Video Games

Swedish group calls gaming addiction a 'pandemic' threat

A Swedish organization called the Youth Care Foundation claims that computer gaming addiction is reaching pandemic proportions around the world. This is the same group that called World of Warcraft "the cocaine of the computer games world" back in February.

In an interview with Sweden's English paper, The Local, Sven Rollenhagen of the Youth Care Foundation touts his position as one that helps young people in Sweden recognize and manage computer gaming addiction.

Already ahead of the curve by "daring" to view gaming addiction as something distinct from other common problems facing young people, Sweden'… Read more

Report: Virtual currency No. 1 digital goods purchase

New research from video game market research firm VGMarket sponsored by Playspan reveals that gamers are actively making purchases to enhance their gaming experience, with free-to-play games leading the way to monetization. Playspan is a provider of monetization and payment solutions for games and virtual worlds.

Three out of four virtual goods buyers purchased in-game currency in the last 12 months and spent approximately $50 each. This statistic is interesting to me as I am always surprised when users buy in to currency that only works on one site. But, I suppose if it's the only option then you will eventually give in.

Of further interest in the report is the fact that free-to-play games may actually be monetizing better than MMOs (massive multiplayer online games) and social networks.

58 percent made purchases in free-to-play (F2P) games over the last 12 months. 34 percent made purchases in MMOs. 23 percent made purchases in social network games. The average respondent is currently playing three online games and 80 percent report buying digital goods for their own use while 20 percent said they purchase for gifts.

… Read more

FCC cites success of video game rating system

U.S. regulators may consider a single ratings system that would warn parents of programming on television, video games, and wireless telephones that could be inappropriate for children, according to a Bloomberg News report in late August.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an inquiry into the universal rating system with a goal "to shield children from inappropriate content in this rapidly changing media environment." That sounds great, but it's something that should be handled by parents and not the federal government.

Accordingly, it's fortunate that in a report this week (PDF) regarding the implementation of the Child Safe Viewing Act, the FCC found that the video game ratings scheme is a success and that "the video game industry already provides one of the most robust voluntary rating systems available." The report also concludes that the variety and variables within each media segment make it extremely difficult to manage. … Read more

Mobile phones are enough for Japan's Net users

It's no secret that Japan has better mobile phones than the rest of the world. The country has also had access to better phone-based Internet services since the launch of NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service all the way back in 1998.

Recent data from japan.internet.com (translated by whatjapanthinks.com) suggests that Japan's mobile phones offer users enough functionality that 49 percent of the respondents to a recent survey say a "mobile phone is enough" when asked what kind of mobile device they would most like to carry.

Mobile phone is enough 49.2 percent Smartphone 22 percent Netbook 16.3 percent Notebook computer 8.9 percent MID/UMPC 0.3 percent Other 0.3 percent Don't want to carry anything 3 percent

In addition to the wealth of services and games, with the character-based typing you really don't need an iPhone or other smartphone unless you need to access corporate e-mail. While this can also be delivered directly to mobile phones, in my experience most companies don't allow access unless it's through a VPN. … Read more

Study: More than 1 in 10 Americans buys virtual goods

New survey data from research firm Magid and Associates and PlaySpan shows that virtual goods sales are growing dramatically with more than 1 in 10 Americans spending real money on purchases in the last year.

According to the study, "12% of the overall population surveyed reported that they had bought virtual goods in the last 12 months. However, a closer look at the digital entertainment habits of virtual goods buyers reveals that virtual world visitors are the heaviest virtual goods buyers, with 46% of these consumers buying virtual goods (from virtual worlds, games or social networks) and nearly one … Read more

Report: iPhone app pulls in $1 million in first six weeks

Apparently you can make a lot of money with an iPhone application. According to TechCrunch, Social Gaming Network's (SGN) Fleet Air Superiority Training F.A.S.T. dogfight game "pulled in over $1 million in download fees alone in the first six weeks it was available."

F.A.S.T was originally priced at $9.99 but SGN has varied the pricing as part of their launch plan. It currently sells for $1.99 and is said to be bringing in as much as $60,000 per day.

