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Game of Thrones Facebook title in the works

Jef Reahard — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Casual

HBO's Game of Thrones is getting the online gaming treatment for the second time in the space of a calendar year. First it was Bigpoint's free-to-play browser MMO, and now it's a Facebook game called Game of Thrones Ascent, which is being developed by Disruptor Beam, a social gaming company headed by former GamerDNA CEO Jon Radoff.

The company says that players will "lead the life of a noble during the time of upheaval as portrayed in the books and the series thus experiencing a new type of game that unites both story and strategy."

Precious little info is given on the title, including a release date, but we'll bring you the latest as it becomes available.

[Source: Disruptor Beam press release]

Game of Thrones Facebook title in the works originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga reports record revenue in last quarter

Matt Daniel — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Economy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

A recent SEC filing from Zynga, creator of the social gaming epidemic known as FarmVille, revealed that the company is reporting a record quarterly revenue of over 306 million USD, though -- bizarrely enough -- profits are almost 54 percent lower than they were this time last year.

Revenue isn't the only thing that's on the rise, either. The company reports 152 million unique monthly players, compared to the 151 million the company reported in June. The average number of daily players, however, dropped from 59 million to 54 million. At any rate, the company seems to be going strong, with new titles such as the recently announced (supposed MMO) CastleVille just on the horizon.

Zynga reports record revenue in last quarter originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott blames Blizzard for ignoring the social gaming field

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual

Richard Garriott, who heads up social games outfit Portalarium, publicly put the screws to Blizzard and other major MMO companies for overlooking the casual gaming space. In fact, he says that World of Warcraft's biggest challenger won't be from another AAA title, but from the "Zyngas of the world."

Talking to Industry Gamers, Garriott accused Blizzard and EA of dropping the ball when it came to social gaming, which Zynga has since explored and exploited. "The only reason Zynga exists is because people like EA, people like Blizzard, failed to step in," he said.

Garriott sees these small start-ups as having great potential in the near future. "I think within a few years, you'll see that's not really the case," he said. "I think you'll see that the quality level that comes up through the casual games will rival the quality of traditional massively multiplayer games and then, because it's not something you have to subscribe to, because it's something that virally spreads, and especially because, as people churn out of a big MMO they've got to go somewhere."

Garriott's Portalarium is currently working on an upcoming project that is "much more like Ultima Online than people might expect."

Richard Garriott blames Blizzard for ignoring the social gaming field originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Jacobs elaborates on departure from EA Mythic

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Miscellaneous

It's been a couple of years since Mark Jacobs abruptly left -- or perhaps was let go -- from EA Mythic, but curiosity around the split persists in the MMO industry. Yesterday, Jacobs opened up about the event that occurred after EA's acquisition of Mythic and BioWare.

Long story short: The merge brought about changes, and Jacobs wasn't on board with them. "They made a decision on a direction they wanted to go and obviously, as we put out in our joint statement, that wasn't a direction that had a role for me, or at least the role that I wanted. It really is as simple as that. Or at least publicly. Whatever went on behind the scenes, whatever we talked about, I have no intention of sharing that," he said.

Jacobs insists that EA has been kind to him in the subsequent years. "One thing I'll say publicly about EA, they have been very good in what they've said post-departure regarding me. Similarly I've been good about what I've said about them post departure."

He has since gone on to form a new company to create social and mobile games. In an ironic twist, Jacobs says that the idea for getting into the social gaming market took root while he was at Mythic, but he left before acting on that notion.

Mark Jacobs elaborates on departure from EA Mythic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Massively single-player does not an MMO make

Beau Hindman — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Opinion, Browser, Virtual worlds, Free for All, Miscellaneous

Oh, the constant attempts at defining how we play. While many of them might seem strange or even laughable, they are all attempts at defining something for the sake of streamlining the sale. If you cannot describe your product to someone, especially in very few words, then it probably isn't going to sell. A while ago I attempted to define what MMORPG means, but I would never pretend that I'm the first one to attempt to do so. After all, the games have changed, the way we connect to them has changed, and the interactions we have with each other have changed. So why not the term?

Nintendo seems to think that "Massively Single-Player" makes for a good description. It's a slightly odd one, if you ask me, for many reasons. But let's look at it anyway and see how it might fit into the world of MMOs.

Click past the cut!

