This blog is interesting for Brand managers and Marketing managers. It shows you how games can help to achieve marketing objectives and includes postings about digital interactive branding, like branded utilities and social media for organizations & brands. Check out www.brandnewgame.nl for more information what digital interactive concepts can do for your brand.
Or visit www.brandnewplayground.com for more information about my book!
Whenever I give real-life presentations during conferences, I often tell my audience about gaming 'new' platforms and gamestores. Steam is an initiative from Valve, the guys that made the hit series Halflife, but relatively unknown to non-gamers. I started using Steam about three years ago and it works really well. It has a fairly large community of 40 million users - of which about 3 to 4 million are continuously online, depending on the time you play your games.
One of the cool things I like about Steam is that you can make screenshots of your favorite in-game moments (kills, wins, leaderboards etc.) using F12. After your match, you can upload your pictures to the Steam cloud and share them on Facebook. This is yet another example how gaming is becoming more and more social. Of course within Steam you can also create various friend lists for your favorite games and see your trophies and achievements per game.
Steam is a 100% digital store, so you buy the games through their online store and download them. Since you account is 'in the cloud' you can always access your games from any PC as long as you remember your username and password (!). The fact that all available games are digitally available, you can also buy and play games that are sold out in real-life retail stores and load of 'golden oldies' from the back-catalogue. That is one of the smartest things of Steam: you can relive and replay those classic games you loved to play for weeks and weeks!
Well - that was just a small and personal description of Steam for non-users and non-gamers, now check out the rest of the facts in the info graphic below!
My webinar about growing your business through digital tools & digital media is scheduled for March 1st at 15:00 CET (that's 9:00 a.m. in New York so bring your headphones to university or to your office ;-).
I haven't figure out yet how I will tell my story, but most likely just from my living room in Amsterdam without any slides (my presentation is on Slideshare anyway)... just telling you my story of how I began in 2009 and where I am now in 2012 using free digital tools and digital media to promote me and my company BrandNewGame...
Be sure to tune in upcoming March 1st at 15:00 CET (9:00 o'clock a.m. in New York)!
If you never considered working in the gaming industry or for Electronic Arts in particular, check the video... it shows you why EA is such a cool company to work for (according to 4 employees).
It's a hundred percent promotional video for EA, but I think they deserve that after releasing games like Fifa, Command & Conquer and the Battlefield series... ;-)
One of the funniest things that happened during the launch of PlayStation Vita was that the PR-lady introduced the new PSP saying: "I played with it last night and just couldn't stop... it really felt great in my hands..." of course all 640 present nerds (me included) laughed out loud (LOL) and clapped their hands. This was one of the highlights of the presentation of Sony PlayStation.
I don't want to make this posting a 'hatemail' because I love the power of PlayStation and really admire Sony, but during the presentation yesterday they tried to highlight ALL product features instead of picking just a few eminent benefits compared to modern smart phones, like the iPhone.
That's what bothered me most I feel. To name one example, PlayStation claimed to 'start the social gaming revolution', but the social gaming revolution has already started thanks to companies like Zynga with all of their 'social' games on Facebook and Spil Games with all of their gameportals around the globe... and to be honest: Battlefield and Call of Duty with all of their multiplayer features are social as well and what about World of Warcraft where you have to slay dragons with hundreds of fellow gamers in epic battles....?
The intentions of the people of PlayStation was not to be arrogant I'm sure, but promoting the fact that the PSVita has a camera on the front and on the back and that it can be connected to the internet seem outdated Unique Selling Points in my opinion since my iPhone has both of these features...
To help you to an insight on the most stunning USP's, I summed them up below in my comparison of the PSVita with my iPhone...
The advantages of PlayStation Vita compared to an iPhone:
+ Compatible with PlayStation 3 content: play anywhere and even play against PS3 players
+ 'Scratch my back' touchscreen controller for innovative gameplay
+ Physical controllers instead of 'just' touch-screen controls.
The downsides of PlayStation Vita compared to my iPhone:
- It's a lot bigger than my iPhone
- Extremely high priced games compared to 90% of all iPhone games
- PSVita was lagging behind and now just caught up instead of setting a new barrier
Other features are Augmented Reality games and motion controlled features, but that's just tech-shizzle and in my opinion seldom ads great fun to my game-experience. The fact that Microsoft has opened up to all programmers in the world also means they cannot think of enough sound and useful applications of the Kinect-technology. I keep saying that the only good example of Augmented Reality is Layers... but of course I am slightly exaggerating... ;-)
So all in all I am really sceptic if Sony's latest toy will be the big hit they need so much... I know great things will happen soon with the Sony Entertainment Network (formally known as the PlayStation Network), but until then - I don't think the PSP Vita will meet Sony's expectations... I guess Nintendo's unique selling point of providing a safe gaming playground for children is why their Nintendo 3DS is still selling so well. They have a clear focused strategy which will probably help them through these tough years of play...
