Whilst some might argue that I am showing my age, it doesn’t seem that long ago that board games – physical games – were common and great fun. The personal interaction was the part that made it interesting, with a win or loss inspiring elation or disappointment with a lot of fun along the way.
The early game consoles were novel – and introduced a new facet – gaming and competition on demand through challenging the console. No longer did you have to play against another person – you could challenge the console. So, this new facet – on demand competition – was born to the detriment of the social aspect. A new game was played between siblings – who could wrest control of the game controller.
Arcade games offered social sharing – which consisted of standing around an arcade game when one of your friends was playing. Top score sharing was by memory – in other words, you have to ensure at least two or three people saw your score – and remembered it! The competition had great intensity and energy to it – however it was vastly dull without company.
As consoles have become more sophisticated, the quality of the gaming experience has improved significantly – however current and future games are very focussed on the social interaction and shared experience of playing games.
The minimum factors include:
- Play at your convenience and for a length of time of your choosing
- Compete against others and win accolades for success
- Identification of friends enabling connection – with appropriate safeguards to prevent cyber stalking
- Creates engagement and capacity to share success outside of game network via social media
- Delivery of experience across multiple devices (computers, tablets and games consoles) and through social platforms such as Facebook
- Opportunity to build the database of users – allowing for reactivation offers
These factors deliver:
- Revenue across multiple platforms
- New potential customers at a lower cost of sale
- Exponential sales growth through buzz generated
How the internet has revitalised Texas Holdem
I confess to not being a fan of the traditional addictive online games such as Call of Duty or World of Warcraft.
However I have become more interested in online games like Texas Holdem.
Some of the facets above are included but there are some unique features in Holdem that I particularly like:
- I can jump in and play fast – I can also exit when i feel like it
- Whilst I’m learning the game I wont be embarrassed if I don’t win
- The pace is faster than a face to face game (which can go for hours) – any party that wants to leave the table can
The internet is enabling new ways of multiplayer games being delivered. in the future we will see virtual reality and more – it will be exciting and a new way of meeting our social interaction needs.