While I'm sure that it will get their games out to other sources, is it really going to expand their business all that much? Most independent games that turn out to be well made and moderately successful get coverage in the mainstream gaming media. Those games that are poorly made and don't have much buzz behind them might not get noticed, but it's quite possible that they don't warrent getting noticed. Look at games like Alien Hominid, it was a small flash game that caught on with people, it started to get coverage in main stream gaming press and eventually it was picked up and made into a console game. Additionally, what about the games from the big guys that get great acclaim and are amazing games, but get overlooked by the gaming public? There are lots of great games that aren't epic like Halo or Madden, so they get little or no press, but the small amount of press they do get is largely positive.
Independent games just like independent movies have their niche in the grand scheme of gaming, but I don't think that this magazine is going to be seen by those unless they are seeking it out, and chances are those are already the people playing the games.
I am a manager in a call center for a hotel and everything we do is connected via a variety of networks. We have 10 call centers in the US and Canada and a number of other centers in other parts of the world. Recently all the North American centers except ours have switched to a VOIP setup. I haven't experienced the setup yet, but it is supposed to be easier for phone agents as more information can be provided to them prior to actually speaking to the guest.
What I have experienced however is the frustration of that network going down. Other centers can't take the calls that are allocated to them, and they all get routed here, our agents get incredibly taxed and it's bad for business overall. While the outages are generally short, no more than about a half hour at the most, it is incredibly bad for business. From my standpoint it does seem that it benefits us to not be on the system, as we are really the only backup they have at the moment. So, at least for now it is job security.
While I will admit that I haven't played WOW for long, only just about a month. But, I found that Everquest was not enjoyable for myself at all. I began the game as a Necromancer because I'll admit that it's cool to be evil. I found that people were extremly unhelpful, going so far as to say, "No you are evil, I won't help you." Now, I didn't know anyone when I started playing EQ so I was pretty much going in blindly. But, the short time I played EQ I didn't find it enjoyable at all.
Whereas, I played FFXI on and off for almost 3 years. It was easier to get started in FF than EQ and right off the bat I found it to be more enjoyable. The biggest draw to FF for me was the story. While FF was based still on quests and grinding out for EXP, what I believe really keeps people playing it is that the story actually continues to grow as you complete missions and move up in levels, as well as each new expansion adds upon the story.
So, your points are valid for you, I know many people who have reached lvl 60 in WOW and still continue to play and enjoy the game, and with the new expansion coming out, it will hopefully improve on some of the shortcomings.
It will be incredibly difficult to reproduce the success of WOW for a number of reasons. The main being that WOW is incredibly accessible to gamers of all skill levels. Having played many different MMORPG's WOW was easily the easiest to pick up and run with. Other games have an incredibly steep learning curve and to the casual gamer are turned off. With WOW you can jump right in and get to doing quests without having to go through the tedium of starting off so weak you can't do anything. Additionally, Blizzard has been incredibly successful with almost every game they have released. I'm hard pressed to find a Blizzard title that wasn't both a commercial and critical success, with the exception of the long-anticipated, maybe to eventually be released Starcraft: Ghost. Additionally, from my experience WOW is the only MMORPG you can play for short periods at a time. If you have a half hour you can jump into WOW and actually accomplish something. Other games, they require large chunks of your life to achieve a modest level of success. I'm not saying that the other games are bad, because they are by no means, but they are not as accessible to the casual gamer as WOW is. WOW definately isn't perfect, what with the lack of overall storyline, but in terms of quick fun it beats the others hands down.
I agree with everything you have commented on, but in addition to those features include productivity software, amd reduce the size. It's not a portable device per-se. It doesn't seem incredibly durable, and requires bulky cases to protect it from getting damaged in transport. With the network capabilities of the system and the addition of a touch screen and stylus it could be an all-in-one device. It could replace your gameboy, PDA, and with some additional technology even your cell phone. It's only a matter of time before Sony releases a new version of the PSP, regardless of what they say publically.
