Every time one of these studies comes in, it feels like we're all at the World's Fair, doesn't it? (And we'll play them while being driven in our hover cars!) A study by eMarketer released today reveals the projection that, by 2013, there will be 73.6 million social gamers in the U.S. of A. This number will explode from today's estimated 61.9 million Facebook gamers in the country, which already sounds a bit low to us. And because of these growing numbers, eMarketer thinks it's thanks to shifting demographics.
"Gone are the days when only males ages 18 to 34 were hardcore gamers or only moms were pelting their Facebook friends with requests for hens or heifers in social games like FarmVille," eMarketer senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips--and author of this very report, "Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur as the Market Grows--said. "Today's core gamers are also playing casual games. More women are using game consoles beyond the Nintendo Wii, and their game choices include many genres."
And, you know what, she might be right. Just recently, it was estimated that by the same time, 2013, hardcore social games will grow five-fold. Not to mention that there already are nearly 80 million strategy gamers on the platform. While the casual, FarmVille-loving sector will certainly continue to grow, this is hardly the last we've heard from the "hardcore" gaming crowd on Facebook. Check out even more about these rapid yet expected demographic shifts right here.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn facebook games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn facebook games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Kontagent's Josh Williams on why analytics matter in Facebook games [Interview]
Analyta-what? Is that even a real word? Well, not according to the New Oxford Dictionary, but it's nevertheless become terribly important to how the games hundreds of millions of us play daily are made and distributed. Noticing the increasing trend in analytics, or the use of measurable data to crowd source design decisions, we sat down and talked with Josh Williams (pictured below) to learn more.
Josh is President of Kontagent, a San Francisco-based firm that provides analytics tracking services to major social and mobile app companies, namely game makers. The service has been officially tracking 150 million monthly players worldwide across a variety of social games, so we figured Josh would know a bit about what analytics has uncovered regarding our social gaming habits. We also learned that, frankly, this stuff is pretty darn important to how our favorite games are made.
For the uninformed, can you explain what analytics is, exactly?
Analytics help developers look at what players are doing in their games, and then figure out what's working and what's not. The best analytics are sort of a mechanism for players to vote on what they like and don't like inside of a game.
Now that Kontagent tracks about 150 million monthly players worldwide, what would you say are the most interesting numbers relating to how social gamers play?
On the mobile side, there was a bunch of change in the last three to six months. Freemium games have just taken over on mobile over the last several months. So that's changed the way--developers are used to putting out one-time payment games [on the Apple App Store]--developers structure their apps to better track what players are doing.
Generally, people are spending more and more time, but there are more gamers on Facebook than in mobile. But the time is increasing per player a lot, too. From six months ago, [people are playing] 20 percent more time per person between mobile games and social games. It's really changing quickly.
For how long do social gamers play their games? And what are players buying most frequently while playing?
There's a huge range, but on average--the average gamer that plays mobile and social games--is about 20 minutes a day or more now playing. But the range is huge. Of course, you have people who average just a minute per day but for some it's in the hours now. It's really become a major method of consumption for games.
It really depends on the game, but overall we're seeing a shift. Early on, micro-transactions were a lot about the cosmetic items. That has definitely shifted now to items that have use in the game. There are two classifications for those: durable goods, or things that you buy and last forever, and the consumable stuff. The consumable goods are taking a larger and larger portion of micro-transactions spent both in social and mobile games. Right now, it's roughly split between [the two]. Mobile games are a little bit behind, but they're rapidly evolving.
More specifically, what are the numbers showing about how "social" social gamers are (i.e. how and what are they sharing through updates)?
These games are designed to be that way, but there are a few different numbers to look at, one being the number of users coming in via social channels--the virality of the app. Another is how many social messages get sent, and then also how many responses happen to those. Or, when you see a friend posting about [a social game] how often do you respond to those posts. All three of those numbers for social games are high, but for mobile it's actually really, really low.
When it comes to new users entering a game when their friends post a message about it, you can get as much as 15 percent--some games do a lot better, but that's a typical number--from the messages being sent out. [It's huge,] but that number actually used to be a little higher back in the days when Facebook used to just spam everybody. Facebook has toned that down a lot, which is a good thing for gamers, I think.
Kontagent
Recently, Kontagent CEO Jeff Tseng said that social games are more like casinos than we think. Could you speak to that, and how are social gamers' habits supporting that ideology?
