Good Game Club @ White Walls SF

Good Good Club hosted an amazing event in the great city of San Francisco.  In an art gallery in near City Hall, there were tons of indie games on display for our exposure and the amount of creative games were truly awesome.

It was hosted at the White Wall gallery and with the amount of great games in the available time I had I could as usual only get my hands on a handful.  Here are a handful of great games I got to play during this event.

Forced was a top down survival action game.  When I played I was playing with three other and I can say playing as a team felt so natural and fun.  Easy to pick up but lots to master this game is cooperative simple fun.  It plays like other team survival horde games but since it is top down great to control.

1849 a game by Somasim debuted their new game they have been working for the first time.  It was a city building tablet game placed in good old 1849 California.  I loved seeing all the names of cities I knew and it reminded me how much has changed in Bay Area since the Gold Rush.  First the Gold Rush, aerospace industry, and now Silicon valley man California has had it great.

Extrasolar is a truly unique concept that blew my mind.  This was much more than a game but an out of this world experience.  Extrasolar gives you the opportunity to control a real life rover and take pictures with it.  While still in the works the project to the planet is already underway.  Anyone interested in space should definitely keep an eye on this awesome project.

VIDEOBALL was again on display at it was great to see it again.  The game was quite popular with the crowd always bringing in a full game of four players trying to score points against their opponents.  It is no surprise this game won audience favorite.

Tom vs the Armies of Hell a top down action adventure game.  You play Tom a regular guy stuck in the office life until one day demons invade your office because you know why not.  This game is funny and has a unique charm to it if you’ve ever worked in a office since I think we all had a fantasy up blowing stuff up in the office and now you can.

SounDrift is a really creative music game.  SounDrift hosted a ton of different types of ambiences in a game where you help create your own soundtrack.  You pick a level and how you interact in that level will create different sounds.  I loved the idea since I love sometimes just relaxing and creating beat even though I have no musical talent myself.

A Spire To The Gods is a turn based RPG exploration game.  The game is super easy to pick up and is great for that mobile in depth experience.  Exploring a new part of the dungeon is a simple tap but every move cost resources so it will still take careful thinking.  I loved how this game was built with the mobile user in mind.

The Novelist was personally my favorite game.  The game focuses on a novelist bringing his family to a new house and you control a spirit that can change their lives by understanding their pasts and changing the outcome of the story.  I thought it was a really artistic creative game that does a great job on storytelling

The last game I want to talk about is a game created from my old school UCSC.  Siege Breakers is a great crafting survival action cooperate game.  Surviving the endless hordes of enemies is so fun when the countless amount of strategies possible with all the tools available to you.

Good Game Club was a great event and there were many more games than the ones I got to play and talk about.  All the games at the venue are listed on their website so check it out for yourself.

GDC Next 2013 Gallery

Check out my article on one of events I attended while at GDC Next 2013  here at Anime Courtyard Otherwise enjoy the gallery of pics I took =)

Death of Paid Games

You can imagine that at a mobile conference that all you hear about is how free-to-play is the fastest growing model in the gaming industry.  “With the console industry slowing in growth it is only a matter of time until paid games are no longer a thing.”  As much as I heard about the amazing growth of the mobile industry I do not believe paid games are going away.

Free-to-play without a doubt has changed the gaming market dramatically there is no denying that. The advantage of having a low barrier of entry is too enormous since you have access to a much larger audience able to play your game.  Free-to-play is an amazing model and I am very glad it has grown as big and fast as it has.

Though free-to-play currently has its huge disadvantages also.  Free to play games are restricted to designing their game around monetization which doesn’t allow for too much creativity.  Successful monetization games are always based around managing some sort of resource.

Free-to-play games are also hampered by an extremely saturated market place.  One of the hardest if not hardest task is getting your game discovered.  With so many competitors offering free-to-play getting found normally means spending a lot of resources on marketing.  This can lead to arms race for marketing dollars which in turn create clones of known successful gameplay monetization mechanics.

