I thought these three present opening Christmas videos were very interesting for very different reasons. Both for there similarities as well as their differences in approach and reactions.
The Good:
The first one is really good because this boy is really grateful for his many related gifts! And I mean really grateful!
The Bad:
The second one is bad (in a funny kinda way) because this boy is really, really, really ecstatic about receiving his 360, although I think the dog wants one too. I'm not looking forward to hearing this guy's yelps on xbox live should that ever happen, I can't tell you how many singing / screaming 10 years you tend get as team mates on Left 4 Dead as it is already, nice! :S
The Ugly:
The last one is ugly because it's just plain evil, darn right evil I say! The boy's face says it all, just check this one out... (Don't be evil & try this at home parents!)
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Tuesday 22 December 2009
The 'Only In Japan' Daily Feedly - Muscle bound Polar Bears, Muscle bound Pogo Jumping and Muscle bound Motorcycling. It's a strong one, it can only be Japan.
Muscle March:
A pro football player has stolen your protein powder! Strike the wall-smashing pose of the builder in front of you to chase him down. Coming to WiiWare May 26th.
It features Horse's in elevators, random sheep, Polar bears in trunks and loads of musculy dudes dancing and chasing each other (I don't think this will be featured at the Nintendo E3 conference any-time soon).
I really don't know what to make of this, other then for a laugh, it's obviously gonna appeal to a certain demographic. I figured perhaps it's a Aprils fools but then I remembered where in December, plus the game is apparently going to be released in May, so that theory's out I suppose.
On the other hand if you have a Wii (I don't), I suppose other then Mario or checking your BMI heart rate this is the closest thing you'll get actually playing games on the thing. :D
Choaniki:
I just don't know what to say about this one either, like Muscle March it features heavy on muscly dudes, in this case they seem to be pogo jumping on each other to hamper your progress towards the epic boss at the end, which is one of the most gay stroke camp boss fights I've ever seen in a game (and I've seen a lot!), just watch out for his special attack.
To make things even worst (and even more demented), he actually seems to be enjoying your assult on him! It has to be seen to be believe (and that goes for the rest too!).
Ultimate Muscle Roller Legend:
To be fair, I don't this is actually Japanese (has a more Dutch / German feel to it I think), but it does have an (originally unintentional) awful lot in common with the previous two Japanese finds, so I'm adding it here anyway.
This one features two dudes improvising to make a motorcycle among other things all in the name of chasing so guy on a truck roller thingy who wants none of it (and I don't blame him either, whoa).
Again, I really don't know what to say about this one, I suppose gay dudes will mostly appreciate it, er, aesthetics if not struggle to understand it like the rest of us :S
UPDATE: Turns out Ultimate Muscle Roller Legend is indeed Japanese, go figure :D
A pro football player has stolen your protein powder! Strike the wall-smashing pose of the builder in front of you to chase him down. Coming to WiiWare May 26th.
It features Horse's in elevators, random sheep, Polar bears in trunks and loads of musculy dudes dancing and chasing each other (I don't think this will be featured at the Nintendo E3 conference any-time soon).
I really don't know what to make of this, other then for a laugh, it's obviously gonna appeal to a certain demographic. I figured perhaps it's a Aprils fools but then I remembered where in December, plus the game is apparently going to be released in May, so that theory's out I suppose.
On the other hand if you have a Wii (I don't), I suppose other then Mario or checking your BMI heart rate this is the closest thing you'll get actually playing games on the thing. :D
Choaniki:
I just don't know what to say about this one either, like Muscle March it features heavy on muscly dudes, in this case they seem to be pogo jumping on each other to hamper your progress towards the epic boss at the end, which is one of the most gay stroke camp boss fights I've ever seen in a game (and I've seen a lot!), just watch out for his special attack.
To make things even worst (and even more demented), he actually seems to be enjoying your assult on him! It has to be seen to be believe (and that goes for the rest too!).
Ultimate Muscle Roller Legend:
To be fair, I don't this is actually Japanese (has a more Dutch / German feel to it I think), but it does have an (originally unintentional) awful lot in common with the previous two Japanese finds, so I'm adding it here anyway.
