EEDAR On The State Of Games

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Matt Martin of Gamesindustry.biz is has a thorough interview with EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich on the state of the game industry.  Divnich made waves at last month’s Montreal International Game Summit when he pointed to a study at his firm that shows marketing trumps quality in game sales.  Martin catches up with Divnich to talk about the fallout from developers after the study s findings which Divnich himself labels as depressing and segues into a full rundown of the state of the industry.  It s one analyst’s view, yet it s soup to nuts on the menu of what is currently on the industry s mind.

Read the full interview at Gamesindustry.biz {link no longer active}.

What Makes Croal Crumble

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As a game writer and a notable analyzer of the medium, N Gai Croal has the distinct ability to put an expert lens on the most granular gamer matters.  Here in a piece for Edge-Online, Croal breaks down how action games have evolved in the way they treat player vulnerability, moments of danger, and finally loss of life.  For Croal, it s been a slide towards less difficulty and a greater embrace for the careless (read: casual or button-mashing) gamer.  The result has been a change in his own learned behavior, with much less tolerance for that most essential formula of earlier games in the genre: trial and error.

Read N Gai Croal’s article at Edge-Online {link no longer active}.

A Futurist’s View On Marketing Trends

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Writing for Ad Age, Jim Louderback looks at predictions for 2010 from futurist Mark Anderson.  Anderson has made a name for himself as a bona fide forecaster of global trends affecting business.  He claims an accuracy rate of 97 percent for his wizardry in years past.  Louderback looks at which of his predictions for next year marketers need note, from augmented reality working its way into business applications to more content breaking free into the digital space, for a price.

Read Jim Louderback s article at Ad Age {link no longer active}.

Pirates Board ‘Little Big Planet’

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Sony has licensed Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean for downloadable content introducing water-based game play to its PS3 title Little Big Planet.   As reported in 1up, the new pack introduces a water mechanic Sony had been planning on releasing for the unique platform game, one where game play is based on object physics and player-modified levels.  The licensed content sets the stage for the new mechanic and cleverly re-imagines the game’s characters as those from Disney’s pirate films, for instance turning game protagonist Sackboy into a Sack Sparrow.  1up says the “Pirates of the Caribbean” pack is priced at $5.99 plus an additional $1.99 for costumes based on the film characters.

Read more at 1up.

Flash Games Coming To iPhone

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Startup OneAppAtATime is leveraging its beta access to software that converts Flash based applications to run on Apple iPhone to start helping developers port their Flash-based games.  As reported in GigaOm, the company has put the word out that not only will it help developers convert their apps but also guide them through Apple’s approval process based on a revenue sharing agreement.  OneAppAtATime is asking for 35 percent of revenues after Apple s 30 percent take, which GigaOm exposes with a little simple math as amounting to a 50-50 split for developers after Apple’s 30 percent take.  Company founder Evan Henshaw-Plath envisions becoming a conversion factory bringing the myriad Flash-based games already on various platforms to iPhone.  He sees a competitive advantage for Flash games in the vast market for iPhone apps one that Apple recently announced had surpassed 100,000 apps in that Flash-based games can offer playable demos on other platforms.

Read more at GigaOm.

ELAN Awards Leave Canada

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The ELAN Awards are turning their expanded focus from Canadian to worldwide game developers into a physical move abroad for the event.  Gamesindustry.biz reports that the 2010 ELAN Awards are leaving Canada for the U.S. and are now scheduled to be held in San Diego in July.  The awards recognizing achievements in game development and animation are in their fourth year.  Last year, organizers decided to expand eligibility from Canada-based game makers to accept entries from all developers.  The official web site for the 2010 awards is scheduled to launch in January.

Read more at Gamesindustry.biz.

‘Christmas Light Hero’

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Here s to the greatest Christmas lights display ever, fist pump, two-hand Rock salute.  Ric Turner has turned his Burbank, California, home into an ode to Guitar Hero using more than 21,000 Christmas lights.  The most amazing part of it is that it s a playable version of Guitar Hero, making it not only the most rocking holiday display but probably the first-ever fully interactive one.  CNET explains how it’s done.

Tips to neighbors: you won t beat this guy at front lawn productions.  Turner is a special effects engineer at Disney Imagineering.  Just keep practicing Cliffs of Dover.

Check it out at CNET.

Best Of Viral 2009

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Mashable has a list of the ten most innovative viral videos of the year.  The list speaks for itself: it says there s no set formula for what content goes viral.  Certainly not in the sense that Hollywood, television and traditional advertising have established formulas for how to engage their audience.  With viral it s mostly people watching, and with that exercise anything that engages enough to fill a bit of free time seems to fit the bill, whether it’s mild amusement, moments of sheer awe, or babies.

The list is compiled by Josh Warner of viral video distributor The Feed Company.  No plug for Warner s service here, but there is one formula for executing viral: proper distribution to set the momentum.

Check out the list at Mashable.

Extremely Portable PS3

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Epson has put out a video showing that their projectors can turn gaming into a go-anywhere excercise, even with a fat game machine like the PS3.  First they find an able body, they get him to strap about a thousand bucks and fifty pounds worth of gaming equipment to his back, and then they send him off to game anytime, anywhere, even as he partakes in extremely risky behavior such as scaling the side of a building, or going night clubbing.  It s a novel way to deliver the message that an Epson projector can turn any surface into a high-def videogame screen, and not necessarily just a living room wall.  It’s good, wholesome viral fare hinged to a key product message.  What Epson doesn t show is their guy soaking in an ice bath hopped up on ibuprofen when it s all over.

Watch it at YouTube.

New Lens On An American Branding Rite Of Passage

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Writing for Ad Age, Brian Steinberg says talk is swirling around PepsiCo s hesitance in using its Super Bowl ad buy to push its namesake brand, Pepsi.  The company is among brands that have been mainstay Super Bowl advertisers, where average rates this year are up to $3 million for a 30-second spot.

Sources have told Steinberg that PepsiCo is considering a small if any presence for its flagship product, instead opting to push secondary brands such as Gatorade and Doritos.  While pushing those products seems a good fit for the audience, Steinberg says PepsiCo’s decision could have its roots in corporate image concerns and the extravagance associated with Super Bowl ads.  He explores whether the company has joined others such as General Motors and FedEx who phased out their longtime Super Bowl buys on concerns about coming across as socially and financially irresponsible companies.

Read Brian Steinberg s article at Ad Age {link no longer active}.