Denuology: The Observation and Observations of Denuo. » Eric Bee

PLAYED – E3 2011

Eric Bee — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:31:56 +0000

Once again, the PLAYED crew tore through the Electronic Entertainment Expo in a whirlwind of meetings, presentations and, of course, the best games. After catching our breath and gathering our thoughts, we all agreed that this year’s show felt a little different from previous E3 events.

Included in our E3 recap is a look at how publishers are starting the promotional machine further and further out, leaving less gaming for players to do on the showfloor and a deeper focus on 2012’s big-budget releases. We also analyze the “Big Three’s” (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) big steps to connect accessible gamers with core gamers through new technology and systems. Finally, we check out how games built for the elementary school-age crowd held sway at the show, and non-endemic brands’ attempts to fit in with the game-centric crowds. Download it here!

Remember, every article contains links to videos, supplemental information, and other digital goodies, so click on the red text for more PLAYED goodness online.

Also, back issues and even more gaming insight is available up top, just click on the PLAYED button. Do it!

Please e-mail us with any questions or comments on this, or any other month’s, issue.

PLAYED – March 2011

Eric Bee — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:08:33 +0000

No April fooling, this issue of PLAYED comes screaming into spring with a heaping helping of insight and info that would make even the angriest of birds grin.

This month, we look at the exponential growth of the Angry Birds franchise and what it means for mobile gaming developers across the industry. Also, we see what lessons can be learned from the recent hiatus of the Guitar Hero brand which, until now, was one of the most popular gaming series in the world. Coming out of the annual Game Developer Conference, we analyze the growing debate over the value of social games, both to users and developers trying to decipher its success. Finally, we examine the trend of “gaming the system,” or exploiting a program to gain an edge. As our marketing programs become more interactive, is this something we should be aware of and how can we utilize this behavior for more interesting participation?

Remember, every article contains links to videos, supplemental information, and other digital goodies, so click on the red text for more PLAYED goodness online.

Like what you’re reading? Have a thought or comment? E-mail us!

Download the latest issue here.

PLAYED – February 2011

Eric Bee — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:41:53 +0000

Denuo’s PLAYED staffers are romantics through and through. That said, instead of a bundle of roses, we crafted this sweet-smelling bouquet of gaming insights and news, gently placed around titles involving science-fiction terror, Russian stacking dolls, and 3D tech, delivered straight into the palm of your hand. You can feel the love, can’t you?

In this month’s issue, we look beyond the third dimension of Nintendo’s new 3DS handheld. While everyone is agog over glasses-less 3D, the handheld brings even more functionality to the social and casual game spaces than first thought. On the mobile gaming side, we check out the big, exclusive steps that Google’s Android mobile OS platform has taken to move into gamers’ hearts and minds. Meanwhile, we examine Facebook’s virtual currency market shake-up with the rollout of Facebook Credits and its effects on the social gaming space, and wrap things up with a couple Denuologists weighing in on EA’s marketing effort for their latest hit, Dead Space 2.

Remember, every article contains links to videos, supplemental information, and other digital goodies, so click on the red text for more PLAYED goodness online.

Also, back issues and even more gaming insight is available over at Denuology.com.

Please e-mail us with any questions or comments on this, or any other month’s, issue.

Download it HERE!

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM TWEET RACING

Eric Bee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:08:44 +0000

Last week, we had the pleasure of helping run the world’s first Tweet Race for Mercedes-Benz. Along with our colleagues at Razorfish, we took four teams across the country in Mercedes-Benz vehicles that were “fueled by Twitter,” meaning the teams had to generate social media activity to keep their engines running. We designed a game around this that involved the teams competing in challenges, stoking their supporters for extra Tweet Fuel, and various tasks to accomplish both online and offline, all building up to a winner based on the strength of their social network and their skill behind the wheel.

Over a frenzied three days of racing, we learned a lot about games, digital marketing, competitive spirit, blizzards, Dallas ice treatment controversies, live event management, and when to let go and enjoy the ride. Join us, won’t you?

A LOT OF FOLLOWERS DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE YOU A LEADER

If you go by the usual social media attitude of “more followers = more win,” we would’ve had a distinct disadvantage between the teams. When casting, we made sure to really look at how these competitors were utilizing their social networks, from general posting and sharing of content, along with measurements such as Klout scoring. Really, what good is 100,000 followers if 90 percent of them are ignoring what you say online? The follower count as a metric is a great place to start, sure, but we needed active, lively people with active, lively communities to make this race interesting.