There's a lot of the same psychology at play in a lot of the social games. In the social games now, you have a lot of them designed around simple mechanics that's kind of the gambling psychology and structure. But I'd say there is a lot more quality wrapped around [them].
What would you say is most useful about analytics to a game designer?
I'd say analytics are pretty vital to mobile and social game development. Think about it: This is the first time in the last few years that you could have a direct connection with players. Back in the days of retail games, you were basically building in the dark. Maybe you did some play testing and even had a beta. But after shipment they're hoping they did a good job, waiting until the reviews and sales numbers to come in.
Now, designers really change reviews--a lot of times they'll shift something within the first patch. And a lot of times that works, so from there the numbers that are most important to a designer are engagement metrics. So, you're looking at how much time people are spending in the game, how frequently are they coming back. If you have a sharing mechanism, how often are they sharing. You're looking for the numbers that tell how much they like the game.
Josh WilliamsWould you say that monetization becomes more of a priority later down the line for developers?
Yeah, that's right, so monetization becomes a priority later. It's not like you don't think about it up until that point. It's partly retrofitted, but the real optimization doesn't come until later.
Many traditional game developers have gotten into using analytics to inform their game's creation (take Bioware with Mass Effect 2, for instance). Why do you think analytics is slowly becoming a norm in game design across the board?
It's so powerful to have that insight. Analytics are kind of a voting mechanism for the players, so if you can get that feedback on what players really like, why wouldn't you want it? And I think traditional game developers are seeing how well it works in social games and mobile. I think it's going to be more and more [prevalent].
Josh is President of Kontagent, a San Francisco-based firm that provides analytics tracking services to major social and mobile app companies, namely game makers. The service has been officially tracking 150 million monthly players worldwide across a variety of social games, so we figured Josh would know a bit about what analytics has uncovered regarding our social gaming habits. We also learned that, frankly, this stuff is pretty darn important to how our favorite games are made.
For the uninformed, can you explain what analytics is, exactly?
Analytics help developers look at what players are doing in their games, and then figure out what's working and what's not. The best analytics are sort of a mechanism for players to vote on what they like and don't like inside of a game.
Now that Kontagent tracks about 150 million monthly players worldwide, what would you say are the most interesting numbers relating to how social gamers play?
On the mobile side, there was a bunch of change in the last three to six months. Freemium games have just taken over on mobile over the last several months. So that's changed the way--developers are used to putting out one-time payment games [on the Apple App Store]--developers structure their apps to better track what players are doing.
Generally, people are spending more and more time, but there are more gamers on Facebook than in mobile. But the time is increasing per player a lot, too. From six months ago, [people are playing] 20 percent more time per person between mobile games and social games. It's really changing quickly.
For how long do social gamers play their games? And what are players buying most frequently while playing?
There's a huge range, but on average--the average gamer that plays mobile and social games--is about 20 minutes a day or more now playing. But the range is huge. Of course, you have people who average just a minute per day but for some it's in the hours now. It's really become a major method of consumption for games.
It really depends on the game, but overall we're seeing a shift. Early on, micro-transactions were a lot about the cosmetic items. That has definitely shifted now to items that have use in the game. There are two classifications for those: durable goods, or things that you buy and last forever, and the consumable stuff. The consumable goods are taking a larger and larger portion of micro-transactions spent both in social and mobile games. Right now, it's roughly split between [the two]. Mobile games are a little bit behind, but they're rapidly evolving.
More specifically, what are the numbers showing about how "social" social gamers are (i.e. how and what are they sharing through updates)?
These games are designed to be that way, but there are a few different numbers to look at, one being the number of users coming in via social channels--the virality of the app. Another is how many social messages get sent, and then also how many responses happen to those. Or, when you see a friend posting about [a social game] how often do you respond to those posts. All three of those numbers for social games are high, but for mobile it's actually really, really low.
When it comes to new users entering a game when their friends post a message about it, you can get as much as 15 percent--some games do a lot better, but that's a typical number--from the messages being sent out. [It's huge,] but that number actually used to be a little higher back in the days when Facebook used to just spam everybody. Facebook has toned that down a lot, which is a good thing for gamers, I think.
Kontagent
Recently, Kontagent CEO Jeff Tseng said that social games are more like casinos than we think. Could you speak to that, and how are social gamers' habits supporting that ideology?
