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15 Minutes of Fame: Cory Doctorow on gold farming
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. digg_url = 'http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/08/04/15-minutes-of-fame-cory-doctorow-on-gold-farming/'; A conversation with Cory Doctorow plunges into the matter at hand so quickly that it's almost impossible not to imagine yourself falling through an internet-era rabbit hole of pop culture and technology. Doctorow is all about synthesizing ideas and spitting them out in as accessible a fashion as possible, and the ground he manages to cover in a single stride can be mind-boggling; he's a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger, father, gamer ... A former WoW player and husband of gaming standout Alice Taylor (also previously profiled here in 15 Minutes of Fame), he's widely known as the co-editor of Boing Boing and author of the bestselling young adult novel Little Brother. Doctorow's latest young adult novel, For the Win, pries open the seams of the shady scene behind MMO gold farming. Its young protagonists are gold farmers and gamers themselves. Doctorow has woven his own experience and sensibilities with focused research to outline a world of gold farming that sprawls far beyond the lines of cartoon-image gold farmers that most of us have painted in our heads. We chatted by phone with Doctorow for this lengthy conversation on gold farming and game economies, plus a companion piece at our sister publication Massively.com on gaming culture and his recent fiction.
Breakfast Topic: Casualties of casual gaming
The other day over dinner, my wife and I were talking about a new game on Facebook and how easy it would be for us to game the system. My brother-in-law stopped us mid-conversation and asked, "What the hell happened to you two? You used to be hardcore raiders! Now you're talking about min-maxing a Facebook game!" My wife and I looked sheepishly at each other and hung our heads in shame. This is what it had come to. While we're committed to playing together come Cataclysm, we had now been reduced to the most casual of casual gamers -- playing browser-based games with no real, complex story or engaging gameplay. At least, nothing as complex or engaging as the World of Warcraft. But the reality is that casual gaming is a bigger phenomenon than we can imagine. Zynga's Farmville has over 61.6 million active users -- that's almost six times WoW's 11.5 million subscriber base. Never mind that World of Warcraft is subscription-based and that not all of Farmville's players are paying customers. Forget about revenue for a moment. That's 61.6 million gamers playing one game.
Ngmoco's We Farm now available in Canada
Ngmoco has released the followup to its popular We Rule game on the Canadian App Store. We Farm is, as you can see above, very similar to We Rule, with the main difference being that the game is set on a farm rather than in a medieval fantasy world. You'll be able to raise animals, plant vegetables, build up a barnyard, and of course, trade and share with friends to earn experience. We Rule originally launched in Canada back in February (Ngmoco likes to use America's neighbors to the north as a testing ground before releasing their apps worldwide), and then it was released to everyone in March, so we can probably expect the same time frame for We Farm. Will it be as big a hit as We Rule was? It's hard to tell; the gameplay is certainly proven already, but one of the draws of We Rule was that it wasn't just a FarmVille clone, and obviously, this seems to be borrowing at least the setting from Zynga's popular title. Of course, another reason that We Rule was so popular was because it had the iPhone all to itself, and now FarmVille is up and running. We'll see, though. Ngmoco has certainly shown that it's constantly learning about how to find success on the App Store; I'm sure the company has taken lessons from We Rule and GodFinger, not to mention that their development method allows for plenty of quick updates and changes if things don't work out right away. It's been fascinating to watch Ngmoco's experiment, and We Farm (along with We City, another adaptation planned for release soon) is their next step.
Rumor: Google invests $100+ million in Zynga, preparing to launch gaming platform
Google has "secretly" invested an undisclosed amount of money (estimated to be between $100 million and $200 million) in virtual Ville creator Zynga Games, TechCrunch claims. Why would one highly profitable company dump such a large amount of duckets into another successful company's coffers? TechCrunch believes that it's part of a strategy to partner with Zynga Games in the forthcoming launch of something called "Google Games." The service is said to use Google logins and will presumably run the Zynga titles popularized by Facebook, albeit with a different payment system (allegedly Google Checkout rather than PayPal). Though these claims are still unsubstantiated -- neither Google nor Zynga have officially confirmed the report -- a recent Google job listing for a "Project Management Leader, games" seems to lend the idea some credence.