This one features two dudes improvising to make a motorcycle among other things all in the name of chasing so guy on a truck roller thingy who wants none of it (and I don't blame him either, whoa).
Again, I really don't know what to say about this one, I suppose gay dudes will mostly appreciate it, er, aesthetics if not struggle to understand it like the rest of us :S
UPDATE: Turns out Ultimate Muscle Roller Legend is indeed Japanese, go figure :D
Tuesday Daily Feedly - Free Games for the Christmas, Ron Gilbert's on a new adventure, EA looking for a new home, Heavy Rain DLC, Loads of Devs in Canada and Castlevania 19 Disc OST. Get your plates, it's the feedly!
Remember to check out the links to fully digest...
Holiday Giveaways at GOG.com:
GOG.com is offering some sweet deals on its entire catalog and giving away not just one but two adventure classics absolutely free as part of its big 2009 Holiday Sale.
"I jumped onto this one quickly (I've also bought a few items there too!), really like this site and as well as having great niche content it has always had a great execution and freemium business model to boot!"
MAG Could Have Even More Than 256 Concurrent Players:
The developers of MAG claim that the MMO shooter on PS3 could support more than the 256 player battles they currently have planned.
EA Eyes Atlanta for New Studio Location?:
Publishing giant Electronic Arts may be looking to open a new studio in Atlanta, Georgia that could employ up to 300 people.
"Looks like EA's cost-cutting reconstruction continues as they look for cheap locales for a new studio."
Ron Gilbert: A New Adventure:
Adventure game veteran and Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert talks to Gamasutra on the production processes behind his once-episodic title DeathSpank, and how the very nature of game development influences creative direction.
It's no wonder they don't trust us:
I just set up a friend's PC. I haven't done that in a while. Wow. Apparently, a computer is now not a computer, it's an opportunity to upsell you.
Introducing the Adobe Flash Platform Gaming Technology Center:
Get ready to build and distribute games for the Flash Platform.
Pre-Order Heavy Rain, Get Free DLC:
Even Heavy Rain, the PlayStation 3 exclusive title that may or may not be a game, isn't safe from pre-order bonuses.
"I own (and have completed for that matter) Quantic Dream's previous release Fahrenheit, so I was really looking forward to Heavy Rain, unfortunately the 360 is apparently not powerful enough to it (don't ask me why), although the PS3 is starting to become a bit more of an attraction and contender in terms of content, finally, better late then never I suppose..."
Canada Sees Substantial Growth of Game Developers in 2009:
According to a census of game developers, the number of designers in the U.S. has flatlined while Canada saw a 30% increase.
"Yeah, non-existent Game Dev Tax will normally do that..."
What a Horrible Night to Not Have a 19-Disc Castlevania Soundtrack:
If you're a fan of Konami's vampire-hunting Castlevania series, you might want to start saving up for this comprehensive 19-CD collection of the soundtracks to every single game in the franchise.
PSP-4000 Ad Was a "Mistake":
The appearance of an ad outing the PSP-4000 last week was a mistake, according to the company behind it, which is of course exactly what it would say if it was trying to cover up the fact that an official announcement about Sony's new portable game system is right around the corner!
Holiday Giveaways at GOG.com:
GOG.com is offering some sweet deals on its entire catalog and giving away not just one but two adventure classics absolutely free as part of its big 2009 Holiday Sale.
"I jumped onto this one quickly (I've also bought a few items there too!), really like this site and as well as having great niche content it has always had a great execution and freemium business model to boot!"MAG Could Have Even More Than 256 Concurrent Players:
The developers of MAG claim that the MMO shooter on PS3 could support more than the 256 player battles they currently have planned.
EA Eyes Atlanta for New Studio Location?:
Publishing giant Electronic Arts may be looking to open a new studio in Atlanta, Georgia that could employ up to 300 people.
"Looks like EA's cost-cutting reconstruction continues as they look for cheap locales for a new studio."Ron Gilbert: A New Adventure:
Adventure game veteran and Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert talks to Gamasutra on the production processes behind his once-episodic title DeathSpank, and how the very nature of game development influences creative direction.It's no wonder they don't trust us:
I just set up a friend's PC. I haven't done that in a while. Wow. Apparently, a computer is now not a computer, it's an opportunity to upsell you.