There's a lot of the same psychology at play in a lot of the social games. In the social games now, you have a lot of them designed around simple mechanics that's kind of the gambling psychology and structure. But I'd say there is a lot more quality wrapped around [them].
What would you say is most useful about analytics to a game designer?
I'd say analytics are pretty vital to mobile and social game development. Think about it: This is the first time in the last few years that you could have a direct connection with players. Back in the days of retail games, you were basically building in the dark. Maybe you did some play testing and even had a beta. But after shipment they're hoping they did a good job, waiting until the reviews and sales numbers to come in.
Now, designers really change reviews--a lot of times they'll shift something within the first patch. And a lot of times that works, so from there the numbers that are most important to a designer are engagement metrics. So, you're looking at how much time people are spending in the game, how frequently are they coming back. If you have a sharing mechanism, how often are they sharing. You're looking for the numbers that tell how much they like the game.
Josh WilliamsWould you say that monetization becomes more of a priority later down the line for developers?
Yeah, that's right, so monetization becomes a priority later. It's not like you don't think about it up until that point. It's partly retrofitted, but the real optimization doesn't come until later.
Many traditional game developers have gotten into using analytics to inform their game's creation (take Bioware with Mass Effect 2, for instance). Why do you think analytics is slowly becoming a norm in game design across the board?
It's so powerful to have that insight. Analytics are kind of a voting mechanism for the players, so if you can get that feedback on what players really like, why wouldn't you want it? And I think traditional game developers are seeing how well it works in social games and mobile. I think it's going to be more and more [prevalent].
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Should FarmVille maker Zynga watch out for Richard Garriott?
The legendary creator of Ultima known to many fans as Lord British has founded a social game development company called Portalarium and is after Zynga's runaway success in the industry. Richard Garriott, who was right in the middle of the MMO movement back in the early 1990s with Ultima Online, hopes to catch up with the rest of the social gaming world through Portalarium, according to VentureBeat. In fact, Garriott has a detailed plan on how to do just that, which he teases in the video above.
It's interesting and entirely expected that Garriott would have his eyes fixated on Zynga immediately out the gate. If his previous endeavors in both game creation and space travel (yes, it's true) say anything, it's that Lord British aims astronomically high. In his talk with VentureBeat, the Ultima mastermind chronicles three major eras in video gaming: the single-player age, the massively multiplayer age and the social gaming age. According to Garriott, social games will take another three years to mature into something similar to MMO or single-player games.
Of course, this is a gamble just like his previous launch, Tabula Rasa, was. Not even Playfish, a studio backed by the ubiquitous EA, has been able to topple Zynga and its 250 million plus players. But if anyone can come into the game during the third quarter and come out on top, it's someone who has helped spurred two of gaming's major eras. Portalarium will launch its first game within a month's time, which according to Garriott will not be an act of "plagiarism"--an allusion to Zynga's oft-criticized practices.
After that, he plans to return the studio to his roots and release a Facebook game that is "Lord British's brave new world, or a spiritual successor to my previous work," VentureBeat reports. "This is a particularly exciting period for the game industry," he said. "We are about to begin a new time of invention."
Are you excited to see what Lord British can produce for social games? What do you think "Lord British's brave new world" will look like on Facebook?
It's interesting and entirely expected that Garriott would have his eyes fixated on Zynga immediately out the gate. If his previous endeavors in both game creation and space travel (yes, it's true) say anything, it's that Lord British aims astronomically high. In his talk with VentureBeat, the Ultima mastermind chronicles three major eras in video gaming: the single-player age, the massively multiplayer age and the social gaming age. According to Garriott, social games will take another three years to mature into something similar to MMO or single-player games.
Of course, this is a gamble just like his previous launch, Tabula Rasa, was. Not even Playfish, a studio backed by the ubiquitous EA, has been able to topple Zynga and its 250 million plus players. But if anyone can come into the game during the third quarter and come out on top, it's someone who has helped spurred two of gaming's major eras. Portalarium will launch its first game within a month's time, which according to Garriott will not be an act of "plagiarism"--an allusion to Zynga's oft-criticized practices.
After that, he plans to return the studio to his roots and release a Facebook game that is "Lord British's brave new world, or a spiritual successor to my previous work," VentureBeat reports. "This is a particularly exciting period for the game industry," he said. "We are about to begin a new time of invention."
