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MMObility: Press your way through Dawn of the Dragons
If you played along with me the last time I covered Dawn of the Dragons, you won't be surprised by what you will read in this column. It's still a pretty fun twist on RPGs and Mafia Wars-styled gaming, but now that it has come to Android devices, I couldn't be happier. The gameplay was nice in the browser, but I found it to be a bit clunky and distracting, especially with the ad-block at the top of the game's main window. Much of the game consists of making a decision and pressing a button or two to see what happens, so it begged for a touchscreen device. Now that has arrived. Does that mean the game is no longer a pay-to-win, very casual (or hardcore if you want it to be) race-to-the-top? It's still all of those. If you have moral objections to those game styles, then skip Dawn of the Dragons. But if you're like me and don't take games so personally, then you, like reader grutzmek, might find that is is "surprisingly addictive." He told me, "I don't normally enjoy these games, but something is very different about DotD." I have to agree with him.
Rise and Shiny: Dawn of the Dragons
There's no way for me to describe Dawn of the Dragons without it sounding a bit like the old Mafia Wars-style games that were so massively popular on Facebook years ago. The truth is that, yes, games designed around clicking a button a few times or even several hundred times (depending on your tolerance) sound like they cast some sort of spell on the playerbase. Surely these people cannot behaving any sort of fun and instead are trained animals, responding only to the bit of food that drops out of the chute. I'm the first one to admit that much of the gameplay in a game like Dawn of the Dragons by 5th Planet Games pays out the most to those who hit the buttons the most. But I'm also the first to defend the design and to say that it can be a lot of fun. Let's not pretend that even the most immersive, realistic, epic MMO in the world cannot be turned into a series of button-smashings. We've all known a player in almost any game who has reduced her electronic adventures down to an efficient science. Does a game like Dawn of the Dragons just do away with all of the mumbo-jumbo to get to the meat of the gameplay: the button mashing?
MMObility: Parallel Mafia is not a typical Mafia game
If you have played Parallel Kingdom by PerBlue before, then a lot of what I am going to describe might sound familiar. If not, then it might sound very unique and exciting. The truth is that I have been attempting to get into Parallel Kingdom for a while but always found myself a bit overwhelmed, so I was excited to be invited to check out PerBlue's new title Parallel Mafia. I hoped that I might squeeze in some questions about Parallel Kingdom while I had the team on the line. Sure enough, I not only got introduced to the new title but left the interview knowing a lot more about Parallel Kingdom. I have been playing heavily since then. As I compare the two titles, I can see a lot of similarities, but there are some nice differences as well. Both titles are location-based MMORPGs. I have always wanted more options in the genre, but I imagine it's a tough one to develop in. What's the point of the real-life connection? Why would players want to play in a game that is basically spawned on top of Google Maps?
Zynga's paid $300 per new user in the past nine months, says analyst
Zynga has been struggling with its stock price since the IPO late last year, and Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia says there are more dark days ahead. When you compare Zynga's $120 million marketing budget to its recent rise in only 400,000 new players (about $300 a person), the numbers don't look good: "We know that, on average, these people are spending about $150 or so," says Bhatia, which suggests that Zynga is spending about $300 for every $150 in profit. "That math won't work for very long," obviously.Zynga's spending is indicative of a few trends in social gaming. First, the company has discovered it's very hard to earn new players. Many of Zynga's games are similar, and without really experimenting, it's going to be hard to generate uniques. Second, Zynga's earnings are based on "whales": A small percentage of players who spend big. You need to find a lot of unique free-to-play players to land a few whales, and Bhatia doesn't see Zynga doing that lately.So what's the solution? "Zynga will have to find their next FarmVille," says Bhatia. Until the company finds another phenomenally popular hit and the surge in new players that comes along with it (which is incredibly tough to do), Bhatia expects to see even more problems with Zynga and its stock.
Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade
Last week, in the comments section of one of my other columns, a player described Glitch as "kind of like a non-violent, Facebook version of EVE Online." I was confused by the Facebook part, so I had to ask him about it. He responded by saying that it was "sort of like saying a themepark MMO is very 'World of Warcraft-ish'. So the meaning is likely going to vary from person to person and cover a lot of things: browser-based, more simplistic." He makes a few good points. (I have the smartest readers!) At the same time, his truths shine light on a couple of very disturbing trends. Click past the cut and let's discuss them!