Now, the retail price for the PSVita is € 249,- which is fair I guess, but games will cost you in between 20 and 50 euro's...
Please form your own opinion and check out the promotional video:
Today's computer and video games provide interactive environments not offered by other forms of entertainment. From game consoles with Internet connectivity to social and multiplayer online games, gamers increasingly engage with each other as they play, and form strong relationships with players around the world. Gaming has always had social components of course, even starting with Pong on the Atari 2600 that one could play together with a friend, sitting on the couch. I remember playing games like Police Quest and Gabriel Knight for hours and hours with my cousin behind my fathers computer (an IBM 8086). Later we rented a Nintendo N64 or Sega Megadrive at the video store. More recent I played Buzz on my PlayStation 2 with 7 friends during New Years eve and it is these playful and epic experiences in which relations tighten and bonding starts en evolves.
For some, online games offer the opportunity to connect with others in a way akin to dating websites. Online games enable players to interact with others through chat features from the very beginning, and the central areas of the game environment are often crowded with hundreds of other players. Over time, connections between players blossom into love more than one might expect.
Pete and Hannah Romero, for example, met online playing Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft. After spending a great deal of time playing together, Hannah traveled to Los Angeles to meet Pete. A year later, they married. The Romeros are not alone. Stories from others who found love through games show up in chat rooms and forums across the Internet. Psychological studies and investigative news stories about the role of games in the future of online dating are also becoming more common.
Picture by: Bonny Makarewicz for The New York Times
Games also provide inspiration for creative marriage proposals. For instance, when Gary Hudston decided it was time to propose to his long-time girlfriend Stephy, he turned to a customized version ofPortal 2. Gary shared his idea with Portal creator Valve Software. Valve then helped him get a script recorded by Ellen McLain, the voice of the game's popular villain, GlaDOS. After his collaboration with Valve and two level designers from the Portal 2 community, Gary presented his girlfriend with three levels of the game. After Stephy completed the final level, GLaDOS proposed to her on Gary's behalf. Skip to 3:46 for the actual proposal... the intro is quite long... The scripted event was made possible by two Dutchies (at least by last-names) called Doug Hoogland and Rachel van der Meer.
One gamer known as DimmuJed turned to the in-game design tools of Sony Computer Entertainment's Little Big Planet. Using Little Big Planet's popular Create Mode, DimmuJed developed his own game level featuring a proposal to his girlfriend. Yet another gamer asked developer William Thurston to create a customized version of the iOS game Foozle that included his proposal.
These are just a few of the stories demonstrating the powerful connections video games can create among players. With 72 percent of Americans playing computer and video games, 50% of all 600 million users on Facebook logging in to be able to play their favorite games and over 200 million people playing Angry Birds, it is likely that stories of gamer romances will become even more common...
After the news end of last year about YouTube dedicated HD TV-channels and Google TV, PlayStation announces that it will rename it's current 'PlayStation Network' to SEN: Sony Entertainment Network. I saw an incredibly cool presentation last week at the 'iMMovator-conference' about connected television where Sony unfolded their plans for 2012 and beyond.
As I predicted in my book 'A Brand New Playground' the 'game consoles' develop into home entertainment systems that are connected to all the content in the world through the internet. The video below shows you how PlayStation was already providing all sorts of content in 2010. It organized consumer content (photo's, music and video's), but was also connected to content providers like Hulu and Mubi (arthouse movies) and loads of other stuff. It's nice to know that currently more than 50% of all PlayStations are connected to the internet, which is about 30 million PlayStations globally...
Now in the near future PlayStation will largely copy Apple's functionalities: the PlayStation will be the core of content that will be accessible by all Sony devices and screens in your household. The cool thing is that they decided to make it an 'open system' based on Android. Hooray for Sony - well done.
Now finally we can access Sony pictures, Sony music and Sony PlayStation content with all kinds of devices and a specially designed remote control with touch screen and a complete abc on the back will help you to navigate through all that content! Sony also promised to deliver full internet access instead of just limited versions of YouTube and Google.
The main difference is that with Google TV on the Sony televisions you can actually watch two layers of content at the same time: internet + television content. Technically these two cannot be integrated as of yet, but the layers are so well integrated that it will feel as 'one' stream of content. The 'older' internet television force you to choose between either 'TV-content' or 'internet content'... the future televisions (connected televisions) will enable you to multitask like you never had before and make your tablet your third screen while sitting on the couch instead of your second screen... ;-)
I will be visiting the release of PlayStation Vita tomorrow where we will hear more undoubtedly!
