MediaPost | Gaming Insider

May The Force Be With EA

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:11:33 -0400

With the "Star Wars" holiday of May 4th right behind us, it seems a fitting time for major news from a galaxy far, far away. Disney announced this week that it has struck a deal with EA for exclusive licensing of the "Star Wars" universe to the giant game publisher.

How to Use Gamification For Mainstream Consumers, Not Geeks

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:51:00 -0500

The idea of "gamification" has rumbled loud and long throughout the marketing and branding echo chamber over the last several years. Despite that attention, gamification in the real world of branding and marketing can seem illusory. Often the passionate gamification discussions of strategy and brainstorming sessions crumble under the day-to-day grind of product campaigns and ROI.

Contests Powered By Play

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:07:48 -0500

The competition for consumer attention is only intensifying, leaving marketers with some critical questions. How do you infuse fun into your promotion? How do you differentiate your campaign? How do you deliver against core objectives? The key to winning this marketing contest might just be... a contest.

Gamification Ate My PowerPoint

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:53:39 -0400

At some point in your career, your brain probably experienced death by PowerPoint. I'm sure you know what I mean, but here is the official definition: a state of boredom and fatigue induced by information overload. It's a tragedy that strikes workforces every day, and this is its most common cause: an hour-plus monologue or presentation, often delivered by a poor speaker with little excitement and no opportunities for interactivity. Luckily, gamification has been eating away at the dullness of PowerPoint presentations.

Gaming 24/7: Reaching Your Audience Day & Night

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:18:00 -0400

If you're paying attention to digital marketing, by now you've heard that gamification can improve engagement in marketing, training, social causes and even personal health. An entire industry of designers and developers is emerging focused on creating gamified solutions for companies. When I talk about "gamification," I'm basically talking about applying game principles to non-gaming experience. In other words, taking the things that make Angry Birds, FarmVille and Minecraft so engaging -- earning points, leveling up, discovering, unlocking features, getting rewards -- and using them to focus people's time and attention on real-world issues.

Creating Games That Maximize Cross-Platform Potential

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 05:52:24 -0400

With the global game industry expected to grow from $52 billion in 2011 to $70 billion in 2017, according to DFC Intelligence, and social and mobile games making up a larger and larger portion of that business, there are more opportunities than ever to develop games that not only entertain, but tap into this extraordinary cross-platform revenue potential.

Five Ways To Gamify Your Facebook Marketing

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 13:49:53 -0400

Whether or not you "like" marketing your business on Facebook, your users want to do much more than "like" your business in return. They want to be engaged. Though marketing on the world's largest social network is no game, infusing your campaign with gamified elements is one of the best ways to get ahead. Installing gamification at the center of your strategy drives usage and bridges the gap between clicks and meaningful activity, building both community and a healthy content stream.

Gaming For The Greater Good

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:48:11 -0400

Whether from aliens, traitors, mutants or disease, it can be argued the classic video game narrative requires its player to do one thing above all else: Save the world. Today's developers are evolving that classic narrative with renewed purpose, building games that no longer simply pretend to save the world, but actually go about doing it.

Feeling Special

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:15:58 -0400

Every day, social games are enabling players to express themselves in subtle but powerful ways. By sharing the achievements we earn and challenging our friends to beat our scores, we are broadcasting elements of our personalities and hoping our friends take notice. Brands are taking notice, too, and are starting to deliver the types of experiences in social games that players will relate to and want to share.

We all love to feel special -- and we love when others feel we’re special. Being smart, funny, and attractive isn’t much fun when nobody notices, but society frowns upon brazen status updates of “Hi,friends! I’m smart, funny, and attractive!”

On some level, this has made sharing the content we consume into a meta-game where the goal is to bring our friends’ perceptions of us closer in line with our own ideal self. Our friends are broadcasting signals about their own self-image all the time, hoping that we’ll take notice. Posting a link to an article says: “I care about this issue.” Posting a movie trailer says: “I relate to these types of stories.” In every case, our friends are saying: “Maybe you didn’t know this about me, but it’s true!”

Social games are a powerful way of engaging with consumers, because they invite players to express themselves through their actions. Our high scores are a public declaration of our investment in a specific game; our achievements, a travelogue of our experiences and the actions we’ve taken. Some of the most successful games even let us show off real-world skills: our artistic prowess in "Draw Something," our genius-level vocabulary in "Words with Friends," or our rhythmic mastery in "Rock Band."

