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The Guild Counsel: PAX East panel explores online communities
There were two things that really stood out for me at PAX East: the ridiculously long lines and the throngs of fans who happily sat down together to play games face to face. On the surface, PAX East might seem to be about who has the best card deck or who has the quickest twitch reflexes, but it's actually much more than that. We've looked at the growing importance of online communities and the relationships that have been created by them, so it's little surprise that PAX was full of players who were there to meet and play with friends they met through gaming. And among the many panels this weekend, there was one that explored this very issue. The speakers were all experienced managers of online communities, and they shared their stories of how they got started and why these communities are so important. Read on to hear their stories.
Why gamers buy sequels
2old2play editorializes about sequels and why gamers keep buying them. Last year, EA released one all-new game among 25 sequels, which saved the company significant development costs on new titles. But the article makes an interesting guess about why gamers support a marketplace of sequels -- complicated controls.Some gamers like adapting skills from the previous generation to the next version of the game, rather than re-learning everything. We often overlook the value in that familiarity; many gamers don't have time to start over with all-new titles. (We, of course, spend all day playing games.)We always go back to the chicken-and-egg question of sequels -- are publishers producing sequels because gamers buy them, or are gamers buying them because they dominate the release lineup? [Via digg]
Arcade games in the home: a rebirth?
Nostalgia's a perennial favourite for everyone, and gaming is no exception. We all lust after the arcade games of yesteryear, remembering disappearing coins and impossible high scores, and complaining that it isn't like it used to be.The arcade may not be dead, though--simply transplanted into a new location, our homes. Casual gaming and emulators on the PC, the Xbox Live Arcade and the Nintendo Revolution are all breathing, or promise to breathe, new life into our old favourites--so much so that some of them become more popular than full-price games. 2old2play puts it down to our being older--less time, more nostalgia, perfect for arcade-style games.[Via /.]
Real friends, real relationships forged online
This article at 2old2play takes a look at how we form relationships with others online, questioning the assumption that "real life" friends are the only sort of friendships worth having. Getting to know and like people via Xbox Live and other services isn't the exclusive domain of the nerd, nor has it been for some time.While friendships formed online have been flourishing for years, the advent of easily available voice chat certainly makes it easy to feel close to those you play with on Xbox Live. Spending time together in the same place, even if it is a Halo 2 map, can lead to heart-to-heart conversations -- hanging out in the pregame lobby, or just wandering around a map with friends, brings Xbox Live close to feeling like a virtual world rather than a framework for FPS combat.
