Greatest online gaming experience

Image from Google: link

Over the past few months I have gone over several topics about online gaming.  In this post I will discuss several different areas that interest me and have kept me within the gaming community.  Communication is one of the big things I look for in games, it allows to bridge cultural gaps and communicate with people from all over the world.  Another feature I enjoy is convergence of consoles to include different features that make online gaming that much better as well as get them noticed among the vast majority of media that are beneficial to users.  Finally an area that I have yet to get involved with, but am interested in is the concept of making money through the use of online games.  Over the years I have been lectured about time wasted playing games and how there are better things to do.  Now with all of these features and advances I will be able to say gaming is beneficial after all.

Gaming now consists not only of online computer games but also casual gaming through Facebook or phone apps and also console games that present online content.  Personally I am interested in all gaming and the entertainment aspects, but having advanced so much over the past several years online gaming is changing the way people interact with one another.  It used to be only nerds played video games and had “online friends” but now it is well above minority for individuals to play online games and communicate with friends online.  A recent article on Gamasutra.com explains how developers are looking at what players want and how communication seems to be top priority when new games come to the market.  Players want the best communication system and want to reach others anywhere anytime.

Image from Google: link

Another area of interest is pertaining to consoles.  In a recent article by Daniel Frankel, on paidcontent.org, the topic of converged gaming consoles is discussed.  Consoles like Wii, Xbox, and Playstation are now each capable of internet access and provide consumers with more features like television/Netflix, picture sharing, and even display ads like commercials.  Through this integration of multiple mediums we see consoles as more than video game entertainment one aspect that entices consumers to buy.

Finally we see new ideas about making profit through gaming.  One example of businesses and individuals having power to make money in an online community was Second Life.  It didn’t get as much hype as predicted but it did help push users to profiting in real life through games.  In an article from TheAtlantic.com describes individuals’ making money through the use of paypal and Ebay by selling in-game items and personal developers being able to have success with their own games.  Such successes could include games like Minecraft, long ago with Halo, Little Empire or FarmVille.

Overall I feel gaming will still advance and be integrated in our lives just like many other media.  Entertainment is important for people and will continue to make it part of our everyday experiences.

Mobile vs. Computer gaming

In several of my past posts I have mentioned qualities of online games that users look for most and want in game.  With online games becoming more and more popular due to advances in technology we see the growth of the gamer community and a larger number of casual gamers.  In this post I will be discussing changes in this community and features that gamers are looking for in today’s game industry.

Detailed graphics and screen quality are important and casual gamers may not have a preference for these aspects but that may be due to the easier accessibility of mobile online games through the use of smart phones and tablets like iPads. 

This video showcases the LG Optimus and its 3D capablities for mobile phone gaming.  The video is from last year but it allows the audience to see what is coming with mobile gaming and the advancements that are competing with consoles.  Many consoles are working at making the shift to more movement and 3D based graphics and phone companies also taking interest is good for their market. 

Video from Youtube: link

This last week iontab.com had an article introducing upcoming new titles for the Android and the iPhone.  These games do seem fun but offer the same old content that past games have shown only in a new prettier packaging.  Being an avid gamer myself I think playing online games on phone platforms extremely limits the content with available features such as communication and open-world, with a nearly seamless environment and visual of all players and world in real time.  One cause to these limitations is due to access capabilities of Internet on the go as well as the data plan size the user has with their phone company. 

In the previous article Dark Legends is one of the upcoming games to be released.  Androidapps.com released a recent article that explains why mobile gaming is advancing and how Dark Legends plans on being a contributor.  This game will cross platforms and allow players to interact with those playing on desktop browsers or even those playing through Apple iOS version.  This interests me because I have always liked online games that cross platforms; it causes less stress when deciding on platforms and still allows interacting with friends.

Another article that describes partnerships between developers and mobile gaming producers was relesead recently from the Wall Street Journal.  In it Telefonica and EA games partner to bring users games like Sims, Fifa, and Monopoly.  Users will again be able to bridge between platforms and play and experience the game together.

