{"id":19345,"date":"2010-06-26T14:41:57","date_gmt":"2010-06-26T13:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=19345"},"modified":"2010-06-26T14:44:01","modified_gmt":"2010-06-26T13:44:01","slug":"video-games%e2%80%a6so-many-options-so-little-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/video-games%e2%80%a6so-many-options-so-little-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Games\u2026So Many Options, So Little Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking commentary. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span> <strong> <\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"center\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Video Games\u2026So Many Options, So Little Time<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div id=\"oezo\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 267px; width: 434px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_424fjkr26g3_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 0.5in;\">\u201cLater. Let&#8217;s play Global Thermonuclear War.\u201d \u2013 <strong>David Lightman (Matthew Broderick), WarGames (1983), MGM<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Historically, two \u201cfringe\u201d markets drove technology advances.<\/p>\n<p>One was \u2013 and still is \u2013 video gaming\u2026if you can\u2019t figure out the second, tough!<\/p>\n<p>But video gaming isn\u2019t video gaming anymore.\u00a0 Not like it used to be, dominated by hardcore pasty skinned dudes who had more luck with their keyboards than with gals.<\/p>\n<p>Oh sure, Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts (EA) and others show off the next blood and guts, horror\/science flick games at E3; but the show is a Hollywood production.<\/p>\n<p>MS Kinetic will extend the life of the Xbox system \u2013 when it\u2019s available &#8212; but it is obviously trying to out-Wii Wii, hoping to get gamers off the couch to dance, exercise, play.<\/p>\n<p>Sony hopes to breathe life into the PlayStation franchise with 3D and its own \u201cmagic wand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo\u2019s mamby, pamby Wii changed that when they tapped into the mainstream player market.<\/p>\n<div id=\"e55g\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 256px; width: 392px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_425hch563dz_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Figure 2 &#8212; New Models \u2013 <\/strong>You just know that the gaming fanboys eyes were popping and they were drooling to get their hands on Nintendo\u2019s new 3DS.\u00a0 The models were just 3DS holders for the E3 attendees.\u00a0 <strong>Photo &#8212; ZDNet<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There were plenty of zombies, mutant warriors, promises.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, consoles still represent the heart &#8212; and major share \u2013 of the huge video game market (59% of a $25.3 B industry); but now there\u2019s more\u2026so much more:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Game portals 11%<\/li>\n<li> MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) \u2013 8%<\/li>\n<li> mobile \u2013 4%<\/li>\n<li> PC games \u2013 17%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The iPhone\/smartphone chiseled away with the cheap on-the-go games.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the gaming is still offline (62%), according to NPD; but while console sales dropped last year by 28%, comScore reported that the number of online gamers rose 22% through May.<\/p>\n<p>That brings the online total to 90 million +\/- players.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t ignore the online game folks like Blizzard\u2019s World of Warcraft (WoW), which drags them in a cool $1 B a year.<\/p>\n<p>Probably the best news for the hardcore dudes\/dudettes (and riff-raff) was that Sir Richard Branson was revitalizing Virgin Games with some huge bragging rights (and money) tournaments for all levels of players.<\/p>\n<p>While WarGames\u2019 FBI agent said, <em>\u201cHe says he does this sort of thing for fun.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t let him kid you\u2026he does it to win!<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"zrz5\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 286px; width: 446px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_426f45r2rgm_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/strong><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Figure 3 &#8212; Money Talks \u2013 <\/strong>If there\u2019s one thing Sir Richard Branson has learned in building the Virgin franchise, it\u2019s that it is important to be self-assured and bold.\u00a0 A $1M prize pot is bold\u2026real bold.\u00a0 <strong>Source &#8212; CNet<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Online Pay-to-Play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes there\u2019s more than just WoW and Virgin in the online market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u201d is there including the console folks and tons of social media locations<\/p>\n<div id=\"r6cx\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 213px; width: 488px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_427fbs3ndgg_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Figure 4 &#8212; Online Play \u2013 <\/strong>People are already online with their Web searches, checking\/updating their social pages, getting their entertainment.\u00a0 No wonder they\u2019re increasingly slipping over onto the video game locations to challenge their wits, dexterity and compete with others around the globe.\u00a0 <strong>Source \u2013 Trendstream, Lightspeed Research<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>They\u2019re all dreaming of huge subscription-based service incomes from the social gaming movement.<\/p>\n<p>But Blizzard keeps people coming back month after month, year after year by introducing new scenes, adversaries, storylines.<\/p>\n<p>A few lines of code (gawd, we make it sound simple) and <strong><em>BAM!!<\/em><\/strong> it\u2019s a whole new game.<\/p>\n<p>The growth of social media sites and the popularity of real-time simulation games have given a huge boost to social gaming.<\/p>\n<p>The traditional game folks are shifting resources toward this newer form of game play and playing with a variety of income models \u2013 subscriptions, free\/ad supported, a pleasant blend of all three.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the hardware costs, online games have always been immensely popular in China and South Korea.<\/p>\n<p>The online social addicts gather at Internet cafes for hours on end to challenge each other and themselves in brutal combat or down-home farming and other pursuits.