As I wrote earlier in the week about Flash games, … Read more

iPhone 3GS: Fantastic but flawed

I switched to the iPhone 3GS the day it came out and I'm still waffling on how I feel about it. So far, the positives still outweigh the negatives, but my work style has changed and I am able to deal with a lot more mobile device flakiness than I was able to a few months or a year ago. If I was still traveling and running around all the time, the iPhone would be a total disaster.

From a software and cloud perspective, the iPhone represents an ideal world of development functionality mixed with an ability to use mobile services. However, the App Store approval process and AT&T's wonky network will still prevent us from reaching nirvana.

I tried to chronicle the issues I've had, but the truth is, the service (and therefore the device itself) ranges from excellent to sporadic to unusable, so I'll just list out the broad issues for those considering a move to the 3GS.

Battery life--the battery life is abysmal. I've gone on every forum, tweaked every setting, and done several tests to see what works best. The hacks that people suggest (turn off push, 3G, and Bluetooth) defeat the purpose of the device. Users shouldn't have to handicap themselves because of a lack of attention from the manufacturer.

If Apple really wants enterprise and business users, this is the most important issue that must be resolved.

Phone --I haven't been a fan of AT&T mobile service in the past (Verizon Wireless is my carrier of choice) and it continues to range from terrible to mediocre for me. Bizarrely, the worst call quality occurs when talking to another AT&T user. I did a conference call the other day with two other iPhone users and none of use could decipher the others' words.

I gave up on the 3G network both for the battery drain and the calls that dropped after 10 minutes (I took notes for 2 days) and every call dropped. A recent survey says that 34 percent of those polled won't buy the iPhone because of AT&T's network. … Read more

Mochi Media bets big on micro-transactions

There are many differences between the console games we all know and see commercials for, and online Flash games we all play for a bit when we're bored.

According to Mochi Media co-founder Jameson Hsu, the big difference between Flash and console games is quality--of graphics, service, and general game-play.

But as Flash games become more sophisticated and interactive, and business models emerge that take advantage of the low development costs of the platform, the line of delineation between the two mediums is beginning to close.

ComScore released a study a few weeks back that showed the U.S. audience for online games grew 22 percent since last year to 87 million visitors this past May. By comparison, console game sales plummeted 31 percent in June from the previous year.

This shows that there is a huge market there that has big numbers in terms of users and time spent that can now inject serious cash via micro-transactions.

Mochi Media is launching Mochi Coins on Tuesday, a micro-transaction platform that allows developers and game portals to make real money off quality Flash games. Mochi Coins lets gamers sign in through their Facebook accounts and buy game upgrades (weapons, level unlocks, etc.) directly through the game by PayPal, credit card, or marketing offer. … Read more

Mobile Internet: Final frontier for game vendors

Mobile services continue to mature, and the things you can do on a phone keep getting better even when we are forced to suffer with inconsistent and occasionally terrible quality from mobile carriers.

The vast majority of new services we see in the U.S. have some basis in the DoCoMo i-Mode service from NTT Japan. If you're looking for mobile opportunities, take a gander at Japan and Korea to see how mobile devices shape lives and society.

I spoke with Gerhard Fasol, head of Eurotechnology Japan about a recent report discussing Nintendo and Japan's gaming industry are effected by new devices like the iPhone and services like the App Store, as well as how Japanese electronics manufacturers are trying to make their console/device the center of user's lives.

Since DoCoMo's i-Mode started mobile phone games in 1999, "online and mobile phone games combined have outgrown the video game software sector and are certain to grow much more in coming years. The iPhone, for example, is not slowing mobile phone based gaming down...those who only count video game cassettes and consoles, certainly don't see the rapid mobile and online growth--and complain about shrinking markets."

But really what vendors are feeling is their shrinking control--game vendors and carriers have pushed their own walled gardens, which works fine as long as they can provide what people want--and sooner or later then can't. Think AOL versus the Internet if you need more explanation.

According to Fasol, games of all kinds used to be played in game parlors, and some of Japan's game giants were originally (and still are) game parlor machine makers (a round of Dance-Dance-Revolution anyone?)

These game vendors then moved on to consoles, cassettes and handhelds, taking the momentum out of game parlors, and establishing a pattern of growth by generations (today we are in the 7th generation). … Read more