Gamification & Gamevertising

Back to the Start

2012-03-08T08:31:00.000+01:00

Cool animation to make us more aware of how our pigs and other livestock are treated and what the food chain from land to plate looks like. Maybe it's better to buy more 'organic' beef, wholesome pigs and free running chicken! It's up to you!

target="_blank"

Not a sure bet yet: A story of the Mexican gambling industry

2012-03-06T14:28:00.000+01:00

Because I expect gaming and gambling will merge more and more in the future and we have a lot of readers in Latin-America, we decided to write a small outline about the Mexican Gambling industry. The article was written by our friend Morten Geertsen

Pointing towards the clouds of thenight, these and other lights come from the many casinos placed aroundMonterrey. Six months ago, I first realized the popularity of gambling inMexico, when a friendly family took me home, after I had rented a room in oneof Monterrey’s most dangerous areas. Several days a week, in the afternoon theywould leave the house to go gamble, and come home late at night. Euphoric,noisy and with the tequila still hosting after-partiesin their blood.

This family was neither poor or outof balance – but it belonged to the fortunate group of Mexican families, whofound joy in gambling, appreciated its social aspects and functions in Mexico,and had the necessary resources to cultivate such a hobby.

Sometimes I’d join them. Follow themin their quest for fun and newfound gambling skills. Share the adventurousfeeling of “going all in” on trying your luck! The loud sounds of living in that one moment – the present, where many Mexicans love to be – echoed days after each visit.

Then there was a recent article, backing upmy experiences with facts – reading across this tiny 10” screen:

“In2004, the Mexican Government liberalized gaming laws and issued 200 licenses tobetting parlors, bingo halls and a few casinos. Most of these licenses weregrabbed up by Mexican television behemoth Televisa. Online gaming was added tothe roster of legalized Mexican gambling in 2007. Today, the Mexican market issecond only to Brazil in Central/South American gaming revenues and is believedto be around the $3.5-$4 billion range.”

Some years ago my “new Mexican family”would not have been able to perform their now accustomed night activities. Despiteits reputation as a “loose to rules” nation, in many aspects Mexico should beconsidered a highly conservative country. Therefore, thanks to a pressure ofthe Catholic Church and a fence of old traditions, gambling was kept on safedistance of the Mexican citizens for more than 50 years.

However, that ban has eroded slowlyover the years and many forms of lotteries and sports betting have beentolerated for decades. In 2004 the on-ground gambling ban was removed, and in2007 ban for online gambling suffered the same destiny.

Since then the Mexican market ofgambling has followed a path of growth. It is nowsecond only to Brazil. Casinos worth more than $500 million are believed toopen Acapulco and Mazatlan. A minimum of four new services are planned alongthe Texas-Mexico border. Over 35 gaming sites are expected to come up within thecountries boundaries. Many gambling companies of Las Vegas will be willing andkeen to open up their casinos in the promising light of the future Mexican gamblingmarket.

Online gambling should not beoverlooked. American gambling enthusiasts will swear loudly and clench theirfist towards the sky, if you ask them about the situation of online poker inAmerica. That’s because it is illegal there. And this Mexican online gamblinghas benefited enormouslyfrom for several years.

Sometimes when looking closer at asituation, you notice some “but”s. These are apparent in this article as well.

There are still law restrictions inMexico. Nowadays fewer licenses to run casinos are issued by the government.Also, though leading players of this industry want to set up their casinos inbeautiful tourist locations like Acapulco and Cancun, the government of Mexicohas to explicitly mention the exact locations where casinos would be given therequired license to continue such activities.

This means that the Mexican gamblingmarket does not actually reach its potential: “Mexico should be one of the top ranking countries in the gaming industrywithin Latin America and it is estimated that if it removed its ban on casinosthe gambling industry could generate revenues of US$80 - US $120 billion. As a contrast the current estimated incomebased on the real gaming activities allowed is a comparatively meager US$4.6billion,” a report reads.

Another restriction comes when we take a look at theAmerican market again. A legalization of Internet poker in the United Stateswould send earthquakes of bad economy predictions across the Mexican gamblingmarket. As mentioned, the neighbor country provides the industry with hugeearnings, and should legal American online poker become a reality, it will losemost, if not all, of their U.S. poker customers.

Finally, what should not be overlookednor underestimated is the security situation. It’s no secret that Mexico is rightnow undergoing its most severe security crisis in living memory. During my timein Monterrey, my study buddies and I experienced this in many forms – robberies,threats and corruption is daily life. The reason for this can be traced back todecision of president, Filipe Calderón, who initiated a violent war on the drugcartels. As a result the fights have gotten out of control, and the country’simage, people and economy is now shaken. The many illegal casinos are believedto be vulnerable to corruption, money laundering and extortion.

In the end, in the instability of thegovernment and the corrupted dark corners of the illegal casinos, makesbelieving in Mexican gambling a “not sure bet”. However, despite some seriousproblems, Mexico shows signs of emerging as one of the world’s major gaming market.After all, with all the changes around the world restricting gambling, Mexico presentsgrowing opportunities for investors, operators and equipment and technologysuppliers within the gambling industry.

Assassin's Creed 3 - Reveal Trailer [NL]

2012-03-06T09:38:00.000+01:00

One of my favorite game-franchises of the past five years...

Conceptual gems in my opinion!

Friday Fun: Coke & Mentos Fountain Fest

2012-03-02T16:57:00.000+01:00

I am preparing a presentation about the future and when I thought about an explosion of content I thought about the 2011 YouTube hit with Coke & Mentos. Great community driven viral branding! ;-)

How to Grow Free Webinar TODAY!

2012-03-01T08:46:00.000+01:00

Feel free to watch my free webinar today at 15:00 CET or 09:00 A.M. New York time: How to Grow using free digital media like Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter, Linkedin, Slideshare, Youtube, Google Analytics and more. Go to the event page: http://bit.ly/xTbT54

Basically it's about me and how I founded BrandNewGame in 2009 and how I grew year after year with double digital grow in Turnover starting from scratch (literally)...

iTunes has games, but so does Steam...

2012-02-28T21:48:00.000+01:00

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!

I guess the rest is stated below... ;-)

This is what happens if you let creatives free....Skyrim GameJam

2012-02-27T10:29:00.000+01:00

Awe...some...

The Marketing Game... effective or not? Neurology

2012-02-26T14:58:00.000+01:00

Buy-ology: does marketing communication work or ... not really...?

How to GROW? - I Know!

2012-02-23T11:51:00.000+01:00

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)!

Digital free media to promote thyself

View more presentations from Bart Hufen [BrandNewGame].

Play Your Game: The New Grad Experience at EA

2012-02-22T08:33:00.000+01:00

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... ;-)

PlayStation Vita revisits Commercial 'Double Life' - 1999

2012-02-19T15:49:00.000+01:00

Remember this commercial for the PlayStation...? It was EPIC!

Now check out this commercial for the PlayStation Vita:

It's similar ... ;-)

PlayStation Vita Launch: innovation or recreation?

2012-02-15T15:46:00.003+01:00

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:

Interactive painting

2012-02-15T11:00:00.000+01:00

Forget Play-Doh and stains on your carpet, on children's clothing or even on your walls and ceiling!

Monobanda introduces interactive painting!

Check out the video and be amazed of the easyness and beauty!

Light Canvas from Monobanda on Vimeo.

Valentine and Games...? How I met your mother in 2020...

2012-02-14T12:59:00.000+01:00

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...

PlayStation to become biggest global TV network

2012-02-13T09:05:00.002+01:00

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!

Meanwhile read some more on the Sony USA website

Thank you reader! -> 50.000 pageviews for my blog

2012-02-10T13:56:00.000+01:00

Just a moment of a big THANK YOU to all my readers in the past 3 years.

I grew from 3.000 unique visitors in 2010 to 5.000 unique visitors in 2011 and hope it will continue to grow in 2012 to ... I don't know... 8.000?

Apart from the unique visitors we served 45.000 pageviews in 2011 compared to 18.661 in 2010.

Please spread the word and link your website or blog to mine so we can increase traffic for both of our websites!

The Future of Kinect and Alternate Reality

2012-02-08T12:05:00.000+01:00

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.

No Facebook without the Dutch

2012-02-07T11:52:00.000+01:00

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.

Superbowl - The Game of all Games...!?

2012-02-06T11:53:00.001+01:00

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 ;-)

Playing the Samba: All you need to know about Social Games in Latin America

2012-02-01T15:00:00.000+01:00

By Morten Geertsen

Ten years ago social gaming in Latin America was not much more than abunch of empty servers: Yes, it is not the wildest exaggeration to say, that itwas almost absent. However, with the expanding internet access and usage inmost of Latin American countries, this has changed. Social gaming has not onlyreached a decent level of popularity, but is seen as something far beyond justa weak trend. Players in the region are increasinglyembracing social gaming. And even though the penetration figures are not yet ashigh as in the United States, the social gaming market is growing up fast,making it widely discussed in studies and eyeballed by foreign marketers,branding experts and game developers, who’re seeing the contours of possiblesuccess being sharpened.

While being trapped between the traffic lights – the smoke and dirt ofMexico City’s streets surrounding me – I decided to write about the currentsituation of social gaming in Latin American with particular focus on Brazil.

The powerhouse of Latin America

Latin American social gaming scene has been helped by the growth ofLatin American countries in recent years – with the economy of Brazil being themain attraction, when foreign marketers are taking a look at this area. Brazil isby far the biggest market in Latin America, accounting for 35 percent of this market,which in itself makes up five percent of the worldwide market.

Studies show that the market for social games inBrazil can be expected to grow as large as $238 million by 2014, according to astudy released by social research firm SuperData. That’s a significant increasefrom the $136 million the market is expected to be worth by the end of thisyear. In that same time frame the size of the social gaming user base in Brazilis expected to grow to 52.3 million.

Earlier this year SuperData released a study showing that virtual goodsrevenues across all of Latin America are expected to rise to $517 million bynext year, with Brazil leading the way, followed by Colombia and Mexico. “With social game revenue growing more than36 percent over the past year alone, there are real opportunities to capturemarket share and make the most of this first-mover advantage,” JanelleBenjamin, SuperData’s Director of Research, says in a recent statement.

Localizing with Mentez

A challenge for foreign developers and marketers is localizing socialgames to the Latin American market. Localization seems indeed to be anessential factor, when marketers want to penetrate the market. To give anexample of this, 95 percent of the Brazilians only consume social games intheir own language, Portuguese! The existence of local, cultural references is alsoessential to successfully capture the Latin American audience. Juan Franco, co-founderof Mentez, explains: "Localizationis difficult for U.S. developers without help. Many of their games are filled with cultural references – like theSuper Bowl and the Fourth of July and Halloween – which mean nothing toBrazilians. So it's not as simple for U.S. developers as translating theirgames into Portuguese and dropping them onto Orkut."

Hear leaders such as the founderof Mentez, Juan Roldan, outlines the future of social gaming in Latin America.

Mentez is the dominant game publisher in Latin America. From thecompany’s office in Sao Paulo, it localizes and distributes pre-existing titlesfor Latin American audiences. The company has a team of artists and productmanagers who build virtual items that resonate with gamers in Latin America andhelp craft changes in the games so that they have a Latin American look andfeel. The publisher also has a PR team that helps the game get coverage inLatin American publications, and it runs banner ads inside their other games.It also takes a cut on virtual item revenue, so Mentez has a vested interest inseeing the game succeed.

Mentez publishes four out of the five most popular games on theGoogle-owned social network Orkut in Brazil and its portfolio reaches 22million active users every week. One of those games, Wonderful City Rio, withgame play very close to games such as Vostu’s MegaCity and Zynga’s CityVille –but yet adapted to the Latin American market.

Pointing out the Payment Problems

Although Brazilian users are avid social game players, monetization canbe a problem given the lack of adoption of traditional payment methods. Forthis reason, both Vostu and Mentez have developed alternatives methods ofpayment. They now use prepaid card offerings that are available at tens ofthousands of retail locations across Brazil. Tutudo, a Latin Americanmicro-transactions company, has developed a prepaid card network that hassigniﬁcant penetration and is available to developers not afﬁliated with Vostuor Mentez.

