innovation
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The Bacterial Orchestra uses the iPhone to create "viral music"
This is really wild: what you see above is an example of "viral music" -- it's part of an upcoming music festival that's taking place in Sweden, and it features a circle of iPhones that are both listening to and playing a very abstract kind of "music." Each one is picking up audio from its environment, then running it through a series of software filters to make it sound more musical, and finally playing it back in a rhythm. As each iPhone is picking up the tune from the other iPhones it's playing it back through the same filters, and so on and so forth. All while the software is "judging" each "cell" of sound, to see if it's interesting or loud enough or so forth, and cells will live or die based on that criteria -- in essence, a musical organism.Like I said, wild. That program is called the "Bacterial Orchestra -- Public Epidemic No. 1," and it sounds like the app will be available on the iPhone soon as well. Of course, you'll have to have a bunch of iPhones with the app in one place for it to work the way it's designed, but at least there's good video of it.
Fast Company Magazine ranks Apple #4 of 50 innovative companies
With most business trends heading south, Apple continues to get recognition from customers and the press. Today, Fast Company Magazine put Apple in 4th place among the top 50 most innovative companies. The article cites the iPhone, the App Store, the unibody construction of the new laptop line, increasingly green packaging and products, and finally iTunes which is growing while the rest of the music industry falters. All in all, it has been a pretty good year for Apple (it must be noted, however, that Apple was #2 on the list last year).For the curious, the Obama election team was ranked #1 this year; Google came in at #2. Our friends at Microsoft ranked #34.You can read the profiles of all 50 companies here, and the Apple profile is here.Fast Company, published since 1995 "is dedicated to exploring innovation in business, digital technology, leadership, design, and social responsibility," or so they say.
Business mag picks 'most innovative' game companies
Leading business magazine Fast Company has issued its Top 10 list of what it's decided are the "most innovative gaming companies." The list presents an eyebrow-raising mix of choices that make us wonder if "innovative" was really the adjective Fast Company meant to use.The ranked list can be found on the magazine's site, but we'll offer up some of the highlights. Microsoft is at number eight, innovating (in part) by outselling PS3 and partnering with Netflix. Take-Two, in seventh place, was innovative in not being taken over by EA (and getting some GOTY awards for GTA IV). Let's see ... Harmonix is making a Beatles game, Blizzard sold a lot of Lich King expansions and Nintendo has mass-market appeal. Innovative stuff.Actually, the only truly innovative item on the list is LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule's refreshing take on the classic 2D platformer. Might we suggest that next year's list be produced using a journalistic innovation known as "research?"
BusinessWeek thinks corporate execs can learn from WoW
In the midst of recruiters being told not to send WoW players to job interviews, BusinessWeek wrote an interesting piece about how World of Warcraft promotes innovation. The articles examines how Blizzard had designed a game that could probably be mimicked by any corporation looking to innovate. It's an interesting analysis of the game, with BusinessWeek saying that its players are motivated to achieve and solve tasks. Although some readers counter that the achievement-oriented environment is normal for MMOs, one key insight is how WoW reduces barriers to entry and early advancement. More than most MMOs, World of Warcraft is easy to access -- it's easy to level and there are no harsh penalties for dying (unlike some MMOs where death results in a sharp XP loss, sometimes to the point of losing levels). In fact, some might even say that WoW is a little too casual-friendly. Even then, there's a lot in the game that drives people to perform. The article recommends that corporate leaders take a look at the game and see how it creates a motivational environment. It even goes so far as to laud the gamer disposition, something that players have or develop. It's certainly a refreshing counterpoint to the idea that gamers (or WoW players, in particular) "cannot give 100%" to their jobs. So even though some companies might think that WoW is bad for their employees, BusinessWeek says it just might be good for the bosses.Thanks, Cahu!
Behind the Curtain: Innovation
I'd like to talk about Innovation for a little bit. There's an argument which runs along the lines of, "gamers don't get innovation because gamers don't want innovation." There's a certain logic there – if we, as consumers, are not willing to spend money buying games with innovative features or content, then why should developers and publishers spend money to make them? Eating the same food again and again, refusing to change your diet would be monumentally unhealthy for you. Why then, do so many of us do almost exactly that when it comes to our gaming habits? In my opinion, there's been plenty of innovation in gaming in past years. Half life 2 introduced a character I'm sure many of you grew attached to almost as much as I did; Lamarr Miss Alyx Vance. For the first time ever, we had an NPC did more than just get in your way, die easily and spout the same catchphrase over and over. While Alyx really shines in Episode One, the introduction of her character in the original game stands out for me.
