Agora Media Group Innovation Blog » Social Gaming

Is Google changing its Strategy? RIP Google Wave but acquisition of social app developer Slide for 182 million dollar

Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:55:14 +0000

Is Google changing its strategy in order to get a better and firm grasp on the Social Web and the increasing power of Facebook?

This week was announced that Google has waved goodbye its all-in-one collaboration tool Google Wave.

On Wednesday and Thursday, multiple sources have reported that Google has acquired Slide, a social application developer for $182 million.
In July, the news was announced that Google has invested in Zynga to form the cornerstone for Google Games.

Are these all indications that Google is leaving the arena of platforms and is focussing on the content, which is being deployed on the Web?

The rumors about a social network experiment called “Google Me” are not in lign with the aforementioned developments, but a rumor is a rumor.
Facebook and others, like Twitter and Myspace have such a large userbase, it would be very difficult for Google to compete.
Like Google Wave, other social experiments have not been succesful.

By investing in social gaming, it will get a better grasp on one of the activities employed by users online, making advantage of the large and established userbases of Facebook, Myspace and others.

Not only for Google but also for other companies trying to get a share in social networking, it is becoming hard. People have established networks, time and attention are fragmented.
The advantages need to be really compelling in order to persuade users to be active on yet another network or leave a present one. If an extra network is added to the users’ portfolio, less attention and time is available per network, which is a disadvantage for both user and the social networks.

Secondly, Google kills two birds with one stone, Google Games and social gaming distributed via Facebook and others.

This development fits to overall approach of Google, the Web as a platform where all sorts of activities are deployed.
Think of entertainment/video via YouTube.
Think of communication via Gmail.
Think of information via its core, Search.
Gaming fits this list of activities very well.

What’s your opinion on the developments concerning Google and (social) gaming?

MTV Networks expands into Social Gaming – Transmedia Entertainment opportunities

Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:59:56 +0000

PRNewsWire reports that MTV Networks acquired Social Express, a social gaming development company, marking the company’s first entry into the social gaming space.

The company will create severeal games based on Nickelodeon and MTV shows and characters.

Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks, Judy McGrath, says:

“Social gaming is one of the biggest drivers of the explosive growth in social media – it’s fun, it’s engaging, and it’s shareable,” said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. ”Social Express brings us strong experience and know-how in this burgeoning space, which we’ll supercharge with the IP and scale of Nickelodeon and other MTV Networks brands to create great new social gaming experiences for our fans and cool tools for independent developers as well.”

On a conceptual level, it will be interesting to learn if MTV Networks will head towards transmedia entertainment concepts, incorporating television programs, websites and social games to create a full-fledged integral storytelling.
Each medium will serve another purpose and like McGrath already states, Social gaming is fun and engaging, two ingredients which could add a new experience and layer to existing or new concepts.

Transmedia concepts do exists and there are great examples, for instance the Happiness Factory by Coca Cola.
The Happiness Factory is a virtual world of characters living inside a vending machine. The series lives across multiple channels, including commercials, interactive video games, and a musical soundtrack that features a variety of artists. The series provides Coca-Cola with additional revenue streams, and customers with a fun brand experience.

MTV Networks could do similar concepts based on Nickelodeon and MTV shows and characters, taking it a step further, taking the engagement of the viewers of MTV a step further.

What do you think of the potential MTV Networks has with Social Gaming?
Is the Entertainment industry perfect for transmedia concepts?

Applying Game Mechanics to Social sites

Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP — Sat, 08 May 2010 09:56:05 +0000

In a previous article, (Social) Gaming – significant numbers & the next level, Karl Long commented on it, referring to a presentation of Amy Jo Kim, about applying game mechanics to social sites.

The five game mechanics she refers to, are:
1. Collecting
2. Points
3. Feedback
4. Exchanges
5. Customization
Applying those to the context of social sites is easy to understand, it motivates. Motivation increases usage and usage increases loyalty, traffic, income and so on.

View below the aforementioned presentation:

(Social) Gaming – significant numbers & the next level

Putting the Fun in Functional

View more presentations from amyjokim.

Yesterday I found a presentation on Youtube of Amy Jo Kim, about the topic of Game Mechanics on Social sites.
Enjoy, it’s interesting.

