GamerNode: Jorge Albor's Columns

OnLies

Industry sales grew 19 percent in 2008 compared with a year earlier, the kind of sales growth that would thrill many industries during a deep recession. And yet the list of money-losing companies includes top names in gaming: Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive and THQ. Dozens of smaller game studios selling games for download and the mom-and-pop companies offering ad-supported "casual games" on the Web are still trying to figure out how to turn their millions of players into profitable customers.

As some see it, these cheaper "casual games" are lowering popular notions about how much a videogame should cost. In addition, with a larger selection of these titles, consumers more easily easily snatch up wallet-friendly games and ignore costly releases. Yet publishers can't reasonably raise t...

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What's In The Box

The current state of the art is represented by games like Electronic Arts' Dead Space, which came with a seven-month media barrage -- first a series of comics, then an interactive web experience and finally an animated movie on DVD.

Dead Space marked a turning point for EA on two counts. It was one of several games the company released last year that were based on a fresh idea rather than a long-established franchise or a Hollywood licensing deal. More importantly, it was the first example of a new strategy CEO John Riccitiello calls "IP cubed": Games with rich story lines that can be extended into other media, giving fans the opportunity to delve in as deeply as they want.

As Rose points out, this isn't the first time a crossover marketing strategy has succeeded, citing the ilovebees alte...

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Taking Lessons from Valve

Stephen Totilo of MTV Multiplayer has a great rundown of some Newell's more industry changing prophecies. Some highlights include frequent content updates, digital rights management that makes access easier than pirating, and consistently fluctuating prices. But what I found most interesting from Newell's speech is this bit taken from a recent Wired article:

"The next big game-machine war won't be fought over graphics or fancy controllers, says Valve founder Gabe Newell. Instead, victory will go to the hardware firm that helps connect software publishers with their customers... Newell values this more than anything, and believes that any game console maker who gives publishers such insight will garner the most developer support in the next round. 'Consoles will succeed or fail to the degre...

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Puzzling Game Design

I need to make a confession. I'm a cheater.

Now before you harangue me, let me explain. I don't use hacks. I don't exploit maps, camp spawns, or bunny hop to the frustration of multi-player opponents. But I do have a history of cheating: I've used walk-throughs.

Most developers will agree, relying on an outside source to accomplish tasks is not how a videogame is meant to be played. In fact, some would out right criticize those who spoil an experience by peaking into the future. Games, one might say, are about exploration, about making the experience your own, about having moments of frustration mixed with moments of exhilaration. Particularly with puzzle games, even a small hint can ruin the enjoyable sense of accomplishment during the moment of epiphany.

Which is exactly why Jonathon Blows ...

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Just a Game About Iraq

Fellow Gamernode writer Tyler Cameron has a great column up right now regarding the game's design goals and potential pitfalls. I highly recommend giving it a read, particularly if you are interesting in why some have come out against the game, anti-war advocates and veterans alike. Peter Tamte, President of Atomic Games, recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal to address some of these concerns and explain the team's approach to a very touchy subject.

"For us, games are not just toys. If you look at how music, television and films have made sense of the complex issues of their times, it makes sense to do that with videogames," said Tamte.

I'm mostly in agreement with Tamte, preferring not set thematic limits on videogames, though I'm not so sure anyone can "make sense" of war. For some i...

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In the Nude for Games

The reaction to this scene is not surprising. Long have the guardians of modesty campaigned against depictions of sexuality and violence they deemed threatening to the moral fiber of society. The arguments, both for and against the game's nudity, were interesting. Common Sense Media, a media watchdog group, said this in their review for the game: "It is even more controversial than its predecessors because this game has full frontal male nudity." The thought a flacid male penis can in any way heighten the controversy of a game in which civilians are routinely slaughtered is a little much in my opinion, but that is beyond point. The response to this criticism fell along both lines, with passionate advocates of adult themed games discussing the merits of nudity. The discussion around this su...