According to Franco, "inemerging markets like Brazil, 50 percent of the 100 million people who are connectedto the internet don't have credit cards -- and so PayPal doesn't work here. Sogamers need other ways to pay. With Paymentez, they can walk into an Internetcafé and use cash to buy virtual credits. Paymentez has over 100,000 retailpoints of sale. That's just one more hurdle U.S. developers don't have to worryabout when they partner with Mentez. They can sit back, get their checks in themail, and enjoy a bigger footprint worldwide."

Currently the average revenue per paying user in Brazil is $1.87,approximately $0.50 less than in North America. The most popular form ofpayment is local electronic wallet solutions, such as Payseguro. The largestsocial network in Brazil is Orkut, which boasts 66 million active users, nearly60 percent of which hail from Brazil. Games based on platforms other thanFacebook, such as Orkut, are expected to reach $5.6 billion in revenue by 2014.

Thinking outside the “Facebox” –Orkut and other social networks

If we zoom out for a bit – now looking at social gaming in a globalcontext – the market seems to be maturing. In addition to a top-heavymarketplace, where big firms dominate and claim the bulk of revenues, theoverall space is also increasingly crowded. This forces companies to spend moreon marketing, which in turn shrinks the margins between acquisition cost andaverage revenue per user. One strategy to escape this predicament is thereforeto look for other markets that are less mature.

"If you currently only haveyour game on Facebook, you can double or triple your revenue by working theinternational markets,"says Franco. "The U.S. is a verytough market that's dominated by two or three big companies. So it's verydifficult for a smaller developer to compete in the U.S. on the Facebookplatform these days. I believe that, for those good developers with good skillsand good ideas, exploring international markets could be the best way for themto succeed." This multiplicity of vibrant social networks thus createsa significant opportunity for social game developers willing to port theircontent to new networks and localize for non-English speaking region.

There exist two major social networks in Latin America. Facebook, who owns every country inLatin America except Brazil and attracts more than 97 million visitors. (InChile, Facebook even reaches 90.9 percent of all online users, ranking as themost penetrated market in Latin America.) And Googles Orkut, who dominates Brazil. For many years, Orkut was Google’smost successful venture in social, and Google is taking steps to make Orkut agreat distribution channel for a broader array of developers looking to targetthe Brazilian market. Combined with a more mature payment landscape, Orkutpresents a potentially lucrative opportunity for social game developers lookingto reach the 75M+ internet users in Brazil.

Big but still growing

The Latin American market of social gaming has become bigger the lastthree years. According to Daniel Kafie, CEO and founder of Vostu, the global advertisingmarket for social gaming is expected to rise to US$ 1.6 billion in 2012. InLatin America, the social gaming advertising market actually reaches US$ 350million, according to the executive at IAB Now Argentina. A lot of its growthcan be traced to the Brazilian economy. However the interesting factor formarketers is more the potential of growth of this industry rather than itscurrent size. To Bloomberg Businessweek Mentez CEO Franco states that since social games are a new business inLatin America, "there is anopportunity for companies like Zynga to be aggressive in that market."Brazil, in particular, "is a hugeopportunity," he says. "It'sthe hottest market in the world today" for social games. This articlehas highlighted the importance of localization, when making social games seeminteresting and relevant to the Latin American audience. Mentez’ major successcan be subscribed to the fact that they help companies in exactly this regard –localization. Also the payment problems have been pointed out. However severalcompanies have succeeded in overcoming this problem by implementing alternativepayment methods.

3 Latin American games you shouldtry

In ePig(what a name!) you meet Eddie, acute and adventurous piglet who can jump, surf and dive. Eddie is the starcharacters of the ePig series, which consists of seven games for iPhones andiPads. In one of the games, ePig Surf Lite, Eddie has to surf the waves without hittingany rocks and sharks. The better you get at moving your device, the fastestEddie’s boards are. This game is free, so it’s a great way to start before makingyour move to the full version or to the other games.

In Freaking Inkies the main characters, theInkies, have invaded your library, and you have to chase them. It means youhave to splash them with paint, by combining two colors if necessary. Althoughit sounds simple, there’s a lot of variety in each level, including ZombieInkies trying to eat brains. The visual part of the game is particularlyenjoyable, and the depiction of each character is nothing less than hilarious…

Finally, in Plock you are challenged to break the cute colorfulblocks, by either matching two or more of the same color or by using one of thebombs that you may have earned. Its classic mode is a one-minute match, inwhich you have sixty seconds to break as many blocks and earn as many points aspossible. Once you’re done, Plock’s tease means you will probably want to tryagain and again!

Top 10 Sold Games Globally

2012-01-30T10:19:00.000+01:00

According to VGChartz (which I think is the most reliable source on sales data) these are the top 10 most purchased games of December 31st 2011. Happy New Game Year!

I am glad to see that still 'movement games' are still popular, especially to help kids (and parents) to stay in shape in a fun way! ;-)

Kinect adventures on a third position is impressive as well.

Call of Duty MW3 doesn't surprise me at all, it's an established franchise.

As for Mario Kart and Super Mario 3D Land, plummers are still cool apparently!

Star Wars - a golden franchise (despite some real bad games)

Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite new franchises. Who would have thought that just being able to climb ancient buildings could bring such joy!

Your own private shopper in your bedroom: thanks to Kinect

2012-01-27T10:02:00.000+01:00

Another way to use Kinect technology... for shopping. Although it surprises me that they don't use the camera to show you how the outfit actually fits to your body!? That would be the ultimate 'fitting-experience'... but there is always room for improvement I guess... ;)

An Animation about Motivation

2012-01-26T11:51:00.000+01:00

Nice work....

The Bark Side: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial Teaser

2012-01-26T09:50:00.000+01:00

While the 2011 Superbowl campaign runs in The Netherlands these days (with the little Darth Vader trying to use 'the force' on several stuff and eventually things he can turn on and off the lights of his dads car - see the video below)... In the US Volkswagen just released this teaser video of 'more to come' ... it's the Star Wars tune barked by dogs... They really have too much budget over there... Why not make a really cool, bold and bodacious game???!!!

Chevy Game Time App | Chevy Super Bowl XLVI Ads | Win a New Chevy or Oth...

2012-01-24T09:41:00.000+01:00

Chevrolet understands how to claim a certain context! They have outsmarted competition by providing an app that Superbowl fans can use while watching the games with friends in their homes (or the stadium for all I care). People can play mini-games (quiz questions about teams and polls from the past), watch commercials and win prizes of all participating brands like Motorola and Bridgestone.

Millions of people will be using Twitter as a match progresses so if the app ties into 'sharing' stuff like 'Touchdown' or 'That tackle was a fail' or stuff like that they can be sure to reach a large audience around the Superbowl!

You can download the app at the iTunes store or on their website: www.chevy.com/gametime

So I guess now it's... Game Time!

#FridayFun: Don't Play with Food....Mentos + Yakult

2012-01-20T16:12:00.000+01:00

People + Too Much Free-time and Curiosity = Incredible...

Coca Cola Content 2020 Part One

2012-01-20T11:49:00.000+01:00

What the world will look like 'sharing happiness' in 2020...

To be honest I still find it strange that Fanta didn't claim 'Fanta-Size' or 'Fantastic' yet... and during Christmas 'Fanta-Clause' ... but maybe they will after reading this... I really hope that some day they call me, I really have some great digital 'global-game' ideas for the Fanta brand... or does anyone know the Global brand director at the Coca-Cola Company? Let me know! Meanwhile - enjoy this visionary video....

Newsflash! Kinect for Windows... a report by Mashable

2012-01-19T10:13:00.001+01:00

Read their full article here: http://mashable.com/2012/01/09/kinect-windows-february/

If Facebook were publicly owned...

2012-01-18T07:59:00.000+01:00

Facebook is thinking about going to the market. See what happens if she does and see what the company is worth according to the financial markets...

Created by: Accounting Degree Online

FBI exploits the potential of gaming

2012-01-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

By Morton Geertsen.

Last week, GameSpot posted this article called HowVideo Games Are Improving the FBI. It’s a well-writtenpierce of information, providing readers with an entertaining and insightful exampleof how serious games can play a central role in passing on skills and “close toreal life” experiences to the staff of the organization. In this case it is TheFederal Bureau of Investment – or shorter: FBI – whose game trainer RandyPargman reveals how though in-game training agents come to understand tacticalarrest planning and crime scene investigation. Maybe this example looks more like a simulation than an actual game, but still it's very cool that the FBI sees the potential of using serious games and game-mechanics on Xbox to educate their trainees!

Like out of a Matrix film, the digital world makes it possible toinstantly and dynamically change the physical environments, taking the recruitsfrom one city to another. Also the game makes it able to present to therecruits a far more interesting tactical environment, as digital worlds aremore easily and cheaply builds than real worlds. For that reason, FBI oftenhears people tell them that the environments we presented them were moreinteresting and challenging than anything we could ever physically build.

"I havea sneaking suspicion some of the new recruits bring their consoles with themwhen they enroll in the academy," Pargman says in the article. "Surprisingly, quite a few of them havenever touched a video game controller before, and I have to spend quite a bitof time in class teaching them how to use the thumb sticks. What we've starteddoing is giving them the chance to play around with the games after hours, andit's no surprise that they love it."
Pargman briefly expresses his opinion about the future challenges ofserious game development: As the gaming audience has grown significantly in thepast five years, so has the users’ expectations: With more knowledge andexperience, users now know what to expect and are not as easily impressed, asthey were in the beginning, when learning games first saw the daylight. Inother word, the “astonishment” factor has been diluted a bit, making it abigger challenge to make a product that is both educational and entertaining.

This puts far more pressure onthe creativity and “outside of the box” thinking of developers – as well as on theambitions of companies wanting to use serious games to train the crew. "These games need to be interesting,engaging, and relevant, so that people who use them will get into it, and thenit's up to the design of the game to make sure that they're actually learningwhat they're supposed to be learning," Pargman says.

At this point, the reader will not be surprised to hear, that FBI findsthe in-game training valuable. FBI is right now experiencing the real benefitto putting into practice the concepts and values taught through visual demonstrations.In fact a large number of new recruits have already expressed the wish to beintroduced to the video game training part of the program at a much earlierstage in their training.

The 10 best schools for Serious Games

2012-01-16T14:29:00.000+01:00

According to: http://www.bestcollegesonline.com

For most people, gaming is something you do purely for fun, and although you may be fine-tuning motor skills or even learning history as you go along, it’s not likely you’re doing it with learning goals in mind. But for some people, gaming is a real learning activity, and "serious games" are an amazing teaching tool. In K-12 settings, games can motivate students to stay focused, or even create academic competitions that make it cool to be smart. At the college level, students work with games to become designers of the future, creating mass-market video games, and even learning games that schoolkids can use. Whatever the setting, these 10 awesome schools show that gaming in education is alive and well, and gamers of all ages can take advantage of the programs that they offer.