Continue reading Free for All: Massively single-player does not an MMO make

Free for All: Massively single-player does not an MMO make originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2011: Nival announces Facebook-integrated MMO Prime World

Patrick Mackey — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Video, New titles, Previews, News items, Browser, MMORTS, Massively Event Coverage

Nival may be a new player in the MMOsphere, but Prime World, its first big push into the fray, is looking to turn a few heads. Developed in the Unity 3D engine and promising an intense PvP experience inspired by Defense of the Ancients, Prime World hopes to break from other, similar games by integrating itself into Facebook. While elements of the social game can be played in a web browser, the PvP combat will require a downloadable client.

Players will be able to construct castles and enjoy other social gaming features, and these elements will bleed into the PvP portions of the game and vice-versa. Well-designed castles will provide "meaningful benefits" to the PvP action scenes, and social networks can be exploited, helping players gain strategic advantages. Likewise, the spoils gained from successful PvP victories and other minigames can be used to customize your castle or be gifted to friends.

Nival is expecting Prime World to enter closed beta late this year, but it released a teaser trailer to whet our appetites until then. Check it out after the break!

Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 6-9, bringing you all the best news from E3 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!

Gallery: Prime World

Continue reading E3 2011: Nival announces Facebook-integrated MMO Prime World

E3 2011: Nival announces Facebook-integrated MMO Prime World originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Gunshine

Beau Hindman — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, First Impressions

Gunshine is a good example of a game that will probably be lumped into the "Facebook game" category. I bring this up only because the game uses Facebook as a vehicle for its content, yet it also takes advantage of some of the social aspects of the network. The truth is that it launches in its own window, so really it's as much of a "Facebook game" as Free Realms is. Many MMORPGs of all shapes and sizes use Facebook's social tools occasionally at the same level that Gunshine does.

So let's be clear: There is no farming or coin-clicking in Gunshine. It is simply a top-down shooter, and a cute one at that. While I soloed most of the time in the game, I was aided by the occasional extra player or rented NPC mercenary. What I found was a game that has a lot of potential, makes great use of Flash, and is a good amount of fun.

But I found plenty of issues as well. Join me past the cut and I'll tell you about it.

Continue reading First Impressions: Gunshine

First Impressions: Gunshine originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott on the state of social gaming

Jef Reahard — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Casual

Legendary game creator Richard Garriott raised a few eyebrows when he announced a foray into social gaming last fall. The MMORPG maestro and occasional astronaut seemed a rather unlikely candidate for the casual games space after spearheading the likes of Ultima Online and Tabula Rasa. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Garriott revealed that he's taking no prisoners when it comes to his new endeavor, offering his views on the large number of crapware titles cluttering the casual space as well as his company's plans to distribute its tools for free in order to help standardize the sector and raise the quality bar.

"There's tons of small start-ups who we are seeing take lots of investment and lots of activity and large acquisition costs -- who are creating, literally, junk. Stuff that people aren't playing that much and if you play it it's not much fun," Garriott opined.

Garriott's new company, Portalarium, has thus far produced Port Casino Poker and Port Casino Blackjack, both playable via Facebook, and is now shifting its focus to a new title that has more in common with UO. Details on the new game are slated to be revealed over the next two weeks.

Richard Garriott on the state of social gaming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Free Realms

Beau Hindman — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Free Realms, Kids, Family, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

I remember when Free Realms was announced and when Laralyn McWilliams showed off a peeing puppy, in real-time, at Fan Faire. Everyone was excited for the new game and world -- even hardened raiders and roleplayers. The demo was just cool-looking and had a very unique feel to it. Most gamers' only experiences with a social or "real-life"-style game were with Second Life, and those experiences were often tainted by run-ins with 40-something-year-old bondage fans.

My experience was slightly more broad. I spent a lot of my earlier MMO years within games like There, Second Life, Furcadia and a few others. While I was not a fan of some of the stranger people who frequented these games, I loved the idea of a game that allowed players to just hang out, to live in a virtual world, and to form relationships. My first experience with disabled players was through There, and ever since then I have looked at MMOs differently. So when Free Realms was announced and released, I looked forward to spending time in a game that revisited that style of "living" in a game world.

Over the last week, I decided to peek back into the world to see how it has been holding up. Click past the cut to find out how it worked out!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Free Realms

Rise and Shiny recap: Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone app developer says MMOs will be abandoned

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, MMO industry, Miscellaneous

Although Kepa Auwae and his team are working on Rocketcat Games' first RPG for the iPhone, the developer doesn't see much of a future for MMORPGs.

