Gamer Industry's James Brightman reports on the success of casual gaming on Sony's PSN, with Angry Birds now the network's best selling title of all time after only a few months:
"[Colin] Sebastian noted that Sony's success in bringing more casuals to the PS3's online network could be key for the future growth of the platform. 'We think this could be a significant move for PSN because it can allow casual game publishers, in addition to traditional game publishers, to leverage the PS3 as a gaming platform,' he said, adding, "We were encouraged by the free-to-play demo of Sodium.'"
But who are the folks producing these casual titles and how do they do it? At Screwattack, user SolidDensity explains what it was like to produce an app for sale on iTunes:
"It's one thing to be a student in your bedroom trying to develop a game as quickly as possible and with no budget. It’s a completely different thing to be a game developer trying to make a profitable product. As I said, I started out with a deadline of 1 month and a budget of $100, but somehow I ended up releasing after 2 and half months with $350 sunk into the project."Meanwhile a debate rages over piracy over at Computersandvideogames. Would gaming be better off without piracy? Or do those who hack provide an important service without which some titles would never see the light of day? CVG:
"The problem is that the overall issue is far more complex than most of us would care to think about. Hackers argue they aren't doing it to make piracy easy, they're doing it to understand the system, provide additional features that could benefit the users and often invoke freedom of information as their driving purpose.
On the flip side platform holders, developers and publishers retort by saying regardless of the intentions it makes piracy possible and accessible, which not only prevents creators from benefiting from their work but breaches terms of use agreements and damages the health of the industry."
In other news, Griffin McElroy reports for Joystiq on new information concerning the leveling of characters in BioWare's upcoming MMO, The Old Republic:"So, so many skill trees. No kidding, you guys. Like, a tropical rainforest of skill trees."Also, if you are all caught up on DC's Brightest Day, I strongly suggest reading Jesse Schedeen's article at IGN on a certain somebody's comic book history and timely return.
And who doesn't like prizes?. Jamin Warren writes for Kill Screen about the gamification of Alice in Wonderland:
"To deal with issues of fairness and equity, the Dodo proposes a very funny solution to the problem of a game played for too long. Simply put, he hands out the equivalent of a Foursquare badge."As a result, Gamasutra's Christian McCrea worries about where this might lead:
"The best possible outcome of the gamification madness is that game designers are giving a range of new work to do outside of game production – which can only enrich the working process and deliver some degree of autonomy to those who possess the skillset. The worst possible outcomes of the gamification madness is that its used to excuse another round of mediocre product delivery, to forestall genuine changes in workplaces and to induce infantilizing and distracting overhauls of previously useful things."Finally, an excellent piece by Steve Watts at 1up, and a must read. Can you say, "One Console Future?" Watts explains:
When Denis Dyack argued in favor of a "One Console Future" during the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, it was the first time many gamers had heard of the term. The public reaction was less than welcoming, with cries of monopoly and stagnant evolution at the forefront of counter-arguments. Nearly four years later, consoles are as divided as ever, but we're seeing some strides that suggest Dyack may have actually been right all along.