Are you excited to see what Lord British can produce for social games? What do you think "Lord British's brave new world" will look like on Facebook?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Diamond Dash on Facebook: It smells like Bejeweled Blitz in here
Diamond Dash
Diamond Dash, Wooga's fifth Facebook game, is nearly a flawless puzzle game on the platform. It's too bad that it's already been done before, has millions of daily players and a mobile version to boot. While Diamond Dash is an impressive puzzle game, it has undoubtedly been "inspired" by Bejeweled Blitz, a PopCap game. Did we say inspired by? Sorry, we meant that aside from switching up the method through which you destroy shiny gems oh, so slightly, this is a Bejeweled clone.
Now don't you go all, "Take it easy, Joe. It's no big deal." While you would be absolutely right in saying that, do we really need another spin-off of an already popular game? The colored gems, 60-second timer, weekly tournaments, level system, Hearts, and power ups are all accounted for--just as they are in Blitz. However, instead of switching gems through either clicking-and-dragging or clicking two gems, players just have to click sections of three or more identical gems.
Level Up!
While that sounds simple enough, it actually turns out to be more difficult when your brain has been hardwired for switching rather than clicking. In fact, the clicking approach to bashing gems actually feels less rewarding than the tried-and-true method. Then again, that feeling could be a result of the nagging thought, "I've done this before ... on my phone." Simply clicking gems to destroy rather than the split-second thought process of switching gems is rather mindless, which could easily be the point of the game: Just turn off the brain for a few minutes and blow up some shiny stuff.
While that would have been a unique hook, it's sadly not the case due to the game's tournament system and focus on speed to maximize points. Worse even is that your Hearts, another game feature borrowed from PopCap, do not refill over time, but only after asking friends to help. Hearts are required to play 60-second Diamond Dash matches, but you're only given five Hearts to start. Sure, Facebook games are social, but literally forcing players to harass their friends to keep playing is just disruptive. Sadly, these are the types of games that keep the genre from escaping its stereotypes. But if what you're looking for is some good old mindless fun, give it a go.
Click here to play Diamond Dash on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Diamond Dash for Facebook yet? Which game do you think does gem-busting better?
Diamond Dash, Wooga's fifth Facebook game, is nearly a flawless puzzle game on the platform. It's too bad that it's already been done before, has millions of daily players and a mobile version to boot. While Diamond Dash is an impressive puzzle game, it has undoubtedly been "inspired" by Bejeweled Blitz, a PopCap game. Did we say inspired by? Sorry, we meant that aside from switching up the method through which you destroy shiny gems oh, so slightly, this is a Bejeweled clone.
Now don't you go all, "Take it easy, Joe. It's no big deal." While you would be absolutely right in saying that, do we really need another spin-off of an already popular game? The colored gems, 60-second timer, weekly tournaments, level system, Hearts, and power ups are all accounted for--just as they are in Blitz. However, instead of switching gems through either clicking-and-dragging or clicking two gems, players just have to click sections of three or more identical gems.
Level Up!
While that sounds simple enough, it actually turns out to be more difficult when your brain has been hardwired for switching rather than clicking. In fact, the clicking approach to bashing gems actually feels less rewarding than the tried-and-true method. Then again, that feeling could be a result of the nagging thought, "I've done this before ... on my phone." Simply clicking gems to destroy rather than the split-second thought process of switching gems is rather mindless, which could easily be the point of the game: Just turn off the brain for a few minutes and blow up some shiny stuff.
While that would have been a unique hook, it's sadly not the case due to the game's tournament system and focus on speed to maximize points. Worse even is that your Hearts, another game feature borrowed from PopCap, do not refill over time, but only after asking friends to help. Hearts are required to play 60-second Diamond Dash matches, but you're only given five Hearts to start. Sure, Facebook games are social, but literally forcing players to harass their friends to keep playing is just disruptive. Sadly, these are the types of games that keep the genre from escaping its stereotypes. But if what you're looking for is some good old mindless fun, give it a go.
Click here to play Diamond Dash on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Diamond Dash for Facebook yet? Which game do you think does gem-busting better?