Madison County Elementary School
Often, the hardest part of getting students to learn is helping them find the motivation they need to get excited about their own education. At Madison County Elementary School, the Kid’s College computer program helps students stay focused and engaged in their learning by simply giving them a little down time once they’ve achieved their tasks. Students answer reading and math questions, and once they’ve done that, they can play a short game, like basketball, volleyball, football, or even snowboarding. Students enjoy the program, which gives them ample time to take breaks and stay tuned in to learning. Teresa Craig, a computer lab aide at Madison County Elementary School shares, "A lot of times, they don’t even realize they’re learning. They’re motivated to do this." Students love the program so much that some of them even play outside of school, logging in from home to compete and see who can score the most points on games. Student Precious Maples praises the game telling The Huntsville Times, "I can concentrate because I get to play afterwards."
Birmingham City University
At Birmingham City University, students can take advantage of the university’s game development finishing school, Gamer Camp, which offers industry-endorsed training programs. Students at Gamer Camp develop games for the iPad, PC, and PS3, with courses that are designed and run by veterans of the gaming industry. The school offers both the year-long Gamer Camp, as well as a nano and 10-week mini course that offers a bit more flexibility. Studio manager Iain Harrison shares that Gamer Camp is a step above other game development schools, offering hands-on experience that can better help students break into the industry.
Champlain College
Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., has been called "a gamer’s paradise" after the introduction of its new electronic game and interactive development major. The degree is modeled after the game development industry itself, following a team-based approach that gives students realistic experience for their future careers. Students like Caitlin Goss appreciate the approach to game design that Champlain offers: "I’m taking courses like psychology, computer theory, and English, which will help me understand everything that goes into a game, not just how to do the graphics or write the story," offering a well-rounded education that will serve students well in the game design industry. Fellow student Steven Tanzola appreciates the program for the same reason as Goss: "The program is diverse, which will help me get a job because I won’t just know about games; I’ll have all sorts of other important classes under my belt that game developers in the gaming industry are looking for."
Quest to Learn
In Manhattan, students can take advantage of a new school that teaches almost entirely through video game-inspired activities. Popular Sciencepoints out that this educational strategy is smart, and "geared to keep kids engaged and prepare them for high-tech careers." The magazine also highlights the fact that video games can command a student’s attention for hours, a fact that’s not lost on Quest to Learn. Main designer Katie Salen shares, "Games are exceptionally good at engaging kids." Teachers at the school have noted that while often students give up when faced with tough problems in a more traditional school setting, when they’re put into a video game, kids will try again and again despite failing. In this approach, Quest to Learn takes kids through several different courses, including math, English, social studies, science, game design, and wellness. The students are able to learn collaboratively through group projects in a research-backed environment that helps them learn at their best. Quest to Learn welcomed its first class of sixth graders in 2009, and plans to add a new class of sixth graders every year, continuing to educate current students through high school.
ChicagoQuest
Manhattan’s Quest to Learn has a sister school in Chicago, appropriately named ChicagoQuest. The school follows the same structure as Quest to Learn, using game design principles and collaborative, project-based learning. In ChicagoQuest’s classrooms, you’ll find learning spaces that include virtual reality and even Rube Goldberg machines. Interestingly, the school does not practice traditional grading systems, instead using levels more appropriate for game-based learning, ranging from novice to master. Ultimately, ChicagoQuest aims to develop students’ abilities to find creative solutions to problems, fostering critical and independent thinking while working in a team setting and taking full advantage of technology. Like the Manhattan branch, ChicagoQuest is able to keep its curriculum rich with content and relevant within Illinois State and College Readiness standards, giving students a great chance for success now and in the future.

University of Southern California
USC in Los Angeles does groundbreaking work in video game design on a regular basis, and their excellent program is evident in rankings from Gamepro Media and The Princeton Review, who came together to award the school with the top ranking for video game colleges not just in undergraduate studies, but graduate as well. School of Cinematic Arts dean Elizabeth Daley cites the school’s "extraordinary environment" that allows students, faculty, and staff to expand the boundaries of game design each day. USC offers courses in serious games, immersive environments, and game infrastructures, with not just bachelor’s degrees, but master’s and even PhDs as well. Interactive Media Division associate professor Tracy Fullerton shares, “I think it is the balance of practice and theory, entrepreneurialism and research, aesthetics and technology, individual expression and collaborative teamwork … that makes our program such a special place to study game design." One especially intriguing aspect of USC’s program is its incredibly popular Demo Days, where student projects are on display for representatives from the gaming industry and talent agencies.
Delano Middle School
Delano Middle School in the San Joaquin Valley has discovered what so many other schools are catching on to: that gaming can make students love taking part in lessons. Eighth grader Ariana Gutierrez agrees, remarking "I think it’s pretty awesome," about the Dance Dance Revolution video game that she uses in her PE class. "It’s a better way to work out. PE used to be boring, but I really enjoy it now." Gutierrez’s enthusiasm is thanks to her PE teacher Ken Dyar, who took it upon himself to organize fundraisers to outfit the school’s gym with a suite of exercise-friendly video games, including Dance Dance Revolution and stationary bikes that plug into the PS2 for racing games. At Delano, they’ve seen a real improvement in physical education: in 1998, only 7% of students passed the state fitness test, but just last year, 41% passed. This achievement is even more impressive when you consider that the state average is only about 25%. Students have noticed a difference too. Gutierrez says that she’s grown out of her chunky stage, and together with her friends, they’ve "gotten healthier and we do more things, like we can run and get a better time on the mile."
University of Delaware
While kids in K-12 classrooms take advantage of learning through video games, University of Delaware students go to work to create the games, learning as they develop skills for real careers in game development. As part of an Educational Games Development course in computer science, students created an interactive computer board game called Shape Shifters, which teaches fraction concepts to students at the Chester Community Charter School in Chester, Pennsylvania. Through the game, students answer multiple choice questions, moving spaces toward a finish line. Played in a social setting, the game offers both competition and teamwork, encouraging students to learn not just independently, but by helping each other as well. This course has been incredibly popular at the University of Delaware, and has sparked attention from Microsoft researchers, with whom the school may soon collaborate. Beyond Microsoft, the university also plans to publish the games on the XO website, allowing students participating in the One Laptop Per Child program to take advantage of the project as well.
Fairmount School
Students at Fairmount School love to play games, so much that the campus has created a Gamestar Club, based on Scholastic‘s Gamestar Mechanic curriculum. In the club, they use Gamestar curriculum to create their own video games, learn about design, and collaboratively test and improve video games created by the club. With design and testing complete, the club held a Gamer Fair after school, highlighting their creations and allowing for an opportunity to share their work with their fellow students and families. Fairmount LRC director Kelly Farrow believes the Gamestar Club and Gamer Fair to be a success, acknowledging that "students in our Gamestar Club worked very hard, learning about game design and creating some games of their own," teaching students valuable lessons about not just design and technology, but also teamwork, editing, and sharing feedback.
Sussex Elementary
At this elementary school, doing well in math is a status symbol, as evidenced by colorful wristbands that students receive for their work in First in Math, an online math game. Principal Tom Bowser says the program is great, allowing students to "intrinsically motivate themselves" as they compete not just against students in their own school, but other students in Baltimore County Public Schools. He says, "now it’s a cool thing to be academically achieving," thanks to the game and the wristbands that come along with it. The program is really paying off, helping students build their math skills in measurable ways. In 2009, students were 69.8% proficient and advanced in math, not a bad number, but a poor showing in comparison to the school’s 2010 percentage of 94.3. Although the school enacted other initiatives, Bowser believes that the math game has made a very large impact in the students’ skills.

Think Different

2012-01-15T15:55:00.000+01:00

Ode to Apple and Steve Jobs...

I plan on making something like this with just footage of computer - and video games. Would be cool no?

Trends of the future in Digital Media

2012-01-15T14:47:00.000+01:00

This article is derived from research by the Dutch governement that was lead by:

Immovator: Freek van 't Ooster / Mir Wemuth

TNO: Nathalie van Schie / Erik Huizer

To my tech-savvy audience, most things might be somewhat predictable, but maybe to others they are eye-openers...

The article has been written by 'my' 1st time blogger Dionne van der Woord a.k.a. Miss Captain Morgan ;-)

We’ve started another year and-like it or not- we’re another year older as well. Lucky for us, wisdom comeswith years and so does digital media knowledge. So it's time to evaluate last year’strends and view the upcoming ones to prepare ourselves for a successful 2012.Make sure you’re in a comfortable chair cause it’ll be an overload ofinformation.

Users

Let’s start off with some userrelated information. Digitalization has a huge impact on our private- and workenvironment; it gives us more and more functions like connecting with friends onsocial media. Last year, there was a massive uptake of smart phones andtablets. Besides games, especially social media became immensely popular. Theincreasing usage of social media gives people a voice, which creates leadersand can make consumers so-called ‘prosumers’ (co-producing consumers).

The counter side of increaseddigital ‘social’ media usage is the fact that people become moreindividualistic. We are merely broadcasting ‘how wonderful our lives are’ than havinga ‘dialogue’. Bart calls this ‘multi-monologues in his book. An example of theincreased individuality is being on a family birthday where everyone sits onthe couch and is using Whatsapp, Facebook or any other app on his or her mobilephone instead of talking with the people in the same room…

Technology

Media digitalize extremely and newwords such as ‘appification’ areintroduced. A lot of communication is audio visualized nowadays and tablets,smartphones, second screens and other devices start to integrate with existingmedia and other areas. Think of education, public relations, advertising, masscommunication and personal communication.

Another remarkable trend is thefact that cloud computing is changing media distribution and consumption. E.g.people have become more open towards streaming videos on demand instead ofwatching their favorite programs/films on TV/(owned) DVD on specific times.

Relatively new is the usage ofsensor technology, but it already has an impact on everyday life and behavior. Sensorscan be found everywhere. Think of the game industry (the Wii), the remotecontrol of your TV, a thermometer, an automatic supermarket door, and so on. Thesearch for better quality and improved user experience will continue (think of3D etc). Therefore, researchers predict new information filters and advancedsearch & open source techniques.

Business

As said before, media merge is eminent andthey’re used in a mixed setting. Audiovisual and written media meet on eachother’s domains to target the same devices for their services. This makes itnecessary to develop new business models for the digital world and face thedifference in thinking towards classic models such as authenticity, copyrightsand originality.

Accountability has – and will get– a more important function. Companies now follow a human centered approach toservice development. This can be seen in co-creation, mobilizing crowds, crowdsourcing, and direct influence of individuals on design of products,environment and services mostly through social media like blogs, Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Last, but not least, there’s afundamental change in the role of producer and consumer of information; theformer passive consumer is now an active producer. The result is thatprofessionals are now looking for a new useful role in the information andinfluence chain (sales funnel).

Data

The massive usage of data(storage) causes a desperate need for metadata and smart search &retrieval. The trend is to share information with our circle of friends, so existingdata (text, pictures, video’s) multiplies a few times due to sharing withconnections. We saw this a few years ago for the first time on the Wikileakscase, and researchers are still busy developing the possibilities.

Unlucky for alot of new media applications, there’s the question of digital preservation. Arethose applications here to stay, and are they built for long-term usage? E.g. Facebookis replacing My Space, and Google+ could become a huge competitor of Facebook (although I doubt that for now). But what do you think will be the next big digital hype...?

Let us know!

Steve Jobs on Failure

2012-01-14T16:07:00.000+01:00

My dad used to say: you already have 'no' and you might get a 'yes' if you just ask... This is so true. The funny thing about our behavior in games is that in games we are actually open to fail where as in real-life we are afraid to make mistakes and fail, because of fear of being laughed at, yelled at or even getting fired. I see this a lot in change-management projects where we use games as a tool to train staff and get them used to the 'desired situation'. When we ask people on their jobs to do things differently, in 90% of all cases you will have people saying: "But I am used to doing it like this, or we tried it but it didn't work or I use the new method, but the old one really worked better." We always use the same ways to get to our goal where as in games people find out the best way to achieve their goal through trial and error. And also, once we 'master' the game we invent 'challenges' for ourselves to push the boundary, like fighting with one arm, or running through a level without killing anyone or... well...

I hope to find the time this year to write my new book 'A Playful Life' (working title) which will be about life topics and how games can help to look at things in new ways...

Have a playful weekend!

Friday Fun: All you need to know about Apple(s)...

2012-01-13T13:42:00.000+01:00

Created by: MBA Online

The Future of Gaming according to ING Bank

2012-01-11T18:26:00.000+01:00

I can see my parents doing this in 10 years time... long live bingo, social media and games!

IBM Next 5 in 5: 2011 The Future

2012-01-11T11:56:00.000+01:00

5 minutes of free inspiration to develop a sound vision!

Shooting game study: Aim for your exact target group!

2012-01-09T13:02:00.000+01:00

Anotherspecial report by Morten Geertsen from Latin America!

While trying to survive in a hectic,futuristic war zone, would you pay attention to a small soccer ball sponsoredby Nike? Or something bigger, let’s say a billboard by McDonalds saying “I'mlovin' it!”? Dutch researchers recently studied these examples to get an ideaof the effect of in-game advertising through such and similar in-game brandplacements.
The researchers modified one of the mostplayed First Person Shooters, Half Life 2. First Person Shooters aregames played from the viewpoint of the characters eyes. The main goal of a (multiplayer)FPS is to have more points than your opponents (level after level) to becomethe leader of the leaderboard. The player has to find his way through a certainamount of maps (levels) while making sure he doesn’t get killed (or at leastless than his opponents). Why did the researchers focus on this particular gamegenre? The answer lies in its popularity. Each year many new First PersonShooters invade the screens of enthusiastic players. It is among the absolutemost played game genres.

