Archive for the 'Gamers and Game Theory' Category

Free games

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 27, 2008
in Gamers and Game Theory, Global View and Innovation
. 0 Comments

At TomorrowToday, we are great fans of games, and especially of the learnings we can get from games. We are also keen observers of the gaming industry, which often picks up on shifting values and economic models before other industries do (compare them, for example, to the music industry - especially on the issue of pricing I’m about to talk about!).

Here is a small feature from the latest Economist magazine on a new financial model for games. Give them away for free!

FOR millions of East Asians, online gaming is not so much a hobby as a way of life. “Massively multiplayer” online games such as “Legend of Mir 3” and “MapleStory” have legions of devoted fans who spend an alarming proportion of their waking hours sitting in front of their PCs, at home or in internet cafés, doing battle with elves, wizards and mythological beasts. Some players take their parallel gaming lives very seriously: one man murdered a friend in a dispute over a stolen virtual sword (GC: this happened a few years ago, and is the only known extreme incident - but it is still much quoted).

Many of these games rely on a business model that is different from the way the video-games industry works in the West. Rather than selling games as shrink-wrapped retail products which can then be played on a PC or games console, the Asian industry often gives away the software as a free download and lets users play for nothing. Revenue comes instead from small payments made by more avid players to buy extras for their in-game characters, from weapons to haircuts. In this way, a minority of paying customers subsidise the game for everyone else.

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“There’s a problem with Facebook”

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on October 15, 2007
in Blogging, Gamers and Game Theory, Innovation, Media tidbits, Technology and Trends - Future Trends
. 3 Comments

FacebookAt least, that’s what my favourite Talk Radio station (Radio 702) said during their half hourly news reports throughout today. As a regular facebook user (see my profile here, and challenge me to Rock, Paper, Scissors here, if you have nerves of steel), I was intrigued. Read the story here (not sure how long their archives last, so I have copied it in full below).

Now the story itself is a fairly newsworthy one - especially at this time of year, when final year High School students are writing final exams, and some are trying to find illegal shortcuts to success. BUT, to headline the piece, and add commentary to it, indicating that this is a Facebook problem is ridiculous. And that’s what the news readers did this morning.

What a load of rubbish!! This is such typical media hype. The type that breeds dangerous attitudes in parents, and really does more harm than good.

Continue reading ‘“There’s a problem with Facebook”’

War Games for Business

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on June 2, 2007
in Gamers and Game Theory, Organisational Design and Trends - Future Trends
. 2 Comments

In the May 31, 2007 edition of The Economist, there was a great article on a topic one of our team, Raymond de Villiers, is doing post graduate studies on: the issue of using gaming techniques to assist business development. The full article is available here (may require subscription).

Continue reading ‘War Games for Business’

Second Life? Get a First Life first…

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 11, 2007
in Gamers and Game Theory, Generation Y, Media tidbits and Technology
. 0 Comments

If you don’t know what Second Life is, check it out here first. Its an online, virtual reality game that has created a completely online world. You select a character, buy into the game, and start “living” a life in the game. You can run a shop, be an explorer, run for political office, or do anything you could do in “real life”. There are some people who have made Second Life a profession, selling “land”, “clothes” for characters (called avatars) and just living this “second life”.

At TomorrowToday.biz, we’re really interested in game theory, and how gamer culture is influencing the world and business culture. See some of our previous blog entries: Lessons from the gamer generation, and The Gamers are coming.

But, I stumbled on a magnificent site recently. Its mainly a bit of fun, but there’s a very important and serious message behind the site. Its “Get a First Life” - http://www.getafirstlife.com/. Its a brilliant parody of the Second Life site, and you’ll laugh out loud at the cleverness of the look alike site. Great message, too — some gamers need to get out more!!

Enjoy. And, PS, get a first life!

Batteries not included

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on January 3, 2007
in Gamers and Game Theory, Generation Y, Technology and Trends - Future Trends
. 1 Comment

As my three daughters eagerly opened their Christmas presents, my heart sank further and further to the floor. There are two things that stirke fear into the soul of any self-respecting Dad (at least, those with the limited handyman skills that I have).