In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, the creator of hit iPhone smashes like Super QuickHook prognosticated a vastly different gaming future than what we see today: "I think developers will completely abandon MMOs and social games, for the most part. Both genres were dead-ends, and they always allowed only one developer at a time to have any real success. Instead, most developers will make games with deep mechanics, designed for heavy replay value mixed with community content. These games will also strongly feature hat customization... top hats, bowlers, straw boaters. SO badass."

Ironically, Auwae voiced his dislike for the disposable nature of current games, which seems to describe the polar opposite of MMOs: "I think many games are too disposable. They're designed with no mod content tools in mind, no community involvement, no real replay value, no updates."

You can read the full interview over at MTV Multiplayer.

iPhone app developer says MMOs will be abandoned originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga passes EA in estimated worth rankings

Jef Reahard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual

Like a horde of unstoppable zombies, social titles are devouring the domestic and worldwide gaming industry at an alarming rate. The latest example of the brain-sucking apocalypse comes courtesy of a Bloomberg report on Farmville-maker Zynga's estimated worth. It clocks in at $5.51 billion, placing it squarely in front of industry titan Electronic Arts ($5.22 billion).

Despite potential hits like BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic waiting in the wings, EA seems to be losing ground in the war for your online entertainment dollar. Since March 1st, EA's shares have declined 6.3 percent, while Zynga's estimated value has more than doubled in the same period. That said, while Zynga has leap-frogged EA, they still have a ways to go to catch Activision ($13.9 billion estimated worth), as well as China's Tencent Holdings ($43 billion).

Zynga passes EA in estimated worth rankings originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Social gaming company Playdom acquires Metaplace Inc.

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal

It seems as though Playdom has added Metaplace Inc. as a Facebook friend. While earlier this year Metaplace closed up shop, Ralph Koster dangled a morsel of hope for fans by saying that "Metaplace Inc. isn't about to go away. In fact, we have some pretty exciting plans to announce in the not too distant future." Consider that "not too distant future" a present reality, as Metaplace Inc. has been purchased by social gaming company Playdom. The deal includes the transfer of the Metaplace Inc. game design group over to Playdom's domain.

Metaplace Inc. was focusing on two Facebook games, Island Life and My Vineyard, prior to its closing. Both games boast an impressive number of players: Island Life with 457,000 monthly users and My Vineyard with 822,000.

Playdom is especially excited to get their hands on Metaplace's technology. "We think the Metaplace engine is a competitive advantage in that it will take other companies years to duplicate its capabilities which will streamline and quicken our game development cycles," said David Sobeski, Playdom's CTO. Metaplace Inc.'s purchase is the latest in a string of studio acquisitions for Playdom, including Acclaim Games in May.

Metaplace's technology, team and games represent a significant step forward for Playdom, and we're interested to see how the social gaming firm handles its new toys in the future.

Social gaming company Playdom acquires Metaplace Inc. originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SOE's Laralyn McWilliams talks girls and gaming

Jef Reahard — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Casual

Game industry veteran and Sony Online Entertainment senior producer Laralyn McWilliams recently sat down to answer a few questions in an interview with the G.I.R.L. blog's Emily Taylor. McWilliams, instrumental in the development of SOE's Free Realms and now working on a new (and unannounced) social game, talks about everything from her current work, to being an influential woman working in games, to the industry in general.

"It's a really exciting time in game development because the industry as a whole has to change in order to survive. We've gone from tiny teams on short schedules to massive teams taking four plus years to finish a game, and now we're seeing it come full circle back to tiny teams with games like Farmville. It makes it a great time for players and game developers because we're starting down the path that will lead us to more depth, new markets, and better games. As a player, it's time to speak with your wallet. As a developer, it's time to speak with your innovation and your drive to make something great and new," McWilliams says.

Check out the full interview at the Station Blog.

SOE's Laralyn McWilliams talks girls and gaming originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playdom acquires Acclaim Games

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: 2Moons, 9Dragons, MMO industry, News items, Chronicles of Spellborn, Legal

If there was any doubt that the world of Facebook social games and traditional MMOs are becoming further intertwined, this should hopefully silence it. Playdom, well-known as one of the three major powers in Facebook gaming (alongside Zynga and Playfish), has acquired Acclaim Games, owner of several free-to-play MMOs including Chronicles of Spellborn, 9Dragons, and 2Moons. Unfortunately for the business mavens in the audience, the exact details of the acquisition including price were not disclosed.

In terms of management, there's going to be little changing on the ground for Acclaim Games, as previous CEO Howard Marks will continue to run the studio for Playdom. Playdom itself has been purchasing several smaller developers and studios, especially those focusing on Facebook development. No word on whether this will affect management of any of Acclaim's existing games, although it seems unlikely given the circumstances. What is certain is that it's another installment in the distance between social gaming and MMOs being shortened.