Personal Expression and the Brand’s Message

The first branded social games were simple, taking a successful formula and applying a branded coat of paint. The forms of self-expression they enabled for players rarely amounted to more than “I like this brand!” or “I’m playing this game!” These games were limited by their ability to enable player expression.

Today, a new wave of branded social games is delivering more diverse opportunities for players to share. In "Marvel: Avengers Alliance," players create their dream team of superheroes and can help friends unlock characters for the perfect team. The message they share is “This is my team, suited to my strategy, and made of my favorite characters.” This message is more personal than a simple “I like the Avengers,” and prompts more conversation amongst the player’s friends -- validating not only their choices within the game, but an association with the brand as well.

Another game with a movie connection, "The Hunger Games Adventures," lets players customize their avatar with options that are suspiciously similar to fan-favorite characters from the film. Players win because they get that special feeling of creating something cool for their friends and fellow fans will appreciate -- and when fans are sharing branded content with their fans, the brand wins too.

Players want to show off what makes them unique, and will seek out the games that empower them to do so. We’re all guilty of gaming narcissism. The best thing brands can do is embrace that by creating experiences that players will love. Every person has aspects of their personality that they feel go unnoticed. Give them games that make people take notice, and they’ll take notice of your brand’s message, too.

Bored With Board Games, Toymakers Go Digital

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:37:39 -0400

Timeless as they may be, classic toys aren't immune to today's digital trends. A new age of "Toymaking 2.0" ensures the concept of "play" will never be the same.

Improving Business, One Game At A Time

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:57:16 -0500

Today's business leaders grew up with games in their living rooms. As teens, they enjoyed the first portable gaming devices, playing anywhere and everywhere. As adults, however, these Generation Xers have taken things a step further, importing their gaming affections from free time to work time by using games as a tool to improve business operations. In short: Work is now accepted as play, and vice versa.

Mobile Marketing Evolves Beyond Banners -- To Games

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:28:04 -0500

What will exceed $1 billion in 2015? If you said mobile advertising revenue, you would be right. And of this cool $1 billion earned, mobile games will account for 17.4%, or $269 million. To put the number into perspective, that's about how much the 2011 award-winning "Batman: Arkham Asylum" earned at launch -- at $60 a pop. But unlike traditional video games, mobile games appeal to both men and women, young and old. Therefore, they pique interest from brands that normally wouldn't advertise in-game, let alone near them.

Game Over -- Or Level Up

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:24:58 -0500

The gaming industry has changed quite a bit compared to say, five years ago, and our next half-decade looks to bring many additional changes. Let's take a look at a few.

Activision Endangers Profits For Ad Campaign

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:30:17 -0400

Interesting news this week. Mountain Dew and Doritos have partnered with Activision on a new promotion for "Modern Warfare 3" called "RankUpXP." This promotion will allow gamers who redeem codes from Mountain Dew and Doritos products up to 24 hours of "double XP" gametime (time during which actions in the game result in double the rewards other players get ).

This is a brilliant move for both brands. That said, what is Activision thinking?? They've broken one of the most sacrosanct rules for publishers in game advertising: "Don't let an advertiser endanger your bottom line."

Little Games, Big Engagement

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:45:41 -0400

One of the challenges brands often face when they look at getting into gaming is cost and time. Concepting a game people will actually play takes a great deal of time and specialized skills. But sometimes, the simplest games can engage thousands of people if the right circumstances come together.

'Free' And 'Ads' Get A Divorce

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:15:16 -0400

The F2P model relies on providing a large introductory portion of a game to users for free, and assumes that if the game is fun/addicting enough, players will be willing to pay after an initial investment of time. This works on a number of psychological principles related to loss aversion and cognitive dissonance. In short, it's extremely potent and effective.

Let's All Go F2P

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:23:48 -0400

Free to Play, F2P, Freemium - however you describe it, the business model where consumers get the cow for free, but they need to pay for the milk, the bucket, the stool and the barn, is taking over the Games category of the iTunes app store, as well as the world of online PC gaming.

This Week In Gaming

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:30:32 -0400

A few big news items in the past week for gaming: HBO Go is coming to consoles, 3D isn't having a good week, and Diablo III news raises questions for virtual goods.

Can Brands And Indie Games Play Nice?

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:45:30 -0400

In roughly two days, independent game studio Addo Games will close out a funding drive for their iPad game in development, "Robots Love Ice Cream" -- a game paid for largely by fan donations through Kickstarter.