<\/p>\n<p>The Asian game developers have developed a lot of experience on how to attract, win and hold social players and they \u2013 like every game producer \u2013 is pushing to enter the world\u2019s largest single country gaming market\u2026the US.<\/p>\n<p>For these game producers, it\u2019s a lot like theatrical producers getting their play on Broadway.\u00a0 Being number one \u201cthere\u201d is nice but being number one in the US means you lead <strong><em>everywhere!!!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gaming On the Go<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mobile games have always been a great time to fill idle time\u2026like in a meeting.<\/p>\n<p>It was unprofessional for Gen Xers, boomers, boomers plus to carry a PSP or DS into a board meeting; but who knew you were playing Tetris, Tic-Tac-Toe, Bejeweled or whatever on your phone.<\/p>\n<p>Job\u2019s iPhone which has been accused of destroying every market segment it enters \u2013 except of course Apple\u2019s &#8212; has done the same the mobile gaming.<\/p>\n<div id=\"e0.q\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 210px; width: 325px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_428g9gmjmgk_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Figure 5 &#8212; So Much More \u2013 <\/strong>Some want you to believe that the smartphone\/iPhone is a device for making calls.\u00a0\u00a0 Most people view the always-with-you device as a way for them to do almost everything, including relaxing, playing games.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>O.K., so what if DFC estimates people around the world will spend $5.6 billion on mobile gaming this year, up 19% over 2009.<\/p>\n<p>By 2014, Gartner projects the market will increase to $11.4 billion in spending.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Untitled-11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-19347\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Untitled-11.jpg?resize=300%2C96\" alt=\"Untitled-1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Untitled-11-300x96.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Untitled-11.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Figure 6 &#8212; Gaming Plus \u2013 <\/strong>Smartphones\/iPhones will challenge the sale of mobile gaming devices like the PSP and Nintendo DS because they offer an endless array of inexpensive game play options plus digital connection and entertainment.\u00a0 <strong>Source \u2013 Gartner<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Or, as General Beringer said looking at his gaming options, <em>\u201cafter very careful consideration, sir, I&#8217;ve come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Of course, every smartphone now has hundreds, heck thousands, of games available and every game developer is busy with the manufacturer\u2019s SDK (software developer kit) to shovel something into the store for you to buy.<\/p>\n<p>Most people won\u2019t tell you that while a gazillion copies have been downloaded, most of them are <strong><em>free.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most of the games are under a buck&#8211;max is about $10.<\/p>\n<p>Apple only keeps 40% (they prefer to say you get 60%&#8230;sounds better).<\/p>\n<p>With that kind of take-home you\u2019ve gotta\u2019 sell a half-gazillion to have a salary for a staff of any size (which may be why most come from one-person shops).<\/p>\n<p>The smartphone rage doesn\u2019t bother Sony or Nintendo though.<\/p>\n<p>Their publicists said, <em>\u201cAt the end of the day, you buy the iPhone to make calls.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p>And&#8230;<em> \u201cNo one can match our years of experience in the hand-held market and the subscriber base we\u2019ve built up over the last 20 years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Our response?:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> Obviously, they\u2019ve never tried to make a call with their iPhone\/smartphone<\/li>\n<li> 20 years of experience often means you\u2019ve made the same assumptions, made the same mistakes 20 times<\/li>\n<li> How much does their game cost compared to one\u2026or two\u2026or three\u2026or \u2026 from the app store(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The crowd of fanboys at E3 may have given the hardware\/software folks a distorted view of the WW gaming public.<\/p>\n<p>But General Beringer couldn\u2019t be bothered as he handled his controls and would just say, <em>\u201cLook, I don&#8217;t have time for a conversation right now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"h5hr\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 211px; width: 310px;\" src=\"http:\/\/docs.google.com\/File?id=dfp9p5h9_430cbm8z66x_b\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Figure 7 &#8212; Dead Play \u2013 <\/strong>Zombies, aliens, warriors and even cartoons are great 3D entertainment, excitement as long as you have all the tools \u2013 console, game, controllers, glasses, 3D TV set.\u00a0 Getting enough sets in the home may take a while since most households just moved up to HD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sure, our kids love the shoot-&#8217;em-ups, alien attacks, war games but they\u2019re spending more time with online social games and running around with their phone\/text\/email\/music\/video\/game device.<\/p>\n<p>They may want the next gen 3D games\/controllers, but they need a new TV set for that and guess what\u2026ain\u2019t gonna happen until the year-old HD set wears out.<\/p>\n<p>That should take ooohhh three, four, five \u2026years.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, there are a growing number of social communities they can play in with relative safety.<\/p>\n<p>And at a buck a throw they can get some fair games and they like gaming variety as Jennifer (Ally Sheedny) noted,\u00a0 <em>\u201cBecause it&#8217;s a boring game.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The big question is\u2026are the hardcorers where the real money is at?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll be examining the demographics\u2026shortly.<\/p>\n<div><strong>By  G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>President<\/strong><strong> Marken Communications, Inc. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>________________<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; 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A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking commentary. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,5],"tags":[3831,331,1342,3828,3827,3829,3826,303,3830],"class_list":["post-19345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-gaming","tag-casual-games","tag-iphone","tag-mmorpg","tag-ninentendo-ds","tag-online-games","tag-sony-ps3-magic-wand","tag-video-games","tag-wii","tag-xbox360-kinetic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}