Introducing the Adobe Flash Platform Gaming Technology Center:
Get ready to build and distribute games for the Flash Platform.
Pre-Order Heavy Rain, Get Free DLC:
Even Heavy Rain, the PlayStation 3 exclusive title that may or may not be a game, isn't safe from pre-order bonuses.
"I own (and have completed for that matter) Quantic Dream's previous release Fahrenheit, so I was really looking forward to Heavy Rain, unfortunately the 360 is apparently not powerful enough to it (don't ask me why), although the PS3 is starting to become a bit more of an attraction and contender in terms of content, finally, better late then never I suppose..."
Canada Sees Substantial Growth of Game Developers in 2009:
According to a census of game developers, the number of designers in the U.S. has flatlined while Canada saw a 30% increase.
"Yeah, non-existent Game Dev Tax will normally do that..."What a Horrible Night to Not Have a 19-Disc Castlevania Soundtrack:
If you're a fan of Konami's vampire-hunting Castlevania series, you might want to start saving up for this comprehensive 19-CD collection of the soundtracks to every single game in the franchise.
PSP-4000 Ad Was a "Mistake":
The appearance of an ad outing the PSP-4000 last week was a mistake, according to the company behind it, which is of course exactly what it would say if it was trying to cover up the fact that an official announcement about Sony's new portable game system is right around the corner!
Monday 7 December 2009
Monday Daily Feedly - Mario gets a vibrator, Future Truck design, Trademark Mania, Breeding Aliens and Improving movies the cheap way, phew...
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 04:48 AM PST
Lopens team is proud to announce the release of our match-3 game written in BlitzMax.
TriO: The Great Settlement is a casual game with original match-3 game mechanics and some sim elements.
"Just liked the look of the screenie, a very colourful addition to the match 3 genre, couldn't tell you if it's actually any good as of yet however..."
Check out link to fully digest...
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 03:58 AM PST
Our guide to the solutions that your studio should consider
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 03:02 AM PST
Northwest Vision and Media provides financial boost to local digital companies
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 02:24 AM PST
University of Abertay Dundee and Media City UK to manage funds for UK developers
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 04:54 AM PST
For those who don't already know, Jeff and I are in Lyon for the Game Connection conference, which is sort of "speed dating for game developers". We were selected for the "Level Up" scholarship, so we are able to attend for free! We've got some awesome meetings lined up with some pretty big names, so we are pretty stoked. Even if it doesn't actually lead to anything, it should be a great learning experience -- you don't get to talk to Apple, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and 20 other game studios every week!
What the truck? This is right next to our hotel.
"Fellow indie devs Wolfire Games get a shout just for this epic truck and accompying caption alone. How do you get a license for that?"
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 06:25 AM PST
Sony has announced that a new download only Buzz! game titled Quiz World will be available to PSP and PSPgo owners on December 17th. The release extends the publisher's continued commitment to bring the series to its handheld customers.
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 02:23 AM PST
If we're in the idea business, how to protect those ideas?
One way is to misuse trademark law. With the help of search engines, greedy lawyers who charge by the letter are busy sending claim letters to anyone who even comes close to using a word or phrase they believe their client 'owns'. News flash: trademark law is designed to make it clear who makes a good or a service. It's a mark we put on something we create to indicate the source of the thing, not the inventor of a word or even a symbol. They didn't invent trademark law to prevent me from putting a picture of your cricket team's logo on my blog. They invented it to make it clear who was selling you something (a mark for trade = trademark).
I'm now officially trademarking thank-you™. From now on, whenever you use this word, please be sure to send me a royalty check.
Check out link to fully digest...