Subtle product placement of Nike as part of study
In the modified version of Half Life2, several brands where exposed to the players throughout the multiplayer part:McDonalds, Red Bull, Nike, Transformers 2 and StreetFighter IV. 32 participants were invited to play: Some were experiencedplayers. Some were beginners. Finally some players had barely ever touched aFirst Person Shooter before. Each participant played 20 minutes and were thenasked questions to uncover the effect of the branding process.
Study: Players remember brands
The outcome of the study providesinformation about the effect of in game advertising. The study shows thein-game advertising was indeed effective – in fact more effective than previousstudies have shown. Of 32 participants, McDonalds was recalled 22 times(non-primed). Nike and Red Bull were both recalled 18 times. Transformers were recalled15 times and Street Fighter 7 times. Only three participants didn’t recall anybrands! Older studies have shown limited effect of such branding, but thisrecent study shows that the value of in-game branding should not beunderestimated. We would like to repeat the study under a larger audience. Ifthere is a student out there that would like to pick this up for TheNetherlands – let us know!

Brand recall inabsolute numbers

Advertising is improving realism,not destroying it
The study shows that in-game advertisingwas not perceived as intrusive by players. Questionnaire results also show thatparticipants do not find that the advertisements go against the realism of thegame. In fact quite the opposite: The study interestingly shows that most oftenin-game advertising enhanced the realism of the game! This might be the mostintriguing and surprising result of the study: That there exists a uniquesituation, where advertising actually enhances and improves the customerexperience! Some quotes from the respondents highlight this:

· “Withmoderate use it adds to the game realism.”

· “It makesthe game experience more realistic because in real life there’s also muchadvertising.”

· “In thereal world advertising is everywhere so no advertising would be weird.”

Most respondents states that theythink in-game advertising increases the realism of the game. However, they dohave some conditions. The game should be based on the real world and not on afantasy world, and the advertising should fit the game environment and not beexcessive.

Prominentbillboard of McDonald's

Game experience: A factor whenrecalling brands
The study states that the game experienceof participants unlike what previous studies has shown, greatly influence theeffect of the branding exposure. A comparison regarding brand recall shows thatevery form of in-game advertising was recalled more by experienced gamers.Experienced gamers together recalled 47 advertisements compared to 30 forinexperienced gamers.
A participant of the study comments: “BecauseI wasn’t known to First Person Shooters I had to focus on the controls andmovement not to die. I think I missed some of the environment because of this.”Most likely the inexperienced gamers were more focused on learning the gamethan the environment, where the brands where positioned, therefore causing thedifference in brand recall. Game experience is therefore a factor that stronglydetermines the players' ability to recall a brand.

Types of in-game advertising – andtheir effect!
Before the survey was conducted, theresearch group identified several types of game advertisements, and theyapplied five forms to the experiment: Prominent and subtle billboards,prominent and subtle product placements and an interactive placement were implementedin the First Person Shooter game environment. As the table below illustrates,all, except the prominent product placement, were found effective:

The most recalled form ofadvertisement in-game was found to be a prominent billboard with 69% recall. Theinteractive and subtle product placement followed by 56% recall. The subtlebillboard placed fourth with 47% and the prominent product placement with 22%.91% of the participants recalled at least one advertisement.

Reasons why the prominent product placementdidn’t perform as well as the others could be: The selected place of thebranding exposure was inappropriate (it was placed on a corner); it was thewrong product form (respondents saw the model but referred to it as arefrigerator). Yet another reason could be that the target was wrong (therespondents might not care about a fighting video game).
When such factors are corrected, theresearchers expect the prominent product placement to be much more effective.For an advertisement to be effective in a First Person Shooter, the researchshows that it should:

· Fit intothe game environment

· Be placedon a location where the player can’t miss it.

· Theproduct should be relevant for the gamers

Each form of advertising tested ofcourse has its advantages and disadvantages. Billboards are easy to implementand can be dynamic. But having massive amounts of billboards will probablystart to annoy the player. Product and interactive placements, although harderto implement, can help create a mixed balance of advertisements.

LINK: Top 14 First Person Shooters of 2011

Avoid the negative attitude towardsadvertising
An overall positive attitude towardsthe tested brands is highlighted in the study. The participants did not findthe in-game advertising misleading. Neither were any of the advertising formsfound intrusive. In other forms of advertising, such as television commercials,the advertisements often damage (or at least interrupt) the customerexperience. However the in-game advertising did not interrupt the gameexperience. In fact quite the opposite: This type of advertising was seen asstrengthening the game's realism and therefore overall quality. This makes fora unique method of promoting companies' brands without running into thenegative attitude, which many consumers have toward advertising in traditionalmedia.

Heineken launches AKQA on Mobile

2012-01-05T15:00:00.000+01:00

How can you make the UEFA Champions League more compelling for the Heineken audience...?

Nick Bailey (AKQA) @ CMC Mobiel 2011 from iMMovator on Vimeo.

Trash-Can Run by BrandNewGame.mov

2012-01-04T16:32:00.000+01:00

This video presentation explains the Trash-can run. A concept I developed to reduce litter in forests and parks. Check it out and let me know what you think!

I am still looking for (Dutch) sponsors and interesting contacts in the fast moving and sports industry for the launch in april 2012!

2011: A year of Games in a Review

2011-12-29T12:53:00.000+01:00

This message was sent by Mike Gallagher, CEO and president of the Entertainment Software Association:

ESA's 2011 Year in Review

Dear Friends,

The word "historic" is overused, but as we look back on 2011, it is a perfect fit for our industry's year. The U.S. Supreme Court's vigorous affirmation of our First Amendment rights, a new array of artistically astonishing games, and educators' increasing recognition of the role games play in teaching and learning made 2011 a remarkable year and set the stage for a great 2012.

I want to thank all of you for supporting our industry as we faced a momentous challenge to the constitutional rights of our industry's artists and creators before the U.S. Supreme Court. Your support helped amplify our voice, and ensured the Court heard our collective concerns about the consequences of the Schwarzenegger-Yee law at the center of the case. The Court's landmark declaration that video games enjoy the same Constitutional protections as books, movies and fine arts was exactly what we hoped to hear. The importance of this decision, both for our industry and for all who cherish free speech, cannot be overstated.

While the legal news played out in Washington, the rest of the world continued to be amazed by the increasing sophistication of the games our industry produces. As Seth Schiesel wrote in The New York Times earlier this month:

"Game makers are producing more high-quality entertainment for a broader variety of players than they ever have in the past. No other form of fun melds advanced digital technology, personal engagement and mass-market cultural relevance as felicitously as video games. That is why video games are the ascendant form of popular entertainment."

Entertainment will always be the heart of our industry, but I would also note the growing awareness that exists about the positive impact games have on improving other top priorities for the American people, including our economy, our education and healthcare systems, the workplace and the arts. Consider just a few examples from this year:

Art: Video games gained new appreciation as works of art, as their stunning graphics and captivating soundtracks attracted the art community's attention. The Smithsonian Institution announced that it will unveil a new exhibit dedicated to showcasing the incredible artistry within games at its American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. ESA is proud to sponsor the exhibit, titled "The Art of Video Games," which opens March 16, 2012.
The Economy: As many of you know, video game companies continue to post strong sales, with sales of game content, hardware and accessories generating $25.1 billion in revenue in 2010. Gamers' increasing interest in mobile, social and online play is a key component of this success, and we recognize The NPD Group's decision to begin reporting digital game sales on a monthly basis and the firm's new partnership with EEDAR that will help it do so. Their decision recognizes the significance of digital games to our business, and will provide a more complete picture of industry sales.
Healthcare: Using an online game called Foldit, designed by Professor Zoran Popovic at the University of Washington, online gamers deciphered the protein that helps the HIV gene multiply. The protein stumped scientists for more than a decade, but the gamers unlocked it in just 10 days. While this is certainly a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against AIDS, it also shows the unique power of our medium to solve incredibly difficult and complex problems.
Education: In September, the White House launched Digital Promise, a public-private partnership aimed at incorporating technological tools, including games, into American classrooms. The program will support research and development efforts to identify effective teaching technologies, develop new approaches for rapid evaluation of new products and explore ways to expand the market for learning software.

Presenting some cool applied game cases

2011-12-28T13:15:00.000+01:00

Check out this presentation bij PSFK - some really nice and creative cases even some that help to make the world a little better like my trash can run for which I am still looking for sponsors!

PSFK Future of Gaming Report [Preview]

View more presentations from PSFK

Serious Games on BBCTV

2011-12-28T10:04:00.000+01:00

It's a documentary from 2010 I think.

Magician hacks Kinect in Microsoft

2011-12-25T15:09:00.000+01:00

Some great tricks with Kinect technology! Thanks to my good friend Mike Schulmeister.

Ringtone special

2011-12-21T09:53:00.000+01:00

Maybe somewhat off topic, but maybe relevant for some of you, or just nice to know...? Some facts about RINGTONES!

Created by: Music Production Schoolstarget="_blank"

C&C Tiberium Alliances Beta test

2011-12-19T13:20:00.000+01:00

The epic game Command & Conquer will come to the freespace on the internet! Join the beta now!

More information here

Zynga stocks available!

2011-12-19T10:48:00.000+01:00

Zynga stocks are available since last Friday. The starting bid was $10 releasing 100.000.000 stocks (!) - so Zynga was aiming for a minimum of 1 billion dollars in public capital!

The company was founded in July 2007 (less than five years ago!) by Mark Pincus and is named for his late American Bulldog, Zinga. Loyal and spirited, Zinga’s name is a nod to a legendary African warrior queen.

Zynga's mission is to connect the world through games. Everyday millions of people interact with their friends and express their unique personalities through our games, which range from harvesting crops to building your business franchise, to playing poker.

Through the company’s philanthropic arm, Zynga.org is committed to transforming the world through virtual social goods. Zynga players have raised more than $10 million for world social causes since Zynga.org launched in October 2009.

Games that Zynga developed over the past four years are (amongst others):

 CityVille – Build the city of your dreams.

 FarmVille – Grow fruits and veggies and raise animals on your very own farm.

 Words With Friends – Test your lexicon against friends in the #1 mobile word game.

 Empires & Allies – Build your city, grow your nation and conquer the world.

 Mafia Wars – Start a crime family. Run your mob businesses. Then take over the world.

 Indiana Jones Adventure World – Grab life by the boulders.

 Café World – Slice, mix, and grill your way to building the hottest restaurant on the block.

 Mafia Wars 2 – Welcome to the dark side of social games.

 CastleVille – Create your happy ending.

 CityVille Hometown - Create the town of your dreams.

Top Zynga Games (MAU): (According to AppData.com)

CityVille 48 m

CastleVille 35 m

Zynga Poker 28 m

FarmVille 31 m (this used to be 61 million in 2009 & 2010)

Empires & Allies 16 m

Words With Friends 13 m

Adventure World 9 m

Their User Numbers: (According to our latest S-1/A)

 227 million monthly active users

 2 billion minutes a day of play

 4 billion neighbor connections

 54 million daily active users

 450 million social actions a day

Some noble things that Zynga.org did in 2009 through 2011:

Zynga is committed to transforming the world through virtual social goods. Zynga players have raised more than $10 million for several international nonprofits since Zynga.org launched in October 2009. Players have purchased virtual social goods within games like FarmVille, Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker that have benefitted earthquake victims in Haiti and to school lunch programs for children in Haiti. In 2010 Zynga players also helped to build the L'Ecole de Choix School in Haiti. Recently, Zynga players banded together to support victims of the deadly earthquake in Japan, and raised more than $3 million for Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund and Direct Relief International. had the opportunity to donate through more than 10 Zynga games, including FrontierVille, Café World, Mafia Wars and CityVille. In addition, following the devastating tornadoes in the Southern United States, players in CityVille, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Treasure Isle and Vampire Wars rallied together to raise more than $250,000 for Save the Children and Direct Relief International’s efforts.