Farmville for iPhone available
Facebook farmers with iPhones and iPod Touches, your wait is finally over. Zynga -- the maker of incredibly addictive and lucrative, Flash-based Facebook games such as Farmville -- has released the much anticipated iPhone version of Farmville. You might remember that the title was touted at the recent WWDC keynote speech, along with the iPhone 4 announcement. The game features everything you'd expect from the iPhone version of the game, minus the use of Adobe Flash, of course. It even features push notifications for certain events, much like the similar game We Rule. Also like We Rule, Farmville is free to purchase, with in-app goodies fetching prices anywhere from cheap to absurd. If you were one of those who left Facebook but sometimes miss your beloved Farmville fix, hold onto your hats; you still need a Facebook login to play.
SOE's Laralyn McWilliams talks girls and gaming
Game industry veteran and Sony Online Entertainment senior producer Laralyn McWilliams recently sat down to answer a few questions in an interview with the G.I.R.L. blog's Emily Taylor. McWilliams, instrumental in the development of SOE's Free Realms and now working on a new (and unannounced) social game, talks about everything from her current work, to being an influential woman working in games, to the industry in general. "It's a really exciting time in game development because the industry as a whole has to change in order to survive. We've gone from tiny teams on short schedules to massive teams taking four plus years to finish a game, and now we're seeing it come full circle back to tiny teams with games like Farmville. It makes it a great time for players and game developers because we're starting down the path that will lead us to more depth, new markets, and better games. As a player, it's time to speak with your wallet. As a developer, it's time to speak with your innovation and your drive to make something great and new," McWilliams says. Check out the full interview at the Station Blog.
Farmville now on iPhone, iPod Touch
Zynga announced today that it has released Farmville for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The free app allows Farmville players to tend their crops and view their masterful creations on the go. In addition, the iPhone version will even send status updates to users via push notifications. Not announced today, Farmville Ultimate, which connects a money siphon directly to your grandmother's purse. %Gallery-96266%
WWDC 2010: Farmville for iPhone coming soon
Zynga showed up on the stage at the WWDC keynote this morning to show off one of the most-awaited (and most hated) apps coming to the iPhone: Farmville. The popular Flash-based social networking game is finally making its way to the iPhone by the end of June, and it'll be bringing at least one new feature along in the form of push notifications for when your crops are done. Players will also be able to make in-app purchases for the Farmville marketplace, all of the game's information will sync with their Facebook version, and the game will come with an exclusive pet: a Snow Leopard. Cute. The assembled press in San Francisco were humdrum about the announcement, as most of them aren't Farmville players (and lots of you probably aren't either). But there are millions and millions of players of this game around the world, and when one of the biggest games in the world comes to Apple's platform, that's a big deal. We'll keep an eye out for the game on the App Store, and let you know when it's out.
FarmVille to rake in iPhone audience's cash this June
During today's all-things-Apple WWDC 2010 conference, Zynga founder Mark Pincus took the stage to announce a startling (albeit not entirely unexpected) technological development for the virtual agriculture industry: FarmVille is heading to iPhone at the end of June. The app will allow you to sync up with your Facebook account and tend to your pre-existing farm on the go. Pincus teased "withering crop Push notifications," though we're not sure if that was a joke or not. We pray to any and all powers that be that it was.
Farmville and Guitar Hero announced for iPhone
You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later -- Farmville is heading for the iPhone. But that's not all, Activision was also on hand at WWDC to announce an iPhone version of Guitar Hero, which packs classic rock from the likes of Queen and The Rolling Stones, and is available in the App Store today for $2.99. Check out a shot of it after the break, and look for Farmville to be available by the end of June -- or don't, it's up to you. Update: Guitar Hero press release, with the complete tracklist and add-on packs, is now after the break. %Gallery-94573% Check out more from WWDC 2010 in our liveblog!
