Video games: news, theory & analysis.
Video games: news, theory & analysis.
It is an obvious proposition: women like casual games, and advertisers like women. Therefore, advertisers like casual games. And so, unsurprisingly, a host of female-targeting games are sprouting all over the Interwebs.
Thanks to the technical convenience of flash-based games, every site, blog and forum now features some idiotic clickable nonsense. But, unlike some of the people who are investing money in this, I'm skeptical that some of these new 'portals' will successfully persuade any women.
Example. — read on
Yes, I too am a sucker for those games from the past. It's like remembering that fling you had in the summer of 198x. Well, I just ran into her on the street and she is looking fine... — read on
After the exciting release of the report that I wrote with DFC Intelligence on the game activities of big media companies, Business Week is running a story this week that seems informed by my writing. — read on
Over the past year I've been working with David Cole from DFC Intelligence on a report that investigates all the videogame-related activity of media companies. And it's finally available. — read on
As if it needed any evidence that video games are the sports of the 21st century, ESPN has announced it'll add a slew of 40 games to its site. Under the name ESPN Arcade, created in collaboration with casual & advergame developer Skyworks, sports fans can play online and collect trophies and other obviousness. — read on
According to this article, Disney is reaching out and grabbing itself a piece. Last year Disney spent about $100 million on game development, which has increased to $130 million this year and, over the next five years, will further grow to $350 million "per year in video game investment, principally consoles and handhelds," according to CFO Tom Staggs. — read on
As an early hypothesis to my oncoming batch of company profiles for DFC Intelligence, I predict that Disney will surprise no one with the transmigration of existing IP into a variety of tired franchises. Of course, this is a pessimistic way of stating the obvious, but at the same time the leverage that these giant companies have could be used to innovate the game industry, rather than making a quick buck.
— read on
[What follows is a promo piece I've been working with George Chronis for DFC. It is, as is the rest of the Internet, in a permanent state of beta.] With Viacom’s re-entry into the gaming industry comes a lot of buzz and great expectations. Clearly such a media giant may have a profound effect on the gaming landscape. In other words, some caution is in order. — read on
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Half of the work in getting a Ph.D is purely logistical. This is my attempt to create a degree of coherence in the influx of game-related news, data, tidbits, announcements, CFPs, book reviews, commentary and nonsense that finds its way onto my screen every day.