Below some more fun facts about Zynga in an infographic

Gaming and the Millenials - a summary

2011-12-19T09:39:00.000+01:00

I was reading this article about millenials based on research done by MTV Networks. A lot of their conclusions are stated in my book 'A Brand New Playground (www.brandnewplayground.com) and I summarized the essence of their study below:

Half of Millennials said "People my age see real life as a video game" and almost 6 out of 10 said "#winning is the slogan of my generation" (certainly #epic_fail seems to have become their anti-slogan!)

Principle #1: Play fair or you are "fair game" (What I call 'Be Righteous' in my book): these days you can't bullshit your customers anymore. Be real and be fair and don't try to cheat you customer into bad (poor quality) - overpriced - products.

Principle #2: Leverage the leaderboard
People are always interested in 'how they're doing' compared to others. A leaderboard shows your position compared to other players and MTV links this to 'wanting to know' what price we pay for products and whether that price is fair. The internet is of course an easy way to compare prices.

Principle #3: Smart-cuts, not short-cuts
Gaming evokes intrinsic motivation to reach objectives. It's very interesting that in games we tend to search for 'work arounds' to achieve the same goal in many different ways where as in real-life most employees are used to do the same routine every day and actually are afraid to change their behavior because it might have a different result (or at least it creates uncertainty).

Principle #4: Deliver dopamine/adrenaline fixes

Half of respondents in the MTV study — perhaps those more prone to Millennial micro-boredom — believe that "life can be less stimulating than gaming." The complementary game dynamic we found fascinating was "positive randomness" — if a game is too predictable, it is boring, but if there are too many random surprises, it is too complex.

This can be explained by looking at the 'flow'-model where we continuously balance between frustration and boredom using the skills available to us to fight challenges we face... this is the same in real-life, which I will explain in my next book 'The Game of Life'.

Principle #5: Hand over that joystick.

Millennials are accustomed to having a voice, and having it heeded. And they're frustrated when big corporations don't give them a voice or a true "role" as a consumer in the game. In a game the player is always 'in control' (at least so it seems....). Instead of just sending advertising into the world brands should start a dialogue and start listening to their consumers and accept that THEY (consumers) are in control of our brands, not the marketing department....

Read the full article here.

'Laat met je merk spelen' bijna uitverkocht!

2011-12-15T10:59:00.000+01:00

Just to be disruptive a Dutch subject title today. It says: 'A Brand New Playground' almost sold out!

Of course I am referring to the Dutch version of my book. The first edition almost sold 1.500 copies so far in 15 months time. According to my publisher Kluwer this is good result for a book in such a niche-market that was written for Marketing Managers of which there are maybe 10.000 in The Netherlands. So I already sold my book to 10% of the market potential, which is excellent penetration! There are about 300 copies left, so if you want to get a hold of your copy of the 'eerste druk' (first release), order it here: www.bol.com or here www.managementboek.nl It - generally - is rated with 4 out of 5 stars - so don't take my word for it. If you send me a picture of yourself reading the book I will even hand sign it for you (Dutch residents only ;-)!

This is a Dutch review of the book in 2010 by Management Boek.nl
This is a Dutch review of the book in 2010 by Max Kohnstam:

The English version is still available for free through www.brandnewplayground.com

How many you say? Go figure!

2011-12-15T09:30:00.000+01:00

During one of my presentations recently in the United Kingdom some one asked me how many game developers there are in the world. In my book I made an estimate that there would be at least 60.000 different kinds of boxed games available in the world since the beginning of the games industry in 1974. I wrote that in the beginning of 2009. Soon I learned that there were about 200.000 apps available for iPhone and that 70% of all downloaded apps are games (this was end 2010). The past year Android and Windows 7 phones have proven to become new 'handheld' gaming devices as well and with 500 million downloads for Angry Birds and a few million on WordFeud one can conclude gaming is mass-market. But still ... how many game developers are there globally woud you think? I said that I know there were about 20 big publishers in the world amongst them of course the 'console-owners' Microsoft, Nintendo and PlayStation, EA, Ubisoft, Activision and many others. But then - what is Steam? Is it a distributor, retailer or publisher? What is iTunes? Retail or publisher? What is Facebook, what is Google+ ... a gaming platform or a game publisher? It directly connects content with consumers so in that case it seems to be a publisher... ?

I just read a report on gamastura that there are over 750.000 registered game developers using Unity. 750.000 !!! Of which 200.000 are monthly active and releasing new games on a regular basis. These games are mostly web-based (or iOs / Android).

Read the article about Unity here: www.gamasutra.com

So how many game developers are out there...? I honestly don't know! And should we care? There are a lot, good ones, bad ones, mediocre ones, small and big. The only thing I hope is that game developers still start their companies with a burning desire to make great games instead of 'just' making money.
I recently held a presentation for students in Amersfoort and I really hope that they remember my first rule of entering this industry: do so because it is your passion, you love playing games and love making them! Don't enter this business to make money, because you will be disappointed and will never make it through your first three years. If you do everything you do with passion and dedication there is no doubt you will be successful, depending on how you define success of course ;-)

I guess life is not about quantity (how many) but always about quality (how well).

So be well - Be passionate!

If you would like to be game developer one-hunder-and-twentythree-thousand, check this blog first: http://www.gamedev.net/

Learning Faster by Playing Games?

2011-12-13T17:13:00.000+01:00

Introducing Morten Geertsen - one of my new Bloggers to the Gaming & Branding Universe! This is his first article: a summary of a paper about the effect of serious gaming!

Here's the article:

Learning Fasterby Playing!

I recently stumbled across this study on seriousgaming: Transfer of Gaming – Transfer of training in serious gaming.If you are unfamiliar with the term, serious games are games used to teachsomething to a specific group of people. In other words: a learning tool withserious objectives.

Apparently it seems these days, companies andother institutions have increased their focus on such games. They see it as anattractive alternative to the traditional types of training. Here’s an example: A geography class might fly an airplane over a digitalmodel of the earth to discover the location of various countries. Or a mathclass has to “catch” the correct answer to a math equation with the mouse.Maybe you remember one or two of such games if you look back at your schoolyears. Also companies train employees by using such games to simulate theenvironment and real life practices of the work place.

The study answers the question, “Why do people play games?” Well, one majorreason has to do with an evolutionary and developmental aspect. During playindividuals perform new, unfamiliar activities and while doing this, they learnthe “rules of the game”. They develop new skills and learn to adapt to newenvironments. Another important reason is related to the feeling of reward andbeing positively stimulated. Remember the rush of adrenaline you get when youscore a goal in your favorite sport? This feeling makes us want to play thegames because it feels good and is fun: Games for the sake of gaming!

With this in mind, we can see how serious games offer trainingpossibilities for companies. A dynamic, interactive and rich learningenvironment is created to practice work-specifictasks to learn real life practice. Thesegames give employees the opportunity for memorization, practice and formingelaborate cognitive structures or schema’s. They can be adapted to theindividual learning needs and ability levels of learners, and that way offeringrelevant tasks at a level of desirable difficulty to strengthen the learningprocess.

The World Bank Institute is making a strong push forbringing Serious Games one step further with two leadership capacity buildingstrategic games.

Companies can pass on knowledge about job tasks in a more stimulating andentertaining way than with traditional training programs. Research shows thatgames generally increase the motivational level. The games are expected to make employees more perceptiveduring the learning process, because the training is interesting and differentfrom the usual types of employee training. The above implies that the use of games for training can be asolution for reaching groups of people who are not motivated by more traditional types ofeducation. But by making the employeesmotivated to learn, they will generally be more perceptive to the learningprocess. To illustrate this, I’llquote a part of the actually study:

“In a tank gunnery training, aSpace Invaders game is implemented as a bonus scenario. This requires thelearners to perform their training tasks at ever increasing speed. As they liketo play the Space Invaders game so much they are willing to spend their own timein the simulator and improve their skills beyond the training goals. It is alsoimaginable that players become so involved in a game that they start to exploreother information or task elements related to the domain the game is set in.”

However, far from all such games are successfulat transferring a recent amount of work knowledge to the employees. What makessome serious games successful in this regard?

Well, it is essential that the employees can seethe similarity between the skills, knowledge and attitudes acquired by playinga game and challenges in real life. This mostly depends on what game industryspecialist’s calls fidelity: To what extent a simulation looks and feels liketasks in real life in terms of physical measurable characteristics. Some gameshave almost no resemblance to reality and users playing them will only improvetheir ability to play that particular game. It will have no direct effect onthe employees’ work skills. However, when having a strong focus on realistic,authentic practice, serious games are seen as powerful tools to strengthen thelearning value and increase learners’ motivation to practice.

Companies might run into trouble when developing successful serious games.Not all tasks can be adequately converted into a game. Managers will have toidentify the specific types of tasks, which have to be trained. Which skills tosuch tasks require? Can these skills be effectively trained in the game? Basedon the knowledge about employees’ performance and learning processes, it willbe possible to identify types of tasks that are better suited to train usinggame-based technology.

The studyshows that serious gaming should be seen as a promising substitute fortraining. The amount of companies using serious games indicates the same. Thegames ensure that the employees are easily attracted to playing a game, aremotivated to continue playing, and as a result: Learn! The entertainingqualities of serious games make employees more receptive to the learningprocess. Gamers typically emphasize the fun, engagement and flow aspects* ofsuccessful serious games. So although there might be barriers in successfullyimplement serious games into the workplace practice, the advantages make them aworthy alternative to traditional training programs that seem unattractive orexpensive.

* The flowtheory is explained in Bart Hufen’s book ‘A Brand New Playground’, which youcan download HERE (link to www.brandnewplayground.com )

FRIDAY-FUN Joe Cartoon: Super Fly 2

2011-12-09T13:30:00.000+01:00

This is an example of one of the first 'virals' ever! We used to share this stuff on floppy disks!

Fallout: Working pipboy 3000

2011-12-09T10:30:00.000+01:00

NERD ALERT - NERD ALERT!

For all the people that play or have played Fallout 2 and 3... this guy just build his own Pipboy 3000... incredible what people sometimes do for the love of a game!

I must say I'm looking forward to Fallout 4, hopefully still singleplayer...

Facebook & Students... behavior & impact on grades

2011-12-07T09:42:00.001+01:00

Via: OnlineEducation.nettarget="_blank"

Catch the MINI - Another Alternate Reality Game

2011-12-06T14:39:00.001+01:00

Tokyo gets its own Getaway.

Jung von Matt's MINI Getaway reality game is coming to Tokyo after a successful launch in Stockholm last year.

The alternate reality game, in which smartphone users 'hunt' and then hold onto a MINI and win the real car if they are successful, is credited with doubling MINI sales in Sweden last year. You can ask yourself whether that was all thanks to this game, but still - doubling your sales sounds remarkable! Especially with a game concept that asks quite a lot from your users. In Holland Volkswagen did the same in 2009 / 2010 with Pak de Polo... (Catch the Polo), he or she that spotted the car could take it over by stopping the driver and getting into the car. The one that got to drive the car the longest of all contestants (in KM) during the month the game was played, won the car.

Although the Japanese version works similarly as the version in Sweden (Stockholm), it is on a much larger scale; the Tokyo gaming area is almost 32 times larger, at 240 square miles. The app has also been made available for Android as well as iPhone. The campaign goes live on December 3 and runs for nine days. For more information go to: creativity online

Red Bull - Human Flight 3D Movie (trailer)

2011-12-05T18:03:00.000+01:00

When I did my interviews with gamers in 2010 one of the far most heard answers on my question why they played games was: "Because it makes you do things you can't do in real-life, like being Bat-Man or Flying..."

This video shows you how we as people are pushing the envelope in real-life to explore what we weren't able to do in real-life that was described in the old books and movies (like flying). If Red Bull is the challenge - These guys are Red Bulls matadors in a good way...

It also shows you that the challenge of just flying seems not difficult enough, so we add extra rules to make it more interesting (a bigger 'mental' reward).

Way to fly Red Bull...

