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25 Brain Games from the Social, Mobile and Casual Space

Back to school already? Here are 25 games that will get your brain in shape before you know it. Even if you’re not headed back to the classroom, we can all use a good mental push up (and a fun distraction) from time to time.

Frisky Mongoose has compiled a list of 25 top titles for “brainstream” gamers both young and old. Did your favorites make the list? poweRBrands and Empire Avenue are 2 of our favorites, simple because they offer something totally unique and relevant for PR and marketing folks like us. Several – if not most – of these social, mobile and casual games are free, so put on your smarty pants and play learn your hearts out!

Facebook games:

poweRBrands by Reckitt Benckiser – “The first Facebook game of its kind, designed to test players’ marketing and business abilities, teach strategy and decision-making skills, and introduce users to the culture and challenges that face the company’s marketers every day.

Brain Buddies by wooga – Brain Buddies offers its users a playful way to determine their brain weight. The game is focusing on a contest among friends to find the one with the heaviest brain. A large set of mini games as well as entertaining graphics make the game fun to play for a long time.

Who Has the Biggest Brain by Playfish – A series of mini games test your abilities in 4 brain areas: Calculation, Memory, Logic and Visual. The combined score from each of these categories add up to your overall brain rating. A great opportunity to settle the debate, who really does have the biggest brain? After playing you are awarded a ranking – one of 27 different ‘Brain Types’ used to rank you and your friends.

Two other studious selections to try from Playfish are Word Challenge and Geo Challenge.

DumbVille by GSN – Tackle quirky questions and puzzle your way through mindless mini-games to rise through the ranks from Village Idiot to Mayor of Dumbville. Every time you succeed AND every time your friends fail, you’ll win Oodles – redeemable rewards that you can use to purchase sweepstakes entries and prizes on GSN.com.

Scrabble by Electronic Arts – A new version of the original board game includes built-in chat and dictionary, multiple word lists, dynamic animations, and multiple speed settings for public games. An easy-to-use interface lets you play with anyone who loves the game!

Online games:

Empire Avenue – Reap the benefits of expanding your online influence while buying and selling virtual shares in your best friend, your favorite blogger or that pizza joint down the road – anyone, for free. Connect with other people who like the same things as you, find interesting bloggers to follow, or unearth a cool new business in your home town! This Internet thing is pretty useful, you know, and Empire Avenue helps you find the people and businesses that are relevant to you.

Risk: The Game of Global Domination on Pogo.com – Establish your military objectives, take command of your army and begin your campaign to rule the world. Based on the classic board game of strategic conquest from Hasbro, Risk comes to life online where the object of the game is simple: Global Domination! Risk is a turn based game with each player starting with their own controllable army in an attempt to capture territories from opposing players and control the entire map.

Word Whomp on Pogo.com – This freebie challenges you to whomp adorable gophers and spell as many words as you can from a given set of letters before the clock runs out. Gophers will dig up veggies and bonuses as you unscramble words. Reach the carrot to enter the bonus round and score big!

Jeopardy on GSN.com – Test your trivia knowledge, just like the actual game show. Select a question from one of the six game categories by clicking on a dollar value under the category of your choice. When the question appears, you may choose to either “Respond” or “Pass.” If you choose to respond, you will have 15 seconds to answer a multiple-choice question. The game will end when you don’t have enough money to play on.

Wheel of Fortune on GSN.com – You can compete for cash and prizes, just like contestants on the actual game show, with 5 turns to solve the word puzzle. Correctly identify consonants or “buy a vowel.” Each successful guess gives you an additional free spin, but the faster you solve the puzzle, the higher your time bonus! When you choose to solve the puzzle, if your answer is correct, you’ll play in the Bonus Round. If not, you’ll lose a turn.

Tiny Planets – “Targetting kids aged six to 14, this game is based on the Tiny Planets animated TV series, and offers six ‘planets’ for users to visit consisting of simple games, web videos, social networking, a virtual world, goods, and currency, and, of course, learning opportunities. Tiny Planets is rich with entertaining and educational activities that focus on space, conservation, science, creativity, and critical thinking skills.”

FitBrains.com – Provides scientifically developed brain games targeting the five major brain areas: memory, problem solving, concentration, visual spatial, Language. Focus on one brain area or play all the games to give your brain a complete workout. Brain games are a fun way to exercise your brain and an important pillar in living a healthy life. Try your luck and test your skills in games like Travel Quest, Sum Snap and Uber Brain.

Fantage.com, a TriplePoint client – A next-generation destination site for children that offers games and adventures to entertain, delight, and promote positive social interaction in an engaging, exciting, safe environment that both kids and parents love. Fantage also provides an age-appropriate, safe social networking experience within a fun virtual world.

iPhone & iPad games:

The Oregon Trail by Gameloft – Assume the role of a wagon leader in a side-view journey where your strategic decisions must ensure the safety of your party along the treacherous Oregon Trail. Overcome the perilous journey to Oregon in America’s Wild West. Just like the real pioneers, experience the decision-making, problem-solving, and role-playing fun of this historical event. A unique strategy/educational game relating the first pioneers’ journey to Western American.

THINK by TriplePoint client, Ravensburger Digital – 16 exercises spread across four distinct categories, all designed to give your mind a rigorous workout in different areas of thought. THINK is currently available in English, Spanish and German. Could your brain use a boost?

