a single click. All you need is Adobe Reader.
For use with either a modern browser, or an RSS program.
Games meet Twitter and Facebook
The integration of social media and videogames is in its real infancy, and we think will change beyond recognition.
Written by Dave Taylor, 30 September 2009
Uncharted 2 might have had to have its Twitter interface turned off while they tweak the feature, but is social media integration with games a worthwhile development, or is it just a fad?
One thing is for sure, it's clear that both next-gen console developers know that games developers want to add integration between their games and social networks. Microsoft can pretend that it wanted to add the Facebook and Twitter features for users, but it's developers that have forced them to open up to these services. For some reason, Microsoft has always tried to keep the Xbox as a closed garden while Sony has happily opened both the PS3 and PSP up by including a web browser from the get-go, as they say. All the more odd as Sony had to license a browser, while Microsoft has the code in its hands, but just won't add the functionality.
So, why do developers want to tie games in with social networks? Several reasons, I would say, and the most obvious one is demographics - most people on Facebook and Twitter are young enough that they are likely to be the target audience for a game. Nice fit, let's target them and then when they play a game, they will be telling their friends about our game, so we get word of mouth for free. That's the cynic in me.
MMOZine Issue 29
For our latest Champions Online coverage, click here to download MMOZine Issue 29 for free.As importantly though, it's ease. Both Facebook and Twitter have opened their APIs so that third parties can program for them, making it not very hard to push out a message to Twitter when you complete an achievement/chapter/etc in a game. Free content to the gamer for their social feed to show off what they are doing, and not all that hard to code.
For me though, this implementation is very early and basic stuff. Uncharted 2's Twitter updates are not the first for a game, whatever the PlayStation blog likes to think. For a start, Champions Online had this Twitter integration earlier this month and I'm fairly certain a little googling would easily unearth a less well known, but earlier example.
However, while tweeting your success in game is OK - I guess if your friends are interested in your 14th cup of coffee for the day, they are also going to lap up the fact that you've just killed Dr Nutjob, what I think is going to be more interesting is when developers start to really integrate social media, rather than just put it in a layer on top.
For example, how much more useful and fun would it be if you were playing a game with drop-in co-op and you could hit a button that sent out the tweet "Dave is having really trouble on level 4 of Call of Duty 8 - please help me!" and your friends with your gamer details could jump in.
Yes, this is only the beginning of convergence between games and social media and we'll look back on these early days as the equivalent of Pong. Or is it just a daft idea?
Champions Online coverage available in MMOZine Issue 29 - click here to download it for free!
»View more Champions Online features...
