the real life Silk Road trading route.

Space Cowboy - Mixing traditional MMORPG with FPS style action, you’re a fighter pilot on a distant planet. The game is free to play… until you want new parts for your fighter.

Tatsumaki: Land At War - Set in 16th century Japan, before the introduction of firearms, you can play as part of the Shogunate or the rebel factions. Currently in beta, they are looking for more testers.

TricksterOnline.com - Cute characters based on animals, fighting isn’t necessary, and free to play until you start buying yourself a home and more.

TurfBattles.com - A 3D fantasy MMORPG that’s free at the beginning, and you have to pay to advance.

Upshift StrikeRacer - Jump in your car, race around Triumph City… shoot up some other drivers. Free to play, some upgrades can be purchased with your reputation.

VoyageCenturyOnline.com - A nautical based MMORPG where everyone captains their own ship.

WarRock.net - Free FPS style fighting across land, sea, and air. Free to play, upgraded weapons is where you can start spending the big bucks.

Posted by brian tiong at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source : Virtual World News *)

Posted by brian tiong at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(* Source : Timesonline *)

Nigel Kendall says :

The video games industry was told yesterday: “Television used to be accused of corrupting the youth of today. Now you are.”

David Mitchell, the TV comedian, was talking to 750 representatives of the industry at the 25th Golden Joystick Awards, which are decided by public vote. In that quarter of a century, Mitchell observed, video games have gone from “being a few dots dancing around a TV screen to a full-on film that you are in”.

Generations of creative Britons who once dreamt of