MMObility: What makes a good mobile game to me
Over the time I have been exploring mobile gaming, especially since I have been writing this column, I've discovered exactly what I like and dislike about the genre. Mobile MMOs are the tiniest niche within the greater world of MMOs. Some would say that MMOs are even a tiny corner of gaming in general. While I don't quite agree, I would say that explaining my column to random game shop employees or curious friends is quite the challenge. "You write about games... on your phone?" "Yes, massively multiplayer games." "Huh?" Luckily there are many new ones that offer a much more robust gaming experience. I can proudly show people examples of games like Order and Chaos Online, Star Legends or Illyriad. Of course, I sift through many poor examples before I get to the good ones. So let's take this opportunity to discuss what I think makes for a good game. Click past the cut and feel free to add your ideas in the comments section!
MMObility: is mobile at risk?
It doesn't take much effort to see evolving and emerging trends in today's connected world. Memes, popular fashion, even popular methods of becoming inebriated -- basically if we humans hear, read or talk about it we will probably take it on as our own. It's just how we are, we need to fit in with each other a lot of the time in order to feel connected. I suppose it should be no surprise that we do this with our video games as well. In fact, I would go so far as to say that most of the games I find borrow very heavily from each other, sometimes to the point that I wonder if the developers didn't literally just cover their game with a new title and skin and ship it out to players. This is a time in which the same-old same-old is shrugged off because developers "didn't promise anything revolutionary." That's right, we players have gone on to provide an excuse for shoddy development, so many developers don't even have to. It happened with "social" gaming...everyone and their Aunt Tilly jumped into making a Farmville ripoff. The few fantastic titles were covered up by a sea of copycats. Now, is it going to happen in the mobile market? Can such a new market already be seeing it? Click past the cut and let's talk about it.
Zynga crowns Lady Gaga as FarmVille's newest cash cow
What better way to market a game that isn't really a game than with an artist who isn't really an artist? Such was the rationale, apparently, behind Zynga's recent decision to partner with Lady Gaga, the freshly anointed face of FarmVille. As of May 17th, FarmVille users will be able to take a much-needed break from wasting their lives and visit GagaVille -- a neighboring but equally fake farm full of unicorns, crystals and terrible life decisions. There, visitors will be able to listen to unreleased tracks from Gaga's forthcoming album, Born This Way, which they can also download for "free," once they've dropped $25 of their parents' hard-earned cash on a Zynga gift card. The campaign will mercifully come to an end on May 26th, but not before Diet Madonna extends her corporate leviathan to every corner of Zynga's gaming universe, including Words With Friends, Mafia Wars and anything else your pre-teen cousin spends far too much time playing. Gaga will win. Zynga will win. The human race, on balance, will lose. If you haven't slit your wrists yet, the PR after the break should do the trick.
The Lawbringer: Hacking and valuing virtual currency
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? I can't stop talking about virtual currency! As virtual worlds and economies penetrate every aspect of our lives, we are faced with the new and daunting challenge of identifying the seedy criminal element present in every human venture. There will always be someone breaking the rules, skimming off the top, or finding a way to steal their way up the ladder. Generally, as a society, we accept this as part of the process and make our rules accordingly to punish and dissuade against future criminals and all that jazz. This week, we read about a very interesting virtual theft over Zynga poker chips, in which a 29-year-old British IT businessman named Ashley Mitchell pleaded (or pled, depending on your colloquial acceptance) guilty to stealing $12 million worth of the virtual currency. You know what Zynga is -- it is responsible for FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Zynga Texas HoldEm Poker, and about 8,000 other social networking entities. The company is ubiquitous. It also sells an ungodly amount of virtual currency online and offline for its games. Zynga poker chips, however, cannot be bought offline.
Nothin' but a $ Thang: Zynga partners with Dr. Dre for Mafia Wars promo
Nothing quite says "family friendly" like West Coast gangsta rapper Dr. Dre, which is likely why social game magnate Zynga has inked a deal with the musician to crosspromote his forthcoming album, "Detox," within Mafia Wars. "Dre is a culture icon that has inspired generations of music lovers. We're huge music fans at Zynga and we know the players within Mafia Wars will love the chance to discover incredible music content while playing with their friends," Zynga CEO Mark Pincus noted in the bizarre announcement. Aside from watching Dre's newest music video for the song "Kush" streaming in-game, players can enter the "Hustlin' wit Dre" area of the game to earn "limited edition goods" (with examples including headphones, a vintage car, and weapons). If that weren't enough, an "exclusive Dr. Dre video message" is somewhere hidden in the game as well -- we're holding out hope that it's actually just a live performance of "Nothin' But a G Thang." Hey, it's not quite exploding armored cars in the Nevada desert, but it's a start, right, Dre?