Will Darkfall be important to the genre?
"Darkfall deserves your best wishes, even if you don't plan on buying it."This seems to be the sentiment of most Darkfall enthusiasts, as the reality of the game's announced launch date has set in. It's no secret that the wild success of World of Warcraft has changed how studios develop games for the last 3-4 years, but is it about time that we went back to how MMOs were originally created? Darkfall boasts a sandbox-type freedom and the return of the once-hated ganking and player killing found in earlier MMOs. It boasts innovation (then again, who doesn't) and a death penalty that makes you actually fearful of dying. These factors, and many more, are what drive the game's loyal fanbase for over seven years.So to answer the question posed in the title, yes Darkfall will be important to the genre. If this niche game succeeds, it will show that innovation is not dead and we're collectively ready for a change. If it fails, it means that we're not really as ready for something different as we all claim.[Via WorldIV]
Counting Rupees: The Importance of Innovation
Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming: One of the most prominent words in game journalism and discussion today is "innovation" – how can companies innovate successfully, and how come there isn't more of it in the industry? Implicit in this conversation are three assumptions that don't generally get examined with the same thoroughness: that "innovation" is per se important for gaming, that all innovation is essentially the same in content and value, and that companies promote profitability over innovation. I'd like to talk about these unspoken assumptions in light of the banner few years that we've had as gamers. I think most people would concede that innovation is important, whether to gaming or to consumer packaged goods. But why? At least in gaming, it's largely because our interest tends to dissipate along with challenge; if you're not being shown something interesting, why pay attention to it? Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it definitely doesn't breed excitement (nor sales) either.
Online gaming on Google's Lively to take on "corporate mentality"
Kevin Hanna, creative director of Google's Lively, said at AGDC that he hopes that Lively will become an online gaming platform that will challenge the status quo in a game industry he says is currently dominated by a "corporate mentality" that is "sucking the life out of what should be the most creative and innovative medium out there."He said that game developers and publishers seem eager to be "first to be second." That is, they have no interest in creating anything genuinely new. They just want to capitalize on ideas that have already been proven. His hope is that Lively will lower the barrier to entry so would-be developers ("passionate startups and kids in college") can experiment with new ideas with less risk.So far, the aspects of Google's vision for Lively as a game development platform that we've seen have looked like a greatly scaled back, poor man's version of MetaPlace; just the tools for creating simple arcade-like games, without any of the loftier purpose. But Hanna's comments suggest that at least some folks on the Lively team have grander ambitions after all.
WoW vs. LotRO: The future of MMOs
The comparison is always made between any fantasy-based MMO and World of Warcraft. It's just the nature of the beast these days. In a recent editorial over at Warcry, they compare Lord of the Rings Online with WoW, mainly for the fact that they both have expansions releasing later this year. For WoW, this will be their second in 4 years, while LotRO will be turning out their first in the 1.5 years they've been around.The article brings up some good points when it comes to how similar the two games are, and goes on to proclaim that the future of MMOs lies in innovation and daring to be different from WoW. While the failure of some recent MMO releases would contradict this theory, it's more of a focus on long-term, while "staying [in the] comfortable WoW nest where it's warm and safe" is more of a short-term solution for competitors.
No duh: Nintendo already working on next console
During a Forbes piece that takes a look at the future of gaming, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo is already working on their next console. The likelihood that we could actually see or be told anything concrete about it is nonexistent, however. Nintendo's current console is both selling far too well and, we imagine, development of their newest console is in the earliest stages, considering the Wii hasn't been on store shelves for two years yet."We are always preparing for the next hardware," Iwata said. "We are under development. ... But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games." Well, we wouldn't say reluctantly, because most people seem to be more than happy to pick up a Wii. In terms of future specs, Iwata commented that every new piece of hardware "needs some revolutionary features." He also added that "This time around, it happened to be we had a revolutionary user interface. Will it be the same for the next generation? I really can't tell." Considering what the company did with the Wii, we're totally expecting bigger and better things from Nintendo.President Iwata also went on to comment about how hard it is for them to innovate beyond what they've done this generation. "It's natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different. If the people are expecting so many different things from Nintendo, it's going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expectation again."[Thanks, Joe!]