This video is another great example of how producers are developing previously popular console games and adapting them to a mobile phone format to reach all potential audiences and maximize profits.  

Video from Youtube: link

The game in this video is Lego Harry Potter; Lego games have been extremely popular in the past and as we see in the video the mobile version is comparable in features and content to the console version; another reason for the increase in mobile gaming.

A Change in Online Console Gaming

Electronic Entertainment Expo,
picture from: Google Image

Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, is rapidly approaching and as it does rumors as always flow through the Internet.  One current debate filling forums and chats is that of consoles making more restrictions for online content and gaming.  Rumors once again take the gaming community by storm. 

For Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 many games they have are limited to single player content unless you are willing to pay an additional fee for more content or an online membership. This is how things have worked for a very long time and now people are talking, as they do every year before E3.

One thing Microsoft plans to change with its newest Xbox features is the online content it broadcasts.  Jason Andrews for thisisxbox.com, discusses in his most recent article how the Xbox’s newest component will have a more entertainment focus, which includes television, music, online browsing, social media.  This implementation will potentially cut the content given with online games.  I personally don’t enjoy reading this, because I believe consoles were made for playing games; including other features to consoles is great but it should definitely not be substituted instead of gaming content.

E3 rumors over decreased used game market,
image from: gearfuse.com

Similarly on cnet.com Jeff Bakalar explains that console developers are trying to make a shift to change the market of buying used games and hopefully stopping instances of piracy.  Bakalar says developers want to create new technology that tries to get consumers to only buy a game they are willing to keep.  The games will be created to limit uses to one user and sold and bought used the new owner must pay an additional fee to get the entire game unlocked, once again presenting content limitations and allowing the companies to profit more.

Eddie Makuch, Gamespot’s news editor, discusses the rumor about Playstation’s new console, Orbis, features in his recent article, on gamespot.com:

Gamers will be free to trade in Orbis games, but the person who purchases a secondhand disc will be restricted to a limited trial mode or "some other form of content restriction." These gamers will be forced to pay a fee to unlock the full title, according to the source.

Users have also hypothesized online only discs as well as a complete change over to digital game markets for console-based entertainment.

As I said in a previous post, many pay-to-play online games are looking at giving free access for limited content.  So will this change with console games disrupt online communities?  Will it potentially send users scavenging to find similar online game content pushing online gaming solely to computer access?

Regardless of what is to come with game consoles, online gaming will not be the same.  And for me I say let Microsoft and Sony screw things up with loyal consumers, I’m a Nintendo fan anyway.

More rumors surrounding E3 and the consoles can be found at gamespot.com.

Friend Request

In this post I thought I would try to convey what is being felt and experienced when it comes to online gaming.  It seems that online gaming has always been accompanied by negative impressions surrounding it; however, excess of anything isn’t good, eating too much, exercising too long, watching television all day, etc. can all be bad for you.  Having had personal experience with a few online games I know that there is more than meets the eye and what individuals stigmatize.  Many online games today breach barriers and bring the users a lot closer together. 

PS3 game, Journey
Image from: thatgamecompany.com

In a recent article on Gamezone.com discusses the features of the upcoming Playstation 3 game, Journey.  This game matches players up randomly with someone around the world.  It is focused around players’ experiences with one another emphasizing the fact that there is no way to actually communicate or know who the other real life player is.  The article explains how designer Chris Bell feels,

Journey presents its own restrictive set of methods for communicating with other players, and the designer hopes they make the story more memorable: "Because you engage in these experiences with another player," he said, "there's the potential to go through a wide range of emotions with them. ... Personally, I prefer that players communicate through non-verbal actions.

While there is a lot good emotions felt by most users, there is also some concern that virtual communities are losing the sense of belonging and connection that they used to have.  Mike White explains in his story on Craveonline.com; he talks about his own MMO experiences and how they have diminished in the past.  Following this he decided it would be beneficial to fellow gamers to put together a few set rules to follow which help bring connection back to in game friendships and break away from playing multiplayer online games more as a single lone player.