[ Thanks to Animagnum for the tip! ]

Playdom acquires Acclaim Games originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 May 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virtual Island Entertainment offers MMO for women

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, New titles, News items, Virtual worlds

As much as a goodly portion of the MMO market is perfectly happy blowing up spaceships, killing untold numbers of rats, punching criminals in socially-awkward spandex, and generally behaving like a twelve-year-old boy... suffice to say that a lot of people have zero interest in those settings. Virtual Island Entertainment from enVie Interactive is aimed specifically at that category of potential player. Specifically, they're aiming for women, trying to create a virtual world that they claim "caters to women looking for an engaging online game that speaks to them."

The game's feature list is focused more along the lines of social environments rather than gameplay; players can engage in "episodic content, unique shopping experiences, high fashion, art design, and intimate encounters, all in a tropical island setting." Comparisons between the game and the 200-pound gorilla of virtual worlds, Second Life, are all but inevitable, and there is a small mention that the game hopes to support a certain amount of user-created content. Scheduled for release in the second half of 2010, it remains to be seen what kind of following Virtual Island Entertainment will draw and how the target audience will respond.

Virtual Island Entertainment offers MMO for women originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Garriott and the choppy waters of social gaming

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion

The term "social games" or its frequently-used cousin "Facebook games" is one that gets talked about a lot by MMO gamers these days. Specifically, it gets talked about in a similar tone to the UbiSoft DRM nightmare or the entire Infinity Ward fiasco. So it's going to turn some heads -- and raise some hackles -- when Richard Garriott moves into the social gaming scene. Creator of the genre-setting Ultima Online and the much-discussed Tabula Rasa, Garriott has explained in an interview with Gamasutra why he made the shift and what he thinks of the social gaming scene as it stands now.

In short, he sees in social and mobile games the same things that marked other major shifts in the overall philosophy of making games, making them the next big wave. It's not an uncommon sentiment, but he goes on to point out that many of the virtues these games have, such as no installation and no up-front cost, are desirable traits in any game. He goes on to discuss stories in games and how he thinks that even social games can have them, even as he advocates less emphasis on freeform player-generated narratives. Take a look at the full interview to get a clearer picture on what we can expect from Garriott next -- and considering his place in the field of MMOs, it should be notable.

Richard Garriott and the choppy waters of social gaming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth: Faction Wars set to storm Facebook

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fallen Earth, New titles, PvP, News items

Fallen Earth is having a banner week around these here parts -- first was the in-depth tour into their new iPhone app, then came the news of a Mac client, and now we've received word that Facebook will be getting its very Fallen Earth game entitled Fallen Earth: Faction Wars.

The announcement over on the site promises that this will be an application for those both new to the Fallen Earth universe and for current players of the MMORPG. Although it looks as though this will be separate from the MMO, it will still boast several aspects of its bigger brother, including crafting, PvP and character building.

The core of the game revolves around the struggle for control over nine "conflict towns," each of which will fall under the jurisdiction of one of the six Fallen Earth factions. Whether you choose to be a CHOTA, Tech, Vista, Lightbearer, Enforcer or Traveler, you should find several friends to aid you in this down-and-dirty brawl for supremacy. After building their characters up through missions and crafting, players can duke it out through a simplified combat interface, perhaps similar to the fights of such Facebook apps like Mafia Wars.

As more and more MMO studios are turning to Facebook to promote their titles through fan groups and social gaming, Fallen Earth should get a boost in visibility through this game. Expect to see Fallen Earth: Faction Wars soon, as Icarus Studios is hoping for a Q2 2010 release.

Fallen Earth: Faction Wars set to storm Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flash Games Summit looks at social gaming

Rubi Bayer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

The arena of social gaming is a hotly contested one, with two equally enthusiastic schools of thought on whether or not they even count as MMOs. Regardless of your opinion, social gaming is here to stay, and more and more developers are turning their attention to the games (and the profits they potentially represent.) The very nature of social gaming allows development teams to take it in either direction: a distinctly non-MMO direction such as Bejeweled, or the ever-growing MMO format.

It's a relatively new and growing market, and several developers sat down earlier today to take a look at it during the Flash Games Summit. Moderator Sana Choudray of Traffichoney led a discussion of what is needed for a successful social game, as well as where they stand now and where they will go in the future.

While the developers acknowledged that social gaming is lacking at the moment, they all agreed that it's only going to grow over the next year or two. The full discussion is well worth a read.

