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?

Ugh

I only had an hour and a half of free time today and I wasted it watching Scream 3. At least they didn't call it Scr3am. But y'know, the marketers back then, they were just dopes in suits, not all savvy like today.

Much more substantial content coming soon.

Sounds Like Goooooood Watchin'

Hey, if you've got some time to spare, can I kick you over to Extra Credits? I'm not usually a "video guy" when it comes to the internet (if that makes sense), but this is some good, eloquent stuff.

GameStop Is Going To Make A Tablet

Well... the title pretty much says it all. In a recent interview with Gamasutra, company president Tony Bartell said that GameStop is planning to either license or build a gaming-centric tablet. Furthermore, a pilot program in five stores is letting people trade in their tablets, which leads me to assume that the store plans to start selling used tablets as they do with any other game hardware (though how that works out with the various internet data plans you have to buy with the tablets I do not know). Combined with Sony's "PlayStation Phone," handheld gaming is starting to get simultaneously interesting and boring.

You can find discussion everywhere about the merits of iPhone gaming vs. dedicated handheld gaming, mostly boiling down to convenience and affordability vs. higher quality. I think gaming-specific multimedia devices could really be a tipping point - a few buttons and joysticks could make all the difference between buying a 3DS or finally jumping on the smartphone bandwagon. Perhaps that's why you see the oddly pricey for Nintendo $250 3DS and the surely even more expensive next generation PSP; they HAVE to provide a super high-quality device with features that won't be found on smartphones, because unless their software really impresses then it just isn't worth it over a few apps. Business history teaches us that staying in the middle pleases nobody.

So, looks like this handheld generation we're going to be seeing smartphone/tablet gaming with more dedicated devices on one end, and super cool dedicated portables on the other. What I want to know is, after this generation, will gaming devices that aren't phones exist anymore? Will the 3DS be the last handheld from Nintendo you won't be able to call somebody from? Will we just have various kinds of phones? From a simple personal perspective... I hope not. I like consoles. I like their stories and the game libraries that give them flavor. Phones and other electronics, no matter how sexy, have never engaged me like a specific platform created to host a variety of unique content.

Of course, it's incredibly likely the phone/tablet eclipsing of traditional handhelds won't happen, or will happen in a way completely different from predictions. Predictions in the game industry, as with anywhere else, are worthless. Remember the "multimedia revolution" that was going to finally make games into high-quality "interactive movie" experiences? Or how the PlayStation 2 was going to become the hub of your entire entertainment system? Yeah, let's just see what happens.

IT BEGINS

The first game magazine distributed solely through iPad is out. Opportunities for innovation in that area are decreasing faster than I would have liked (the ideal speed being "no movement whatsoever until I get off my ass and do it one day maybe").

It looks pretty damn nice, utilizing some of the things I've pondered about in the past (infinite pages, embedded videos) and some new features I wouldn't have considered (flipping the iPad to landscape to get to image galleries). The layout and design look pleasant and professional, and from the video it appears to be a fairly substantial issue's worth of coverage.

Also, a buck an issue. Yowza. If "Atomix" can make a profit on this, then I expect digital game mags (and mags of all type, honestly) to start blowing up huge. HUGE. Any major gaming site can jump on this, and perhaps independent publications as well. I am VERY interested to see how this develops. If nothing else, it means a lot more potential employment opportunities for me...

Welp, That Sucked

"War of the Supermen" is worse than "XXX: State of the Union." It's like a fart in the face.

Hell, It's About Time.

I can see with issue 200 that PC Gamer magazine is finally, finally, finally, fucking FINALLY talking about the galaxy of games you can play on the PC besides the new retail releases. There is so much to play on the PC, almost all of it free: abandonware, indie games, browser games, mods. You could literally play a unique, free, quality game every single day of your life. And yet for years PC Gamer has focused solely on the newest big-budget blockbusters that require you to drop $400 in upgrades every five months, to the great detriment of its readers.

Looks like they've rectified that. It's about time.