FarmVille, other top Facebook games seeing diminishing user base
Due to Facebook's recent decision to limit the notifications proliferated by third-party applications -- Join my Mafia! Feed my Goldfish! Become a Vampire! Fight my Pirates, etc. -- the creators of games which appear on the social networking site are beginning to see their player bases decrease dramatically. Gamasutra reports that 12 of the top 25 Facebook games saw more than one million players leave in May, while the worldwide FarmVille community lost more than 7.7 million of its agricultural inhabitants. It's unclear how these losses affect the pocketbooks of social game developers such as Zynga -- its entirely possible that these quitters weren't purchasing in-game content in the first place. However, it's definitely creating some negative consequences for our untended, expansive soybean fields.
Time ranks Virtual Boy, Farmville among top 50 worst inventions
We rarely, if ever, write rebuttals to stories posted on the esteemed, list-friendly publication known as Time, but we've got more than a few bones to pick with its recently posted "50 Worst Inventions" list. Around every turn, the list seems to get it wrong. For instance: FarmVille? There are 70 million people who'd disagree with that one. And Virtual Boy? The world's first fully-3D game console/amateur LASIK surgery machine? That's about as progressive and brilliant as inventions get. Check out the full list of so-called failed products on Time's site, and see if you share our feelings. Like, auto-tuning, guys? Really? One of the worst inventions ever? And Olestra? The ultimate nutritional cooking supplement? Did they read this list before they published it? [Via Kotaku]
Zynga and 7-Eleven partner to bring game content to ice cream, Big Gulps
If the image above of FarmVille-themed ice cream wasn't telling enough, Zynga and 7-Eleven today announced a co-branding of various products in "nearly 7,000 7-Eleven stores in the US and Canada." In addition to the vanilla ice cream, Big Gulps and Slurpees featuring YoVille, FarmVille, and Mafia Wars are also available, all coming packed with redeemable codes for in-game items. We've already received a handful of tips of the ice cream being spotted in 7-Eleven outlets, but the announcement indicates customers should be able to find the products everywhere by June 1, through July 15. The ice cream runs $2.29 per pint, while the Big Gulps and Slurpees range in price depending on the contents -- the shame of purchasing said products, however, that's priceless. We've listed all the in-game items and how to get them in real life below the fold.
Facebook and Zynga make nice, announce long-term relationship
A joint press release from Facebook and Farmville creator Zynga has announced that the two have entered into a "five-year strategic relationship," which "increases their shared commitment to social gaming on Facebook and expands use of Facebook Credits in Zynga's games." The new union likely comes as a response to reports that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus was considering leaving Facebook behind to start a new social gaming hub. The terms of the relationship aren't being discussed, but we imagine a new agreement was reached regarding how much Facebook takes from purchases using the aforementioned Credits. We're likely to hear more about the specifics of this agreement in the coming weeks.