In the end, the team with the lowest follower count won the race. Again, we designed the game to reward the players who were active with their communities and the communities who contributed to their driver’s success. In looking at the strategy of the winners, they got behind their followers way ahead of the starting line. There were extensions to their Twitter accounts on other social networks that explained what they needed from their supporters, along with early, easy, self-started tests that ensured the team’s supporters were doing the right thing to win the race. After that, the community took hold, organizing their own systems to win challenges and keeping Tweet Fuel generating through retweets and 140-character based messages of support. They even rallied to raise extra funds for the team’s charity, earning $5,000 from supporter donations in the two weeks leading up to the race.

The same thinking that clinched victory for Team S Class in the race is the same thinking that puts a brand at the forefront of the social space. Initially, the size of a brand’s social media machismo was measured by follower count, the simplest of metrics to point at and say, “look, we’re doing it and doing it well.” As the space evolves, though, it isn’t enough to just accrue followers and hope for a win. Indeed, too many followers can sometimes muddy the messaging and cause confusion. By keeping their smaller base active, engaged, and feeling like they were contributing and collaborating toward the greater good, Team S was able to win the Tweet Race. Brands should echo this, keeping your conversation focused, engaging your consumers with smaller tasks or asks, and feeling like they’re part of something special rather than another notch in your follower count.

“THEY AREN’T THIMBLES”

It’s different to design a game with a very human element vs. a completely digital experience. Building a game space that solely accounts for electronic interactions means the control you have over the space can be polished and tuned to deliver the right amounts of challenge over the course of the game. When you add players into the mix, they will surprise you with how they interact with everything, as proven by so many strange hacks, button combos, and “cheats” showing up across competitive video games like Street Fighter and Call of Duty.

Digitally, one can patch these quirks away to level the playing field. In real life, however, patching is rarely an option, especially over the course of three day race with constantly moving scores. Strategies will always surprise. Even if the final outcomes are drastically different than what was expected, as long as you build a solid base of play with fundamentals that guide, rather than rules to be exploited, those outcomes will be the result of player strategy and not rule-breaking or cheating.

For brands, the same holds true in digital. Building a program that is a lock-step march toward an inevitable goal means you will have absolute control, but lose that human element of surprise. Flexibility in your efforts runs the risk of someone breaking what you’ve built, sure, but accounting for the personality and intelligence of your targeted consumers could create something special. Your participants unknowingly become collaborators in your work and contribute to the evolution of both your digital marketing efforts and your brand.

BLIZZARDS, JENGA, AND ADAPTABILITY

I don’t know if you heard, but we had some snow-based concerns over Super Bowl week. Like many, I was awestruck, looking at every single photo from the nationwide weather freakout with a gaping jaw and silent swear word. Guiding four drivers through such weather, though, proved to be not-so-neat.

Granted, what can you do? Adaptability is a necessity of random factors influencing whatever you’ve made. Again, the lock-step is the wrong dance move for anything you put on display, so knowing where you can bend and flex to make things work ahead of time will make for saner evenings and calmer communication all around. It may not be a blizzard, but an API crashing or worldwide internet chaos could throw your plans askew. To put it in game terms, understanding the foundation of your Jenga tower will let you pull pieces where needed and prevent the whole thing from crashing down to the delight of your competitors, leaving you to clean up and reset the whole thing for another go.

SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?

Over the next few months, you’re going to hear an awful lot about gamification, both from us and a host of other play design-based pundits who believe strongly in using the mechanics and fundamentals of gaming to affect all areas of our industry. When we designed the Tweet Race, we definitely approached it from a game-design point of view, but utilizing the best practices of social media and marketing know-how. This allowed our team and Razorfish to craft something both players and brands could get behind. The lessons learned from the Tweet Race not only reinforce our belief in the benefits of gamification, but provide lessons in how brands can not only play alongside their consumers in social media, but win with them as well.

PLAYED – January 2011

Eric Bee — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:18:04 +0000

….and we’re back! Last year saw the gaming industry grow in unexpected ways, from social gaming to the rise of digital distribution. 2011 looks to be another year of innovation, business development, and, of course, great games. That said, this issue of PLAYED takes 2011 to task, asking both how and where we’ll all be gaming over the next year, while also recapping and prognosticating about the ever-shifting social gaming space. Also, since the year is getting off to a splendid start for blockbuster titles, we look at how gamers are utilizing unique and innovative ways to try games before plunking down their hard-earned cash well beyond the video store shelf.

Remember, every article contains links to videos, supplemental information, and other digital goodies, so click on the red text for more PLAYED goodness online. Also, back issues and even more gaming insight is available up above you by clicking on the “PLAYED” tab.

Feel free to e-mail us with any questions or comments on this, or any other month’s, issue.

Download it here! Have a fun! Enjoy!