Gamification-Web of Games

 

In the tech industry, it is usually bad to be over 30. I’m 55. But there is one advantage to age, and that’s perspective. I witnessed the deep change that PCs brought, enabling technically skilled people to access computing power, call it tens of millions of people. Next was the Graphical User Interface (GUI) which brought productivity applications to most knowledge workers, call it hundreds of millions of people. Then the Web and mobile phones brought access to anyone and any information anywhere at any time, call it billions of people.

I predict that the next inflection point won’t be about numbers of users. It will be about engagement.

The tech industry has a neologism: “Gamification” Inside this awkward term are three profound truths:

1. Social games change engagement in deep and dramatic ways. If you want to get people to do something that they might not otherwise do—such as plan for retirement, study for exams, learn something new, get healthier or pick a school for their kids—make it a social game. You will see engagement rates change from a mere 5% to 70% or more, and people will sustain those rates week after week after week. Why? Because games are fun and appeal to the primitive brain in all of us that wants constant rewards, social recognition and adventure.
2. Gamification will accelerate the movement from physical to online solutions.  Already, we read about vanishing shopping malls being replaced by online shopping, but as websites that sell goods and services become games rather than content sites (and this is already happening), the trend away from buying at bricks-and-mortar stores will accelerate dramatically unless we can make shopping more fun—because as Groupon has already demonstrated, people like this juxtaposition of shopping and games.
3. Mobile will finally take its place as king, a position to which it has rapidly been ascending the last several years. Japan provided early evidence of this (watch any group of people there riding the train), but social games lend themselves to this form factor and this form factor is location-aware and constantly with you. We will see the end of PCs within a decade. They will be replaced by mobile devices, including tablet devices.

For the old world, its game over..O_o

Halo 4 Announced, Coming Holiday 2012

 

Microsoft confirmed rumors Monday morning by announcing the next entry in its popular Halo franchise of first-person shooters.
At its E3 press conference, the company announced Halo 4, the first game in the main Halo series to not be developed by series creator Bungie, instead being helmed by its internal studio 343 Industries.
Halo 4 is "the dawn of a new trilogy for Xbox 360," Microsoft's Don Mattrick said of the new title, suggesting a long shelf life for the nearly six-year-old console.

The announcement follows news that the company will release a remastered version of the original Halo.

The Sims Social Coming To Facebook

 EA Play announced that popular casual game franchise The Sims will finally appear on Facebook with The Sims Social, a new game that will launch around the world this summer in five languages.

Developed by EA's The Sims and Playfish studios, the new title will allow players to "build a bachelor pad or dream house, spark friendships and romances, and have exciting adventures," just like the PC/console titles, except now with their Facebook friends.

"The Sims was born to be social, and we can now deliver on that. This game will set a new standard for quality and fun on the Facebook platform, and with the mobile companion app sitting alongside, The Sims fans will be able to enjoy playing with life anytime, anywhere." 

N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance: ELITE

 

Unquestionably the most visually impressive Facebook game to date, N.O.V.A. Elite is the first Unity-developed title from French publisher Gameloft
www.facebook.com/NOVAElite

 

Gears of War 3 Beta Invites Available From May 8

Epic Games has revealed that participants of the Gears of War 3 beta will have the chance to invite their friends into the scheme via a "buddy token" system later this week.

In a post on the Epic Games forums, the developer explained that anyone who has played at least one game in the beta will be granted a special token on May 8, which can be given to a friend on Xbox Live, allowing them to also play in the beta.

Xbox Live users in the U.S. will also be able to earn extra buddy tokens, by completing specific "challenges." These include purchasing Gears of Wars content from the Xbox Live Marketplace, playing more than 20 hours of the beta, adding an extra 12 months to your Xbox Live Gold subscription, and playing over 100 hours of any Gears of War title.

U.S. Xbox gamers can earn up to five tokens in total, although players outside of the U.S. can earn just the one. All players have until May 4 to earn these tokens, which will then be handed out on May 8 at the start of the "Never Fight Alone" period of the beta.

The beta will then end for all players a week later on May 15. The full game is set to release at retail on September 20.
A recent survey showed that Gears of War 3 is the most anticipated "core" game release of 2011 in both the U.S. and the UK.

Angry Birds Maker Rovio Aiming For U.S. Stock IPO In Next Five Years

Rovio, the creator of mobile smash hit Angry Birds, which has now seen over 100 million downloads across multiple platforms, is looking to make an initial public stock offering sometime in the next five years, according to company chairman Kaj Hed.

“We probably want to be in a marketplace that is as liquid as possible, which would probably mean NASDAQ is our stock exchange of choice,” Hed said in a phone interview reported by Bloomberg. “If we can do it in the next few years, that would be great.”

Though the company will remain based in Finland, Hed said a U.S. stock offering was prefereable because "our fans are primarily in U.S., so it's easy for us to bring our brand there," according to a Reuters report.

Last week, Rovio announced a planned expansion fueled by $42 million in Series A funding, led by venture capital firm Accel Partners. That investment would value the entire company at roughly $284 million, according to Finnish business website Talouselama.

Rovio found success with Angry Birds after years spent developing dozens of games for Nokia feature phones. Since launching on iOS in December 2009, Angry Birds and has seen ports for Andoid, PS3/PSP, PC and Mac, and anupcoming Facebook edition is currently planned for a May release.

The brand extends beyond gaming as well, with over 2 million licensed plush toys sold so far andan upcoming animated series planned.

Epic Games to Display Unreal Engine 3 Technology at GDC 2011

Following the launch of Bulletstorm, Epic Games has now focused its energies to present the gaming domain with a new innovation before making way for the next Gears of War installment. The company recently announced that it will unveil the next-gen Unreal Engine 3 Technology at the 2011 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
“This technology demonstration is nothing short of breathtaking. It reminds me of when we first showed Unreal Engine 3 to the world and people were amazed,” remarked Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps. “It’s like seeing the Unreal Engine all over again for the very first time.”
Touted to unravel an innovative dimension in the terrain, this technological offering will be demonstrated for unearthing a new level of realism which can be infused into games. It is said to enhance not only in-game environs and atmosphere but also boost effects and human character animations. Additionally, it renders an expansive set of tools and content with support for superior mobile features, multi-core processor support, optimizations for iOS, Xbox 360 and PS3.
The 2011 Game Developers Conference will be held from February 28-March 4, 2011 in San Francisco. Epic Games will offer a firsthand manifestation of the Unreal Engine 3 technology to select partners, potential customers, licensees and the media from March 2-4, 2011. We are also waiting to hear about the new IP which was rumored to come ashore at this event.