Facebook game roundup: Games.com Blog's Week in Review
When it comes to Facebook game news, features and tips, Joystiq sister site Games.com - The Blog! has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new Facebook game, or you're just curious about your regulars, you'll find it at GDC-TB. Check out our biggest features of the week: Dragon Age Legends: BioWare's epic role-player goes social In order to tide you Dragon Age lovers over until the sequel arrives in March, BioWare plans to release a Facebook game a few months beforehand. Play it to unlock items in Dragon Age 2 and, once again, take on Darkspawn and other creatures you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Or even a brightly lit alley. Mafia Wars Atlantic City swings onto iPhone Mafia Wars Atlantic City arrives on the iPhone, something totally separate from the regular iPhone version of the game. The game runs pretty smoothly, and we hope this serves as a sign that Zynga's getting closer to launching a fully-realized Mafia Wars companion app for iOS. Simply Hospital: The cure for the common Facebook game If you ever played any hospital tycoon game on PC, then this is the Facebook version of that same game. For social gamers who've been inundated with farming and pet simulation games, Simply Hospital makes for a welcome change of pace. Bonus for boys: The nurses have some real eye-popping assets.
Mafia Wars trademark battle heats up with revealing Zynga letter made public
Digital Chocolate is suing Zynga over its use of the name "Mafia Wars," an alleged trademark infringement -- this much we know. Last night, however, Joystiq acquired the full, 157-page complaint. The crux of the suit is Digital Chocolate's common law trademark claim to the name "Mafia Wars," though the company never formally registered the name (as Zynga did last summer). In registering the trademark last July, Zynga claims under penalty of perjury that it has "belief no other person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use the mark in commerce, either in the identical form thereof or in such near resemblance thereto as to be likely ... to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive." It's on this stipulation which Digital Chocolate hinges its lawsuit, and the company has proof that Zynga knew about DC's version of Mafia Wars.%Gallery-100583%
Digital Chocolate suing Zynga over Mafia Wars trademark
Put down that Mafia Wars Slurpee! Trip Hawkins and his company Digital Chocolate claim that one of Zynga's biggest Facebook moneymakers isn't actually owned by Zynga -- in name, at least -- and he would really like you to quit giving them credit. According to Courthouse News, Digital Chocolate seeks to have Zynga "enjoined from using the Mafia Wars name," "ordered to deliver up all Mafia Wars products," and "engage in corrective advertising costing twice what Zynga spend promoting Mafia Wars." Which means you should stop drinking that Slurpee, like, right now. Litigation is stemming from Digital Chocolate's previously trademarked mobile game of the same name, Mafia Wars, where players "must advance their characters through levels of a fictional crime syndicate by completing tasks." DC also claims that, in speaking with Zynga last year about the trademark rights, "Zynga attorneys responded with a letter promising to stop using the name." In its defense, a Zynga rep told Joystiq, "We are surprised and disappointed by Digital Chocolate's lawsuit. The timing of the action appears to be opportunistic, and we plan to defend ourselves vigorously." The United States Patent and Trademark Office lists Zynga's first filing date for a game under the name "Mafia Wars" as July 1, 2009, though no filing under that name could be located with Digital Chocolate as the applicant. Digital Chocolate has not responded to requests for comment by press time.
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.
Study: Average social gamer age is only 29 in the US
If you think that those silly social games like Farmville and Mafia Wars are full of teenagers, you're only half right. The average player of social games is actually younger than previously believed, according to a new study, but a little older than teenage: 29 in the US and 27 in the EU. That's an interesting conclusion, especially since the average gamer is actually a little older than that (s/he was 30 a few years ago and has been getting steadily older since then), and most people believe that social gamers on Facebook tend to skew even older. This survey by GamesIndustry.com, however, goes against that grain, and claims that while there are more females playing these games than males, they tend to be younger than expected. Peter Warman of that site says that the reason for this is that most such surveys don't poll any lower than age 18: "It is therefore not at all surprising that their average age is extraordinarily high ... Data from kids and teens is vital and should always be taken into account." If these surveys aren't representing anyone below age 18, then it's possible gamers, especially those playing social games on Facebook and elsewhere, are even younger than anyone's guessed previously.
