Category Gamechangers
Money makes the (real and virtual) world go around. In some sense, money itself is the oldest, most widely used virtual item. Because money is so universally understood, virtual currencies are widely used as incentives in online games. Whatever one’s views are about “consumer culture,” we all seem to have a Pavlovian response to accumulating more things.
Game developers know this and draw on it to reward players. However, once you create a system where more is better, people respond creatively. Where there is a gap between those with more time than money and those with more money and time, someone will come along to close that gap. Welcome to game commerce. It is worth noting that game commerce is not applicable to all games after all, there are games of pure mental or physical accomplishment like Chess or Baseball. Although people do cheat in both, there is no way that most of us will ever be a Chess Grandmaster or in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Anyone can be rich, however, especially in a game. Read the rest of this entry »
Category Gamechangers
Recently, I had the chance to speak with Chris Taylor about the upcoming Supreme Commander 2, which is poised to take real-time strategy gaming to a new level. I want to thank Chris for taking the time to answer my questions and for Barandon, at Mav PR, for arranging the interview.
Questions from Gareth Von Kallenbach
Skewed and Reviewed
1. What is the background and setting for the game?
The game takes place thousands of years in the future. The old Earth Empire that has ruled for so long became split into three factions, fought the Infinite War and then joined forces to fight the Seraphim. But this peace didn’t last, the Coalition leader is assassinated, and hostilities are renewed. You take turns playing one of three Commanders, each one, old friends, and how this friendship impacts the decisions they make while fighting on the battlefield. Read the rest of this entry »
Category Gamechangers
With this being my first E3, I couldn’t really gauge how much a compact version this was, but after hearing murmurs from the crowds and eager businessmen, this is miniscule compared to the gaudy insanity when E3 was still a ridiculous paroxysm of noise and overeager yelling over the latest trailers for the next big game.
I didn’t feel any of that. I thought E3 ’09 was massive, and I can’t imagine how much bigger it was in its glory days. It really put a lot of things in perspective. Games are a big deal commercially. That was always a known quantity, but seeing the profitability displayed over the course of three days, it really hits home. Games are a business, and it’s a serious one.
And sometimes, it can be a cold one. I always knew games were a business, but again, seeing the business side play out was impacting. As I walked through the food courts and meeting rooms where I could hear myself think, I heard about exclusivity deals, why a publisher should publish their game, and even about company bleeding out its wallet to just barely maintain itself. It was tragic to hear, as I sat there eating my overpriced cheeseburger. Read the rest of this entry »
Money makes the (real and virtual) world go around. In some sense, money itself is the oldest, most widely used virtual item. Because money is so universally understood, virtual currencies are widely used as incentives in online games. Whatever one’s views are about “consumer culture,” we all seem to have a Pavlovian response to accumulating more things.
Blood Bowl
Category Gamechangers
“…a heck of a lot of fun in some areas, and a heck of a lot of frustration in others.”
Cyanide, the publisher of this latest version of Blood Bowl, has produced a title that is true to the board game, a heck of a lot of fun in some areas, and a heck of a lot of frustration in others. Read the rest of this entry »