RedFish Puzzle by Fresh Planet – “Fun games for smart people.” Fresh Planet offers several brain games on various platforms, including the RedFish series of learning apps for young children on the iPad. RedFish Piano 4 Kids is another good one to check out.

Words with Friends by Newtoy Inc. – Turn-based crossword gaming in your pocket! Not much else to say, besides this game is Scrabble in your pocket, with your friends, in real time… and it’s as addictive as they come.

HexaLex by TriplePoint client, Nathan Gray – Takes the classic, easy to learn but hard to master crossword game and adds a new dimension. Hexagonal tiles let you play words in three directions instead of two. Words interact in new and interesting ways. But have no fear, you’ll be up and playing in no time, thanks to the tutorial and detailed, built-in help. If you’ve ever played Scrabble, Lexulous, or Words With Friends you’ll feel right at home!

Word Warp by MobilityWare – Word game fans rejoice! Similar to Text Twist, Word Warp is a challenging anagram type of word game in which you try to form as many words as you can out of the six letters you are given before time runs out. You will receive points for each correct word, but in order to advance to the next level you must come up with at least one word that uses all six letters.

Word Scramble 2 by Zynga – Scramble is the fast fun game of finding words in a jumbled grid. Quickly slide your finder over letters next to each other to make words! Compete with friends and play live with fellow word game fans.

Nintendo games:

Big Brain Academy (Wii and DS) by Nintendo – Weigh Your Brain! With 15 activities that challenge your brain in single-player Test and Practice modes, Big Brain Academy Wii sees how you measure up in five categories: memory, analysis, number crunching, visual recognition, and quick thinking.

My Word Coach (DS) by Ubisoft – Developed in collaboration with linguists, helps players improve their verbal communication and vocabulary in a fun way. Practice need never get boring with six different exercises to choose between. Players can input missing letters from words, spell out the answers to various definitions, choose which word matches a particular definition, form specific words with Scrabble-like tiles, and more. Three levels of difficulty are available, and the game includes a built-in dictionary of over 17,000 words.

Personal Trainer: Math (DS) by Nintendo – Makes learning fun with fast-paced, high-speed arithmetic problems that keep your math basics fresh, from addition to subtraction and multiplication to division. As your calculation speed improves, earn medals in each exercise to prove your mathematical mastery!

My Virtual Tutor: Reading Kindergarten to 1st Grade (DS) by Mentor Interactive – By combining the kid-friendly Nintendo DS with a proven reading curriculum developed and tested at the University of Colorado, My Virtual Tutor: Reading makes learning reading skills fun, affordable and portable. Through interactive books, school age and grade relevant phonics instruction and fun quiz modes, your child will learn the comprehension, phonics, fluency and vocabulary necessary to become an expert reader, all while having fun with their Nintendo DS.

Brain Age (DS) by Nintendo – The title is a series of minigames designed to give your brain a workout. The 17 engaging activities are all designed to help work your brain and increase blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. Whether you’re playing simple songs on a piano keyboard or monitoring the photo finish of a footrace, you’ll love your new mental workout!

This article was originally published by Kate Hancock on Frisky Mongoose.

Social Game Distractions: PR Advice for a Generation Constantly at Play

It’s soapbox time again over at the ‘Goose – enjoy (and add your 2 cents in the comments below)!

Know why I prefer writing on the weekends? Because all the noise dies down around me – our unrelenting 24/7 news cycle doesn’t stop, but it slows down long enough for a person to clear their head…. During the week, we’re lucky to have time to think about how all the news “pieces” of the day fit into the bigger puzzle – not just in the tech & gaming industry, but anywhere.

Everyday we’re bombarded with new games, new features, new partnerships, milestones and announcements of all shapes and sizes. I’m speaking from experience in 3 crucial game industry roles: PR (public relations), journalist (news editor), and most important for the advice that follows, gaming/tech consumer.

You may be wondering… what makes consumer experience most important when you’re handing out PR advice? Everything. For example, the “corporate stuff” does not matter at all to 95% of consumers. Most people could care less about *who* develops, publishes, promotes or profits from a game, as long as it’s fun, and it’s a good value for their time and money. If you lose sight of that – from any business level, you’ve got an unenviable, uphill battle ahead. That’s not to say corporate announcements don’t have their place, so long as you’re telling consumers what it means for them in the end.

Anyway, speaking of fun –

Back to reasons I like writing on the weekend. It’s easier to pick out the cool, fun, unique stuff (from the weekly news noise) when you’re actually *playing* games and doing things IRL (in real life) that you *enjoy*. The distracting, buzzing news machine is all but silent when you are doing (or writing) something because you want to.