BatteriesThe first is the euphemism emblazoned on some of the more serious toys: “some assembly required”. This invariably requires about 5 different screw drivers sizes (only one of which I might have somewhere back here in my rusting and dusty toolbox), a ratchet set (are there really people who actually have a complete ratchet set neatly laid out in their shed?) and other tools I don’t even know how to pronounce, let alone use. And, of course, all the “English” assembly instructions were written by the rural supervisor in the Chinese factory, having first translated them from the Russian translation of the hand scribbled notes of the original engineer (who designed version 1, but not this version you’re trying to assemble in front of your increasingly less adoring tribe of juvenile female sapiens).

The second is: “batteries not included”. I mean, really, why not? The adrenaline rush of wripping the paper off is followed by the endorphin rush of recognising the very electronic gizmo the advertisers so cleverly convinced them they could not live without. Loud shrieks, arms aloft and shrill screams (I told you I had three daughters) are rapidly followed by waves of disappointment and frustrated little arms crashing down to their sides, as they realise that their darling daddy did not have the foresight to stock up on a carton of AA and AAA size batteries. And it’s Christmas today, and the shops are closed, and we can only get batteries tomorrow. And, yes dears, I know you’re disappointed - believe me, with all your whining and complaining, I’m as disappointed as you are!

Continue reading ‘Batteries not included’

Cyber Bullying?

Published
by
Barrie Bramley
on November 7, 2006
in Connection Economy, Gamers and Game Theory and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

There is increasing work being done looking into the effect games have in the real world. One one level it seems like a waste of time, effort and money. The stuff of Hollywood.

Aparently not. South Korea is the most connected country in the world, and online gaming and social networks are presenting a dark side. A very dark side. Gamers, whose task it is to destroy fellow online gamers in the virtual world are finding their antics ‘bleeding’ through to the real world, sometimes unconsciously, and sometimes very deliberately.

 See here for full article.

“They are very serious. They said ‘I’m going to kill you’, that they’d pray for me. It was a kind of curse. It was the worst day I’ve ever had.”

The spiteful comments and threats continued for 12 months. This is a mild case of a growing phenomenon Koreans call cyber violence.

World’s Biggest Skateboard Ramp

Published
by
Barrie Bramley
on November 1, 2006
in Gamers and Game Theory and Trends - Future Trends
. 0 Comments

You gotta read about it to believe it. So large pilots apparently adjust their flight paths to take a little look.

Approximately 360 feet long, the ramp is 75 feet high at its apex. That is where riders begin their run, speeding down a 180-foot-long roll-in to a ramp that launches them across a 70-foot gap with trapeze netting below.

Gamer stats - They’re not what you’d expect

Published
by
Raymond de Villiers
on August 3, 2006
in Gamers and Game Theory, Generation Y, Generations, Global View, Talent - Bright Young Things and Trends - Future Trends
. 1 Comment

A recent survey published by the Entertainment Software Association entitled “Essential Facts” deals with sales, demographic, and usage data within the gaming industry. The full report can be downloaded from 2005 Essential facts. Some of the numbers the report returned are not what you would expect.

- 75% of heads of households play games

- The average age of gamers is 30

- 19% of Americans over 50 play games

- The male / female ratio is 55% male & 43% female [allowing a 2% error margin in the survey]
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The Gamers are Coming…and they’re changing the world!!!

Published
by
Raymond de Villiers
on June 14, 2006
in Articles, Gamers and Game Theory and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 1 Comment

In the opening lines of the original Star Trek series captain James T. Kirk introduces the episode with the phrase “Space…the final frontier�. Today there is a new frontier being crossed by society. A frontier no less foreign, intimidating, and in some people’s minds, no less fictional than Star Trek’s galaxies – this new frontier is the world of the Gaming Generation.

Generation X and the Millennials are the first generations to have grown up in the computer game era. In the past games were events; everyone would gather around and block off an evening or significant amount of time to play Monopoly, Risk, Backgammon, or cards. The game was played at a time set aside specifically for it. Today’s youth come home and turn on the TV to play on their Playstation, not watch TV. When they stand in queues they have games on their cellphone or iPod to keep them busy. At the end of the year when Sony releases the PlayStation 3 it will be the most powerful computer in the household. In short, games and gaming pervade almost every sphere of their lives, not just the odd Friday evening put aside for a social gathering.

