The Lurking Squid That Is Facebook Gaming

Facebook is introducing a new global currency for their various games, and is forcing the developer of every Facebook title to include support for it by July 1 (link here).

Facebook gaming is weird. It's business structure is weird, it's developer/publisher relationship is weird, and just the idea of playing games specifically in Facebook is weird. I've seen all of this celebrating about Facebook bringing more people into gaming, but, I don't know... is it just me, or does it seem kinda... perverted and diluted? The point of the game isn't so much a quality experience as it is a method to addict and extract money. Not to say that games of the past weren't addictive and developed to make money, but it seemed more like making a quality experience first and then selling it, as opposed to it being a marketing/psychologist terror project from whiteboard to bank vault? Ech, I dunno... I'd do more investigating into the subject, but I'm a little scared to stare too far into that abyss. I don't have enough free time as is.

I'm old.

Anyhow, I guess what struck me about this particular story was Facebook's ability to dictate changes to every game they offer at once. That's something most platform owners can't do, either they're a console manufacturer and the games are out in their millions of physical, unchangable discs, or they're a website that has thousands of submissions from indie developers who have enough trouble finishing a game without starving to death as is. Facebook's ability to vend a handpicked number of games over which they have complete control over all aspects is something other platform owners must be envious of. I'd like to see what kind of contracts Facebook game developers sign, but I'm sure there's enough competition there that it's basically "we own every atom of the entirety of your game's being forever and to eternity."

For more, why not read this article about ways developers try to keep you playing long past the point you're having any fun?