At the end of June, Activision Blizzard Publishing head Eric Hirshberg gave off the impression that Activision would be focusing on Call of Duty: Elite and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure as their main casual and social properties, but it turns out that the company's jump into Facebook might actually be coming sooner than we might have originally thought. As reported by Business Insider, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick confirms that "a lot of work is being done on Facebook games" within the company. The delay, he says, was due to the time required to build up a social games division after analyzing the particular kinds of talent needed to develop in the space.
Speaking with Forbes, Kotick explained: "[T]he skills that are required to do social games on a Facebook platform include analytical skills that are different than what we have in our business intelligence unit today. So we've had to go out and find people who have these unique kinds of skills –and there are very few of them that actually have proven their skills. So you have to find people who have the characteristics of being able to develop systems to analyze game play or game behavior."
As for what kind of games the company is currently developing, Kotick didn't say, although he did say that Activision has come to understand that many of the most popular Facebook games are ultimately resource management games, bringing back a genre that was incredibly popular a decade ago. Could this mean that Activision's Facebook games will include some form of resource management? Or, will they pull a 180 and take a risk to develop something never before seen on the platform? As more details of Activision's future social projects come to light, we'll make sure to let you know
With the big players like Zynga and EA holding the majority of the Facebook gaming pie, is it too late for Activision to come in and take a slice? Should they stick with the basic Facebook gaming mechanics of farming and city-building, or should they just adapt some of their console games for a social experience?
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn casual games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn casual games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Sáu, 23 tháng 12, 2011
Thứ Tư, 12 tháng 10, 2011
PopCap study: Play games with your kids, they'll be better for it
Man, there's nothing like a feel-good study to cheer you up on a Friday. PopCap Games, creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz for Facebook, has helped in a study by Goldsmiths University that finds some comforting results for gamer parents, at least. According to the study, one in five parents said that playing computer games has helped their children develop a better understanding of technology.
While the organization does not reveal the exact number of participants, it goes on to report on findings that a third of parents believe gaming has increased their kids' concentration and that 53 percent believe that casual video games have improved their kids' problem solving skills. And the kids want more, apparently, as 27 percent of parents reported that their children attempt to borrow their smartphones to play casual games on.
"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," said Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths in a release. "Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships. The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development."
Well, there's your educated, scientific opinion, so take it or leave it. Keep in mind, however, this survey comes from the help of a company that may have interest in this particular market (with all due respect, of course). For those of you who hand the toddler the iPad or the Wii remote every once in a while, more power to ya. (Besides, a two-year-old with an iPad is YouTube gold.)
Have you ever played video games with your kids? What effects do you think playing with your kid could have on his or her development? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
While the organization does not reveal the exact number of participants, it goes on to report on findings that a third of parents believe gaming has increased their kids' concentration and that 53 percent believe that casual video games have improved their kids' problem solving skills. And the kids want more, apparently, as 27 percent of parents reported that their children attempt to borrow their smartphones to play casual games on.
"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," said Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths in a release. "Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships. The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development."
Well, there's your educated, scientific opinion, so take it or leave it. Keep in mind, however, this survey comes from the help of a company that may have interest in this particular market (with all due respect, of course). For those of you who hand the toddler the iPad or the Wii remote every once in a while, more power to ya. (Besides, a two-year-old with an iPad is YouTube gold.)
Have you ever played video games with your kids? What effects do you think playing with your kid could have on his or her development? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
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