Watched a few DICE talks thanks to G4’s(?) coverage. I had no idea they were covering non-commercial industry events, maybe they’ll cover GDC for me since I can’t really afford to go. Anyway, here are some thoughts.
#OnLive
If I were a big publisher I would start figuring out how to make my products thrive in this ecosystem. Once games are on an even playing field, many of the advantages that big publishers had (distribution, marketing, etc) go out the window. And if quality is king, then publicly traded publishers will need to adapt. Also, while the value of OnLive to core gamers is obvious, Nintendo still rules the family + living room experience. So unless someone other than Nintendo can make Nintendo software, I don’t see OnLive being the single source of TV gaming.
#JesseSchell
Jesse Schell’s captivating presentation on ‘human game design’ got my wheels turning. The casual/social revolution is pretty clearly a business winner. I could imagine those products becoming the backbone of large publishers. Their developers may need to worry about the laws governing some of their revenue and/or Facebook driving up their marketing costs, but I’m sure they’ll do just fine. What I find more interesting about this genre is how these games work and what can be learned from them. As Schell points out, these games are deeply rooted in psychology/social psychology and we are just starting to see what that type of game can do.
The possibilities are endless: games to make everyday tasks more interesting, games for your health or the environment, games that can take advantage of people and finally, amazing new ‘core’ game experiences that can give us something deep. Sure I want a BioWare WiiFit/RPG as much as the next guy, but that last group of game is the one I’m excited for. And we’re already seeing it to some extent; look at the social connectivity in Demon’s Souls or how Microsoft makes Halo addictive or what Bioshock was trying for with ‘would you kindly’. I can’t wait to see if designers can use psychology to design games that can impact us more than other mediums. Can they teach us about our own nature or help us gain new perspectives? At the very least, Jesse Schell earned himself a book purchase.