GreatBritishProducer

Newsweek, Alex Ward, five-year cycle

A quick post I hope to follow up later:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11786177/site/newsweek

Newsweek speculates on the five-year itch of console development. EA in the guise of Alex Ward, hints at how developers, through design, can help retain users who have one eye firmly set on the next big thing. 

Marketing Old & New

Image courtesy of: http://sandeepmakam.blogspot.com/

I'm curious about Producer or general developer perception of Marketing within the videogame industry. And if you have an opinion on their strategy and success.

There was a time when Marketing was at the forefront of game production, but this is when the market was immature. Videogames were 'new' and to some a 'passing fad'; for these reasons marketing was direct and literal in order to develop market consciousness.

However, its safe to state that product development is now the priority (a position always at the mercy of the publisher). Since this change many developers have blamed marketing when their lovingly created product fails to sell. The reasons cited are familiar – bad release timing based on quarterly goals and end of year demands, a lack of brand knowledge, misconstrued brand identity, and poor product communication because of brand issues cited. There are more but I'm trying to get to the real question.

If, in the beginning you agree that the marketing of titles was direct and literal ... has anything changed? We see award intelligible and creative campaigns for hardware, notably the Sony Playstation2, but when we look for similar campaigns for games, there are few, if any. The unfortunate results are most prolific in print campaigns.

I'm not schooled in marketing, but I can't help but think that those personnel in the position to market games lack maturity and respect for the medium to elevate videogame product marketing to a similar standard for other consumables, including the hardware its positioned on.

Is it feasible to focus individual videogame products under a publisher brand and successfully communicate, within the publishing brand, the message of any individual product; the aim being to allow any developer products to be communicated at a less than literal level and share in the publishers branding? - Think Guinness (draught in a can), LEVI Jeans (twist), Apple (i series) - I'd go so far as to say that EA appear to be doing this in part, but the marketing continues to ire on the literal side. One major problem with this idea is that there are very few publishers with a clear, consistent and interesting brand.

Money for nothing

I come across this information via musings of a social architect (see right)

Total SMS revenues in 2005 were about 75 Billion USD. To put it in context, Hollywood box office is a bit below 30 B USD. Global music industry revenues are about 35B. Videogaming, consoles and all software are about 40. And the total value of all laptop computers sold in 2005 was about 65 B USD. SMS alone earns more than any of those industries.... And SMS is still over 90% profit. Do we love this industry or what?

Does anyone remember when text messaging was free? SMS was introduced in '92, and for a good three to five year period it was free! The catalyst was the teen market, made possible through desirable products and competitive pricing. It appears that the UK had a greater knowledge and adoption rate of the system too. (my research is a little dated - 2003)

I'm not attempting to advocate greed through posing the question: What is the videogames industry version of SMS? Do we have one? If we had one, what could be the cultural impact?

I suggest its the portable online market, think Nintendo WiFi and PSP Online. Consider this:

Communication by text message is not the same as talking to someone on the phone; it is not even the same as emailing someone. Text communication is a law unto itself. For some it is a way of throwing out an insult, for others it's an easy way of passing on some quick information, it's a way to let someone know you care, it's a way of arranging your social life, it's a way of communicating when you have to be quiet, it's a way of talking behind someone's back, it's a safe way to flirt, it's an easier way to lie. If you can understand why all of this is different from speaking to someone on the phone then you've 'got it'- http://www.flytxt.com/cgi-bin/template.pl?t=nrpd&ID=58

This sounds ominously similar to the online worlds we populate, think Animal Crossing on the DS! But I pose another question; do we have time to generate as SMS like service via portable consoles when the mobile market is so hot on our heals? And finally, does the videogame culture as it stands appear ready for it?

I'm not all management and design theory ... PINATA!!

http://www.vivapinata.com/vivapinatacom/announce/

I've been involved in a post over at game matters (see links on the right) where we touched upon the subject of original IP transcending the game medium and whether or not this can only be achieved or validated as a goal if you develop a "when it's ready" attitude.

So, imagine my surprise when I wake up to find this in the new. Congratulations Rare, you may achieve true transcendence.

Check out he site; it has a Pixar/Ice Age/Shrek CG character video, with a narrative and comedy. Look further and you can create a little garden and bring Pinata to it. At its highest level, it demands curiosity and provides you with that fun feeling. Proud to be British!

Intellectual trap

I came across this post while reviewing one of my regular blogs (http://www.edery.org/index.php?page_id=143)

Here are some extracts: http://www.micrysweb.com/library/platonism.html

So, I've been against a formal language of game design for a while now.

I expect better from working designers.  It reminds me of the scene in The Player where the producers are gathered around a table, making newspaper headlines into movie concepts, with the point that writers aren't needed to come up with stories.

In other words, a game designer who advocates this approach is demonstrating that they don't understand the realities of game design.

Calling all practicing designers who are also theorists ... any response?

Trust...

I wake up to confirmation that the PS3 is officially delayed until November. Anyone who has discussed this in the industry or on blogs have known its inevitable. I don't want to talk about whether or not its global strategy is correct considering the Xbox 360 launch debacle.

The point I want make is this - does'nt this damage consumer trust in the product? Is there any evidence in the market that denial of this scale affects consumer perception?

Personally, I lack trust in almost all hyperbole the industry produces, including the evangelisation of most of the games launched. I might start another post about how effective or different the marketing is now. When was the last time you saw any Purple Cows?

Democratic ... Design?

I seem to be reading everyone else's blog an not adding to my own. Yes, I'm nervous but I have to start somewhere.

I will follow up this post, but for now, I'm curious as to whether or not democratic design, in its basic sense, continues to rule game development. By basic, I mean every man and his dog contributing to the design of a game because ... can't anyone design a game?

Are game designers being fully utilised or respected?Are key design decisions being applied to systems subversively by programmers (if there are no programmers directly responsible for designing the game)? How much influence does your Producer have over your decisions?

The First Post

The inspiration for these words comes from my passion for videogames. Maybe your thinking, 'Not another blog about of games ... please?'. So, for your guidence, here is what not to expect.

I'm not a Jesper Juul, Chris Crawford, Ben Cousins or Raph Koster - These men are pioneering how we think about videogames, how we interact with videogames and what constitutes videogames; among many others. It's also necessary to point out that I am not Gillen, Curren or Parfitt, journalism was never my calling. Nor am I a product activist or management leader in the form of Tom DeMarco, Seth Godin, Stephen Poole or Naomi Klein.

Expectation should now be lowered to expect from a common man on the inside of the industry.