It makes sense since managing resources means being able to sell in game resources. The problem with micro transactions are they can lead to pay-to-win scenarios which are never fun.  The player shouldn’t feel he needs to pay to play but pays because they enjoys the content.  Free-to-play games has the hard task of balancing between making a game fun and selling worthwhile in game purchases.

Premium games also have the advantage of hardcore gaming fans.  Core gamers are some of the most passionate consumers in the market.  Grand Theft Auto 5 has generated the most revenue for entertainment releases across all media in one day ever becoming the quickest to reach one billion in revenue.

Consoles makers are also looking to have the best console release with the PS4 and Xbox One both looking to having preorders sold out in the millions.  They both are looking to have the quickest selling consoles to date.  There is an appetite for premium experiences that currently the free-to-play cannot replicate.

While I love casually playing free-to-play games on my tablet I still love having that high quality immersive experience.  There were just way too many epic moments in a game like The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto 5 that I haven't gotten yet from free-to-play games.

The high production costs those game used to create a highly polished game is not possible for every free-to-play model.  Too many people enjoy exploring a world like Los Santos without having to worry about any micro transaction.

Make no mistake I do not think free-to-play is any less immersive and fun than paid games.  I play League of Legends consistently more than I do any other game right now but it is a built around a business model of building an online community.  Not all games should be built around a free-to-play model if it does not make mix with the gameplay design.

In this console generation we also saw tons of game studios being closed like THQ and Acclaim.  Though what was being happening wasn’t the lack of interest in premium games since we saw an increase in core gamers.  What we saw was a change in the business model of the industry with fewer games are being made but are more focus on AAA hits that are making more profits than ever.

But to be fair both models are victims of lack of creativity and originality.  While there are still many great unique games coming out most companies are relying on proven brands or clones from city builders to first person shooters.  It is no wonder games like Grand Theft Auto 5 which hasn’t seen a sequel in five years became such a hit.

Free-to-play games are still evolving and will no doubt create refreshing new IP.  American markets have just really experience the growth in these markets.  China and Japan have had longer success with this model so it is possible.  They are still trying to fix the saturated market place to make finding games easier and when they do the market will be a force to be reckoned with.

Both next generation consoles are embracing free-to-play with their own studios developing games with that business model.  There is no question the power free-to-play has on the industry but it is important to note that consoles have also embraced the more creative indie market too.  All models are being explored as the amount of gamers in the global world is at levels never seen before.

There is a market for high quality immersive games where paid games will still be viable option.  I see the free-to-play market expanding and improving the video game industry as a whole.  There is a healthy ecosystem where you can have multiple ways to pay and play video games and that is great for all types of gamers.

Global Game Stars GMIC 2013

The Global Game Stars competition this year at GMIC 2013 had many interesting games and companies. The mobile game industry is extremely complicated with games extremely favoring a free-to-play monetization model. It was great to see the many ways developers are trying to differentiate to stand out in the saturated market.

The last winner of the Global Game Stars was Royal Revolt during a GDC after event. Royal Revolt was a extremely refreshing game adding not just new gameplay but also had that cute factor to add even more heart to it. I still remember when it was time for questions from the judges one said we will e-mail you a contract.

This year competition had many interesting entries not just in the top 10 but even in the top 20. Fright Fight by APPSolute Games was a great game that tried to revive the love of Super Smash Bros. It was designed like the original 4 player fighting game but with the limitations of the touch screen in mind. While the controls took some getting used to it did remind me of my younger days with the original game on the N64.

MomoMino or formerly know as Blocky Blocky Babies was developed by Nanyang Polytechnic, a school in Singapore for video game developers. It is amazing to see an education program creating a game like MomoMino because of its ability to actually be used in the classroom. Especially when a schools are increasingly providing tablets for their students to use.

