Comments on: Social Gaming Carrot-on-a-Stick http://www.fabricinteractive.com/blog/social-gaming-carrot-on-a-stick?utm_source=RSS+Feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Fabric+Interactive+Blog Fabric on social media, interactive, creative, and cool stuff Thu, 17 May 2012 19:29:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Donna http://www.fabricinteractive.com/blog/social-gaming-carrot-on-a-stick#comment-5034 Donna Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:27:35 +0000 http://www.fabricinteractive.com/blog/?p=478#comment-5034 HI Ryan, SHINY OBJECT! Weeeeeeee. I like shiny objects, most people like the monkey in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball like shiny objects as well! Its not the most photogenic or noble side of human nature, but certainly the reptilian instinct to pursue instant gratification is a real instinct that we all act on and its here to stay. Personally, I find this a healthy expression of our more primal selves, as long as its not violent or law breaking :). So even a carrot on a stick in front of mule, while it may be unoriginal and it might be trite, it is a guaranteed method of eliciting a desired and I would even say ENGAGED response! Full disclosure: I sell Virtual currency. Some of your points are very true...WOW is far more immersive, and yes Farmville has yet to come up with some streamilined metrics around the casual gaming space. However, WOW and other MMO's allow PLAYER to PLAYER trade and this is NOT ALLOWED WITHIN micro transaction driven Virtual Currency solutions. Meaning, in World of Warcraft you or you and your guild could buy some gold coins to level up from e-bay. That transaction will not be monitored by any third party and most likely those coins were posted onto e-bay by someone in China or a teenager that is counting on this as a viable source of income. Anyhow, Virtual Currency is a great solution for microtransactions. This method of leveling up is one of the few ways that game publishers can keep the Free to Play compelling for users and profitable for themselves. We all benefit from Facebook being an open source for free apps...if you track the explosion of Facebook its exponential growth is in step with its plug and play compatability with F2P apps. One of the few ways to reach this Social Media audience is to be part of their gaming experience and helping them as they continue to succeed in their gaming narrative. Additionally, I would even say that Social games are the Brand Safe eco system for reaching the Social Media audience. And Social Games are more often then not, one of the treasured Social Media Activities of women in the 35 +demo. The MMO's or PC GAmes you mentioned such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, are a higher percentage male audience. Hopefully, in case your interested in a balanced view, this provides you with some perspective on the Virtual Currency phenomenon. HI Ryan,

SHINY OBJECT!

Weeeeeeee.

I like shiny objects, most people like the monkey in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball like shiny objects as well!
Its not the most photogenic or noble side of human nature, but certainly the reptilian instinct to pursue instant gratification is a real instinct that we all act on and its here to stay. Personally, I find this a healthy expression of our more primal selves, as long as its not violent or law breaking :). So even a carrot on a stick in front of mule, while it may be unoriginal and it might be trite, it is a guaranteed method of eliciting a desired and I would even say ENGAGED response!

Full disclosure: I sell Virtual currency. Some of your points are very true…WOW is far more immersive, and yes Farmville has yet to come up with some streamilined metrics around the casual gaming space. However, WOW and other MMO's allow PLAYER to PLAYER trade and this is NOT ALLOWED WITHIN micro transaction driven Virtual Currency solutions. Meaning, in World of Warcraft you or you and your guild could buy some gold coins to level up from e-bay. That transaction will not be monitored by any third party and most likely those coins were posted onto e-bay by someone in China or a teenager that is counting on this as a viable source of income.

Anyhow, Virtual Currency is a great solution for microtransactions. This method of leveling up is one of the few ways that game publishers can keep the Free to Play compelling for users and profitable for themselves. We all benefit from Facebook being an open source for free apps…if you track the explosion of Facebook its exponential growth is in step with its plug and play compatability with F2P apps. One of the few ways to reach this Social Media audience is to be part of their gaming experience and helping them as they continue to succeed in their gaming narrative.
Additionally, I would even say that Social games are the Brand Safe eco system for reaching the Social Media audience. And Social Games are more often then not, one of the treasured Social Media Activities of women in the 35 +demo. The MMO's or PC GAmes you mentioned such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, are a higher percentage male audience.

Hopefully, in case your interested in a balanced view, this provides you with some perspective on the Virtual Currency phenomenon.

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