I haven’t logged into FarmVille or Cafe World in weeks. I’ve been busy this summer, traveling too much for any successful harvest schedule. I have been social gaming though – here’s some of what I *have* played lately: Rock Band, The Gig, Wii Sports, LEGO Universe, foursquare, Words with Friends, Bejeweled Blitz, HexaLex, DizzyPad, Pure Hidden, Spot the Difference, Poker, Tennis, Mini-Golf, Bowling, Bean Bag Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, Beer Pong, Name That Tune – well, you get the idea ;) And I’m not alone –

Social and casual games are fighting for the time, attention and money of a generation constantly at play. Everywhere we turn there’s a game-like distraction to pass the time (or sell us something). Why pay when we can get great game experience for free? I imagine that’s a developer’s eternal conundrum, but that’s another topic, another post…

For journalists, it’s getting harder and harder to report anything new in Facebook gaming. I’m tired of pretending to care about new virtual goods. When did microtransactions become the end-all be-all for social games? I realize the freemium model can be somewhat limiting for innovative revenue options, but all these collectibles, gifts, power-ups and digital doo-dads are starting to feel like deja vu all over again.

Ditching the distractions

Pro tips are always common sense once you’ve heard them, so try this on for size: If your pitch is newsworthy, it will write itself. If you are just sending an announcement to try and drum up news or sales during development downtime, you’ll find yourself stretching for a “hook”, and you won’t fool anyone. I’m not being cynical, jaded or bitter, and I know the rest of the world (and industry) is still spinning when you aren’t, but just be patient. Wait for the *right* times and get the *right* stories out there – don’t make your game/name another distraction – make it a hot topic. The biggest news, best promotions, most important business moves, and most unique pitches/campaigns are the easiest and most fulfilling to pull off. More importantly, they generate the best impact and results. In other words, BE news to make news.

(duh)

Here in the social gaming news space, so far, we’ve been pretty darn open to distractions. Everything from new in-game items and UI tweaks, to free gifts and fan bonuses, gets plenty of play in all social game blogrolls (including the ‘Goose)… But as more games come to market, Facebook users are slowing spreading out across a multitude of titles.

Too big for their britches?

If your game isn’t in the top 25 leaderboards (aka, has 7+ million MAUs), or growing like a weed in in the top gainers category, you’ll be hardpressed to get coverage on your new line of virtual goods. (#justbeinghonest) Unless, of course, you’ve partnered with X top brand (a la Zynga – 7/11), will support a well-known charity by donating some significant portion of virtual good sales, or are giving away large sums of cash in an exciting contest, tournament or event… But that all goes back to *being* news to *make* news, in the end.

Even still, the top 25 developers and other social game superstars are starting to find less bang for their buck *because* the increasingly diversified industry has become too big and too busy. It’s simply not possible to cover every individual update, even top titles are becoming a newsfeed distraction for straying users. On the bright side, this diversifying market should eventually yield more loyal players, who play more often and don’t need/want a barrage of third-party news. These loyal fans already know about new items, and want to hear something new – something more. They want to be heard, be connected, be a part – not just the end-user. Give players major real world news that brings them back to your game – they want culture and they want it now!

Your turn – Where do you draw the line between social and casual gaming, and how do you intend to drown out the distractions?

LEGO Universe and HexaLex are TriplePoint clients. This article was originally published on Frisky Mongoose.

Oceanopolis Making Waves and Offering Real World Rewards for Virtual Play

This week, the folks at Greenopolis are proud to unveil Oceanopolis, a new social game on Facebook that offers an innovative approach to recycling and conservation – make it fun and rewarding through the vehicle of social gaming!

Referred to by TechCrunch as a “Facebook Game With a Mission,” Oceanopolis combines the engaging experiences found in today’s top social games with real world calls-to-action for recycling and conservation of natural resources. With the ultimate goal of building a long-term sustainable community, Oceanopolis players are encouraged to maintain their environment through the in-game actions of converting waste into treasure by recycling. The team over at Greenopolis have done a fantastic job in summarizing what players can expect when the game, currently in open beta, receives a full rollout in the coming weeks.

Oceanopolis is not your standard social game, as it connects the real world with the virtual world by offering real life rewards for in-game actions such as retrieving and recycling plastic and glass bottles, steel and aluminum cans and cardboard boxes. Since 2008, Greenopolis, a subsidiary of Waste Management, the largest recycler in North America, has developed new ways for consumers to participate in acts of recycling and conservation. Through blogging on Greenopolis.com and by physically bringing in recyclables to on-street Greenopolis Recycling Kiosks, people have been able to collect points in exchange for their efforts in fighting pollution and promoting conservation. These points can now be combined with those earned by playing Oceanopolis and redeemed for rewards or discounts from thousands of restaurants, theaters and other retail establishments.

The Greenopolis team, currently at Casual Connect, is celebrating the Oceanopolis beta launch with a Twitter event which started yesterday and will continue into tomorrow. The Greenopolis Foundation will donate $1 for the first 25,000 people who tweet the following message during the three days of Casual Connect:

“Make waves. Fight ocean pollution with http://apps.Facebook.com/Oceanopolis #Oceanopolis”

All proceeds will go to Ocean Aid, a 501c3 non-profit that will fund research into pollution-filled ocean gyres through an annual benefit concert. Every person who tweets the message will also be entered to win two tickets to the Ocean Aid concert.

We hope you will join in the cause to raise ocean awareness through social gaming and check out the game for yourself at http://apps.facebook.com/oceanopolis/.

Clap Twice for Pizza: Gesture Recognition Makes this Dream a Reality

It’s no secret that, when it comes to home entertainment, we’re in the midst of a distribution revolution. Content once tied to broadcast airwaves is now being ravenously consumed on the internet via computers, video game consoles and set top devices.

