Aug 282011
 
FIFA Soccer 12

Older readers may think this blog title is the name of a 70’s disco-funk band. Sorry to disappoint, but it *is* a start at thinking about the importance of the steps that lead to the success of an important (for fans and studios) release – especially for a sequel or new episode where fans’ expectations can only be for something better that they previously consumed and raved about.

When a successful title has a number after it – either to indicate a calendar year or sequence number – that breeds an expectation of a followup. Sometimes these hopes are shattered by unforeseen circumstances, such as when the EA Madden franchise got exclusive NFL rights and neutered ESPN NFL 2K5 (arguably the better football title that year) from having any progeny. But, for the most part, there is financial and social pressure for the next edition to appear. Annual updates, such as those for sports titles, are enslaved to unforgiving deadlines to deliver the good in time for the new season. Many non-sports titles are less disciplined about forthcoming releases, and may have good reason such as the availability or home-grown creation of new technologies that will wow fans and justify spending 50-70 bucks on a triple A title.

The subject of this post centers around the upcoming FIFA 12 release, although I expect many qualities and experiences would be similar for other titles and genres such as the next Portal, Battlefield, etc.

Like a little seedling, conversations and speculations arise on the internet through forums and game critique websites. Some gameplay video may even get “leaked’ (wink-wink) to generate some pre-buzz. The first big moment happens at E3. People get to see in-person glimpses, reviewers and business partners get some hands-time, and interviews let the devs and projects leads tell their stories about what’s great this time around. FIFA 12 introduced a “new” technology with a catchy name to make a clear distinction about what’s going to be better in the game play. IMHO EA did a superb job providing videos and developer interviews explaining the Player Impact Engine – which provides more realistic reactions when players get tackled on, as well as Pro Player Intelligence, which guides AI players on the field to make decisions based on the attributes of the other players on their team, such as an AI player deciding whether to cross the ball to a tall teammate (e.g. Peter Crouch) in front of goal, versus passing the ball back to a skilled outside shooter. Precision Dribbling, Tactical Defending and a new Career Mode add enough firepower to warrant the new purchase. You can see what I’m talking about in this YouTube video. The final ploy to get your hard-earned dollars, and prime the revenue pump is the $20 credit you get when pre-ordering through Amazon.

Summarizing, EA seems to have hit on all cylinders by generating some internet buzz, having good demos at E3, putting lots of new-feature videos on the internet, personalizing their message by involving their dev leads, and providing a nice $20 reward for pre-ordering. The only thing I can criticize is the unimaginative and repetitive box art.

Aug 132011
 

In this 2007 followup to his “Synthetic Worlds” book, Castronova sent me on a journey of new ideas. Some of his ideas made sense right of the bat, while others made me stop and reflect a bit. All of it is insightful and thought-provoking. Essentially, the work lays out a vision for what is expected to happen along the evolutionary lines that virtual worlds have been following since the early days of MMOGs. The book also discusses some projections and suggestions about how we can expect our real world to be affected by the very real trend that people are devoting more time inhabiting virtual worlds and spending more of their wages there.

The book lays out a set of predictions, each of which is elaborated on throughout the book. At the core of the book’s vision, is that as virtual worlds become more attractive to inhabit and earn income from than the “real” world, more people will spend more of their time there. This is no different than people who save up or dream of moving to a real-world location that will be more beneficial to them, for whatever reason – climate, taxes, job opportunities, etc. Millions of people already “migrate” to virtual worlds for a significant period of their time each week, and some of them have jobs and earn real income there, like “builders” in Second Life.

Another major point is that much of the attraction of virtual worlds and online games is the “fun” it provides to the player. Castronova warns that real-world jobs and experiences need to compete on that basis. I think many of us can look back at our prior TV viewing habits and recognize that we are spending much less time on that form of entertainment. An unfortunate consequence may be that we are also spending less time on healthy and rewarding outdoor activities.

Castronova’s main predictions from 2007 are as follows:
1. Even larger numbers of people will spend many hours inside online games
2. The public will come to think of game design and public policy design as roughly similar activities
3. Game design techniques may find their way into real-world policy debates
4. Public policy will begin to focus more directly on human happiness, even fun, than it does now. Ultimately, games will force “fun” onto the policy agenda.

One of the more believable changes that could come about, in my opinion, is that gradually, companies will begin to provide employment progression that is not limited to how many people can obtain the highest ranks in the company. In the same way that MMO players “level up” by reaching certain amounts of experience points, each person can proceed at their own pace to become knowledgeable and capable enough to earn the points necessary to reach each successive rank or title. Just as some MMO quests are simply not practical to “solo,” teaming with others would be required to develop some of the skills necessary to proceed up to higher ranks.


Additionally, we are starting to feel the effects that Castronova predicted with all the talk and activity around the “gamification” of mobile applications and real-world experiences – even to the point where many people feel it’s overused, such as getting a badge (icon or image) when you simply arrive at a physical location or click an icon on a website without having to apply any skill or strategy.

There’s more to the book than what I’ve highlighted, such as tax policy issues for virtual world earnings, but now it’s up to you to take that trip if you’re interested.

Aug 072011
 

Our favorite games. We reminisce fondly upon them. They line the shelves in the halls of our memory; over time some collect dust, but for those that endure, they remain in our lives to be recalled, replayed, and shared. The definition of favorite varies. Some make favorite because they provide incredible action, memorable stories, engaging mechanics, or intense visuals. But the games that really reach our most hallowed heights of “favorite games” are those that attach us to a time in our past.

For me one of those games comes from an unlikely genre: classic board war games. Terrible Swift Sword is an old game, originally published by the long defunct SPI in 1976, it was updated with a second edition in 1986 by TSR when that company bought the rights to SPI’s intellectual property. The second edition copy that sits firmly Terrible Swift Sword in an honored place on my game shelf was a gift by one of my oldest friends. Together we spent countless hours in our youth playing the classic war games, from the venerable Tactics II to contemporary games like Ultimatum. The year 1986 was at the twilight of classical board war gaming and this copy of Terrible Swift Sword was the last boxed war game either of us purchased. That in itself gives it an emotional edge, being the last of its kind; but what made this even more special is that it was bought in Gettysburg. We were both Civil War buffs and his trip to Gettysburg while on leave with the U.S. army was one of those seminal moments for any student of the conflict. I knew he would be visiting the battlefield (by a written letter to me, yes handwritten; this was 1986 and email was unheard of), but when he came back with a copy of a game we had read about but never had seen a copy of (remember no internet either), well, I was ecstatic. At this point in our lives things were changing, I was in college, he had his military career, and the time we had to sit down to a lengthy board game was hard to come by. That scarcity of opportunity made the few times we were able to play even more special. Terrible Swift Sword Being students of the battle, we often discussed General James Longstreet’s actions with lively debate, so naturally, we placed a picture of him in the box top so that when we faced off he could be placed upright and stand firm over the action, judging our strategies. The games went longer because we talked, laughed, and had fun just being there, sharing that time.

All of this history transformed that copy of Terrible Swift Sword from another of the many, to one of the special; one of the unforgettable that I take down from my shelf with care, open the box, and remember.