Flash Games Summit looks at social gaming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Activision: Farmers Could Kill WoW?

Jef Reahard — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items

No, not those kind of farmers, but rather the 82 million+ users currently growing the garden of their virtual dreams on Facebook's wildly popular Farmville sim.

Activision-Blizzard's annual 10k report, filed on March 1 and analyzed by Robert Purchese over at Eurogamer.net, is chock full of worrisome anecdotes about the future of their massively multiplayer behemoth as well as some interesting tidbits regarding payment models.

While the report stops short of painting a completely dire picture, Acti-Blizz clearly considers the growing social gaming scene a major threat to its stranglehold on the massive genre.

"A substantial portion of our revenue and profitability will depend on the subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game category," proclaims the report. "If we do not maintain our leadership position in this category, our financial results could suffer."

Sound like common sense? Maybe, but it should be interesting to watch the current market leader adapt to the rapidly expanding online gaming space.

Activision: Farmers Could Kill WoW? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Faunasphere goes Facebook

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Kids

We've received word today from the team over at Faunasphere that they're taking their game over to the land of Facebook, to show the "social gamers" what a MMO really is.

Faunsphere Facebook and Faunsphere.com will be linked together into one large world, letting users from both realms interact with one another. The game will continue to run on the same microtransaction system, where users can buy additional items for their fauna and commission scientific tests to know more about the hidden skills that lie in their favorite animals.

All we can do now is pray that this style of game catches on in Facebook, so when we ask our friends if they play any MMOs, they don't respond with, "Oh, yeah, Farmville!" Then, we won't feel the need to throttle people.

Faunasphere goes Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC China 09: Social evolution and Eastern vs. Western dynamics

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry, News items

Yesterday was the for the Game Developer's Conference in China, and one of the highlights included a speech given by Nexon America's vice-president Min Kim on Nexon's entry into the Western market and a call for more Chinese developers to make the leap across the ocean.

Kim, who was born and raised in New York City and took frequent trips to visit his grandparents in South Korea, sees a connection between the gaming cultures on both sides of the ocean. His speech cited the original links between the American and Asian markets when it came to arcade culture, but how both sides began to diverge when console video games rose to power in American and Japan but not in mainland Asia.

Kim's speech also goes into Nexon's first steps into the American market, the rise of social gaming, and Kim's interest in what he calls the "Penguin Army" -- the gamers who will soon out grow Club Penguin and move on to other games. For the full notes on his speech, check out the story over at Gamasutra.

GDC China 09: Social evolution and Eastern vs. Western dynamics originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The social game roundup

Joe Blancato — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Virtual worlds

As web technology improves, games are spreading into places you'd expect, as well as places you wouldn't. Facebook is practically a console, the definition of MMOG is changing and Raph Koster's Metaplace may very well turn everything on the web into a play space.

Tadgh Kelly at Simple Lifeforms was good enough to take inventory of the social games enjoying popularity today. He breaks the scene into eight categories:

Social RPGs
Sports RPGs
Casual games
Word games
Virtual villages, or mini virtual worlds
Casino games
Just for laughs, or silly games like the versus games on Facebook
Ownership games

Kelly provides a bunch of examples for each category, and definitely makes for good reading, especially as the media through which games can be played evolve.

The social game roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Expanding choices in social gaming and Flash MMOs

James Egan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Second Life, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Home, Whirled

There seems be an endless tide of online games and virtual worlds being made available to us, with more always on the way. Some of them are well-known and need little introduction, such as Second Life, Playstation Home, and Facebook games, to name just a few. But there's plenty more out there, some of which falls into the standard 'MMO' category, although it's a label that we find is steadily blurring as time goes on.

Darren Gladstone, Senior Writer at PC World, has put together "The Social Gaming Guide" for his Casual Friday column. In it he explores some of the mainstays of social gaming like the options found within Second Life and Facebook, but also sheds light on some lesser known alternatives. Gladstone discusses some of the choices gamers have with The Casual Collective, which he describes as "a cool casual-gaming waterhole created by the minds behind DTD," or Desktop Tower Defense. He looks at Whirled, an open-source gaming community which is home to Flash MMOs. "For players, Whirled is an awesome collection of hundreds of games, broken out by category and just waiting for you to jump in," Gladstone writes. Forthcoming Facebook integration will also add more dimensions to gameplay at Whirled.

Continue reading Expanding choices in social gaming and Flash MMOs

Expanding choices in social gaming and Flash MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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