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Some Hellish Thoughts

I will admit my hesitation to the idea of a Divine Comedy adaptation. A videogame adaptation of a 14th centure epic poem sounds laughable. The text is dense, the themes dark, mature, and critical, and the story does not lend itself well to an action-adventure title. Not surprisingly, the first segment of this panel attempted to address the cynicism surrounding the difficult work of translating a heavily respected literary work into a completely different medium. Knight discussed the importance of Dante's work on literature, the medieval world view of the afterlife, and popular-culture portrayals of sin. According to Knight, it is only natural such an astounding work of fiction makes its videogame debut.

Knight spoke passionately about the game's literary source, and I have no doubt he wants...

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A Gaming Civic Lesson

I have been playing World of Warcraft for a few years now. The persistent world inhabited by characters I recognize and befriend is fundamental to my enjoyment of the game. There is an exhilaration from accomplishing a complex fight with twenty-four friends that only an MMO player can experience. Not only do these communal battles offer fat loots, they also offer a decent civics lesson. 

Last week, Michigan's Capital Times published an article covering a speech given by University of Wisconsin-Madison education professor Constance Steinkuehler regarding online games creating better citizens. She made her argument during a speech entitled "Learning and Virtual Worlds: The Education Benefits of Digital Technologies" as part of a free event in a series of monthly lectures hosted by the Wiscons...

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A Female-Friendly DC Universe

When discussing gender in videogames, I approach with caution. I doubt this will come as a surprise, but the videogame industry is not known for its tactful portrayal of either sex. Yet with the booming casual market grabbing publishers' attentions, some developers are thinking twice about female players and their perceptions of dominant gender norms. While I encourage this type of introspection, some folks are a little too eager to slap on hastily prepared design choices to make a game more "female-friendly." Recently, Tracey John of MTV multiplayer received some information regarding the "female-friendly" aspects of DC Universe from creative director Jens Andersen:

 "A lot of my friends play with their significant other or spouse, and they usually like to play the stuff that's not so up...

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A Growing Space for MMOs?

Over the past six months it has become painfully obvious the videogame industry is not, in fact, recession-proof. Recent revenue reports and layoffs coming from EA and THQ have only driven home the fact. But according to a recent Reuters article, the economic crisis may be an opportunity for MMO publishers.

"Analysts say online games are not only recession-proof but can even get a boost from an economic slump, because people stay longer at home and have more time on their hands to play.

The so-called "massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)" typically takes months of extensive time investment, as a user-say, a warrior or sorcerer in the fantasy world-builds skills and takes on adversaries in a series of missions.

Online gamers' profiles are different from buyers of Nintendo's ...

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Nintendo's Lowered Expectations

"Nintendo has reported total lifetime sales of 96 million DS consoles as well as 45 million Wii consoles, two records which have driven the company's sales rise up 16.7 percent for the nine-month period ending December 2008."

Then why is the company reigning in their sales expectations for 2009? According to Edge magazine, Nintendo has lowered DS software sales projections by seven percent and Wii software and hardware sales by three percent for the 2009 fiscal year.

Yet the company expects sales to take a turn for the worst in the remaining fiscal year. Though it has revised forecasts of DS sales up, expecting additional growth of 3 percent, Nintendo expects software for the handheld to drop seven percent below previous expectations. Wii hardware, too, has seen a revision in sales project...

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Cheat Code for Sale

Correct me if I am wrong, but the reason we pay money for videogames is because we receive a certain amount of entertainment value in return. Call me crazy, but I think it's reasonable to expect access to this value immediately. This is why, with few exceptions, I have never been a fan of unlockable content. I'm a consumer, not some psychology student solving a puzzle to get at a nut. I give you money, you give me content; it's that easy. No other product I can think of puts such bizarre limitations on its consumers.

So when EA revealed their latest downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace, I was disgusted but not surprised. For 400 Microsoft Points, about five US dollars, you can purchase the Skate 2 Time is Money Pack: "If you are busy, or just plain lazy, 'Time is Money' will ...

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