Ireland Town on Facebook: Score a trip to the Emerald Isle
In honor of the best holiday this side of June (even in the Irish in me can't trump Christmas), Tourism Ireland has launched its very own social game, Ireland Town. According to Tnooz, players can create their own quaint Irish town complete with shops, pubs and farms. A virtual tour guide is also in the game to introduce players to everything Ireland has to offer. (The game was created by a tourism agency, you know.) There are 32 different locations in Ireland Town and nine tasks to complete for points and other goodies at each landmark. In an effort to get folks excited about the land of green pastures--as if folks needed any more reason--the company is offering a trip to Ireland ... for real.
Click here to play Ireland Town on Facebook Now>
Is this reason enough to play Ireland Town? Do you see other tourism groups creating Facebook games?
Click here to play Ireland Town on Facebook Now>
Is this reason enough to play Ireland Town? Do you see other tourism groups creating Facebook games?
Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 12, 2011
Sumon is Tetris-meets-math class on Facebook, Chrome and mobile
If there is one game genre that will likely survive them all, it's puzzlers. San Francisco-based Ludei claims to be one of the first social game developers to launch a game on Facebook, Chrome, HTML5, iOS and Android. The game is called Sumon, a puzzle game that evokes feelings of Tetris, but with math-centric gameplay that's said to serve well as a mind sharpening tool.
The game combines simple math problems through addition with spatial reasoning. Players are presented with a series of blocks, each with specific numbers on them, and a goal number. It's up to players to string blocks together to reach that goal number. Of course, the game sets players against the clock, adding numbered blocks until each level is cleared.
"Sumon is the first in a series of titles that is going to take advantage of bleeding edge innovation in mobile entertainment as we plan for a bigger footprint in the U.S. and worldwide," Ludei CEO Eneko Knorr said in a release. "By launching on HTML5, iOS and Android, we're able to bring Sumon to the largest possible audience, a sentiment that is often discussed but rarely executed-until now."
It's certainly a novel strategy in the social games world where the pressure to go multiplatform or go home is increasing. There are three modes of play in Sumon: classic, progressive and respawn. But generally, the more numbered blocks you use to reach a given goal number, the higher your score will go. But really, we're just digging the paper mache art style--so pretty.
Click here to play Sumon on Facebook Now >
Is there room for another puzzle game in the social games space? Do you like a little bit of brain teasing in your social games?
The game combines simple math problems through addition with spatial reasoning. Players are presented with a series of blocks, each with specific numbers on them, and a goal number. It's up to players to string blocks together to reach that goal number. Of course, the game sets players against the clock, adding numbered blocks until each level is cleared.
"Sumon is the first in a series of titles that is going to take advantage of bleeding edge innovation in mobile entertainment as we plan for a bigger footprint in the U.S. and worldwide," Ludei CEO Eneko Knorr said in a release. "By launching on HTML5, iOS and Android, we're able to bring Sumon to the largest possible audience, a sentiment that is often discussed but rarely executed-until now."
It's certainly a novel strategy in the social games world where the pressure to go multiplatform or go home is increasing. There are three modes of play in Sumon: classic, progressive and respawn. But generally, the more numbered blocks you use to reach a given goal number, the higher your score will go. But really, we're just digging the paper mache art style--so pretty.
Click here to play Sumon on Facebook Now >
Is there room for another puzzle game in the social games space? Do you like a little bit of brain teasing in your social games?
Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 12, 2011
CastleVille is the second most played Facebook game daily in 22 days
If there's one takeaway from this, it's that 'Ville games still got it. Zynga's CastleVille has surpassed the likes of FarmVille, The Sims Social and Zynga Poker to become the second most played game daily on Facebook with 8.1 million returning every day. The game is now in the top five for monthly players, with 27.6 million, according to AppData. And it did it in just 22 days.
As a result, CastleVille is both faster and slower than CityVille was a year. The latter reached nearly as many monthly players in almost half the time, but didn't amass as many daily players as Zynga Dallas's new hotness did last month. For what it's worth, CastleVille is far stronger out of the gate where it counts: daily players, the best measure of how gripping a Facebook game is.
This explosive growth can be chalked up to a few factors, but one stands out the most: the Zynga fan base. CastleVille released to a pool of over 200 million able-handed social gamers practically twitching at the thought of a new game to play. Of course, Zynga took great advantage of this, employing several cross promotions across its existing stable of successful games. "Reach Level 5 in CastleVille and get a free Cow" ... or something like that.