TriplePoint has the privilege of working with some of these new media startups. PlayOn (which recently made the jump to iPhone; CNET link) streams Hulu and other web video onto PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, without the need for a costly Hulu+ account. For those without a video game console, Softkinetic is providing a Microsoft Kinect-like experience to a massive install base via their set top box gesture recognition system.

With two cameras and a powerful microphone, Kinect knows who’s in front of the TV. For games like Dance Central, the technology will track all the poppin’ and lockin’ you can throw at it. But as an entertainment hub, a Kinect-enabled Xbox 360 will change the way that marketers convey their messages. Advertising is the backbone of media, providing the funding for programming and keeping content free for the viewer.

Softkinetic and Microsoft face a major challenge with these user-recognizing innovations. The product must find the right combination of allure, cost and ease-of-use, or at least hit two sides of this triangle. Kinect is rumored to cost $150, putting it well above the $99 impulse-buy sweet spot and closer to the price of a new game console. Softkinetic, on the other hand, will have less features but will also enjoy wider adoption, since the system will piggyback onto cable boxes and not require additional equipment.

As these devices become a fixture of the entertainment centers in dens and rec rooms around the world, ultra-targeted advertising will be commonplace. In order to frame this in a positive light, marketers will highlight the family-friendly aspects of these targeted ad systems. For instance, “No R-rated movie previews if children are detected,” or, similarly “no beer commercials until the registered account holder turns 21.” Of course, there are many aspects of these targeted ads that appeal to advertisers, too. For instance, gender-specific commercials can now be tied to the actual gender of the viewers, rather than the network making educated guesses about the viewing audience based on the channel, program and time of day

Interactive ads are not far behind. Many of today’s preroll web video ads ask if you’d prefer to interrupt your show with 3 traditional thirty-second commercials, or watch a 90 second long-form ad before the show begins. By giving the viewer a choice, marketers engage the audience and have a better change of holding their attention.

With mics and 3D cameras in place, these ads will evolve into mini-games – how many on-screen Pepsi bubbles can you “pop” by waving your hands, before the time runs out? Sponsored gameshow-style quizzes are also possible, since the systems can detect multiple voices in the room. First one to finish this jingle gets 10 points on their gamerscore! “Plop plop, fizz fizz…”

Social media integration is already built into modern game consoles. In the future, before the new Top Chef episode streams, you’ll be prompted to invite other online friends who ‘like’ that show on Facebook to join you and watch together, virtually.

During the show, ads will feature music by artists from your Last.fm account that you’ve “favorited.” Local advertisements will pinpoint your self-identified exact location and give you offers that are relevant to your tastes. For instance, the Italian restaurant below your apartment is offering double-pepperoni for the price of cheese, and they’ll be open for another 45 minutes. Since your credit card is on file with your Xbox Live or PSN account, you can literally say the word and have hot pizza at your door before Padma calls the chef’testants to the judge’s table. Are you watching solo, or did you invite the whole gang over? Accordingly, you’ll get promotions ranging from personal-pan pizza to the ultra-jumbo feast.

There’s a great deal riding on the success of these gesture- and user- recognition systems. Their main strength is in eliminating the “input middleman,” giving users greater control over their own entertainment. They also give marketers new ways to reach consumers. While this new technology is exciting on many levels, it will also present unseen obstacles and take years before adoption is truly mainstream. Only time will tell if the universal remote can survive this Minority Report future.

Talking Games Journalism, Twitter, and Bad PR Moves with IGN’s Jessica Chobot

Continuing our efforts to engage in real discussions with the leading members of the gaming industry and beyond, TriplePoint recently had the opportunity to chat with IGN’s on-camera host and staff writer, Jessica Chobot. Since 2005, Jessica has become a key influencer within the gaming community and we were fortunate to talk with Jessica on her quick rise at IGN, social media, and oh yeah, the infamous PSP photo.

TP: How did you find yourself in your current roles at IGN and Maxim?

JC: How I got my spot here at IGN is a long and intricate story, so I’ll give you the semi-quick version. I was going through a quarter-life crisis and working as a model for quick pocket money and at EB Games for discounts. I had pre-ordered a PSP and the day it was released was the same day I had a photo shoot. On the way to the shoot, I stopped by EB to pick up the PSP, took it with me to the studio and during a break, showed it off to everyone and was screwing around and taking goofy pictures. One ended up being the “PSP lick” picture.

Shortly after getting a copy of the photos, I showed them to a friend who informed me I should send them to Kotaku to see if they’ll post it. I thought, ‘Sure. Why not?’ Sent them over to Brian Crecente and figured that was my fun 15 minutes of fame.

And then, things blew up! Brian IM’ed me and told me how everyone was asking who I was. G4 asked me for an interview on Attack of The Show. IGN hit me up to be a part of their Babes channel interviews (now called Stars) and I started freelancing for Brian’s personal site and FHM UK.

From there, I hounded daily until they offered me a job freelancing for their IGN Insider section which eventually led me to being hired full time as their main on-camera host for our shows (IGN Strategize and The Daily Fix) and event coverage (E3, GDC, Tokyo Game Show, etc…).

As for my spot with Maxim, that was more of a ‘guest appearance’ type of thing. Nothing permanent.