This shift has built gaming into the DNA of the Gaming generation. Their values, worldview, and lifestyles are affected as they look at the world very differently to those non-gamers they share the world with. These changes need to be understood & engaged with as we become the colleagues, friends, bosses, and parents of this group. World of Warcraft [one of the most popular games on the internet] wizard Helen Cheng says that many players spend more time playing the game than working at their regular jobs.

Continue reading ‘The Gamers are Coming…and they’re changing the world!!!’

Lessons in Leadership from Steve ‘Tugga’ Waugh: former Australian Cricket Captain

Published
by
Keith Coats
on January 29, 2006
in Articles, Gamers and Game Theory and Leadership
. 1 Comment

Keith CoatsE-ZINE ARTICLE, FEBRUARY 2006
Sign up for free e-zine at: http://www.tomorrowtoday.biz/newsletter/index.htm

by Keith Coats

When it comes to the Australian cricket team there are very few neutrals: You either love them or hate them. However, regardless of which side of the fence you happen to be, the one thing that you cannot deny is the fact that they are, without fear of contradiction, the number one side in the world in both forms of the game. The Australian brand of cricket is professional, ruthless and bold. They would rather lose trying to win than play for a draw. And win they do, with a consistency to be admired and one that is unmatched by their rivals. In developing their winning culture, they have transformed the way test cricket is played and have become the benchmark for the chasing pack.

But cricket, as with life, is seasonal. The Australians have not always enjoyed their current dominance, having wrestled the crown from the West Indies in the early 1990’s. Embedded in the rise and ascendancy of the Australians are some valuable lessons for leaders everywhere. These insights are succinctly encapsulated by the life and career of former captain Steve ‘Tugga’ Waugh, in his excellent autobiography, Out of my Comfort Zone (ISBN 0-670-04198-1).

By the time Waugh inherited the captaincy of the test side from Tubby Taylor in 1999, Australian cricket already enjoyed worldwide dominance. Getting to that point had entailed putting in place a very deliberate process. It was a process that required patience, commitment and consistent application, all of which were fuelled by the desire to be the best. Steve Waugh’s character and leadership epitomized these characteristics that marked the process and in so doing, provide lessons for leaders everywhere.

Waugh described the role of captain as one that required him to be an advisor, mentor, friend, psychologist, mediator, spokesperson, politician and selector. Today’s corporate leader can identify with the multi-facetted role and nature that is contemporary leadership. In the emerging Connection economy leaders are required to assume many roles and any reluctance or refusal to recognize this reality, results in a one dimensional leadership in which the leader’s impact and effectiveness are diluted. Dexterity, flexibility and an ability to recognise what role is required are skills that are integral to savvy leadership. The normal corporate environment is a cacophony of diversity that demands of leaders the ability to respond in a variety of ways. This requires leaders to exhibit a great degree of emotional intelligence, understanding and sensitivity. It could be an interesting exercise to make a list of the various roles you as a leader have been required to play over the past four months and then to examine your performance as you have done so. Valuable questions then include: Which roles require further development? Which are the roles that energize and which have been the ones that have drained energy? What roles are needed, but are missing?

Here then are lessons that savvy leaders can take from the Steve Waugh story:

Continue reading ‘Lessons in Leadership from Steve ‘Tugga’ Waugh: former Australian Cricket Captain’

Computer Games at School - Your help needed

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on October 26, 2005
in Education, Gamers and Game Theory and Technology
. 24 Comments

Computer gamesI do quite a bit of work with my girls’ school, and have convinced them to start a computer games club at the school - as an extra mural option for the girls at the school.

But, now, they’ve asked me which games I would recommend. What would you suggest?

They obviously would be interested specifically in multi-player games. What would you suggest?

Then, they have hardware constraints. Specifically, they don’t have great graphics cards. If you were limited in this way, what would you then recommend?

Lessons from the Gamer Generation

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on August 8, 2005
in Gamers and Game Theory, Generation Y and Generations
. 2 Comments

In TomorrowToday.biz’s free monthly e-zine, this month, I wrote about “Lessons from the Gamer Generation“. Its quite nice to be ahead of the game - The Economist has a similar article as its latest cover edition.