Five ways the App Store will change the world
There are historic days, people. The App Store went live, and all of a sudden, we're drowning in new things for the iPhone. But it's not just a big deal for iPhone owners -- this is a huge day for society and technology in general. While there have been lots of PDAs, and lots of apps to run on them, there's never been anything like the App Store before -- here's five ways that Apple's platform for iPhone application distribution will change our world.1. Ubiquitous computing.Any science fiction writer will tell you that we're already living the future -- we can teleport things, robots are easy to make, and almost anything dreamed of can be done if you have enough money to do it. But a technology really doesn't move from fantasy to reality until it's everywhere, and thanks to the iPhone 3G, computing has become just that. You can't take a laptop around with you all the time (as in, to a fancy restaurant or to the movies) to edit photos or post to your blog, but you can bring the iPhone. It's the ultimate ultramobile platform, and it's now cheap enough to be everywhere, and powerful enough that almost any common computing task can be done.Four more huge changes after the jump.
Wii need innovative MMOs
Let's get honest for a second here -- every MMO that seems to come out nowadays is the same game with a new paint job and one game design feature expressed above the rest. Currently, that game is Age of Conan, where larger breasts and the real-time combat system got the spotlight in this round of game making.If game designers keep this up, we're going to watch the market dwindle as new gamers become jaded with new games just repeating the same content they've already been through over and over again. What we're looking for is an MMO that can break open the market like World of Warcraft did when it launched.According to Earnest Cavalli at Wired, the Wii is the holy grail that MMO developers should chase after; a veritable icon of how to bring the market to a wider audience than just testosterone pumped adolescents.
MMO 2.0 and the next generation of online gaming
Geoff at MMOCrunch wrote an interesting piece on the 'next gen' in online gaming. Specifically, why there is no next gen. He comments on some of the recent successes in the MMO space, namely the subscription numbers of the Big Five MMO's and the smooth release of Age of Conan. He also hails EVE Online's break from typical MMO archetypes as a kind of successful deviance, but one that hasn't truly changed how we play. The forward momentum in the online gaming industry has brought a great deal of fanfare but little true innovation, Geoff asserts. Sure, some MMO's are successful, but it seems they're all a re-hash of what's been done before. A little more polish, a few more features... he laments the fact that "there seems to be very little that is truly pushing the genre towards the next step." He looks to how the web has changed, improved exponentially, while online gaming hasn't kept pace.
Lila Dreams blog posts an interview with Jason McIntosh
Lila Dreams is a tiny little MMO that we've been following somewhat closely here at Massively -- from the descriptions we've seen so far (of an entire virtual world set inside the dreams of a little girl), it seems like an intriguing experimental departure from your standard online game. And now, over on their blog, they've got an interview, translated from Portuguese, that sheds even more light on this innovative little online game.Unfortunately, there's not too much new here, but the interview does follow some familiar and interesting news about the game: players will be able to actually change Lila's moods using game mechanics, and the setting of the game will change based on whatever mood she has at the moment. While there probably won't be the videogame standbys of swords and plasma guns (though apparently there will be "a mix of modern, medieval, and future stuff"), we are told that players will be able to wander instanced areas with groups, so there will be some MMO conventions in there, tweaked as they may be.Lila Dreams remains a unique little blip on our radar for now -- the game, as we've said before, will eventually be hosted on Kongregate as a 2D Java and Flash game. There's a long way to go until release -- at least a closed alpha, beta, and then an open pre-release period, but we continue to look forward to it.
Editorial expresses dissatisfaction with slow trickle of MMO innovation
Gamers With Jobs co-founder Sean Sands contributed to The Escapist a two-page article lamenting the state of the MMO industry. The article is aggressively titled "The Fallacy of MMO Innovation," and uses the example of Age of Conan as the springboard for a discussion of industry-wide issues.We've already asked questions about just how innovative AoC is, but Sands seems certain of the answer, saying "in reality it really brings very little to the table that hasn't been tried before." But who can blame Funcom for not revolutionizing the genre? MMOs are so expensive to make, and their successes are uncertain to begin with, says Sands, so it's no surprise that developers and publishers are afraid to innovate. He also suggests that polish is just as essential as innovation; that's what makes World of Warcraft successful, after all.It's a good read, although its contents might not be anything new to the minds of experienced MMO players. There's one question the author doesn't answer, though; is there a way out of this rut? We'd be fools if we tried to provide a definitive answer to that, but it's what the article left us wondering in the end. AoC pushes things forward a tiny bit in some ways. Some hope Warhammer Online will as well. But neither will totally revolutionize the genre. Is there anything on the horizon you're hoping will take the genre to a new level, or are you just as pessimistic as the rest of us?
GDC08: What if your mana bar was green?