TP: You’ve transcended games journalism and have established yourself as a unique brand. Define the Jessica Chobot brand.

JC: I like to try and think of myself and my brand as the non-shameful female nerd. I say non-shameful because I feel that a lot of women out there are still a little intimidated by tech and gaming or, if they aren’t, are refusing to come out from their boyfriend’s shadow and step into their own limelight. Also, for the ones that are brave enough to stick their necks out, they’re often put into such a competitive position within their gaming/nerd careers; they find themselves attacked from all sides and end up becoming overly agro and defensive. And still another theme is for women to take the easy way out, show some tits and cash in on the nerd trend without offering anything of real substance or talent.

I find nothing wrong with any of these approaches…to a point. That point is usually reached when someone gets involved in the industry without any real passion for it. Or takes whatever shtick their going with and only half-asses it or attempts to be something they aren’t.

My motto: Do whatever you want. But if you’re gonna’ do it, then do it well.

TP: How have you used social media applications such as Twitter to connect with your fanbase and extend this personal brand?

JC: I use Twitter, Facebook and Modlife to tell people what I’ve got coming up, things I find cool that they might want to check out and sometimes just to shoot the shit. Lately, I’ve been using my Twitter account to sound off on the REAL AWESOME *sarcasm* United States airlines and the TSA. It’s a well-oiled machine and the TSA treats people with SO much respect that it makes me proud to think they’re the first people visitors to our country get to interact with. (Hahahahaha! Oh, I crack myself up sometimes!)

TP: What is the craziest PR request you have ever been sent?

JC: Honestly, nothing too bad. Wacky PR requests usually get dissolved before they even hit my office inbox.

Typically they revolve around the common denominator stance of: attractive girl in some sort of bikini or sexy get-up or some play off the whole PSP licking thing. I’ve gotten a little irritated by that at times because it just shows a complete lack of creativity. Nowadays though, the PR stuff I see come across my desk is a lot more funny and cool. I’ll admit it; I have no problem showing off a little skin if the concept is good. I just don’t like it when it’s the default and offered up with nothing else.

TP: What is the best way to pitch you?

JC: Pitch me something that is creative, pushes the boundaries, funny and proves that you have some familiarity with our demographic. Not knowing who our audience is a MAJOR turn off. It just screams volumes about how you don’t care and are making no effort to do your job.

TP: Any current games you are unbeatable in?

JC: LOL! No. I’m beatable in everything. I love gaming but I don’t think I’d be defined as a “good gamer” in competitive gaming terms.

TP: Any last words?

JC: When I go home tonight, I’m going balls deep into some Bioshock 2.

Social, Casual or Both? PopCap Sells Cows, Gives Away Free Milk

In terms of wide-sweeping brand recognition, Popcap is to casual gaming what Nintendo is to gaming in general. Your Grandma knows about Nintendo, but your Mom might know a PopCap game or two. Founded a decade ago, the company does a spectacular job of keeping their games in the public eye and maintaining a friendly, unassuming aesthetic. It’s as if making boatloads of money is the pleasant side-effect of cranking out highly addictive puzzlers, and to be clear, casual games are doing big business. Most of their games are available on multiple platforms, with free versions hosted at PopCap.com. Because the games are both robust and replayable, it’s no surprise that their perennial favorite Bejeweled 2 hasn’t left the Top 10 Highest Grossing list on the App Store since that category was unveiled six months ago . Continue reading Social, Casual or Both? PopCap Sells Cows, Gives Away Free Milk

Future of Media

Some of the most forward-thinking leaders within the entertainment industry attended the Future of Media conference today at the Stanford Graduate School of Business to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the media industry. The discussion panels covered topics including the future of interactive entertainment, television and film, social media and news, music, and entrepreneurship within the media landscape. It seems that while the future is uncertain, business leaders and innovators within the space see a shift toward more interactive entertainment as the long-standing distinctions between creators of content and distributors of information are expected to break down.

Terry Semel shared his views and predictions for the future of the industry as the keynote speaker. Currently the Chariman and CEO of Windsor Media, Semel was previously the Chairman and CEO of Yahoo! from 2001 through 2007. Before heading Yahoo!, Semel was Chairman and co-CEO of successful entertainment giant, Warner Bros. Semel predicted that the stereotypes of “Hollywood” as the home of content creation and “Silicon Valley” as the strictly high-tech hub will break down and become irrelevant. Semel believes that these two worlds are colliding as technology companies are interacting more with media companies and vice versa. Studios are no longer in complete control since user-generated content is becoming more prevalent online along with the rapid growth of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. At the same time, great technology needs compelling content that people will pay for in order to survive as people begin to interact with media on portable gadgets. Semel noted that traditionally straight technology companies, such as Sony or Microsoft, will provide other services because they want to expand into the media business.

One question that kept reoccurring throughout the day was how content will be monetized in the future. Semel had a simple solution for this. He declared that companies are foolish to give away quality content for free and believes that ads should definitely be used to monetize media. He pointed out that people aren’t so averse to advertisements that contain humor, exemplified by the tradition of households across the nation tuning into the Super Bowl, in part, to be entertained by amusing ads. Semel explained that social websites such as Facebook don’t have to necessarily charge their audience for access to their platform, but they can easily earn revenue from companies that want to reach those millions of valuable eyeballs. Despite the rapidly evolving media industry, businesses are still operating to turn profits and everyone seemed to agree that content will not continue to be free forever.