That easily explains the burst of growth, but what is it about CastleVille that's drawing more players in than nearly all of Zynga's games? While the game is certainly the most robust, full-featured and gorgeous 'Ville game to date, it's still a 'Ville game. Could it simply be that it's new and shinier than the rest, or is the 'Ville formula really still the best way to approach social games?
[Via All Facebook]
Are you playing CastleVille every day? Why do you think the game is drawing so many players in every day?
As a result, CastleVille is both faster and slower than CityVille was a year. The latter reached nearly as many monthly players in almost half the time, but didn't amass as many daily players as Zynga Dallas's new hotness did last month. For what it's worth, CastleVille is far stronger out of the gate where it counts: daily players, the best measure of how gripping a Facebook game is.
This explosive growth can be chalked up to a few factors, but one stands out the most: the Zynga fan base. CastleVille released to a pool of over 200 million able-handed social gamers practically twitching at the thought of a new game to play. Of course, Zynga took great advantage of this, employing several cross promotions across its existing stable of successful games. "Reach Level 5 in CastleVille and get a free Cow" ... or something like that.
That easily explains the burst of growth, but what is it about CastleVille that's drawing more players in than nearly all of Zynga's games? While the game is certainly the most robust, full-featured and gorgeous 'Ville game to date, it's still a 'Ville game. Could it simply be that it's new and shinier than the rest, or is the 'Ville formula really still the best way to approach social games?
[Via All Facebook]
Are you playing CastleVille every day? Why do you think the game is drawing so many players in every day?
Thứ Ba, 11 tháng 10, 2011
Facebook soccer sim Top Eleven gets even more serious in Version 2.0
Top Eleven Version 2.0
Seriously, if you're looking for a soccer (football, sorry) simulator that considers nearly every possibility, it seriously doesn't more serious than Top Eleven. If we've yet to drive home that this game by Serbian developer Nordeus is seriously deep, just check out some of the features that will hit Top Eleven when Version 2.0 hits on Oct. 10 ... seriously. In addition to already covering every tiny detail:
* Training – the complete overhaul of the training mode now lets managers control every aspect of coaching their team. Decisions need to be made about which skills to focus a player on developing, how to balance the intensity of training with players physical condition, and whether to change a players career and train them for a new position
* Club Finances – managers can now win more premium currency for free than ever before by strategically choosing sponsorships deals. They can sign a riskier deal linked the results of the team, or play it safe and gain tokens on a daily basis
* New Interface – Top Eleven's sleek new look makes the game even easier to navigate and is built to update with new features in the future
"We've been working really hard over the last six months to get these new features built into the game," Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović said in a release. "The early feedback we've got from our loyal BETA testers has been fantastic and helped us fine-tune the new features, ready for our millions of players. These changes make Top Eleven even more life-like by bringing in more decisions to keep managers thinking and on their toes."
Top Eleven training
With a game that takes such minute considerations (for fans, at least) and turns them into pivotal gameplay hooks, we can only imagine Top Eleven became the most popular sports game on Facebook because soccer fans are insanely meticulous at heart(?). Well, that and the fact that the game is available in about 27 languages. Oh, and soccer (well, football) is huge.
Click here to check out the Top Eleven changes come Oct. 10 >
Are you a fan of Top Eleven on Facebook? Which type of sports game do you prefer on social networks: action-packed arcade style romps or stat-crunching, serious simulators? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Seriously, if you're looking for a soccer (football, sorry) simulator that considers nearly every possibility, it seriously doesn't more serious than Top Eleven. If we've yet to drive home that this game by Serbian developer Nordeus is seriously deep, just check out some of the features that will hit Top Eleven when Version 2.0 hits on Oct. 10 ... seriously. In addition to already covering every tiny detail:
* Training – the complete overhaul of the training mode now lets managers control every aspect of coaching their team. Decisions need to be made about which skills to focus a player on developing, how to balance the intensity of training with players physical condition, and whether to change a players career and train them for a new position
* Club Finances – managers can now win more premium currency for free than ever before by strategically choosing sponsorships deals. They can sign a riskier deal linked the results of the team, or play it safe and gain tokens on a daily basis
* New Interface – Top Eleven's sleek new look makes the game even easier to navigate and is built to update with new features in the future
"We've been working really hard over the last six months to get these new features built into the game," Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović said in a release. "The early feedback we've got from our loyal BETA testers has been fantastic and helped us fine-tune the new features, ready for our millions of players. These changes make Top Eleven even more life-like by bringing in more decisions to keep managers thinking and on their toes."