At a morning GDC session, GoPets' Erik Bethke gave a standing-room-only-crowd some sage advice:People who use green for mana bars instead of blue for mana bars... that's just hubris.Of course what he means by this is that developers who defy basic gaming trends are setting themselves up for failure. To continue the mana bar metaphor, players have become accustomed to blue mana bars and green health bars from a long history of games. Mixing up this very basic element will only make a game less accessible. On the flip side of this, however, is innovation. If no one breaks the traditional molds, we may never see better games. But at the same time it's hard to argue with Bethke's example: why change a game element that players are accustomed to? It could make the difference between a game that's intuitive and quickly picked up by new players and a game that loses players before the tutorial's finished.%Gallery-16369%
MMOGology: Control yourself!
Another day, another MMOG canceled. In case you missed the news, Microsoft recently announced their abandonment of the Marvel-based superhero MMOG under development by Cryptic Studios. Gamespy recently posted a roundtable discussion that speculated on the reasons for the cancellation of this once highly anticipated game. During the discussion, Gamespy staffers cited possible cancellation reasons such as Microsoft's unrealistic monetary expectations (based on the high bar set by World of Warcraft), an unwillingness on Microsoft's part to develop and innovative within the genre, and an inability to implement a successful product on both the PC and Xbox 360. The element of the discussion that intrigued me most dealt with the difficulties encountered when MMOGs try crossing the console barrier. One of the prohibitive elements to a successful console implementation is the incompatibility between PC and console controls.Most major, mainstream MMOGs like Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcarft, and Everquest have complex interfaces organized in a very flat, context-free structure. Movement, combat and non-combat functions are accomplished via the classic mouse and keyboard control combination. Most functions, especially in regard to combat, are accessed via a string of action functions located on "hot bars" or "skill bars". These functions can either be clicked upon directly with the mouse or bound to specific keyboard keys. Although there are occasional exceptions, each key has only one particular function, regardless of the player's situation within the game. Compare the large number of actions located on skill bars to the number of buttons available on a standard PS3 or Xbox 360 controller and you can easily see where basic interface design decisions just don't correlate well between consoles and PCs. It's not that one interface is better than another; they're just inherently different. In attempting to build a game that works on both PCs and consoles you've got to design to the least common denominator. If the console's controller can't support 50 buttons for different actions or can't accommodate quickly selecting actions via a heads-up-display, then you've got to streamline the experience or make it more context sensitive and intuitive. This act of streamlining an interface can only serve to benefit both console and PC gamers in the long haul.
Analyst: More MMOs on cell phones in 2008
If there's one trend so far in 2008, it's mobile MMOs. Last year, we heard about both a Japanese game and a mobile platform, and already this year, John Carmack has says he wants to do an MMO on-the-go. And now, analyst and VC Baris Karadogan says MMObile games are only going to get bigger.And not just in terms of games you play on the phone. He does say that casual phone games will become more social, but he also says that huge MMOs like World of Warcraft will attempt to develop casual, mobile versions that can be "played" from a phone, and have an effect in the game itself. As in, you'll play a quick casual game on your phone, and how you do on that game will give you XP or skill points or even some extra cash in the online game.I doubt Blizzard will be the first to jump on such a bandwagon-- their history is releasing polished games on established platforms, not breaking new ground. But it's easy to see how a smaller, up-and-coming, very API friendly game might try to duck into the mobile software space, and put together a model for how MMObile or MMO-to-go games might work.
Stringer: 'Actual innovation' and PSN expansion in Sony's future
After almost three years of restructuring, Sony's über Chief Executive Howard Stringer says the company's "next cycle is actual innovation." Heavy on promise but light on details, Stringer says the PlayStation Network will expand to offer other kinds of content. This is exciting, if only for the fact that if Sony actually puts some major drive behind PSN now and delivers something comparable to Xbox Live, we can finally say goodbye to the competition's yearly fee.Stringer notes that PS3 sales have become steady since price cuts were announced, a fact aided by constant Wii shortages. It seems 200k machines are now sold weekly in Europe, while 40k to 50k are sold each week in Japan. Poetically, Stringer says that the company has "momentum," which we hope gives Sony the push needed to catch up to what Microsoft has spent years establishing and tweaking with Xbox Live.
Bushnell clarifies 'unadulterated trash' talk, moans about innovation etc.
Following up on Nolan Bushnell's recent labeling of our post-Pong games as "unadulterated trash," Gametap's Curt Feldman decided to have a chat with the Atari founder on the tel-uh-fohn. In the resulting interview, Nolan Bushnell explains that his scorn is just reserved for a "narrow segment" of gaming, which happens to include (you're not going to like this) Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto. While Rockstar's sandbox gets predictably deplored for its "deification of antisocial behavior," Bungie's critically acclaimed shooter is deemed no more than "Doom 1 in different clothing." As he puts it, "Clothing or not, the clothing is nicer, but the game is the same."
