Banzaii - The blog of online games and games of Jorge Mediavilla

I read on Gamespot , a site that may not know but that is the source of almost everything you read in Spanish web pages that SCI (Eidos), which owns franchises such as Tomb Raider or Hitman, through bad times, including layoffs and restructuring. One of the most striking changes is the creation of a new casual games division, to be called Eidos Play. SCI keeps up the way other companies like Electronic Arts and Take Two.

My opinion is that casual games are not the goose that lays the golden egg, the great decision that will remove the hook, but a step in the right direction, a step that is consistent with the philosophy imposed Nintendo today and remoteness of the industry of those games that generate violent rejection and bad press. Casual games are games of direct and immediate gameplay aimed at players unusual that occur with low costs and revenues which, if the game becomes a huge success, can be spectacular.

How will this line of strategy games? What is clear is that either these games out for Wii or download on the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace. I do not think outside of Wii make much sense to flood the Game shopping with these products. Some may make sense, as those who have already succeeded in Intenet and are well known as Diner Dash or Cake Mania, but not all.

Internet should be a key player when it comes to market and sell these games. What I do is a flash version of the game, as Sony has released Patapon , and would promote, without eliminating conventional advertising in social networks using new marketing techniques of Web 2.0. So put on sale over the Internet with systems of digital rights protection. The strategy and distribution of casual games by these large corporations, therefore, should differ from the games "hardcore" and, of course, do not forget the mobile version.

Today I was able to launch a project that brought a lot of time working. Everything came from Martin Moncalvillo contacted me. Martin, in addition to carrying the news of EA mobile games and other things, communication takes Cinegames, a movie theater with 50 seats to play multiplayer games.

After talking a while with him, I got the idea of ​​rewarding the best user comments on the blog expert Yahoo! Games, the higher quality, with the assistance Cinegames to play a multiplayer game. The award will go on 22 November to play for free with the experts and also the best will win a Wii. To participate you just have to write a review of quality and are the experts themselves to reward the best comments on your articles.

In addition to promoting the gaming blog, are promoting their own Cinegames. On the same page of the event will find a coupon so you can go to play when you want and your partner does not pay.

- Page promotion event gaming blog .
- Page Cinegames .
- Blog of games from Yahoo!

Advergame in collaboration with Cola Cao

On the other hand, I've also been working on the adaptation of an advergame of Cola Cao. This is a new business line that I've been exploring and had not started, but it seems that begins to bear fruit. The game, "Whatever BMX" is pretty good and they give BMX bikes, but to win you need proof of purchase of Cola Cao Turbo ... Anyway, Cola Cao everywhere, but the game is decent.

- Have a game of advergame Cola Cao .

Solving this problem (only 1% of the fans of the games "casual" game and end up buying the other 99% is dedicated to download trial versions without taking the step of acquiring it) is the key to future industry. Under the current system of downloading games online, the conversion rate is low, and raise is the big challenge. Maybe do need a new twist on the business model for games "casual" begin to be really profitable.

Leo GameDaily an excellent interview with Erik Goossens, co-founder with Rutger Peters from Zylom that delves into this and other problems of online games and "casual". Goosens, Vice President, RealNetworks games right now (Zylom RealNetworks bought not long ago) said that the solution is to in-game advertising in games "casual" and microtransactions (the style of World of Warcraft and other games massive online you can buy weapons and items).

Real Networks uses the time when I play stops, between levels, to insert advertising in-game (in game) and thus encourage the download of the game and insert your purchase or traditional advertising.

What is clear is that people on the Internet wants to play online and always free. Respecting this, many do not mind advertising and even some people get it, because behind every game there are a developer, publisher, machines, maintenance, marketing and then a website that promotes it and all this is worth much money .

Today I found this funny advergame in which the top brass at Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google are given milk. Choose your character, your opponent and answers questions about search engines that will be done to win. Unfortunately it is in English:

- Game Search Engine Smackdown .

Today, a communications agency responsible for promoting the film "The Hills Have Eyes," which will premiere on May 11 and that looks good, has accompanied the information in a fairly good quality game I encourage you to try: play .

Let me know if you like. Advergames used to shoddy, I liked it. Have emulated the idea of ​​Doom 3, in the darkness takes over the set and only the faint light from your gun you used to make out where the next mutant will attack you.

- Game of the movie "The Hills Have Eyes". Note: Requires installation of Adobe Shockwave Player to play.

As I said a while ago for me is the year of advergame. I'm working on it for a while and I finally released my first advergames built on the site, the catalog of games. Crow is a campaign, the brand of alcoholic beverages.

Update: For legal issues in the side of the poster I had to remove them ... It is seen that the first time is unpleasant ...

Lately the market is somewhat revolutionized the subject of advertising in video games. The latest news are saying that Google would be interested in an in-game advertising company called Adscape Media. Microsoft, meanwhile, already bought Massive for some time now, so have some advantage. It is clear that great games are in uncharted waters and potentially beneficial to their coffers.

My opinion on advertising inside video games is that it is effective, if properly used, and can become very dangerous for the industry and users. Let me explain. Effective if well implemented, so that is something repetitive, but not get bored, if well integrated into the game and the user can stop it if it takes over the screen (as in NBA 2K7, when Toyota sponsors repetition of a large counterattack). That advertising is well integrated, not intrusive and the content makes sense and marry the whole (like the billboards of a football field) is well in my opinion.

It is dangerous for the industry because advertisers are demanding, like out of the script, getting more and more with the same money, get more performance, and this means intrusion, going beyond reasonable limits for users. It is also dangerous for the user because the risk that the advertising dollars thicken the coffers of the companies without that income being noticed in the retail price is great. You also run the danger of enjoying lower quality games with intrusive advertising. Others will wonder why they have to endure advertising when they pay 60 euros for a game, which is something.

In short, if advertising means lower prices, for my good, provided it does not bother me in the gameplay.

Then there's the advertising that make various icons of video games like Lara Croft or Sam Fisher, a variety of products and services. I have nothing against Fisher announced that gum on television, frankly, do not I like a myth or anything.

And then there's that include spyware in their games, systems that scan the contents of your hard drive and send the information to their machines in order to send you advertising to match your tastes. This is totally illegal. It seems that one of the big game companies have used it and is totally reprehensible from the standpoint of morality, not only from the law.

I believe that advergaming is rather the practice of using games to publicize a product or service. In this sense is not equivalent to putting advertising in a game or video game, it is rather to make a game expressly and exclusively for promoting something. On the Internet there are many games like that, but there are also conventional video games in this spirit, as Ford Racing, for example, where one can compete with cars of that brand.

To me, this is the year of advergaming. There are already many companies that handle flash-games, shockwave or java to advertise. In addition to endow their brand interesting content sites, valuable, fun and engaging for the audience. Prices do not know, but I will not be very expensive. See if someone Ompet, with whom I have spoken on occasion, or of Exelweiss, with whom I have not had the pleasure of dealing personally, but through Carlos Blanco, we illustrate. Thank you!

- Source: Article in GameSpot .
- News in Ojobuscador .