President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands

2011-12-01T15:17:00.000+01:00

Completely off topic - but the fact that I shook the hand of our Prime Minister Mark Rutte recently during a matchmaking session in the United Kingdom, I basically shook Barack Obama's hand through him ;-)

I am just proud I met him two weeks ago in the United Kingdom. He is very approachable and really pushing Dutch entrepreneurship in Europe and USA. I was in the UK to tighten strings between the Dutch and British game developers (and digital creative industry) and he was full of energy presenting during two high tea's we had in London and Manchester - Go Mark Rutte and Go Barack Obama! +1 I say!

I won't show these pictures anymore on my blog I promise - hahaha

Game in the City 2011 Indigo booth

2011-11-30T10:35:00.000+01:00

This game is visually stunning and seems to be really fun to play as well!

I saw it at 'Game in the City' last Friday where I also gave a presentation about marketing your brand for young entrepreneurs (graduates).

The game is called Cargo Commander and is inspired by (amongst other things) 'The Cube'. If you haven't seen that film, go rent it soon!

The video will explain the rest and if you would like to parttake in the open beta, please go to www.seriousbrew.com/cargocommander and use the SECRET code: goldenticket ...

Dutch Game Awards 2011 Openings Film

2011-11-28T17:06:00.000+01:00

The opening film for the Dutch Game Award dinner last Thursday. I had great fun that evening with some great individuals from the Dutch Gaming Industry. Hopefully the organization can keep up the high level of tasteful food, drinks, chicks (chicken breast that is)...and euh... GAMES of course!

Below some more pictures of games and the dinner... I am the guy with the mustache... Remember Movember (getting sponsored for prostate cancer)...

Two new friends I met that develop game trainings for students (gamesmaken.nl)

Me and the ladies... ;-)

There was in fact - an iTable ... although not designed by Apple...

A VERY cool game concept : a puzzle game made in two months by just one guy: Jay van Hutten - his 'one-red-button' game is called ichi: check it out on www.ichi-game.com!

Nintendo at the LA Auto Show 2011

2011-11-27T13:45:00.000+01:00

There is only one way to promote Mario Kart 3D... in 3D... in 3D...

That's what Nintendo did at the LA Auto show to promote the game on 3DS.

West Coast Customs took care of the production of two cards that actually feature in the game and they're exact copies! Thumbs up for Nintendo to extend their brand real-life. It would be cool to be able to drive these in Go Kart racing circuits throughout the world!

Fun up +1 !

target="_blank"

Bob Derksen over uniek project [Dutch - Sorry]

2011-11-26T10:59:00.000+01:00

By exception a Dutch video from one of the partners I work with just because:

A. It was his first Pecha Kucha presentation
B. He did a great job presenting - very funny and very much as himself
C. It was a great project that I saw coming to life from close distance and really enjoyed being (tiny) part of.

Pecha Kucha presentatie from Today Designers on Vimeo.

Go to their website for more creative shizzle: www.todaydesigners.com

Friday Fun: Happy Ending... ?

2011-11-25T15:46:00.000+01:00

Euhm... am I the only one that has different associations with the words 'Happy Ending'...?
Has Zynga lost it or is it just me...?

Students alert! - This should help you find what you're looking for?

2011-11-25T08:35:00.000+01:00

During my graduation some 15 years ago I unconsciously started humming "... but I stiiiiill haven't fouhound... what I'm looking fooooooor....." [U2] - In the digital era searching for stuff is easier on one hand (thanks to search engines and blogs), but because there is so much information and mumbo jumbo on the internet it can be hard to find what you need. Sometimes even iTunes suggests songs to me that I already bought some time ago... Anyway - just a useless introduction to this infographic especially for (my) students! That should help you to use Google more effectively!

Created by: HackCollegetarget="_blank"

Lady Mitra interacting with Wall of Balls.MOV

2011-11-21T10:06:00.000+01:00

Last week I visited London, Manchester and Birmingham with a delegation of the most promising Dutch Creative Companies. During this tour we visited all kinds of events like the entrepreneur conference in the Milky Building in Tech City (Shoreditch) on Monday, the BBC studios, a match making lunch, a meet and great with our prime minister - Mark Rutte and a high tea in the town hall of Manchester. The third day we went to Launch - a game event in Birmingham and we visited RARE Entertainment - one of the key developers for Xbox Kinect. They created the best selling Sports series. I went back to London on Thursday to have a fabulous day with my good girlfriend Mitra and she took me to all kinds of museums (VNA & Science Museum) and a fantastic authentic Iranian restaurant near Paddington and Hyde Park (hidden park as we call it).

This is just a small video of Mitra interacting with a video wall that uses the Camera Interaction Technology. At first we didn't understand what it was about until the balls started to copy the shape of her movement... Well done by the artist!

Below some pictures of the other stuff we visited during the tour in the UK and my moment with our prime minister! I handed over the Dutch version of the book (Laat met je merk spelen). Be sure to download your personal copy of 'A Brand New Playground' at www.brandnewplayground.com (it's in English of course ;-)

Hope you enjoy!

Heineken Star Player BuzzmaniaTV.mp4

2011-11-20T21:26:00.000+01:00

During my tour through the UK last week I saw a lot of interesting new cases of how games can be used to promote your brand and add some relevant content to your consumers context. This Heineken concept seems really interesting. I don't think it's out in The Netherlands yet (UK only), but it could be well-localized I guess, since 'play' and football is universal (especially/mostly within Europe and Latin America's I guess). Thanks Mark Wilson for showing this concept to me and for the beers afterwards ;-) look forward to our next meeting!

Office games are Serious games!

2011-11-16T15:18:00.000+01:00

This article has been shamelessly copied from the newsletter by the Entertainment Software Association (check www.theesa.com to subscribe)

VIDEO GAMES IN THE WORKPLACE: A BOON TO BUSINESS

Companies know that keeping employees motivated and monitoring their performance are key to running a successful business, and many now view entertainment software as a helpful tool in these efforts. Increasingly, companies like IBM, Target, and Deloitte are integrating video game elements, such as achievements and real-time progress tracking, into the workplace to improve employee motivation and productivity. This new management trend gives workers an interactive platform to monitor their individual performance, motivate them to improve output, and encourage them to participate in trainings and other work-related education courses.

Games have played a role in the workplace for several years, as many companies capitalized upon the engaging nature of games to train employees, build brand loyalty and advertise products to consumers. Given their effective role in the office, companies increasingly utilize the beneficial aspects of video games in everyday endeavors. In fact, tech-industry research firm Gartner projects that by 2014, roughly 70 percent of large companies will use video game elements for at least one business process. Additionally, the market research firm M2 Research estimates that by 2014, revenue from in-office game software, consulting, and marketing will reach $938 million, a substantial increase from this year's revenue of less than $100 million.

Already, a number of major companies have incorporated video game elements into a variety of business processes. SAP AG, one of the world's largest business software firms, uses a variety of games in the workplace, including a golf game that helps assign sales leads to employees and an environmental awareness game that awards points to employees for reducing their carbon footprint through various tasks like carpooling. At Target, cashiers receive a score based on the speed of each check-out transaction, and at the end of the day, receive a total success rate score. IBM integrates numerous video game dynamics into its business processes, including a game calledCityOne, an interactive simulator that helps corporate and government leaders learn how to solve complex business, logistical, and environmental issues faced by cities.

Other companies, like Facebook, Photobucket, Mozilla, and Fern Expo use tools such as Rypple, a social performance management platform that combines aspects of social media and game play with digital reward-giving. Rather than waiting for annual or semi-annual performance reviews, Rypple allows for active goal-setting and consistent, timely feedback in the workplace. Appearing similar to a Facebook page, the program enables project team members to interact with each other in a number of ways, including tracking the assignment and completion of work by using status bars and badges, taking and organizing notes from one-on-one meetings, commending specific team members for their efforts with achievement-like badges, and anonymously requesting feedback on projects and performance.

The application of video game components in the workplace produces significant results. LiveOps, Inc., which runs virtual call centers, provides one example. The company uses video game applications to improve the performance of its 20,000 call agents. Beginning last year, the company awarded agents virtual badges and points for tasks such as making concise phone pitches and closing sales. Additionally, digital leader boards allowed each agent to compare his or her achievements to fellow colleagues. Since the system's implementation, agents reduced their average call time by 15 percent, and raised sales by 8 percent and 12 percent among certain agents.

As an increasing number of companies infuse video game mechanisms into their processes and office culture, many employees will be able to leverage these systems and methodologies to produce greater results and generate increased energy in the workplace

Advergames and my tour in the UK next week!

2011-11-08T14:03:00.002+01:00

As you might know - I am going on a 'UK-Tour' next week organized by our Ministry of Funny Walks, I mean Economic Affairs and Foreign Affairs and we're going to visit London, Birmingham and Manchester in four days time (and then some leisure time for me in London). During the tour we will meet a lot of game developers and brands that are interested in using games as a marketing tool. Amongst them are Matmi - and they have quite an impressive list of advergames and cool brands they work for (amongst them: Lilly Allen!).

Check out the advergame below and be sure to check my blog next week to see the pictures after I handed out my book (Laat met je merk spelen) to our very own prime minister Mark Rutten during the high-tea in Manchester! You can still download the English version of my book HERE. Should be cool!

Also we are visiting the BBC Studio's in Manchester (on Tuesday), Microsoft Kinect and the conference 'Future gaming and digital media' in Birmingham on Wednesday. I will be in London again on Thirst-day, Free-day and Sad-third-day when I leave again.... ;-) so if you want to meet up - give me a shout through Twitter or Text message!

Matmi presents Iron Maiden The Final Frontier...

Check out more advergame concepts at their website: http://www.matmi.com/games_playgames.php

Kinect Effect... will it be like this....?

2011-11-08T11:50:00.000+01:00

To be honest, I still sincerely doubt whether we will play games in this way. I would always miss 'feedback' whether it be through the controller in my hand, vibration, a steering wheel (makes sense driving a car)... etc. This is the same reason why a lot of people prefer a BlackBerry over an iPhone. The typing just feels better if you can feel buttons...

If you disagree - let me know !

Call of Duty - My personal best KD Ratio...

2011-11-07T22:02:00.000+01:00

My personal best Kill-Death Ratio today in Call of Duty: 2,57...

I play on PC - Join me! ;-)

Trailer: GTA V Debut Trailer

2011-11-07T10:25:00.000+01:00

It looks more like a film than a game, incredible! - Let the long-winter-days come -

I need time to play games! Grand Theft Auto V looks very promising. I hope that there is character development in the game like in Fallout and World of Warcraft. Up to now the games have been a bit too linear in my opinion, just running from mission to mission and do some side-quests. Although I really enjoyed GTA4, especially the scripted events with Ricky Gervais, driving in the sunset, listening to the coolest tracks on the radio and yes... of course... the strip club! ;-)

Uncharted 3 & Release of Drake Magazine...?

2011-11-07T10:14:00.000+01:00

It's great that from time to time I can still be surprised...

I recently received a press release about 'Drake - The Magazine'.
In The Netherlands we've had magazines called Linda (the most successful), Jan, Matthijs (one-off), Felderhof and many others. Now for the first time, a magazine has been released with the name of a fictitious character from a 'videogame'.

Drake, the main character of Uncharted features in his own magazine about 'adventure, risk and chances'. The magazine was released a week ago and no one less than Giel Beelen (one of the top Dutch radio DJ's) presented the launch and handed out the first copy to the press.

Below a screenshot of the game, I can't wait until I find time to actually play the game!

Will this be our future? Deus EX: Human Revolution Trailer

2011-11-05T10:40:00.000+01:00

It looks stunning!

A-Social Gaming?

2011-11-02T15:46:00.003+01:00

Although I HATE the term 'social gaming' - since gaming in itself mostly is a social activity (either with other players or social interaction with your character in the game), I thought I'd post this well designed Infographic about 'social gaming' from Mashable, thanks to Lauren Drell.

It shows you something about the economics of social gaming and apparently some things have changed...! I told my audience yesterday that most of the time just 1% of all gamers is totally hooked on games and spends a lot of cash on in-game items, mostly 9% tries it for one time to see how it works and buys a few credits or in-game products and over 90% plays the game for free. You still need those 'free-players' however to establish a large consumer (player-) base.
This infographic however claims that over 80% of all 'social gamers' (read: gamers that play 'casual games' within 'social networks' or dedicated gameportals) spend REAL cash for VIRTUAL goods.
I found that amazing! Imagine how much money you can make selling virtual branded products in games. I know that Diesel is making MILLIONS in PlayStation Home selling virtual collection.

