Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Americans Love Football (and why its a bad thing)
The video game Madden Football comes out every year in August signalling the start of both the virtual and actual football season. Training camp news pours in, we wonder whether Brett Farve will play football and we hear about the latest holdouts. For me it is a reminder of the worst part of the sporting year. It means baseball is winding down and Football will dominate sports for the next four months. On September 9th the National Football season will begin again and we'll count the rest of the year by weeks. America loves football, it consumes us. Men fawn over their heroes and woman try to become part of the mens ritual of Sunday. For me however, football is mirror to American society. A mirror whose reflection is getting less and less appealing. Football reflects a great number of the negative things about us. Here are a few that I came up with.– Football is xenophobic.
Football is exclusively played by Americans. There are less than a handful of foreign born players and relects the US natural isolationist tendency. What does it say about us that we love a game so dearly that no one else plays?
– Football rewards violence.
From our earliest days as a nation we have solved our conflicts with violence. Indians issues, problems with the British, border issue with Canada – we always turn to violence. Football is an embodiment of that trait. Smash the player in front of you, deliver the big hit and maim your opponent are virtues of the game.
– Football is is best watched on TV.
Football took off in the late 50's. Anyone know what also took off in the late 50's? That's right television. The game lives because it is been perfected for television. The action fits in the little box and Americans (fat Americans I might add) sit watching their boxed heroes. All the action perfectly detailed for the small screen.
– Football is sexist.
Woman do not play football. Their are not womans versions of the game, there are not womans world cups or Womans football. It is a game played for men, by men. All the commercialism around the game re-enforces these notions with men making fun of silly woman while clever men dupe their wives while watching the game. (I was inspired but the DiGiorna ads for this one)
– Football is about domination, taking territory and imposing one's will
There is no diplomacy in football. The game is designed for one team to over power the other team and dominate them. Sounds like US foreign policy since WWII. What is going to happen to us when the country doesn't reflect it's game. There are the few that came into my head and I know people are going to get pissed off at me. I actually like football. I just don't like sometimes what it represents. It can be gross overkill and gaudy, just like the United States.
Crowdsourced Star Wars Uncut Remake Makes Its Online Debut
This is sick! 15 second clips of Star Wars. It was entirely crowdsourced.
Crowdsourced Star Wars Uncut Remake Makes Its Online Debut
This is sick! 15 second clips of Star Wars. It was entirely crowdsourced.
Dear Baseball, I love you. Now change.
I love baseball. I get depressed every November after the World Series ends and get charged up every March when Spring Training games are played. Its one of my great joys. I follow it, I read books about it and have a fantasy baseball league that has been running on 10 years. (Which I have won more than lost)
The game has its flaws, lots of em. Inspired by Bill Simmons, I'm focusing on game length. They have got to, for the love of God speed up the games! I know Grandpa Bud Selig (the commissioner of baseball) has paid lipservice to game speed but they have to really push for it by changing the rules. Here are my none invasive rule changes.
– Pitch clock. Put it behind home plate and in straight away center so everyone can see. Once you toe the rubber it starts. No more Trachsel based rain delays. If you don't throw, its a ball.
– Official timeouts. Every sport has a set amount of timeouts, baseball should have one too per team. Let's go with 35 per game. 1 for each batter and 7 for pitching changes, mound visits etc. When you are out of timeouts and you stop the game…its a ball or a strike.
If you don't like the timeout rule let's go with:
– Any mound visit must result in a pitching change.
– Catchers my only visit the mound once per inning.
There is so much dead time in the game its ver easy to stamp out just by enforcing existing rules. Its not doom and gloom but the game could stand for much better pacing.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
Facebook Credits – Game Over, They Win
Why New Yorkers Can’t Have Nice Things
If you have known me over the last couple of years you have heard me say "New Yorkers can't have nice things". The reason this comes up is because the things that work in the rest of the United States don't work here.
Here is the list of things that are awesome everywhere but here:
Target
Walmart (so much so we don't even have one)
Public Bathrooms
Minimum wage workers being decent
Nice cars
Clean streets
National fastfood chains
National family restaurants (Red Lobsters, Applebees etc)
Home gyms
Big dogs
Public schools
Federally funded anything
Live on social security
Smiles
Being nice
I could go on and on and I know this sounds like a negative piece but it isn't. New York can't have this things because it is unique. It doesn't fit into the business models of big box retailers where people can drive up with cars. It doesn't fit into municiple areas where a new shopping area can be built on the outside of town where old man Johnson had his farm. In New York for some thing new to come, something old has to go. We are a fixed city. Manhattan can't get bigger or expand. New York is an experiment of scale – its the ultimate reality show where we find out out if 20 million people can work on an island that's 2 miles wide 10 miles long. (Yes I know about the other boros but I'm talking about working)
There is a desparation here. Desparation for the poor to survive and a stranger desparation for the rich to survive. We don't have time for nice or smiles – the person behind you is right up your ass and the person behind them needs their coffee now. Speed and effieciency have more value than "good morning sir, nice weather we're having" . All the New Yorker is thinking what the fuck is wrong with this guy what do they want from me? Get me my coffee and get the hell out of the way. We can't have nice things because we don't expect them or know what to do with them,
Why you should buy a Kindle instead of an iPad.
I am an avid reader. I didn't know it until recently but I probably read or buy 15 books a year. (Yes some read more but I'm just saying). I also own both a Kindle and an iPad. I owned the Kindle first and then the iPad.
In the four months of owning both I have not read one book on my iPad, not one and here's why:
1. The thing is too heavy.
2. iBooks while long on display is short on content.