GDC: MySpace making a push into games, hoping it'll be as popular as music
While we've yet to meet those amongst you reppin' Farmville and swearing allegiance to Facebook, we worry that today's announcement of MySpace making a stronger push into the casual gaming market may stir those folks from their dismal, musty resting places. Alongside a revamped and relaunched gaming section on the site (the "MySpace Games Gallery"), co-president Mike Jones told GamesIndustry.biz that the company plans on pushing into the gaming world in the same way it's pushed into the music world. "Just as they use MySpace to discover and listen to music, I want them to use MySpace to discover and play games," he said in an interview this week. One of the ways that Jones plans on implementing the new initiative is by making game suggestions to new users at the same time the site normally suggests music a new user might like. "We're making sure that when users sign up to MySpace, on the first screen after sign-up they have recommendations, which include games and bands -- at the same time ... that's getting the user initially seeded with the content." Unfortunately, though, Jones didn't say a peep about games that go a bit deeper than the standard Mafia Wars fare we've come to expect from social networks and their free-to-play games.
Zynga founder explains 'Facegroup' games to Charlie Rose
Now hang on just a minute before you head off to the next post in search of funny game-related desserts or screenshots from that hot new blockbuster game. Charlie Rose is no Kevin Pereira, but the man's a broadcasting legend, so let's give him his due. And Zynga just raised $180 million for their social gaming empire, so it can buy and sell any number of your Pokemons. When Zynga founder Mark Pincus appears on the Charlie Rose Show, you whippersnappers should take a little notice! After all, Zynga has not only been hiring up solid talent, but it also runs the bigger-than-you'd-believe Facebook games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille. Pincus tells the somewhat confused Rose that his company doesn't just want to roll in the venture cash; Zynga wants to create "an Internet treasure," and be recognized in the same way that brands like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are. You can watch the whole segment after the break. Bewarned: the video of two well-dressed men talking at a table doesn't feature any laser guns or girls in bikinis, but it does feature Rose holding up printouts of a virtual cafe created in his honor. Surreal.
Game-related startups raise $600 million in 2009, down 36%
Game-related startup companies raised $600 million throughout 2009, according to GamesBeat's analysis. And while $600 million is a lot of money if you're, say, trying to sell a shooter based on the art of modern warfare, it's not quite that much when you're an up-and-coming game developer. Total investments in the field were actually down by 36% since last year. That's not a bubble bursting, but it does mean that startup investors might be a little more careful with their money in the year to come. The biggest winners in the scene include Zynga, makers of Mafia Wars and a few other popular Facebook titles, who nabbed a big $180 million investment from a Russian technology company, and Playdom. You may not have played Sorority Life, the company's MySpace hit, but Lightspeed Venture Partners must have, because it invested $43 million in the company. If there's a theme here, it's social networking and online games: PopCap is probably the highest traditional game developer on the list, but even its $22.5 million investment was marked for putting its games on the web, mobile platforms, and social networks. Of course, that pull doesn't include the buck we gave them for Peggle.
Mafia Wars has pulled in 4 million
Mafia Wars, the free web-based game on social media networks (and iPhone), has over 4 million players. Gamasutra reports that Zynga has doubled the number of daily players in the last three months. Zynga makes its money off microtransactions within games and believes the title is on its way to becoming "a cult classic."That's not the only good news for Zynga lately. The company recently hired veteran game designer Brian Reynolds (Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations) to fill the roll of "chief designer." Zynga is building itself quite the little empire.
TUAW interviews OpenFeint's Peter Relan, Net Jacobsson, and Jason Citron
Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron are the folks with their names on Aurora Feint, but as Danielle told us in an interview a while ago, Peter Relan is the real mastermind behind the growing Feint empire. Not only did he put the two together in an idea lab, but he's one of the driving forces behind the OpenFeint enterprise. Under his oversight, the Feint folks have swelled to become one of the major forces behind iPhone gaming (and thus, behind the iPhone's app ecosystem itself).Netanel "Net" Jacobsson is a newer addition -- he's previously worked with Sony Ericsson on their mobile devices and Facebook on their own growing app empire, and now he's arrived at OpenFeint to help them use the lessons he's learned at the biggest online social networks around on their social software. Get the sense of how big this is yet? Relan, Jacobsen, and Citron all have pretty big ideas about where iPhone gaming is going, and as 3.0 comes down the pike and introduces a whole set of new features from Apple, they're in the best seat they can be in to do exactly what they want to do.TUAW sat down with the three last week, and chatted about iPhone 3.0 and why it's such a big deal for developers, how they're going to approach microtransactions (carefully), and what's coming next for OpenFeint now that they've rounded up a whole stable full of developers implementing their backbone. Click "read more" to continue.