Facebook and the Fate of Social Gaming in 2010

Facebook is staggeringly huge. They have over 400 million active users, half of whom log in on any given day, over 500k active applications, and can rattle off plenty of other impressive totals for those who’d like to listen. As an open platform, they have provided companies like Zynga and PlayFish with millions of dollars in revenue, and provided many other developers with a shot at financial success. Despite these achievements, and despite an estimated company valuation that extends into the billions, monetization remains the one aspect of Facebook’s business that hasn’t matched their growth. With this week’s sure-to-be-critiqued changes, that last piece of the puzzle may be ready to fall into place. But first, a bit of background…

On January 21, a group of the Bay Area’s social gaming forces descended on Google’s Mountain View campus for a panel discussion hosted by Peanut Labs and Google Orkut. The evening was inspired by a post on Three Rings CEO Daniel James’ blog which laid out some predictions for the industry in 2010. The panelists included folks from Zynga, RockYou, PlaySpan, Three Rings, Outspark, and Inside Social Games, and they all seemed eager to share their opinions, even if most kept their cards close to their chest while doing so. As the discussion progressed, one thing became crystal clear: the growth or decline of social gaming in 2010 will rest largely on the shoulders of Facebook.

Specifically, the discussion hinged upon upcoming changes to the way Facebook interacts with applications (changes that are now being put into effect). Prior to this week, any programmer on the planet, given some development time, could make money off of a Facebook game without Facebook earning a single cent. Devs could even use Facebook’s tools to grow their game virally for free, sending messages to users and posting notifications on players’ newsfeeds.

This was, originally, in Facebook’s best interest, since being an open platform helped them attract the attention of thousands of developers. It also meant that Facebook owned all the users these games collected, making the developers reliant on the platform for their successes. This setup worked like a charm, allowing folks like Zynga and PlayFish to reach a huge audience and turn an enormous profit.

Now the folks at Facebook have, understandably, decided they want to monetize the successful system they’ve developed. As a bonus, they’ve also figured out a way to clean things up in the process. The new “games” page borrows heavily from Apple’s app store setup, providing users with lists of the most popular games and info on what their friends are playing. Meanwhile, the recently introduced Facebook Credits will provide users with a universal in-app purchasing system. Finally, once the changes are solidly in place, applications will not be allowed to send notifications directly to their users, cutting down on the “spam” messages that many have complained about over the last year.

Facebook Games Page — (Image courtesy the Facebook Blog)

This promises to make the user experience significantly smoother on Facebook, but it also marks a significant shift in power behind the scenes. By making developers live within the framework they’ve established, Facebook is forcing devs to rely far more heavily on traditional outreach like PR and advertising for growth. Advertising is of particular interest to Facebook, especially when you consider the incredibly valuable ad space they now have to offer on the “games” page. Facebook Credits, meanwhile, will let them take a measure of control over in-app purchases (as well as a small cut of the profits) while solidifying their grip by getting users to tie their credit card info to the platform.

Thus, the new system still provides developers with room for viral growth, but it’s not going to be the rampant, sometimes questionably spammy, growth of the past. Facebook is taking control of the platform, both for their own sake and, ostensibly, for the sake of their users. This could be bad news for the developers who have been really cashing in, but as with Apple’s app store, developers that are willing to play by the rules should still be able to profit handsomely.

At least, that’s what Facebook is hoping. Only time will tell whether this plan will bear fruit or put a chokehold on the rapid growth of social gaming on the platform. Either way, 2010 is going to be interesting times for the social gaming industry!

The Age of Interactive Entertainment

The entertainment industry has become increasingly interactive as people take more control of the media they consume. Since the emergence of reality television, entertainment has become less passive with viewers playing an active role in the experience. As shows become readily available on the Internet, viewers have more power and more choice. Execs in the entertainment world are still tackling how to keep up with the evolving media space. Although the issue of monetization is yet to be resolved, developing an interactive and engaging experience to keep viewers’ attention will be essential.

The explosion of reality television contributed to the deepening level of engagement that has become expected among viewers. Several reality shows, which are profitable for studios since they tend to be significantly cheaper to produce than scripted series, captivate audiences as they take average people and launch them to stardom. Shows like “Real World” and “Survivor” grabbed audience attention by selecting everyday people to be cast members and contestants. Furthermore, reality shows have evolved to include direct participation among the masses. For example, the phenomenally popular show, “American Idol,” encouraged involvement by allowing viewers to choose the winner through actively voting via phone or text message every week. Audience members were no longer mindless viewers but were asked to take part in the decision-making process during a specific time window every week.

Consumers are becoming accustomed to taking more control of the entertainment they choose to enjoy. TiVo offers greater flexibility as people choose what television shows they want to watch and when. Additionally, the Internet is revolutionizing the entertainment industry. People can watch their favorite shows at their own convenience while also becoming involved in conversations about what they saw. David Carr recently pointed out on The Media Equation that consumers are turning to the Internet and social networks to get a daily dose of entertainment, news and commentary. Carr notes that particularly with talk shows and reality series there’s no longer a need to watch a full episode because it’s easy to find highlights and must-see moments on Facebook and Twitter.