Her approach to use game words like players instead of users is a start to see sites as games and how you can approach networks with this point of perspective.
Think of Foursquare, Gowalla etc.

What do you think of the gaming approach from a social architectual point of view?

Gaming for a better future – EnerCities… a city builder which aims to educate players about energy issues.

Richard Kastelein — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:18:27 +0000

Today, February 3rd, game developer Paladin Studios has launched EnerCities. It is an online game in which players are challenged to build a sustainable city. It will run online (www.enercities.eu) and on Facebook, and is available in six European languages. The game is part of an educational platform dealing with energy issues, backed by European Commission funding of €1 million.

Casual City Building

The game starts with a small village and a bit of land to build on. There is a simple drag-and-drop interface, with which players can build structures and expand their city. They then need to balance People, Planet and Profit – all while supplying the growing city with sufficient electricity and minimizing fossil fuel use. When done well, players can level up their city, providing them with more room to build and extra building options. Dylan Nagel, product manager for EnerCities: “Each decision influences the score: for example, if you build a nuclear plant, you minimize impact on your environment. The downside is that if you put it close to residential areas, your citizens will get unhappy.” A similar example is with forests. “When clustered together, the environmental bonus of forests multiplies. However, when a forest is positioned next to a residential area, your citizens will be happier and healthier. This leads to interesting dilemmas.”

Let’s get serious

The project is funded by the Intelligent Energy program of the European Commission, and aims to improve the awareness of energy issues among young people. It will be rolled out by the project partners on schools in the UK, Netherlands, Slovenia, Greece, Germany and Spain. There is an educational platform which allows teachers to sign up for the program and link their students’ accounts to their school. Nagel: “Players will be able to leverage green technologies and concepts in order to make their city future-proof. Players can improve their structures with innovations like solar roof panels and thermal storage. They need to power their city, and can pick a range of power sources. Would you choose a Coal Plant or Windmill? Each have their own pros and cons. This allows players to execute a strategy, and see the results of their actions on the long term. I think it makes for a great toolkit for teachers who want to embed the energy topic in their curriculum.”

The initiator of the project, Dutch organization Qeam, will investigate the results of the project. Erik Knol, director of Qeam: “By validating the project outcomes, we hope to answer the question whether serious gaming is a valid tool for raising awareness. The reports will be shared with the educational community, to provide more insight into the effective use of innovative platforms like gaming.” The research will be conducted in the course of 2010 and 2011.

Facebook

With over 350 million users, Facebook has proven to be a viable platform for games like Farmville. The farming game can boast 75 million monthly players. Derk de Geus, CEO of Paladin: “The potential of social networks is enormous, although we would already be successful with much lower numbers. Remember that EnerCities was not designed to be a truly social game, but an educational tool running on a social platform.”

The new release includes a Post To Wall feature, which allows players to brag to their friends if they reach a new high score. De Geus: “We decided to put the game on Facebook at the end of 2009, right after the initial pilot tests. Many of the Facebook users are in our target group, so it is an excellent distribution platform. The use of social gaming for education is relatively new, but already proves to be very powerful. The beta players either loved it or hated it. That’s a lot more emotion than you would get from an average educational tool, so I guess we are on the right track.”

During the two-month beta, the game was played 10.000 times on Facebook by over 3.000 people. At the regular website, the game was played only 4.000 times. De Geus: “This trend will likely continue during the rollout phase, even when schools get involved. The social aspects of Facebook get players involved. Students finally have a good excuse to be on Facebook during school.”

Out of Beta

The game will be out of beta on February 3rd. The official launch will be at Learntec in Karlsruhe, a German conference about technology and education. The game will then open up to players worldwide, both for educational institutions and just for fun. Nagel explains: “The first thing we said when we started the project, is that the game should be fun to play. The city building theme was great for a game which resembles a puzzle more than a simulation.”

Paladin’s social gaming adventure apparently worked out well for the company. De Geus: “We dipped our toes in social water with EnerCities, and liked it a lot. It sparked a lot of ideas, and we have another social game in preproduction. So stay tuned.”

The game can be played for free at www.enercities.eu. Educational institutions are welcome to register at the website.