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 01:50 AM PST
London institution lauds efforts to bring academia and industry together
Posted: 07 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST
Amiga classic gets Xbox and PC treatment
Amiga owners should remember Alien Breed. Developed by Team 17 the top-down shooter was one of those classic Amiga games - think Sensible Soccer etc - that made the early '90s such a golden gaming age. So the remake/reboot of the series is good news indeed. Alien Breed Evolution launches on the 16th Dec on Xbox Live Arcade (800 points, about 7 quid) with the PC version coming soon after. The video shows the differences between the two - is the new version just a little too conservative in art design? Hard to tell without playing but I can't wait for this one, especially for the co-op play.
In a recent interview Team 17 design manager John Dennis discussed the changes between the original and the remake.
Check out link to fully digest...
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 02:25 PM PST
Newspoll study finds 22 percent of parents believe parental locks can be overridden by their children; majority don't even know locks exist.
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 09:54 AM PST
Link sets out to rescue the princess once again in his latest outing on the Nintendo DS.
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 11:36 AM PST
Some developers think that the social gaming will be the big thing. They say how Farmville or World of Warcraft gets so many players. Little Big Planet is marketed with the “social aspect” of games. I’ve discussed with some people who praise the social media and explain how twitter is like the next big thing after Jesus. Luckily I’m hear to shout from my tower and correct these hopeless stupidities.
Check out link to fully digest...
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 09:18 AM PST
You know what the Mario games have always lacked? Rum.
"Roboexotica, the only place you can see Alcohol, Vibrators and Mario all in one contraption and not be arrested. Shigeru Miyamoto will be so proud! :D"
Screenwriter Talks About Original Vision for WoW Movie
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 08:49 AM PST
When Sam Raimi took the helm of the World of Warcraft movie, he had a very clear vision of the story he wanted to tell, and unfortunately that vision didn't include original screenwriter Gary Whitta, who has spoken about his original idea for the movie.
Posted: 06 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST
Is the latest Uwe Boll movie getting you down? Pop on your Mystery Science Theater 3000 Silhouette glasses and it'll all seem better.
"It's kind of like a cheap version of nvidia's 3d glasses I suppose, great for a recession! :P"
Sunday 6 December 2009
Saturday Daily Feedly - Sad Peppers, Extreme Steampunk Makeover, Street Fight Poetry, Make a 100k in a year (Kinda), Big in Japan (what isn't?), More Dead Space (& ink), Peaceful Metal, More game bans in plan and charitable gaming to name of few...
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Posted: 06 Dec 2009 04:57 AM PST
Can you imagine how difficult it was to sell the jalapeño when it came over from the new world?
"What's it like?" you'd be asked. Well, it's like a pepper (of course, it wasn't. Black pepper is dried and tastes very different). Well, it's hot (no, it's not. Hot is a temperature, spicy is a taste). It's not like anything, actually. Capsicum is an experience unto itself, and forcing me to tell you what it's like does neither of us much of a service. "What's it like," is actually shorthand for, "I don't trust you enough to just try it, so you better explain in detail what category this item fits into so I can decide in advance how to understand it." "What's it like?" is a huge impediment to growth and to the spread of new ideas, because forcing a marketer to pigeonhole an idea naturally limits it. "What's it like?" leads to sequels and high concepts and crossovers, but it doesn't get us 1966 Bob Dylan or even yoga class. Great marketers take advantage of categories every day. Great marketers understand how to create books or services or products or technologies that are very much like something else, but better. You should do that whenever you can. If you want a fast start and good sales, be ready to answer the question. When you have something that's a breakthrough, though, perhaps you need to say instead, "It's not like anything. You need to trust me and just taste it." |
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 01:00 PM PST
 Xbox 360 Avatars Get Pets – As
Microsoft continues its quest to enhance Xbox Live’s social
capabilities, it has added some snuggly new pets to the Xbox Live
Avatar Marketplace. Launched just Thursday, users will be able to spend
240 Microsoft Points on a myriad of pets including three dogs (large
dog, pug, and dog in a bag), three cats (cat, siamese, and long
haired), birds, snakes, fish, guinea pigs, monkeys, and last but not
least, a pony.Zynga Teams Up with The Hidden Agenda Project – Social games developer Zynga has teamed up with The Hidden Agenda Project to take the lead and aid in the “first broad game development contest designed to improve education for those who face challenges learning in traditional school environments.” The winner will be a single college or graduate school team and will receive a $25,000 prize. As it seems, this non-profit contest will be annual.  GMG Entertainment Launches ON!DVD Online Powerpak – Though it’s a mouthful, prepaid card publisher GMG Entertainment is launching the ON!DVD Online Powerpak,