Top Eleven training
With a game that takes such minute considerations (for fans, at least) and turns them into pivotal gameplay hooks, we can only imagine Top Eleven became the most popular sports game on Facebook because soccer fans are insanely meticulous at heart(?). Well, that and the fact that the game is available in about 27 languages. Oh, and soccer (well, football) is huge.
Click here to check out the Top Eleven changes come Oct. 10 >
Are you a fan of Top Eleven on Facebook? Which type of sports game do you prefer on social networks: action-packed arcade style romps or stat-crunching, serious simulators? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Thứ Năm, 6 tháng 10, 2011
Kabam study suggests hardcore gamers are flocking to Facebook
Have the tables finally turned? Not quite just yet, but slowly and surely they are, a study released by Kabam suggests. The Redwood City-Calif.-based creator of Facebook games like Dragons of Atlantis and Edgeworld recently commissioned a survey of 1,412 "hardcore" gamers to find just how their behavior has changed since the dawn of Facebook games.
Dubbed the "Social Gamer Study," Kabam found that the demographics of the average social game fan are slowly changing--more young to middle-aged men are playing Facebook games. And a whopping 82 percent of them come from the console game space, which is terribly important. This is because 27 percent of those surveyed report playing console games less often.
And perhaps more importantly to those looking to make cash from hardcore games, those surveyed reported spending 50 percent less on console games. Of course, Kabam threw in that players of its games are even more dedicated to Facebook games than console games: 55 percent reported playing console games less and spending 65 percent on the games.
Social Gamer Study findings
According to the study conducted by Information Solutions Group, 72 percent of these hardcore social gamers are playing two or more games at once, and 47 percent are playing three or more. If you've ever played a game like Kingdoms of Camelot or Kixeye's Backyard Monsters, you know that this is quite a lot to keep up with--much more so than, say, FarmVille.
Not to mention that this growing sub culture of Facebook gamers plays far longer game sessions than the 30 minutes or so your average Bejeweled Blitz player sits down for on lunch break. A massive 68 percent reported playing social strategy games for three hours or longer a day, and 30 percent said they play for longer than an hour per session.
Of course, it's important to keep in mind who commissioned this study: a developer and publisher of hardcore Facebook games. Vested interests aside, it's undeniable that a new breed of Facebook game fan is emerging, and fast. And you have to assume, with advances like download-free 3D gaming on the horizon, these numbers will only grow. Check out the study in full here.
Are you part of this growing portion of Facebook gamers? Do you think social game creators like Zynga, EA and wooga have anything to worry about? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Dubbed the "Social Gamer Study," Kabam found that the demographics of the average social game fan are slowly changing--more young to middle-aged men are playing Facebook games. And a whopping 82 percent of them come from the console game space, which is terribly important. This is because 27 percent of those surveyed report playing console games less often.
And perhaps more importantly to those looking to make cash from hardcore games, those surveyed reported spending 50 percent less on console games. Of course, Kabam threw in that players of its games are even more dedicated to Facebook games than console games: 55 percent reported playing console games less and spending 65 percent on the games.
Social Gamer Study findings
According to the study conducted by Information Solutions Group, 72 percent of these hardcore social gamers are playing two or more games at once, and 47 percent are playing three or more. If you've ever played a game like Kingdoms of Camelot or Kixeye's Backyard Monsters, you know that this is quite a lot to keep up with--much more so than, say, FarmVille.
Not to mention that this growing sub culture of Facebook gamers plays far longer game sessions than the 30 minutes or so your average Bejeweled Blitz player sits down for on lunch break. A massive 68 percent reported playing social strategy games for three hours or longer a day, and 30 percent said they play for longer than an hour per session.
Of course, it's important to keep in mind who commissioned this study: a developer and publisher of hardcore Facebook games. Vested interests aside, it's undeniable that a new breed of Facebook game fan is emerging, and fast. And you have to assume, with advances like download-free 3D gaming on the horizon, these numbers will only grow. Check out the study in full here.