Currently, the project is underfunded by about $8,000, but after being featured on sites like Destructoid.com, Wired.com, and others, it seems like it might have an influx of last-minute donations to take its developers over the finish line.

EA Buys Popcap

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:46:55 -0400

EA went ahead and acquired Popcap, a move that has been rumored for weeks. This is a major development, and points to a broader gamble by EA.

'CivWorld' And Its Less-Than-Auspicious Launch

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:30:38 -0400

"CivWorld," a social game based on the storied "Civilization" franchise, is not exactly tearing up the charts. According to AppData, two weeks after its launch, "CivWorld" has a little under 300,000 active users -- not a small number of people, but it's just not in the same ballpark as Zynga's titles. Why is that?

Go Indie Or Go Mobile?

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:17:23 -0400

This past week an article in Ars Technica caught my eye that detailed the monetization realities behind Xbox Live's Indie Games. The outlook was rather grim. Most titles are struggling to break even, and even "successful" publishers consider the response lackluster. One publisher in particular cited a move to the PC as a hopeful pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The talk of the indie side of core gaming got me thinking. To be honest, other than the few critically and socially acclaimed titles here and there (I'm looking at you, "Minecraft"), I'd almost forgotten they were still there. But in defense of my absentmindedness, there were other shorter-form, lower-budget games demanding my attention: mobile and social games.

Rising To The Supreme Court's Challenge

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:30:59 -0400

Monday was a historic day for video games. The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the games industry, shooting down a California law restricting sale of violent games to children. Game developers have celebrated the ruling as a victory for free speech and a coming-of-age for video games as a medium, putting it officially in league with film, music, theater and literature.

It warmed my heart to hear the good news that day, tha

E3 Impressions 2011

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:30:53 -0400

It's that time of year again. E3, the massive video game conference in Los Angeles, has come and gone. As in the past, the conference was a perfect glimpse into what we can expect from the video game industry for the next year or two. Looking past the glitz, the glam, and the booth babes, a number of trends stood out.

'Empires And Allies': A Step Toward Real Social Gaming?

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:30:28 -0400

This week, Zynga launched "Empires and Allies," the latest in its line of addictive, microtransaction-based building/strategy games ahead of its rumored upcoming IPO. Despite being the most successful Facebook game developer nearly since its inception a year ago, Zynga has drawn the ire of respected voices in gaming spheres, and "Empires and Allies" appears to be an attempt at addressing some of the criticisms leveled at Zynga, especially the idea that its "social" games aren't really that social at all.

What Google I/O Means For Games

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:45:44 -0400

Three tidbits came out of Google I/O that will impact the mobile/social gaming ecosystems.

Portal 2 ARG Launch Offers Great Marketing Lessons

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:15:49 -0400

Two weeks ago, Valve Software released -- to critical and popular acclaim -- the highly anticipated sequel to its comedic first-person puzzle game, Portal. The game was originally scheduled to launch on the digital distribution platform, Steam, on Tuesday, April 19, in the early morning. But it ended up being released nine and a half hours earlier as part of a promotional augmented reality game (ARG) designed by Valve and a group of indie game developers.

PlayStation Network Down For The Count

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:15:26 -0400

The other month when I wrote the article "If You Can't Beat Them, Invite Them In" about Sony's response to PlayStation hackers, I wasn't being as literal as Sony seems to have been. In what is anticipated to be the second largest exposure of consumer data from a corporate network breach, Sony's PlayStation Network has been hacked, and is down for the count.

EA Sports Takes Steps To Dominate Social Gaming

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:30:19 -0400

At the recent MI6 Game Marketing Conference, EA Sports honcho Peter Moore issued a challenge to competitors in the world of social games, including market leader Zynga. EA Sports is planning on dominating Facebook, leveraging its stable of existing properties like Madden Football and FIFA Soccer, two of the dominant sports franchises in the gaming world. "There's a big dog in front of us," he said. "But we aren't far behind, and we're confident that we can catch up. What we can bring to the market in terms of blue-chip IP is phenomenal."

Fearing Canada: Is Google Our Last Hope?

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:15:55 -0400

Digital entertainment, gaming included, would seem to be entering a golden age. Access, usage, diversity of content and audiences, sound financial models -- all of these things should be taking us to a nirvana of sorts, populated by iPads, flat-screen TVs and advanced set-top boxes, and smartphones. There's just one problem. The foundation of our digital paradise has been built on a swamp.