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Additional information

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About Paladin Studios

Founded in 2005, Paladin Studios is a Dutch game development company based in The Hague. They have released several serious games and are currently creating games for social networks. With a portfolio ranging from hardcore offshore simulators to interactive visualizations and online games, they provide a wide range of 3D game development services. Their clients include Philips Design, EMI Music, and the European Commission. The 7-headed team consists of a talented bunch of programmers, designers and artists. Paladin’s motto is “Life is Play”, and their official mission is to make people smile.

The EnerCities consortium

Initiator: Qeam (Netherlands): http://www.qeam.com/

Coordinator: ROC Nijmegen (Netherlands): http://www.roc-nijmegen.nl/

Game developer: Paladin Studios (Netherlands): http://www.paladinstudios.com/

Lancaster & Morecambe College (United Kingdom): http://www.lmc.ac.uk/

Akademie Klausenhof (Germany): http://www.akademie-klausenhof.org/

Unified Vocational Training Centre of Cyclades (Greece): http://www.ncyclades.gr/

Ljudska Univerza Velenje (Slovenia): http://www.lu-velenje.si/

Agencia de la Energía de Granada (Spain): http://www.apegr.org/

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Links

EnerCities Website – http://www.enercities.eu
EnerCities on Facebook – http://apps.facebook.com/enercities
EnerCities Press Kit (contains high res screenshots and additional material) – http://www.paladinstudios.com/resources/enercities_presskit.zip

Paladin Studios – http://www.paladinstudios.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paladinstudios, http://www.twitter.com/enercities

Dylan Nagel – http://www.twitter.com/dylannagel
Derk de Geus – http://www.twitter.com/derkdegeus

For more information about the game, please contact Paladin Studios at @paladinstudios.com" target="_blank">info @paladinstudios.com or via +31 71 513 2222.

To sign up for a teacher account, please contact project coordinator ROC Nijmegen or register via http://www.enercities.eu/project/

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Derk de Geus (www.twitter.com/derkdegeus)

Derk co-founded Paladin Studios, and has since been involved in both the business and creative sides of the company. As CEO he makes sure that the core values and commercial health of Paladin are preserved and developed.

Derk blends creativity with strategic thinking and entrepreneurship. The most important principle for him is “Good Business”, a concept revolving around respecting another’s rights, striving for mutual success and providing a healthy workplace as an employer. This dimension of entrepreneurship provides him with a purpose beyond making money, something he believes is essential for sustainable success.

Dylan Nagel (www.twitter.com/dylannagel)

Dylan has been playing and creating computer games from a young age. He is convinced of their potential and relevance to modern society. In his opinion, games enhance people’s lives, and can be used to enrich design, communication and training strategies.

One of Paladin’s founders, Dylan is Vice President of Business Development. His responsibilities include consultancy and account, sales and product management. He is the conduit between clients and the production team, ensuring optimal understanding.

(Social) Gaming – significant numbers & the next level

Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:31:44 +0000

In an informative five minutes on Discovery Channel, numbers were presented on the Gaming industry.

Gaming is increasingly becoming a lucrative and competitive market with a huge global target audience.
The fastest growing entertainment industry, is indeed Gaming.

Figures compared to other industries (global turnover on the first day):
Game: Grand Theft Auto 4: $210 million
Game: More than 400.000 copies are reserved for the new Mario Bros game.
Book: Harry Potter (which part was not mentioned): $140 million
Movie: (forgot which one): $40 million

In terms of usage, FarmVille -which is the biggest Social Game on Facebook of 2009- has a whopping 27,5 million daily active users and a 72,9 million monthly users!

Gaming becomes more and more intertwined within our global culture, gaming often is a social event where people gather to play a game which they all fancy.
The Wii took this to the next level, by appealing to the conventional-non-gamers and attract them to game together with an innovative console, taking away perceived risks of this new target group.

As mentioned before, the Gaming industry is the fastest growing, and technology enablers will only push the growth further. Cross-media Social Gaming is the next step, take FarmVille, Mafia Wars or any other kind of Social Game and take it to the television.
The Wii already does this with Mario Kart, enabling players all over the world to game with each other through Internet connection.
By enabling Social Gaming as well through the television, the experience itself can be magnified by adding more features which relate better to the television device than the computer, therefore enhancing and creating new cross-media experiences.

The (social) Gaming industry will grow, diffuse amongst core-gamers and non-core-gamers, within daily lives and within our socially morphing framework.

What do you see as important developments and trends for the Social Gaming industry?