Are you part of this growing portion of Facebook gamers? Do you think social game creators like Zynga, EA and wooga have anything to worry about? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2011
NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October
Adding to its popular brand of "Superstars" titles on Facebook, Electronic Arts has announced the production of NHL Superstars for Facebook. This new game, as reported by ShackNews, comes on the heels of EA's NHL 12 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 breaking franchise records for the biggest launch week in the franchise's history.
As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."
While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.
We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.
Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.
As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."
While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.
We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.
Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.
Chủ Nhật, 2 tháng 10, 2011
Facebook game lets you solve anagrams to save Canada's forests
True to its name, in order to play Donate2Play Media's first new game, Wordraiser, you're going to have to pony up some change. Wordraiser is an anagram game that has players make as many words as possible out of one word.
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you manage to guess the key word, you get to level up. After leveling up a few times, you'll be asked to buy "Karma Points" that enable you to play more games.
Donation packages range from $1 to $20 USD, where $1 USD equals 10 Karma Points, which is good for buying one game. But right now, it seems that there's nothing stopping you from playing as much as you want. We're not sure if this is a bug, as the game just launched during the previous weekend.
While Wordraiser is supposedly free-to-play, it's also the offspring of Donate2Play's partnership with The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA), a Canadian grassroots organization devoted to finding the balance between forestry jobs and preserving British Columbia's ancient woodlands (defined as tree populations that are over 120 years old). So half of the money given to Wordraiser will be split between AFA and Donate2Play.
Gallery: Wordraiser
Lastly, there's a top ten high scores leaderboard that displays players' names followed by their levels, and two of AFA's founders, TJ Watts and Ken Wu, are currently on the board in ninth and third place, respectively. According to its Facebook page, Wordraiser currently has 202 monthly users.
Keep in mind, though, that Donate2Play is doing all the heavy lifting here, with no risk or prior investment from AFA. Outreach for the game is done via automatic Facebook wall posts. Players will also receive facts about British Columbian forests during load screens and photos of these forests by TJ Watt.
[Hat-tip: Times Colonist]
Click here to play Wordraiser on Facebook now >
Would you rather donate to a charity directly than through a Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Adventure World: Redeem a Zynga Game Card for 15 free energy packs
If you've become a fan of Zynga's newest Facebook game Adventure World (now Adventure World - An Indiana Jones Game), and are ready to lay down some real-world money in the game, you now have some extra incentive to do so. For every Game Card redeemed in the game, you'll receive 15 Energy Packs.
Unfortunately, we're not sure exactly what that means. We'd love for it to mean 15 full energy refills, but if you look inside the game, a 30 Energy pot of coffee costs a whopping 30 Adventure Cash. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like something Zynga would just give away for free, especially in bulk. This leaves us with another option, the single cup of coffee, which gives you just five energy points. This would be a decent boost, since we're talking about a "free" prize after all, but even then, it still likely won't take you long to burn through all of those bonus energy points.
What's worse, there's yet another option for energy refills: a Bolt that gives you just one energy point. Surely this isn't the "Energy Packs" Zynga is talking about, but it's something to keep in mind all the same. We're working on discovering just which kind of "Energy Pack" you'll receive when redeeming a Zynga Game Card, but for now, why not take a look at our tools upgrade guide, so you'll be able to upgrade your tools to do more work for less energy to make all of your points go that much further.
Will you redeem a Zynga Game Card to earn 15 free Energy Packs? If you have, which specific kind of pack did you receive? Sound off in the comments.
Unfortunately, we're not sure exactly what that means. We'd love for it to mean 15 full energy refills, but if you look inside the game, a 30 Energy pot of coffee costs a whopping 30 Adventure Cash. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like something Zynga would just give away for free, especially in bulk. This leaves us with another option, the single cup of coffee, which gives you just five energy points. This would be a decent boost, since we're talking about a "free" prize after all, but even then, it still likely won't take you long to burn through all of those bonus energy points.
What's worse, there's yet another option for energy refills: a Bolt that gives you just one energy point. Surely this isn't the "Energy Packs" Zynga is talking about, but it's something to keep in mind all the same. We're working on discovering just which kind of "Energy Pack" you'll receive when redeeming a Zynga Game Card, but for now, why not take a look at our tools upgrade guide, so you'll be able to upgrade your tools to do more work for less energy to make all of your points go that much further.
Will you redeem a Zynga Game Card to earn 15 free Energy Packs? If you have, which specific kind of pack did you receive? Sound off in the comments.
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