Tablets are starting to be introduced in classrooms like computers were back when I growing up in school. At first they introduced a small section devoted to computers in the school library of my elementary school. Then they built a whole new building for a whole computer lab in just as I was about to leave for middle school. I can’t even imagine how much technology have in schools compared to when I was a kid.

That is why I think it is great for upcoming game developers at schools to have their projects at these competitions. Not only is it great learning experience for them but they are also allowed much more creative freedom than developers tied to publishers since the school is providing most of the resources. I hope I get to see more developing teams from all levels of education institutions.

Another group of developers that impressed me was MVE Systems Inc. also developed from young minds from Stanford. The WarGames: Rise of Modern Empires itself was not what impressed me the most though. They were actually able to get Contracts with the Philippines navy to have their simulator used in their own simulation training.

The Sandbox by Pixowl Inc. was a unique creative game where you can build your own world. It reminded me a lot of Minecraft but on a 2D world. You can and use so many elements to create your own world. If you use steam it can create clouds which in turn can create thunder. The possibilities with this game could be endless.

My Singing Monsters was my favorite game at the competition because of its ability to bring a smile to my face. It is your village creating game but with music. You are creating your own band and you unlock monsters that sing different beats. I loved seeing the different songs people created in their own world. This game resonated with me the most with its lovable charm.

In the mobile game market it is so hard to have your games stand out in such a saturated market. To do that you not only need something that is marketable but something that is so unique that it stands out. Not easy in a market filled with so many clones but with the huge audience available the payoff can be tremendous if done correctly.

I love seeing these competitions to get my hands on to see what developers are creating. As someone that would one day love to help create games I love talking to these developers to talk about their thought process when deciding what to focus on.

Future of Mobile Games

I got to attend the Global Mobile Internet Conference today.  One popular theme that got explored throughout the many Global Game Stars panels was what the future holds for mobile gaming.  Discussing changes in funding, technology, and new innovative ideas that the industry is heading towards.

One big change is in funding that is more available to game developers.  It is no surprise with just in America you have half the population using smartphones and on average playing games for an hour.  The whole world is becoming more mobile especially in emerging markets so there are reasons for investors to take risks in game developers.

This is extremely intriguing since consoles are seeing an increase in indie developers creating content for their platform. In fact console makers next generation are increasing support for indie developers.  From allowing developers to self publish to promoting more content on the indie market.  It is interesting seeing how developers in both markets are adapting to the changes in their respective categories.

A cool thing to see was the increase in cross platform games.  While many games are ported across different platforms it was great to see developers talking about creating content that is tailored specifically for the devices.  Like Ubisoft’s The Division will have a tablet experience that can engage directly with console players.

This is a great idea since games are much more than the experience in the living room.  Games are played across the globe so they shouldn't just be played at home.  Technology makes the experience at home and mobile extremely different. If you have a integrated game that is tailored to the strengths of each device then you will have an addicting experience that is played all the time.

It was cool to see new technology being discussed.  Augmented reality is a cool concept that can really change all of gaming.  It is still too early to see how this could change how we play video games everywhere but there are so many possibilities.  The new types of gameplay possible when users are not restricted to a controller could lead much more engaging games.

I love games on both mobile and at home.  I don't think one is superior to the other just different.  What I love to see is when game developers use the strengths of both devices to increase community involvement in their games.  I believe strong community is the best way to sell content for the brand.  By providing content that the user can enjoy at all times will lead to that franchise being talked about all the time.

Taking my own Journey

As I write this I am starting up my PS3 to play Journey yet again.   Right now I am going down a path to pursue my dream.  These past few weeks I have been planning and thinking about my next steps.   I do not know if I will succeed or what will happen but I know I will give it my all.

I think about Journey because the developers at thatgamecompany took an enormous risk releasing Journey but that risk led to one of the best games I have ever gotten to play in my entire life. Their drive to follow their passion was truly amazing especially since they created such a touching piece of art.

I could talk about what made Journey so amazing but I think what makes it so amazing is how it touches everyone differently.   I have decided I too will take a risk and follow my dream.