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While I'm sure that it will get their games out to other sources, is it really going to expand their business all that much? Most independent games that turn out to be well made and moderately successful get coverage in the mainstream gaming media. Those games that are poorly made and don't have much buzz behind them might not get noticed, but it's quite possible that they don't warrent getting noticed. Look at games like Alien Hominid, it was a small flash game that caught on with people, it started to get coverage in main stream gaming press and eventually it was picked up and made into a console game. Additionally, what about the games from the big guys that get great acclaim and are amazing games, but get overlooked by the gaming public? There are lots of great games that aren't epic like Halo or Madden, so they get little or no press, but the small amount of press they do get is largely positive. Independent games just like independent movies have their niche in the grand scheme of gaming, but I don't think that this magazine is going to be seen by those unless they are seeking it out, and chances are those are already the people playing the games.
I am a manager in a call center for a hotel and everything we do is connected via a variety of networks. We have 10 call centers in the US and Canada and a number of other centers in other parts of the world. Recently all the North American centers except ours have switched to a VOIP setup. I haven't experienced the setup yet, but it is supposed to be easier for phone agents as more information can be provided to them prior to actually speaking to the guest. What I have experienced however is the frustration of that network going down. Other centers can't take the calls that are allocated to them, and they all get routed here, our agents get incredibly taxed and it's bad for business overall. While the outages are generally short, no more than about a half hour at the most, it is incredibly bad for business. From my standpoint it does seem that it benefits us to not be on the system, as we are really the only backup they have at the moment. So, at least for now it is job security.
While I will admit that I haven't played WOW for long, only just about a month. But, I found that Everquest was not enjoyable for myself at all. I began the game as a Necromancer because I'll admit that it's cool to be evil. I found that people were extremly unhelpful, going so far as to say, "No you are evil, I won't help you." Now, I didn't know anyone when I started playing EQ so I was pretty much going in blindly. But, the short time I played EQ I didn't find it enjoyable at all. Whereas, I played FFXI on and off for almost 3 years. It was easier to get started in FF than EQ and right off the bat I found it to be more enjoyable. The biggest draw to FF for me was the story. While FF was based still on quests and grinding out for EXP, what I believe really keeps people playing it is that the story actually continues to grow as you complete missions and move up in levels, as well as each new expansion adds upon the story. So, your points are valid for you, I know many people who have reached lvl 60 in WOW and still continue to play and enjoy the game, and with the new expansion coming out, it will hopefully improve on some of the shortcomings.
It will be incredibly difficult to reproduce the success of WOW for a number of reasons. The main being that WOW is incredibly accessible to gamers of all skill levels. Having played many different MMORPG's WOW was easily the easiest to pick up and run with. Other games have an incredibly steep learning curve and to the casual gamer are turned off. With WOW you can jump right in and get to doing quests without having to go through the tedium of starting off so weak you can't do anything. Additionally, Blizzard has been incredibly successful with almost every game they have released. I'm hard pressed to find a Blizzard title that wasn't both a commercial and critical success, with the exception of the long-anticipated, maybe to eventually be released Starcraft: Ghost. Additionally, from my experience WOW is the only MMORPG you can play for short periods at a time. If you have a half hour you can jump into WOW and actually accomplish something. Other games, they require large chunks of your life to achieve a modest level of success. I'm not saying that the other games are bad, because they are by no means, but they are not as accessible to the casual gamer as WOW is. WOW definately isn't perfect, what with the lack of overall storyline, but in terms of quick fun it beats the others hands down.
I agree with everything you have commented on, but in addition to those features include productivity software, amd reduce the size. It's not a portable device per-se. It doesn't seem incredibly durable, and requires bulky cases to protect it from getting damaged in transport. With the network capabilities of the system and the addition of a touch screen and stylus it could be an all-in-one device. It could replace your gameboy, PDA, and with some additional technology even your cell phone. It's only a matter of time before Sony releases a new version of the PSP, regardless of what they say publically.
So will Jesus be one of the hidden characters? Maybe you can smite your enemies by throwing up the mighty Horns of Righteousness?