Although a lot of brands (Microsoft, PlayStation, Layer) and trending websites promise a great Alternate Reality and 3D future. I am still full of doubt whether Alternate Reality will change our future in the upcoming 10 years.
When I visited the E3 in LA and ECTS twelve years ago in London there were already 'virtual reality' helmets with which you could walk through virtual worlds and play basic games. But the technique made us sick and to this day the technique still lags... It just doesn't work that well and doesn't really add that much to our real-life experience.
I recently saw this video review of Nelly Playz testing the Kinect Star Wars game and I have to agree with him...: What fun is to play with a light saber if you're not actually holding the light saber in your hands? In this particular case PlayStation Move has an advantage, because you are actually holding something in your hands that 'could be' a light saber. Also because thanks to the device (controller) in your hands the PlayStation system is able to detect distance and movement (Move) in a better way than Kinect can with just two camera's. I expect that if Xbox 720 comes with a 'surround'-camera system the recognition of movement, speed etc. will improve and so will the customer experience. I hope Microsoft is actually developing their Kinect 5.1 system behind the scenes as we speak.
According to the research below done by Ypulse millenials aren't that enthusiastic about AR either...
AR Apps Are Like QR Codes: Confusing! Even Tech-Savvy Millennials Are Baffled
NEW YORK, NY February 1 -- Augmented reality (AR) has become the futuristic media of the moment, but many consumers, including young, tech-savvy Millennials, are having a hard time figuring it out. In fact, only 11% of high schoolers and collegians have ever used an AR app, according to Ypulse the leading authority on youth.
“During the holiday season, retailers like Macy’s and brands like Starbucks tried to get customers in the spirit with AR apps. They’re fun and clever, but as with QR codes, Millennials don’t always get the point,” says Melanie Shreffler, Ypulse’s editor-in-chief. “They need to see value in using AR to make the effort to download and use the apps.”
AR apps have to be interesting enough to get users to download them, and they also need to be engaging enough to get users to come back to the apps again and again. But mostly, they have to work right the first time. “Millennials love technology and like a challenge, but fighting with apps to get them to work like they’re supposed to isn’t their idea of fun,” says Shreffler. "If they become frustrated trying to use one AR app, it could negatively affect their opinion of augmented reality technology in general."
Among students who have used AR apps•34% think they’re easy and useful;•26% think they’re easy but not useful;•18% think they’re useful but not easy; and •9% think AR apps are neither useful nor easy to use.
More students think AR apps are easier to use than think QR codes (60% vs. 51%, respectively). According to Ypulse’s Shreffler, “That’s likely because brands and companies that offer the apps have devoted a fair bit of their promotional efforts to explaining how to use AR, whereas retailers seemed to slap QR codes everywhere in the hopes that shoppers would figure them out.”
AR- More Flash Than Substance: So far, Millennials’ impression of AR apps and QR codes is that they’re more flash than substance. Until the technological kinks get worked out and retailers and brands begin to employ AR and QR codes in ways that impact our day-to-day lives, they’ll remain a novelty.
Methodology: The data presented in this release were drawn from 1,300 interviews conducted among members of the SurveyU panel between May 20 and May 30, 2011 and 1,336 additional interviews conducted between December 8 and December 23, 2011.
Respondents were selected from among those who have registered to participate in surveys for SurveyU, a Ypulse-owned online research panel. Quotas were established based on gender, state, class year, and race. The data have been weighted using National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data to reflect the demographic composition of U.S. high school and college students.
Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation in the panel rather than a probability sample, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to multiple sources of error, including, but not limited to sample error, coverage error, and measurement error.
Some facts about the Dutch and the way we connect to the world, did you know the founder of Atari was a Dutch guy from origin...? And did you know that the late Steve Jobs has worked for Atari as well? Some more 'don't need to know but still nice to know'-facts in this two-minute video by the Dutch Scheepvaart museum in Amsterdam.
In Europe this is not such a big thing, but I know that the US is talking about it for weeks before the event, so I'd thought I'd repost this item by Adage...
This is where games and gamble meet: the stats and bets!
We have the European Cup of Soccer later this year and I will be posting some facts and figures about that as well, so it seems only fair to give my readers in the US some R.E.S.T.E.C.P.T. as well ;-)
I'd thought I add a good NFL (or NCAA) picture to it as well - courtesy of EA Sports ;-)
And a great video on YouTube accompanied with some Eminem sounds (excuse me for the cursing in the lyrics) that show us the hardest and greatest hits! This is how we do it ;-)