allowing users to purchase collections of freemium online games at
brick and mortar locations (namely DVD stores). The product will cost
$2.99, and while that defeats part of the purpose of a “free” game, the
idea is to mitigate the rather long download times required to play in
the first place.The general idea is to coax these new users into buying GMG prepaid cards for Powerpak games. Thus far, partners include Cronous, Cross Fire, Dragon Sky, Dragonica Online, Perfect World International, Metin 2, War Rock, and World Golf Tour. The product was slated for a national “sneak preview” this past week at Target department stores, but will launch in full in early 2010. BillMyParents Partners with Offerpal to… Bill Parents – BillMyParents is a kid friendly transaction service that allows them to shop online. When it is time to make a purchase, a confirmation email or SMS text message is sent to whichever parent has opted for participation, complete with notes from their children, in order to finish the transaction. Having had success with companies such as Amazon, RockYou, Outspark, and Habbo, the partnership with Offerpal Media is intended to now bring the concept into the teen and tween fold. While the details have not been hashed out yet, Offerpal will be adding BillMyParents as one of its direct payment options (along with Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, etc.), allowing users to pay for virtual currencies via traditional methods or through ad offers.  Outer Empires Expands to Outer Reaches – Metaphorically speaking, of course, but the Facebook, web, and iPhone space-based massively multiplayer online game known as Outer Empires
is expanding. What made the title stand out was that users could play
this EVE-like MMO from any of the three aforementioned platforms.
However, according to Pocket Gamer, the game will be also expanding to the Android and, later, the XBLA platforms as well.Zong Benifits from Black Friday – It looks like mobile payments company Zong saw a good deal of sales on Black Friday. According to what the company tells us, it saw a 27% increase in total spending on virtual goods that day (more than the so-called “Cyber Monday”). The categories of interest are virtual gifts, social gaming virtual goods, and MMO virtual goods which saw a 15%, 29%, and 24% increase respectively.  Friendster Gets Big Changes – As one of the oldest social networks, Friendster
has seen a lot over the years, but this Friday played host to some
major changes to the site. In addition to basic redesign, many new
sections have been added including a “Friendster Wallet” for storing
the virtual currency “Friendster Coins,” the “Friendster Gift Shop” for
virtual gifting. and, of course, a games section. Furthermore,
according to Reuters, the social network will be sold to an Asian buyer by the end of December for at least $100 million. Among the short-listed bidders is Chinese internet business Tencent. |
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 11:14 AM PST
Individual steampunk items are pretty cool and everything, but what about an entire steampunk house?
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 10:44 AM PST
 Earlier I was thinking that 2D versus 3D means cheaper expenses (Which probably is true) but after re-thinking this I believe that animated versus non-animated has much more dramatic expense increase. If you have a 3D game without animations, it will (quite likely) be much less expensive to produce than a 3D game with animations. Doing a 3D game that relies on physics for example cuts expenses pretty nicely in the art department. Same thing with 2D games: a physics based non-animated game (or with little animations) will require much less work than a 2D game that requires animations. This might sounds obvious thing (or “not a big deal”) to some people, but I really think that game developers - especially beginners - should think of this when starting their new game projects or when adding new features. The more animations it needs, the more work it means. I’ve done Dead Wake for couple of years, and I’ve done my best trying to avoid creating animations (or art) for the game… and even then it has required a pretty good amount of hours to get all the pieces together. I tried having animations and even hired couple of guys at some point but it took quite a bit of time (and money) to get things moving. That approach wasn’t a good (to make things from scratch) so I focused on getting ready made art packs (and then customizing some animations). I’m not complaining - this has been a long dream (like since when I was 15 years old or something) to create a 3D game and I I’m really close to the release. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about costs, it’s the thing that animations can be expensive and take loads of time & effort to get done. Are they worth the effort? That’s for you developers to decide when you are working on your games. I’m doing the same. If you liked this entry, feel free to visit GameProducer.net to read more similar articles. |
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 10:18 AM PST
Lightning
kicking and dragon punching is all well and good, but occasionally you
want to add a little bit of culture to the proceedings.