Social media allow deeper levels of engagement as consumers can comment on shows, share news instantly and even interact with their favorite celebrities. No more sending fan letters confessing love via snail mail—Twitter lets users engage in a personal “conversation” with favorite movie and TV stars, music artists and sports heroes while following their thoughts and random musings online. People are no longer passive viewers and in some cases, consumers are becoming producers, creating their own media on YouTube and sharing it across a vast network of blogs and social communities.

Entertainment is not dead, it’s just evolving. Ultimately, it has become increasingly important for the entertainment industry to invent more advanced and original ways to extend an entertainment experience across multiple channels, while allowing for greater user participation.

Join the Wave: Google’s Not-So-Secret Society

I recently received an invitation to the most exclusive group in town; a Cool Kids Club, if you will. The fact that this tight-knit group is comprised of 100,000+ cool kids is of no concern to me. The way I see it, the world is now separated into two groups of people: those who been invited to preview Google Wave and those who haven’t. Whether or not you have been chosen, I invite you to read this enlightening overview of the platform.

Google Wave is a brand new, real-time communication service that three Australian masterminds created, all of whom were previously involved in Google Maps. It is a conglomerate of different aspects of email, instant messaging, and wikis. Web chat, social networking, and project management are also featured in the platform. These functions all work together to build what Mashable Online has dubbed “one elegant, in-browser communication client.”

A wave is a threaded conversation that can include one other user, a group of users, or even robots. A robot is an automated participant inside a specific wave that can interact with waves and converse with other users. These robots can offer information from external sources, such as Twitter, and are considered extensions.

Extensions are mini-applications that function within a wave. Along with robots, gadgets also exist as primary extensions. Gadgets are like Facebook apps and many of them are built on Google’s OpenSocial platform. Google Wave gives developers the opportunity to build applications and these extensions within waves, like with a Facebook application or an iGoogle gadget. These can consist of anything from bots to intricate, real-time games. To encourage innovation among developers, the Google Wave code is open source.

Another attractive function that Google Wave offers is real-time chat. This chat allows the user, most times, to see what another member of the wave is typing, character-by-character. Google Wave also has a playback function so you can review any piece of the wave’s conversation. Since all conversations within a platform are shared, any user within a developing conversation can edit information or add commentary. This feature is especially helpful in keeping one’s waves focused and concise. Initial reactions to real-time chatting can result in messages like, “OMG!!! I can see you typing!!!!! This is so cool!” The wiki functionality allows you to tidy up this enthusiasm.

As if it’s not enough that Google Wave is good-looking and popular, it also knows natural language. It can autocorrect your spelling and knows the difference between similar words, such as “red” and “read.” Google Wave can also auto-translate at the drop of a hat.

To those of you longingly watching this dance party from outside the discotech, don’t lose hope. Google Wave awards those who obsessively update their waves with a slew of invites to extend to friends. So, ask around and find that one friend who will welcome you in to the clique.

Say Social Gamers, You Want a Revolution? Talk to Facebook

“This is a disruptive, challenging time in our industry, but there are opportunities for better collaborative innovation if we challenge the status quo…” – Malcom Gladwell

The web is changing. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become our new information and communication hubs. In the beginning , one of the biggest appeals of social games was their integration with existing social networks – the ability to log in to one site to conduct all your social stuff, including multiplayer gaming.

But now that social games have evolved into all-but standalone communities within social networks, and now that players have become more avid and interactive, AND now that social game developers have “mastered” the art of getting users to spam their friends… well now its time for change.

The New Face of Facebook

Facebook is taking the aggregation approach to new levels, increasingly expanding to a “whole web product” – a complete social experience that seamlessly spans web, mobile and desktop to provide real-time, customizable social networking any way you want it. Continue reading Say Social Gamers, You Want a Revolution? Talk to Facebook

Facebook Pages and Business: How to Promote Your Company on the World’s Largest Social Media Network

As social media continues to dominate headlines, businesses are investing significant time and resources to social media outreach. One of the the most talked about sites is Facebook, with over 350 million active users and a worldwide reach. Facebook “Pages” are the primary way that businesses can interact with other users. According to Facebook’s own statistics, there are over 1.6 million active Pages on Facebook, more than 700,000 local businesses have active Pages and Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans. (Doing a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation, dividing 5.3 billion fans by the 350 million active users, shows that each user is supposedly a fan of an average 15 Pages. This number does seem a tad inflated.)

While these statistics seems to demonstrate widespread success, TechCrunch recently ran a feature analyzing more in-depth statistics on Facebook Pages. In the article, social media monitoring firm Sysomos revealed that “77% of Facebook Fan Pages have under 1,000 fans.” Also, “less than 1/20th of a percent have more than a million fans.” This means the average Facebook page isn’t really reaching all that many potential customers.