Its premium edition content, so here are the highlights:
Economist cover

  • Some games are good, and some are bad.
  • Opinions about games are definitely split along generational lines.
  • Older generations invariable are skeptical about new forms of media - in any age.
  • There is no reliable evidence that violence can be linked to video games.
  • TV addicition is much more prevalent and problematic than video game addiction.
  • Sometimes you just have to wait for the older generations to die (I didn’t say that, The Economist did!)

Continue reading ‘Lessons from the Gamer Generation’

Lessons from the Gamer Generation

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on July 27, 2005
in Articles, Gamers and Game Theory and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 2 Comments

Have you ever heard of Kim Hyun Wook? I didn’t think so. He is a South Korean professional racing car driver. As with most pro sportspeople, he has his own fan club, merchandise and a host of sponsors. He earns really good money. To his fans, he is known as (Korean for “love�) and they delight in watching his exploits on the track. But Kim is no ordinary sports star. He never leaves his house. He spends 8 hours every day on his computer, racing in an online game called . He is a cyber-star, with tens of thousands of people “watching� him race online every day. He receives a real salary from his key sponsor, real gifts from real fans, and additional marketing sponsors who pay him to ‘wear’ their company logo on his virtual character (avatar) and car in the game.

Continue reading ‘Lessons from the Gamer Generation’

The Gamer Generation

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on July 15, 2005
in Book Reviews, Gamers and Game Theory and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 3 Comments

Got Game coverI got this by email a few weeks ago. I have lost the original reference, but its a goodie.

What kind of workers and managers will members of the “gamer generation” make? You’ll be surprised at the answer provided by the authors of a new book, Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever (buy it online at Amazon.com and Kalahari.net).

They are different from you and me, this generation born after 1970. They grew up with a finger on the keyboard and an ear to the cell phone, and in a world where the forces of globalization have broken down national barriers like no time in history.

And right now this group is moving up in the business ranks, becoming managers, partners, and eventually CEOs. Chances are you manage employees from this generation, and it’s not far-fetched to believe you may yourself be managed by them before you check out of your career.

Continue reading ‘The Gamer Generation’

Advertising on/in/by Games

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on July 9, 2005
in Gamers and Game Theory, Generations, Marketing and sales, Ripping and burning - Digital entertainment and Trends - Future Trends
. 1 Comment

Grand Prix screenshotAs young people spend less time watching television and more time online and playing games, advertisers have devised a new way to reach them. So says a report in the Economist (11 June 2005 - see here - premium content). “In the 1930s, the sponsorship of radio serials by makers of household cleaning products led to the soap opera. Listeners were enthralled by episodic, melodramatic storylines, and advertisers were guaranteed a big audience. Today, the same thing is happening with another new medium. Video games have been crossed with advertising to produce a new genre: the adver game.”

Research is showing that gamers seem to have a very positive view of ingame advertising. this is particularly true in sports games, where advertising mimics real world stadiums and gives a more lifelike feel. For now many of these, the ads are currently built in, but in future they might be piped in via the Internet and games consoles.

An early example of the advergame is “America’s Army”, first released by the US military as a recruitment tool in 2002. It is a free downloadable and strikingly realistic war game, covering basic training, tactical planning and a variety of missions and now has over 5 million registered players. The United Nations has “Food Force” which was released by the World Food Program, intending to raise awareness for global hunger with players acting as emergency aid workers. There are also many browser based games on the Internet, and these are becoming more and more popular.

Sony Playstation / TBWA takes it to a new level

Published
by
Barrie Bramley
on June 20, 2005
in Gamers and Game Theory and Technology
. 1 Comment

Sony Playstation 2Have you seen the new Playstation adverts? You can see them on AdCritic or AdForum. Or you can watch them right off of the TBWA web site (click here) They were aparently developed in South Africa for a North American market. (click here to see article on Marketing Web)

There’s no way I can describe them to you. They’re of the kind that need to be experienced. And everything they aim to do, they do.

Why they caught my attention is because they run pretty close to the line, in an interesting conversation emerging around the world about the influence of games and their correlation to violence. Two events spring to mind: one a young guy who murdered someone aparently out of a game experience he’d had. The other, a man who murdered someone who’d stolen a sword from him. Except the sword was stolen online as part of a game, and the guy was murdered in real life for doing it.

Personally I have mixed views on ability of a game to influence, but with the conversation growing globally, Sony Playstation is choosing an interesting moment in time to release these adverts.

We wait and see

Nuf Sed