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 08:47 AM PST
A cryptic inkblot picture has appeared on the internet, heralding the next installment in the sci-fi survival horror series.
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 07:50 AM PST
GPS treasure hunting website Geocaching.com is giving you the chance to make a heavy donation to charity, all on DARPA's coin.
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 07:00 AM PST
The PSP's identity crisis continues, despite a helping hand from Jak and Daxter.
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 03:41 AM PST
Do you really expect that the first time we transact, it will involve me giving you money in exchange for a product or service?
Perhaps this is a good strategy for a pretzel vendor on the street, but is that the best you can hope for? Digital transactions are essentially free for you to provide. I can give you permission to teach me something. I can watch a video. I can engage in a conversation. We can connect, transfer knowledge, engage in a way that builds trust... all of these things make it more likely that I'll trust you enough to send you some money one day. I can contribute to a project you're building, ask you a difficult question, discover what others have already learned. But send you money on the first date? No way. The question then, is how much time and effort does your non-profit/consulting firm/widget factory spend on pre-purchase transactions and how much do you spend on trying to simply close the sale? |
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Posted: 05 Dec 2009 01:00 AM PST
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST
This
week on the Week in Review: A legal defeat for Nintendo, boobies in
occupied France, virtual pets on your Xbox, the mighty Kevin Butler and
a gamer charity that helps kids with cancer.
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 12:08 PM PST
In an event branded "Game for Good", Activision are donating large sums of money to War Child, a charity that protects children in war zones, based on the numbers of people playing Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live this weekend. Activision have promised a minimum donation of £150k, with an additional £25k for every 100k players over 600k online over the weekend, up to a maximum of £250k. Game are also pitching in with wristbands and other gubbins, the proceeds from which will all go to War Child. Cynically, it is possible to see this as a transparent marketing exercise - especially at a time when, following the Mail and Keith Vaz MP's attacks on MW2, Activision are in need of a bit of positive PR. There is some irony, it must be said, in a charity for the child-victims of modern warfare benefiting from people playing a simulation of modern warfare. But in a way, there's a pleasing symmetry to the project. In any case, it feels a little unfair to be too hard on Activision, who are making a genuinely sizeable donation to a worthy cause. There are far worse ways of buying good PR, and they deserve their due. Ben Knowles, Music and Entertainment Director for War Child, says that the money will: "directly enable War Child to help thousands of children in the world's worst conflict-affected countries to rebuild their lives - reconstructing schools destroyed by war, reintegrating child soldiers with their families and getting children off the streets after war has forced them to leave home." David Tyler, Marketing Director for Activision UK & Ireland, is calling this "the largest ever charitable initiative the British games industry has ever launched", and he's probably right. In this area the games industry is still lagging a long way behind the film industry, where large-scale charity fundraisers and high-profile campaign tie-ins are commonplace. At the risk of sounding worthy: if this represents a move toward a games industry with a greater awareness of social responsibility, then surely that's a good thing? If nothing else, surely such an industry would make it easier to argue with those like Keith Vaz, who see games like MW2 as a "very dangerous and violent" influence on society as a whole (and on children especially), and little else.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 03:16 PM PST
Japanese gamers will be playing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker earlier than other parts of the world, but not by too much.
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 07:36 AM PST
Nintendo's
supersize handheld sells 100,000 in two days; Left 4 Dead, Taiko Drum
Master best-selling new games on a mostly familiar top 10 list.
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 07:29 AM PST
International
Edition of Sony and Level-5's PS3-exclusive JRPG heading to North
America in time for Valentine's Day with expanded content.
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Posted: 06 Dec 2009 05:43 AM PST
We're happy to sponsor Mochi Coins games. Send me a PM with a link.
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 12:39 PM PST
First things first, I don't really expect to make 100k by the end of next year. It is, none-the-less, the goal.