This graphic also says that Angry Birds have been downloaded 140 million times, but I recently read on Gamasutra that 500 million people are playing the game, so ... another reason why you shouldn't trust to much on research, data and these beautifully designed Infographics... But they give an idea what's happening on my Playground!

Missing Our Deals Will Haunt You - Little Girl TV Advert - Phones 4u

2011-10-31T22:14:00.000+01:00

This young girl surely looks a lot like 'Alma' from the hit-game series F.E.A.R. Don't you think?

This scene REALLY freaked me out the first time I played it through...

My presentation during Games for Brands in London today

2011-10-27T11:20:00.000+02:00

Check out my presentation at Games 4 Brands below

BrandNewGame @ games for brands final

View more presentations from Bart Hufen [BrandNewGame]

This is the first version of my presentation for today.

To download a free copy of my book, please go to www.brandnewplayground.com and spread the word! Let me know what you think through Twitter @BartHufen

Early-stage Startup Vetter seeks Gamification suggestions

2011-10-26T11:26:00.001+02:00

This is a guest post from Duncan Murtagh, co-founder of Vetter.

Vetter is a web-based Idea Management System.

Among the many requests and recommendations we've received while building out Vetter over the last two months, adding gamification has come up the most. We see the implementation of some game mechanics as simultaneously the most fun sounding and the most daunting.

Any gamification features must not make the system harder to use

Our web-app's key selling point is that unlike competitor's complicated, feature heavy, systems, ours is feature-light and you can figure out how to use it in a couple of minutes (at least that's what we reckon anyway). So we have to think very carefully about adding any feature that would require a page to explain it. We've learned this from the success of HipChat's private group chat service, which has lots of features but they don't make the system hard to use, so HipChat has managed to land loads of big clients. Our No. 1 priority is to keep Vetter a low-maintenance system for a manager in a business.

We're here to tap the creativity of the Gamificaton & Branding readers
So far, our only adventure in gamification has been the addition of a simple leaderboard of 'Top Idea Submitters'. We're wondering if the smart people that read this blog (that's YOU!) might have suggestions for how we could use game mechanics to increase usage of Vetter? Please post your ideas in the comments below and I'll do my best to reply to all suggestions. A quick explanation of how the system work's can be found on Vetter's How it Works page.

Lastly - our own gamificaton idea - is it any good?
My co-founder Steven and I have though about creating a points systems for users, with some type of cute icon appearing beside user's names to indicate where they stand in the system. Our intitial thought was that the points system would be something like:

Rating an idea – 1 point
Submitting an idea – 3 points
Getting an idea through the vetting and to the boss – 5 points
Having an idea marked as implemented (likely after some time) by the boss – 15 points

Bart Hufen added this comment: @Duncan and @Steven please check out my presentation about Gamification at Slideshare or join me tomorrow in London at the 'Games for Brands' event.

Potential Spoilers: Harrison Ford Playing Uncharted 3 Japan

2011-10-24T09:55:00.000+02:00

A good way to market your videogame, let the inspiration to you game play the game.

Harrison Ford is playing Uncharted 3 in Japan... it looks amazing. Curious if this brings back memories for him from Raiders of the Lost Arc, The Temple of Doom or other epic films featuring him!

Recognize the Icons in this video?! Long Live Play!!

2011-10-17T17:37:00.000+02:00

The new campaign by Sony PlayStation... I like it a lot ;-)

A Brand New Playground to be released during 'Games for Brands' convention in London

2011-10-14T11:44:00.005+02:00

This weekend I will be finishing my book 'A Brand New Playground'... finally - a year of hard work comes to an end... ;-)

The book will be released during the 'Games for Brands' convention in London on the 27th of October.

Also I will be handing out the Dutch version of my book ('Laat met je merk spelen') during the High Tea with our Prime Minister Mark Rutte in London in November 2011! How cool is that!?

Please feel free to download and spread the free summary of 'A Brand New Playground', which you can download HERE and let me know what you think.

I will make the full book available starting November 1st 2011 - so be sure to check out my post about that end of October!

Deloitte Business Simulation Game

2011-10-11T09:37:00.000+02:00

An interesting example of a real classic 'business game' to serve the three P's: People, Planet & Profit for (in this case) TNT. Employees where challenged to think of creative solutions to help TNT expand without harming the planet.

I will try to add some slides of the pdf presentation I saw soon.

More information can be found on Deloitte's website.

The Internet changed... an overview: 1993 vs 2011

2011-10-06T11:35:00.000+02:00

Thanks to my dear friend Lessie Hampton a great overview of the evolution of internet comparing the current (2011) with 1993...

Created by: Online Universitytarget="_blank"

Gamification in the Toilets of Singapore Airport

2011-10-06T10:13:00.002+02:00

After a short holiday (21 days) on Bali I finally have time to write a new posting!

It's been a very relaxing vacation, but as soon as I got back in Holland I moved offices (and home) to Amsterdam and I forgot to move my internet & Wifi connection... so that's being taken care of and hopefully I will be online again starting next weekend, thanks to T-Mobile.

Just a quick posting of what I encountered during my trip to Bali at Singapore airport.

They actually have a touch screen hanging on the bathroom where you can rate the person taking care of the toilets! How cool is that?

I think it's a great initiative and I hope that they pay a variable salary to the (wo)man in charge.

Be sure to send me your own examples of Gamification in Real life through Twitter (@BartHufen) or by email (barthufen@brandnewgame.nl).

Cheers!

LANA DEL REY-VIDEO GAMES

2011-10-04T13:58:00.000+02:00

Lana del Rey understands why I need to play video games even though loving my fellow humans ;-)

Twitter Facts by Virtual MS

2011-09-27T09:55:00.000+02:00

Via: Buy Twitter Followers

TABLET THERAPY: TOUCHSCREEN GAMES IMPROVE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL REHABILITATION

2011-09-23T09:44:00.001+02:00

copied From the esa newsletter

University researchers and occupational therapists across the nation are utilizing mobile game technology, made popular by widespread play on smartphones and tablets, as a critical therapeutic tool. These professionals are seeing real benefits in the use of touchscreen games for those with both physical and mental disabilities, including children with autism and cerebral palsy.

These disorders greatly impede motor functions and severely restrict social skills. To improve these deficiencies, therapists traditionally rely on repetitive physical exercises and behavioral learning. However, these practices often fall short of successfully equipping affected individuals with basic skills necessary for independent living. Today, academic researchers and software developers are working to create digital games for multi-touch devices that engage patients, and advance communication and physical learning, in a way that traditional methods cannot.

University of Iowa researchers developed several games that enable autistic children to interact with each other and recognize facial expressions. These games include a program requiring children to create stories verbally with their peers, while simultaneously collaborating to draw the stories on a touchscreen, and a program that teaches children how to understand emotions by manipulating an image of a face or cartoon character by dragging their fingers across a touchscreen. Similar multi-touch applications, such as TapSpeak's TapSpeak Choice 2.0 and Xcellent Creations'iConverse, help autistic children communicate to the world.TapSpeak allows users to record messages, download pictures, or use a text to speech function that supports 20 languages. iConverse functions as a picture exchange communication system, featuring six built-in communication tiles that represent an individual's most basic needs. Using a touchscreen, the icons provide both a visual and auditory representation of each specific need.

Touchscreen games also help patients with cerebral palsy improve motor functions. One such game, developed by researchers at Harvard University and called Catch the Butterflies, requires patients using touchscreen tables to control the position of a virtual butterfly jar by holding a rubber ball against the angled device. Patients practice capturing butterflies that appear on the screen by sliding them into the digital jar with the aid of a physical pen held in their other hand. Both programs improve reaction time and hand-eye coordination by requiring patients to repeatedly perform simple motor functions.

Patients can download many of these programs for free and use them on a variety of popular tablet devices, providing an accessible and cost-effective treatment option. Incorporating multi-touch technology in physical and communication rehabilitation offers an engaging way to enhance traditional treatments that ensures patients play an active role in advancing their health.

Flying back today!

2011-09-19T13:12:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to report to my dear and well respected readers that I will start blogging soon! I'm currently in Singapore, but I'll be back in Holland tomorrow! For members of IAA in The Netherlands - please join me Thursday evening in Amsterdam for the event about using games as a marketing tool, it's in Macy's.

For English readers - please join me in October in London on the 'Games for Brands' event (Please check my previous post about that) - I will be launching the English version of my book there (and it will be free throughout the rest of the year online as a pdf).

And for my Russian readers... I will most likely be speaking in Moskow in November. Nostrovya!

Also I am moving office (and home) to Amsterdam starting this week until the first of October, so don't think I'm not busy! ;-) I'm just not busy blogging, but I will be again soon I promise: new cases, new data on gamers, mobile, social etc.

Send me any requests you have on Twitter @BartHufen or #Gamification

On Vacation Until 22-9-11

2011-08-31T15:37:00.000+02:00

Hi guys & girls,

I will not be posting any stuff the following three weeks on my weblog.

However - feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I will post the news I read on the internet about games, gamification, gamevertising and social gaming.

I am enjoying a long trip to Bali, the Gili islands and Lombok, because I always wanted to go there and I just LOVE Indonesian food...

Should you ever visit The Netherlands, please visit restaurant Djakarta in Utrecht. The place itself doesn't look al that good, but the food is fabulous!

Okay, enough - non gaming talk - check the map if you like to see where I will be going and be sure to be back from 22-9-11...

Bart

Speaking at Games for Brands in London 27th of October

2011-08-24T16:13:00.000+02:00

Hi Guys (and Ladies of course! ;-),

Great news! - I will be speaking during the 'Games for Brands' seminar in London on the 27th of October. So that will be the date that my book 'A Brand New Playground' will be available in English FOR FREE (as a pdf)...

More information about the event is to be found HERE but basically you can expect what the title says. During the day you can learn how to use games as a tool to reach brand- organizational objectives.

My book (and the case I will be presenting) explains specifically how games can be used to train staff and changing their behavior in a fun way using intrinsic motivation!

Why should you attend?
You should attend if the following information is surprising to you:

I intend share my book on the web for a month so people can download it for free.

If you didn't know already - you can download the free summary HERE (www.brandnewplayground.com)

Send me a DM through Twitter if you intend to visit me in London @BartHufen #GamesForBrands

Top Trends I spotted at GDC Europe & Gamescom 2011

2011-08-22T14:53:00.000+02:00

Last week I attended GDC Europe and Gamescom 2011 to spot the emerging trends for the upcoming year of game-development and how brands can utilize games as a marketing tool. These are my findings:

The workshop with Epic's Developing Director was packed!

1. A new business model: Free games & In game Micro transactions

As described in my book (and earlier in the book 'Free' by Chris Anderson) the freemium model is a good way to quickly reach a large audience and then find ways to make money of your gathered crowd. The games industry is learning from these options and below I describe some options for your brand. Most of the options are especially interesting for digital content.

1. Provide a FREE tool (app), light version of your product (demo) or medium (website) to build up a large crowd and transform that crowd into a community encouraging them to become active on your platform (create postings, feedback, interact, helping each other, upload content, etc.) maybe even using a gamification layer to encourage people even more and challenging them to level-up and remain active.
2. Create innovative business models, not just selling banners and letting your community members pay for their membership. There are numerous examples of companies making an excellent turnover by selling additional services or in-game (virtual) products. Why not a pay per play model for games, literally paying per level I play. There's so many games I never finished playing because I lost interest or just couldn't push on. Most of FarmVille-like games use a freemium model where the game is free but you can buy interesting goods that help you booking results quicker.
In-game Transactions are key to make money on platforms like Facebook.
3. Promote sharing the game and create multiple discount. It lengthens the success of your game if you add multiplayer and let your crowd promote the content to other people by a 'share'-button (or LIKE!)...

There was quite a row of people waiting to see Battlefield 3

Check a case description about the freemium model here by Flurry.