Image from: Google

A longer article on Gamasutra.com, What Makes Social Games Social, describes just that, which aspects of online games bring players closer together in real life physically and emotionally.  The article discusses Facebook based casual games as well as massively multiplayer online games, MMOs:

Looking at chat specifically as a powerful synchronous tool for player engagement and retention in both casual games and MMOs; new players use chat, make friends and ask basic questions.  Experienced players use chat to brag about in-game accomplishments and form actual friendships.

Reading more into the article we see quotes from individuals expressing their positivity with online game friendships and how they rival actual real life relationships. 

It might sound a bit off at first but is it any different from others having a good chat with someone through Facebook?  Once you look at it online games are kind of like virtual board games that allow users to play and bond with people from all over the world.  Making friends through online games can be just as gratifying as keeping ties with friends through Skype or Facebook, although it may not have the physical elements it still causes real life emotions and responses in the players.

Gaming Advancements

Early MUD interface.
Image from: http://ppanks76.tripod.com/

After thinking it over, I decided to go with a suggestion and make this next post about the evolution and advancement of online games.  With so many technological advancements in the past few decades it seems only right to overview the progression and success of online games.  For the most part online game communities came to be from Dungeons & Dragons the role-playing games; this game influenced the first MUDs, multi-user dimensions, which are text based online role-playing world platforms, and these in turn lead to modern day massively multiplayer online games, MMOs. 

In an article by Joe Essid from hypergridbusiness.com he talks about his experiences with Second Life and how his expectations for its possibilities for education were high, hoping he would find reasons why it was hypothesized to change virtual learning environments.  Essid discusses how he used Second Life on and off for sometime due to the issues with the developers as well as the loss of interest with general public.  

While I bring up Second Life in several of my previous posts and explain its potential, this community has unfortunately gone downhill from where its interest and hopes started.  Originally Second Life was hypothesized to revolutionize the way individuals dealt with business and communication online; people would be able to hold virtual business meetings and buy and sell products, completely creating the world around them; however, while the community generated some business related and networking capabilities, more interest developed with casual online gamers.

Another area that seems to hit high marks with online communities is the cross over of popular television series into MMOs.  In an article from EscapistMagazine.com we can read about why this is happening:

The creation of a Game of Thrones online role-playing game is a perfect natural extension to the series," said the series' executive producer David Benioff. "The show has resonated extremely well with fans so we think they will be terribly excited to have an opportunity to be personally immersed in all the action.

Image link: MMOlist.com

The article also talks about shows like Battlestar Galactica, a past popular SciFi program, were integrated into online game format due to fan requests.  In my previous post I talked a bit about how the decision to switch from pay-to-play to free-to-play is impacting many MMOs and causing some to shut down completely; this along with television producers deciding to integrate series into online games shows how much consumers and fans influence aspects of online content and virtual communities. 

After looking more into where online gaming started and seeing where it is headed we can not really classify online gaming as a genre itself; we are now able to see that each new avenue, be it education, entertainment, art, or communication, is its own genre and continues to advance depending on the users in each community.  With the Internet being integrated within almost ever aspect of our lives it is very possible that online gaming will continue its trend and maybe even get back to furthering education and branching out to give people many different opportunities.

Although a bit older, more information and background on MUDs can be found here.

Official Game of Thrones site here.

Why pay when you can play for FREE

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Much of the entertainment in online games is the aspect that many are free.  Many higher quality games such as World of Warcraft (WoW), Star Wars The Old Republic (SWTOR), City of Heroes, RIFT, etc. are online games that require paid subscription to unlock all the game features and attain the best game experience; however, several of these MMOs are feeling the blow of the Free-to-Play community.  This demand for free content has lead a few like WoW and City of Heroes to introduce a free-to-play option for the game, this strategy is used to initiate trial use by a previously untargeted audience demographic.