3. iTunes has no web presense the way Amazon does.
4. Syching between iPad, Pc or phone has to be done with (gulp) a cord and gives me scary warnings about overwriting every thing ever time I plug it in.
5. iPad's screen while gorgeous, is not designed for reading at all. The glow in a dark room in bed feels creepy and like work.
6. Having all the other juicyness to check on makes it difficult to read! You are two clicks awat from Facebook, Twitter or the internet itself. That's too much temptation to read with.
7. Its too sexy! I don't know about the rest of the country, but I don't feel comfortable being on the subway reading an iPad. You are perceived as
a. A show off – look what I have
b, a mark to get robbed. No body wants to steal your kindle – it means reading books – and nobody wants to admit they do that.
I don't want to bore everyone with why you should buy a kindle. Its the opposite of everything above. Its not sexy, its a single pupose device, its light, the software can be syched EVERYWHERE, the reading experience is as close to a book you can get and hey, its AMAZON – the greatest shopping site ever.
What does Disney Buying Playdom MEAN?
I just went through fifteen pages of tweets that told the world that
Disney bought Playdom? Ok! I GET IT! What I am looking for is what
does it mean. As an games industry veteran, follower of the social
media and social game space I can tell you would it means.
Big companies (Viacom, Sony, Activision) are going to look to make
their presence felt or feel like they are being left behind. No one
wants the musical chairs to stop and be left without a seat to the
dance. Or worse, stretch and make a purchase like AOL did with Bebo.
More money will be poured in and CEO of companies will be asked by
their boards “Hey CEO-man, we pay you big bucks to know what’s going
on? Where is your FarmVille” (I know this, because I get asked it) 2. Look for the next acquisitions to be CrowdStar.
Not because it’s the next largest but because they have the best
quality games with the highest engagement. CrowdStar has the best
relationship with Facebook of the remaining game developers. They
have been the guinea pig for Facebook credits, have not been spending
wildly on acquisitions and continue to just make good, solid
Facebook games. (See Happy Aquarium and Happy Pets) While I haven’t
heard any rumors they are available, it stands to reason that they
are going to get offered HUGE money and may not be able to resist the
buy out. 3. Big branded Intellectual Properties will make their way on to Facebook.
This has been a trend predicted by Kristian Segerstråle of Playfish in
March at GDC and John Pleasants of Playdom just last week at Casual
Connect. Disney with it’s stable of classic characters from Mickey
Mouse to Hannah Montana or Jack Sparrow on through Wolverine will be
able to unleash a parade of branded games if they so chose.
Think about it, would you play a super hero game that is LIKE
Mobsters by Playdom but you get to be in the Marvel Universe? I can
see the nerd line from here. 4. Facebook will have to acknowledge that it is a gaming platform at
some level. Facebook lucked into the gaming just like the iPhone did.
They had no idea gaming would be within the top two or three things
people do on Facebook. Since the app platform opened up in 2007
Facebook has made concerted efforts to deal with the gaming explosion.
Most of the changes negatively affected game developers. Finally it
may be time for Facebook to learn to stop worrying and embrace the
gaming bomb. Gaming is a an integral part of Facebook and the viral
channels Facebook provides are integral to game developers, the
relationship is going to have to be repaired for both to move forward.
If Facebook turns its back on the game developers, the developers will
find new avenues of distribution.(As many companies are betting on see
Hi5 and Oberon) Without the games, one could argue, Facebook would
not be half the size it is today and certainly would not have the
revenue. Am I right? Am I wrong?
Quick thoughts on Casual Connect #casualconnect
This is my third or forth Casual Connect out in Seattle. Casual Connect happens three times a year, twice in Europe and just once in the US. Casual Connect is the premier conference for the casual games industry….
Casual Connect is in trouble.
Here's why:
- It is focused mainly on the download game makers and publishers. While the casual game industry has expanded the conference has not. The same players still have the biggest presence. It is distinctly local. The big casual game developers are in Seattle so that's where it's held.
- It is exclusive instead of inclusive. Again, they need to go for the big tent rather than the small tent. There was not much presense from the flash developer market nor did we hear from the male casual game demograhic. There was no indie game summit or anything similar to Mochi sponsored flash game summit prior to GDC. Also where was Nintendo, Kinect or Playstation Move?
- The focus is primarily on business. There were no consumer announcments – not a new game launch, or branded site or anything of interest that a consumer would be interested in. To grow as an industry, the hype and PR machine needs to be amped up.
If Casual Connect is to become a major conference it needs to address the issues above For me, the casual game industry has taken a step back. If it cannot represent itself with a bigger, more newsworthy and inclusive event, it might as well relegate itself to a one day seminar before a bigger conference.
Skills you need #29 – Public Speaking.
Casual Connect conference. I attend sessions on the latest and
greatest games, gather market intelligence and just generally spy on
the games industry.
During the sessions I am relying people to speak well to help me
understand the industry.
Sadly, most people can’t speak well. They speak in a monotone, say
“like, umm, you know all or basically” all the time. They stand
still, they don’t take up the stage and are generally boring. By not
working on their public speaking, they are sabotaging their
businesses.
One of the greatest pieces of advice I received was from my own boss,
he required that as a goal I take a public speaking class.
It was the best 8 hour class I have ever taken. I became away of my
speaking tics, my pausing words and all my umm, likes and you knows.
I learned to speak with my BIGGEST voice and utilize my body to convey
importance.
So, if you are at a conference or are about to speak at a conference,
do yourself a favor, learn how to speak publicly. Work at it. Take
the time. You will come off as more professional, more polished and
will likely convince or convert your audience over to whatever you
need them to understand.