2. Social, Social, Social Gaming Platforms

It seems that most game publishers are focussing on building their own platforms. After MSN Games, Spil Games, Zylom, Facebook, Steam (Valve), Electronic Arts and many, many others, it looks like all publishers want to either have their own community of gamers (like Steam and EA) or are trying to plug their content on large community networks with certain specific target group, for instance Vkontakte in Russia or Qzone in China.

3. Controlling movement - movement controls

After I visited the booths of Microsoft (Kinect), PlayStation (Move) and Nintendo (Wii and U-Play) I could only conclude that they all believe that movement games are our new 'living room entertainment' concept. Games vary from sailing, rowing, fitness, running, boxing, cycling and even fishing (if that's a sport to you ;-)! It's a good development considering obesity with kids (especially in USA) and the fact that children are challenged to move actively - even when it's raining.

4. Device Independent Gameplay

In the past game developers would 'port' existing PC games to other Platforms without regarding the specific context the games would be played in on that specific platform. Luckily these days developers and publishers spend more time redesigning their intellectual property to other platforms which can easily turn into great new gameplay elements and enriched ways of play. For instance - it was quite impressive to see this first person shooter on an iPad - it looks like Unreal Tournament in 2000!

Thanks to Unity, games can look amazing on different platforms (phone, PC, PlayStation etc,). Unity is a stunning 'easily-create-your-own-game' engine for game designers that like programming the easy way. It's comparable to a programming tool like HTML5 but Unity is compatible with all platforms and is not just web-or browser-based. This tool makes it possible to - for instance - chop wood with your mobile phone on a train trip in a mobile mini-game and utilizing the 'money' you made chopping wood in the train on your PlayStation console as soon as you get home and continue playing that same type of game (World of Warcraft for instance).

5. Cloud Gaming

Another trend game developers expect is what I call 'Cloud Gaming'. Companies like Onlive and IQU are providing this game content and are serving you content that you do not even have to 'own' or download on your PC, console or Phone. I mentioned this trend in my book already. Consuming digital content will evolve from 'owning' content to being able to 'acces' content. The business models are either subscriptions or an in-game economy based on micro transactions.

6. Games for a Greater Good and Serious Gaming

Although there weren't much companies around during GDC I am still convinced that the interest to use games for serious objectives and public welfare is still rising. In one month I have been approached to speak at an event in New York, London and Moscow, so it must be a 'hot-topic'. One of the few companies I met during GDC was Playdom (Jude Ower). Jude is looking for venture capitalists and game developers that wish to team up and develop game concepts that can contribute to a better world. Feel free to find more information about that on their website: www.playmob.com They are based in London (United Kingdom).

7. Intelligent Interaction Design: Dynamic Content!

Companies that still own a website without interactive or dynamic options really need to wake up (yes yes, mine is under construction)... Dynamic Feedback is the new norm. This means that based on the database that is filled with information about your visitors (thanks to cookies), the database should show different information based on your consumers surf-behavior. It means that when I always immediately click 'Products' when I come to your companies website, after my third visit 'Products' is the landingpage or at least dominant on the landingpage of your website. The same goes for gaming portals. If visitor X always plays puzzle games on your website, the amount of suggestions on the right hand side should show at least 8/10 puzzle games (and maybe two featured games). It's all about showing and sharing relevant information. This enhances the chance that consumers will forward, share, show (or LIKE) it to friends.

8. Gamification

Of course this is a running topic on my weblog and although there were especially programmers on the GDC Gamification is a topic that definitely has potential according to all the game developers I spoke with during my three days in Cologne.

My latest presentation about Gamification is available on Slideshare!

To end with some more pictures of the Gamescom in a short film.

GDC Europe 2011 - a brief update

2011-08-16T12:12:00.001+02:00

The first day at GDC (Game Developer Conference) in Koln (Cologne) was impressive.

I saw 3D games comparable to Unreal Tournament on PC on an iPad 2 taking advantage of all things Unity (an engine for game developers) has to offer. If you want to check out some great games, developed through Unity, check out their website and check out the Transformers 3 game (and the showreel below).

Unity Spring 2010 Highlight Reel from Unity3D on Vimeo.

A presentation by Wooga once again confirmed that (Social) games as a freemium with in-game transactions (ingame economy) is the new-to-last business model to earn money on games. The company is in place since 2009 and already released a top 10 Facebook game. 95% of their players find their game through the platforms it runs on (Facebook).

Henric (the presenter) stressed that it's the gameloop (the game mechanics) that determines whether a game is fun or not. The gameloop is preferably based on existing and 'known' processes, like gardening, driving, building a city, etc. and has no more than 4 to 6 steps. For instance: buy a piece of land, grow vegetables, harvest them, make money, buy land, grow (other / new / better) vegetables, harvest them, make (more) money, etc.

Then Playdom - one of the bigger publishers of casual (and social) games, showed that to make an internationally profitable game, you need at least an audience of 15 mln people, since on average only 1% is likely to play the game and only 1% of that percentage will buy ingame content regularly, hence making your free-game profitable.

1% of 15 mln = 150.000 people
1% buys a lot of ingame stuff, say €40,- per year = €600.000,-
9% buys some stuff to experiment, say €10,- per year = €141.000,-

Which is a total sum of €741.000, which basically means you can have a development team of up to 7-10 people (an average team for a social game and 1 year production).

They showed some key-facts on Facebook and other Social Media users.

In China, about 200 mln people have subscribed to Qzone, the largest Chinese social network.
There are 111 mln Spanish speaking people on Facebook
Local Russian social networks account for 34 million people.

Some other countries:

France: 33 mln
Germany: 21 mln
Dutch speaking (Netherland, Belgium, Dutch Antilles): 4,6 mln
Italian: 19 mln
Arabic: 16 mln

The main purpose of a social game should be to keep your players happy, don't frustrate them and don't challenge them too much (according to Playdom). They expect to be rewarded for their efforts and actually managing expectations is probably the most important part in developing a social game. Below some more facts about the German game market, as you can see - 23 mln play games and almost 50% are women...

Looking forward to tomorrow when the Gamescom kicks off, it's comparable to the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) for Europe!

target="_blank"

GDC Europe 2011

2011-08-14T20:01:00.000+02:00

The upcoming three days I will be smelling a lot of techy programmers I'm afraid at the Game Developer Conference in Koln Germany.

Wish me luck!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication [Official Music Video]

2011-08-13T22:04:00.000+02:00

Game inspired? Hell yeah!

Universal Theme Park in Orlando

2011-08-11T17:44:00.000+02:00

Forget privacy, we have your fingerprint connected to your credit card information... we need no more... ;-)

Whip Will!

2011-08-11T17:19:00.000+02:00

I ran into picture I took on my vacation in 2010 in Tampa. Check out this streetname...'Whip poor Will'... it's sad and funny at the same time!

A tipical 'Friday-Fun' picture... one day early...

[and totally off-topic I know]

Bart

Students in USA are messaging 3 hours per day!

2011-08-11T15:27:00.001+02:00

I was surprised recently that big telephone companies like Vodafone and KPN (The Netherlands) didn't foresee the fact that apps could gradually make certain functions of their business proposition redundant. To name one example: texting / messaging. Since Whatsapp (do we still remember Budweiser's Wassup) telephone companies are loosing loads and loads of turnover...
And it must have been their biggest chunk of turnover if you take a look at this Infographic from OnlineEducation.net According to this research students spend 3 HOURS (on average) PER DAY sending text messages to each other...!!!

This is incredible, that's even more than watching TV!

I recently received a hand-written note from a guy aged 25... it was illegible and looked like the handwriting of my grandfather AFTER he died... If 82% of all students prefer to use digital tools to learn, why are we still not using games as a training tool on schools I wonder. Are teachers really that terrified that they will lose their jobs? I think teachers will become the admins of the future teaching playground, but that's another subject. For now, go check out this great infographic - and a BIG thanks to Lessie for keeping me posted on interesting shizzle for the peepz!

Dragon Collection on Gree played by 8 million people!

2011-08-10T15:26:00.000+02:00

You have to watch this video twice I guess (if only to understand the great narrator... in Japanese), but I read a news item last week that Konami, one of the bigger publishers in the world with games like This is Football, ended this fiscal quarter with a good profit thanks to their social game Dragon Collection. Now I had never heard of this game, but I read on Konami's website that - originally - it's a card game (like Heroes of Might and Magic and such). Apparently these card games (like Pokemon) are very popular in Asian countries. So popular that 8 million people in Asia play the digital version of the game (social game if you like)! To me the game looks like a children's card game that you can collect with a bag of chips, but apparently I should still not underestimate the power of playing cards!

Gree is a social gaming site in Japan and Asia.

1st run with Runkeeper

2011-07-31T10:24:00.003+02:00

I've been using Nike + running shizzle for some time now, but a friend said I really had to start running with Runkeeper and I must say, I think it beats the hell out of Nike +...

Here's my first run!

Running Activity 6.26 km | RunKeeper

Gamification is ON!

GetGlue - Gamification or just Badges...?

2011-07-28T10:14:00.000+02:00

Do you guys know GetGlue? I saw a friend of mine was using it (on Facebook). It's another example of 'gamification' or rather 'badgification'. This tool rewards you for sites you visit, books and movies you buy, etc. It's a pity most gamification concepts don't come across just rewarding people with points and badges. They forget that in a game people also have to make sacrifices and put effort in to things before actually being rewarded. They have to put lives at stake (!) to achieve their goals, for instance saving the princess from a barrel-throwing monkey, with only 2 lives left...

In Foursquare they recently changed the ruleset which totally made the concept redundant. You can now check in from where ever you are into what ever place you want!? Wasn't the fun in Foursquare that you actually had to 'be there'...? In that case being able to see 'who else was there'...?

My best friend (you know who you are!) recently stole the mayor badge of my OWN HOUSE off me, checking in every day from HIS house, which is about 30 kilometers from my house... I have never felt so bad and I never checked in anywhere else afterwards. One lesson that the developers of Foursquare (and other so-called gamification concept developers) need to learn is that your ruleset has to be realistic, righteous and consequent (consistent in English I guess).

The feedback system is not the only element of a game, there is also goals, variables to achieve your goals, rules to limit your options and a reward - or - feedback system.

So please - when you are developing a good gamification concept, bare in mind these things. Use the basic drivers people have to develop your concept, then look at specific context-related behavior and activitites that consumers display. You can read more about our vision on Gamification HERE. It's one of my earlier posts.

Or for a good concept send an email to Bart at BrandNewGame ;-)

Mobile Gaming Report - Thanks to Distimo

2011-07-27T12:18:00.000+02:00

Our friends at Distimo, a research company in Utrecht - The Netherlands, just released a 27 pages report about the mobile gaming market. These slides are the highlights, in my opinion.

The major findings are:

• Games are still the most popular downloads for Phones, whether paid or free

• The average selling price of games declined by 28% over the last year, while the revenue generated by the most successful freemium games increased tenfold during this period in the Apple App Store for iPhone.

• The presence of virtual currencies within games is one of the main reasons behind the popularity and monetization success of in-app purchases. 35% of the 300 most popular free games in June use some sort of virtual currencies to monetize in the Apple App Store for iPhone.

• Looking at the 300 most popular paid for applications, 72% of downloads are

generated by games while the remaining 28% of downloads are generated by

applications other than games in the Apple App Store for iPhone.

• The total revenue generated by top grossing games increased by 79% year-on-year in the Apple App Store for iPhone.

• A small number of publishers dominate total game downloads: ten publishers

account for more than half of all downloads among the 300 most popular paid

games in the Apple App Store for iPhone.

• Notwithstanding the popularity of games, the growth rate of the number of

applications other than games is higher than the growth rate of the number of

games in most stores. The number of games has increased faster than other apps only in the Apple App Store for iPhone, the Apple App Store for iPad and GetJar, but the growth rate for games in other stores is lower than for other applications.

It's interesting to see that more and more games (and apps) are using the freemium model and use 'micro-transactions / ingame-transactions' (as described in my book 'A Brand New Playground') to make money. It's a trend that is apparently evident if you look at the data.

For more mobile research and consultancy, please visit Distimo's website: http://www.distimo.com