There's a specific reason for this particular goal, however, unless people really want to know, I won't relay it here. I plan to make money by small downloadable games (about 1 month development time), ad-based flash games (2-month dev time, which I will explain below), my main game Hypno-Joe, and Indie Flux (my game review site). I would really like some information, stats, any advice you could give about making money with games, marketing, and so forth. Reason the downloadables are smaller is because I'm going to be using a tool that will help me make games quicker. And because after discussing with someone, the flash games are more likely to make money, so I'm spending a bit longer on the flash games. I've also heard about sponsored flash games, but from what I understood they're one time payments and they don't make very much, or at least don't have as much potential as something like using mochi-ads or whatever. I'm planning to theme the games to my main game Hypno-Joe (in some way) to sort of generate some buzz ahead of time, make people more familiar with the character. So basically any advice even if it's contrary to what I'm planning to do here already (or contrary to others advice), would be greatly appreciated. Also any more tips on the Indie Flux site that would help drive more traffic and thereby increasing ad revenue would be cool. Thanks for your time. |
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST
The characters in Dragon Age: Origins feel a little...familiar.
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 01:54 PM PST
 Recently
we have seen a move towards games that combine more complex game design
seen in traditional casual flash games with social networking provided
by popular Facebook games. We just covered one of these games: Battle Punks from Gravity Bear. Another one like this is Restaurant Life by CrowdStar.Restaurant Life has been steadily growing since launch, in part because Crowdstar has added Restaurant Life to its cross promotion toolbar on Happy Aquarium and Happy Pets. Today, the game has more than 1.8 million monthly active users. Of course, Restaurant-themed games are not new on Facebook. Playfish has Restaurant City and Zynga has CafĂ© World. And, like these games, Restaurant Life lets players earn cash by preparing and serving food to visiting patrons. Also, like the other games, you can hire your friends to serve the food. Lets look at some of the things that makes Restaurant Life different from existing games. Sophisticated game play More established restaurant rivals and even other games by Crowdstar have a cartoon-like look and feel. Restaurant Life on the other hand has a more realistic look and its graphics are rendered with a lot of attention to detail.  Also unlike other restaurant games where visitors have to eat whatever the restaurateur is serving, in Restaurant Life the visiting friend can choose what they would like to eat. During the meal they can also asynchronously interact with friends by sharing a meal with them, paying for their meal, and playing object recognition based memory games.  All of these in game actions create a more engaging game environment for those players who desire more interactivity and realism in their games. Extending your social graph Most Facebook games are created so that you can only play them with your existing friends. From a user standpoint this can be a problem both when the game is new and there are fewer friends playing it with as well as when the game is old and the ability to move up is restricted by ones’ social graph. We know that users experience this problem as evidenced by the multitude of Facebook (and sometimes in-person) social game groups as well as threads on application forums, all of which involve users asking each other to add them in order to be more active in the game.  Limiting game play to a user’s existing social graph is also a problem from a developer’s standpoint as it represents the loss of an opportunity to provide users to engage with the game longer. Restaurant Life cleverly surpasses this problem through a restaurant city guide feature, which allows users to find and visit rated restaurants of others Facebook users who they may not already be friends with. To make sure visitors going to new restaurants through the guide have a quality experience, Restaurant Life only allows restaurants that have remodeled the default version to list themselves in the guide.  The app style and game play are significantly different for earlier Crowdstar apps, which made us wonder if this was an outside developer app being promoted by Crowdstar. Yvonne Lee, marketing manager at Crowdstar tells us that the app is developed by Crowdstar Labs, a skunkworks team assembled occasionally inside CrowdStar with the charter to try innovative new ideas. Restaurant Life definitely fits the bill for innovation of games on Facebook.  Sana Choudary works with traditional game developers who are having the challenge of understanding how to build social games. She helps them understand how to use and optimize viral channels and social media marketing to build popular social games. She blogs at Traffichoney.com. |
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Posted: 04 Dec 2009 01:02 PM PST
A
bill has been set in front of Brazilian legislators that would make the
importing, distribution, or production of "offensive" games illegal and
punishable by a prison sentence.
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