In an article from Gamasutra.com the staff believes the choice to move to free content from subscriptions for some of the top MMORPGs is a mistake.  After following the trend with many games they found that:

World of Warcraft lost nearly 20 percent of its subscribers despite implementing an endless free trial up to level 20.  Warhammer Online saw players cancelling their subscriptions to play in the free trial because that was where all the PVP action was.  And Lego Universe had to shut down when it found it was unable to convert free trial users into subscribers.

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While there is negative feedback on the issue, that is just an opinion of a much more vast audience.  People are also finding the positivity within the change for some games.  A recent article on 1up.com describes how free-to-play is different depending on which MMO you look at.  WoW and RIFT are examples of games that opt players to become subscribers to access more and get more out of their playing experience, while games like DC Universe Online gives free players the same game as subscribers, the only difference is unlock-able characters and beneficial in game items. 

One last game that came to mind when bring up free-to-play is Lego Universe Online.  This was originally created as a pay-to-play game but transitioned to free-to-play months after its release to hopefully gain more popularity.  This Youtube video explains the history of LUO and toward the end they explain why it ended up shutting down.

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Although the game couldn’t survive the changing atmosphere of online gaming, its popularity and feedback on forums has potentially sparked new life; there are rumors that the developers are considering re-opening the game in the near future.  However they are looking at past challenges and adapting it to the current changes in online gaming communities.

The transition from subscription to free-to-play is mostly seen as a positive for many online gamers but is it enough for developers to hope trial use will create further investment with the consumers? Or will gamers see this as an opportunity to get most of the current content for free?  Regardless of the opinions out there this will and currently is paving the way for how online virtual communities will be created and maintained in the future.

Let the Kid Speak

As we see an increase of online presence in our daily lives there comes a higher awareness of its apparent negative affects pictured in the media and unfortunately not always equal amounts of positive/beneficial publicity.  One area that seems to be hit the hardest is online gaming.  Parents are separating their children from such technology because of issues with cyber bullying and improper communication skills.  However, this is nothing new to game developers and hosts; creating positive communication environments in kids MMOs is a fundamental aspect of their success. 

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A blogger for Massively.com posted an article with some research they had recently conducted on younger children and their interaction with word filters and blockers within online games.  The current struggle for kid based MMOs is whether or not to implement a chat filter, to clean up profanities and protect private information, or to restrict the chat to preprogrammed messages.  The author, Karen Bryan, discusses both negative and positive sides, falling back more on the fact that kids will always find a way around filters.  Bryan makes a good point that by restricting them completely from interacting with others it defeats the purpose of the game and won’t teach them anything:

Similarly, while it's important for parents to stay on top of what children are doing online, we can't be sitting next to them forever. MMOs are, by nature, social environments, and kids need to have the opportunity to collaborate and coordinate with other players in game. But at some point, they will be on their own, and if they understand how to put things in context and how to react to potential harassment, they'll be able to do an even better job of filtering than the game can.

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One site mentioned in the article was FilamentGames.com This site educates individuals through the use of these kind of online games in subjects including basic elementary forms of plant and microbiological sciences, political fundamentals and debating, and space and ocean exploration.  The site includes a few MMO style games and due to their basic programming rooted in education, parents can know that their children are interacting safely.

Parents will always be concerned for the children’s’ safety, so through working together and taking initiative to learn more about the uses of online communities they can find some reassurance and even help with protection.   In a recent article from the Huffington Post, the authors, also concerned parents, give insightful information about maintenance of children’s activities online as well as rules to follow and/or remember while monitoring them.

Online people are not alone; the Internet is just a constantly updating and changing social community we are creating.  So if you have children or when/if you do in the future, allowing them to use the Internet and join these online communities may be hard to handle at first; just remember they aren’t alone and everyone online isn’t out to hurt them, as a community there are people that will help build there communication skills and help them when they are in need.