Capcom working on Facebook game, could be out by next March
From what we hear, the kids are all abuzz about something called "The Facebook" these days. Japanese game publisher Capcom is jumping on board the popular social network, with president Haruhiro Tsujimoto revealing in a recent interview with BusinessWeek that a new game could be ready before the end of the fiscal year (ending March 31, 2011). "Gaming on social networks is poised to impact the traditional video game industry and is a presence that cannot be ignored. We have to make our move," he said. Presumably, Tsujimoto and Capcom want a low-investment moneymaker on Facebook to help bolster the coming year's sales over last year's "sluggish" earnings. For our part, we're hoping for a Resident Evil-based, free-to-play management sim. Who isn't? [Via WhatTheyPlay]
Report: Zynga planning to ditch Facebook, start 'Zynga Live' service
Facebook and Farmville developer Zynga may go separate ways, causing the casual game developer to find another coop for its geese to lay golden eggs. TechCrunch reports that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus held an all hands meeting the other day informing staff that the company was going to launch "Zynga Live." The basic issue here is that Zynga isn't cool with the 30 percent cut that Facebook takes from customers using Facebook credits to purchase Zynga's in-game products. The breakup could happen "tomorrow, it could be in six months" according to a TechCrunch source. The real test if the companies seek other pastures is whether Zynga's games, like Farmville and Mafia Wars, keep bringing in that casual crowd without the massive installed base of Facebook. Hardcore gamers can have a hard time following the differences between a platform, publisher and developer -- you think their moms won't? [Via Games.com]
Prognosticating the future of MMOs
Barring Ouija boards, magical leprechauns and time-traveling DeLoreans, it's pretty much impossible to predict the future -- but that doesn't stop people from trying, no sir. In a recent "The State of the MMO in 2010" over at Eurogamer, Jim Rossignol chats with Paul Barnett (EA Mythic), Colin Dwan (Fallen Earth) and Torfi Frans Olafsson (EVE Online) in an attempt to pin down where MMOs stand as of now, and where they're likely to go. The article begins by stating that the defining line surrounding what is and is not a MMO has become blurred, and will only become more so in the future. Whether we like it or not, different payment models, server types and even genres (such as sports MMOs) have broadened the definition of the genre. Many folks are worried that F2P titles and "quasi-MMOs" like FarmVille may trigger the end of traditional subscription-based MMOs.
It's coming... FarmVille heading to iPhone and iPad
Some will cheer, others will groan, but it seems that the love-it-or-hate-it Facebook game, FarmVille, is on its way to iPhone and iPad. A recent search of domains has uncovered both farmvilleiphone.com and farmvilleipad.com, both reserved by the same company currently overseeing Zynga's official FarmVille website. This means that sooner or later, we'll probably be seeing official clients for Apple's mobile devices. I've played FarmVille, and I find it to be not so much a game as a "social engine" -- it's basically a bunch of hooks to keep you "playing" and keep you passing gifts and virtual items between your friends. But it's definitely popular, and having official apps for the iPhone (or perhaps even just sites made to access on the iPhone -- the main game is currently done up in Flash) will likely only increase that popularity. It'll be interesting to see if Zynga makes its way over to these platforms. Ngmoco has already usurped part of the FarmVille mindshare with its popular We Rule game, but if the real thing shows up, it's unclear whether people will go back to the original, stick with the new, or even play (and spend money on) both. We'll have to see. [via Joystiq]
FarmVille heading to iEverything, Android, and ... SMS?
Tired of only being able to give Zynga money in very small increments via your favorite social networking service, unable to do so while on the go? We are too. Thankfully, it appears the company will be expanding the reach of its real-time farm simulator FarmVille onto mobile phones sometime in the future, as Supererogatory spotted a handful of domain registrations for "Farmvilleandroid.com, Farmvilleipad.com, Farmvilleiphone.com, and Farmvillesms.com." The domain names are registered to the same address as the owner of the currently in operation Farmville.com ... which is owned and operated by Zynga. Just imagine the implications of that -- there you are, text messaging Suzie about that rapscallion Geoffrey, when suddenly you're possessed by the urge to give her a brand new swine for her virtual farm. If you had an SMS-based version of FarmVille, maybe you could quench that thirst for tiny virtual gift buying! When we asked Zynga about the domain registrations, we were told, "Zynga plans to expand to various mobile platforms, but unfortunately, we cannot provide additional information at this time."
Pre-teen FarmVille player racks up $1,300 in charges
No, no, no. This simply will not do. There are so, so many things in this world worth buying with money you don't technically have, that we can't sympathize with a 12-year-old boy who, according to the Guardian, ran up a £905 tab (something like $1,380) by purchasing FarmVille funny money through developer Zynga. Since the boy lives with his (unknowing) mother, the company reportedly refused to refund the money, leaving the boy's life savings and the mother's credit card account in a world of hurt. There are a handful of burning questions at the forefront of our minds with this story, the most pressing being: What was the endgame, here, kid? Was your sizable initial investment going to be completely recouped with this season's bumper crop harvest of virtual soybeans?