The main hurdle to gaining fans on Facebook has to do with the closed nature of the Facebook network. Other social media networks, like Twitter, allow users to search for and follow other users without the need for a reciprocal relationship. With this open system, business accounts can search for users that are talking about topics that are related to the business’ product and then follow those users. The hope is that some of those users will follow them back, increasing their fanbase. With Facebook, however, owners of Fan pages cannot invite random individuals to join the page. Each user can suggest the page to their own friends network, but that is all in terms of free Facebook promotion. (As a quick aside, the other option for Facebook promotion is to spend money on Facebook ads which drive people to your page. However, Facebook ads have been plagued with notoriously low click- through rates. If you decide to go this route, Silicon Alley Insider has some great advice in their article “10 Rules for Advertising on Facebook“.)

Even with the “closed system” hurdle, there are still ways that companies can grow their Facebook Pages:

1. Get a custom URL for your page with your company’s name. This will help your Page’s SEO and make it easier to link to your page. Keep the following rules in mind when getting a custom URL:

You can’t change the username once you set it.
You can’t transfer the ownership of a username to another party.
You can’t violate anyone elses trademark rights.
If you are acquiring a username to sell it in the future (squatting), you will lose it.
Usernames may be reclaimed for other unauthorized usages.

2. Use Facebook Apps on your Page. The most important step is to link your blog feed to your Facebook page so that your blog posts update to Facebook automatically. Get the RSS feed address for your blog, and then use the “Notes” application to feed it to the page. For more essential Facebook apps for business, see Mashable’s “8 Essential Apps for Your Brand’s Facebook Page”.

3. Promote your Facebook page in your marketing materials. This includes posting a link from your company website, adding the link to newsletters, brochures, advertisements and even your email signature.

4. Provide more than just company updates. Engage with fans by asking questions, hosting contests and giveaways and promoting events.

5. Add media for visual interest. All Facebook pages have a standardized layout and color scheme. Make your page stand out by including screenshots, company photos, videos and other media materials on your page to make it better reflect your company’s brand. For the logo area, be creative and go beyond just posting your logo on a white background. Use that space to use a picture that tells a story about your company, from your coolest product to a great screenshot from your game.

6. Consider a developing Facebook App. Depending on your business, a facebook app can add another level of interactivity with fans. For example, Starbucks developed the Share a Pint of New Starbucks® Ice Cream app to help circulate coupons for their new product.

For more social media tips for business, check out my other post Twitter for Business: Perspectives from the 140 Twitter Conference and beyond.

Put Down Your Magic 8-Ball: Social Media Predictions for 2010

As 2009 nears its end, bloggers are busy posting their predictions about the future of social media. Three of the most prevalent predictions regarding social media’s potential developments in 2010 are: social media functioning as a corporate marketing tool, the rise of new location based applications and networks, and a marked shift from trend to standard in business communication.

As companies wade through the economic recession, social media will continue to grow. In search of new marketing strategies, businesses will realize that social networking can serve as an economically sound marketing tool. In order to reap the greatest benefit from social media, companies will need to regard social media as a relationship rather than a marketing campaign. Companies already reach vast audiences through Twitter feeds and Facebook fan pages. This fluid social environment empowers companies and consumers to distribute, receive, and share information on these social networks. A progressive business will strive to create a symbiotic relationship with its consumer base. A corporate social media presence that can effectively adapt to consumers’ ever-changing needs, wants, and desires will enable both parties to thrive.

In 2010, location based applications and networks may take the lead in the social media movement. This summer, Mashable Online announced that Foursquare showed potential to become the next Twitter. This location-based social network helps connect friends using GPS via a mobile device, as well as an added layer of social gameplay. Earlier this year, Foursquare saw its first major web success at SXSW. Foursquare does have a growing user base, but remains a misunderstood service. Foursquare’s current situation is markedly reminiscent of Twitter’s own situation two years ago. Considering the incredible growth that Twitter has experienced since then, this bodes well for Foursquare.

In addition to specifically location based services, existing successful social networks like Twitter are expanding their location capabilities. iPhone users can find Twitter apps with a “nearby” mode to help them locate people in the area. Businesses can capitalize on the advantage to more effectively target their consumer base.

The final major shift that we may see in 2010 is social media’s transformation into a solid aspect of business communication. Amidst the recent speculation about Twitter’s possible demise, bloggers predict that the shift in Twitter’s user base may not be a negative one. Twitter should become an everyday communication tool, rather than a new marketing toy. “The technology will begin to fade into the background so that people can focus on the relationships that are created because of the technologies, not the technologies themselves” (@charleneli). In any case, the web environment should see a subtle yet important shift in social media’s importance and legitimacy in the business world.

Predictions are an aggregate of ideas of people in “the know.” In social media, however, we are the ones who create the experience. So, Tweet this if you wish, and know that ultimately you will create these shifts in our web environment.

Game Consoles Go Social or Go Home

It’s official. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 have now both received the biggest friend request in social gaming history – from THE friend of friends, Facebook. The Facebook Blog shares a wealth of details it’s new 360 availability, and in a PS3 firmware v3.10 preview post on Tuesday, the PlayStation Blog officially stated what rumors predicted last week (me too!)

But Facebook isn’t the only social service seeking friends – Twitter is also part of the game console social update bonanza, for both 360 and PS3. There are over 2 million concurrent users on Xbox Live, and now they can all tweet, poke, snoop and share to their hearts content. Please excuse me while I go purchase stock in console keyboards.

Facebook’s Blog talks social-console integration: “Games are more fun when played with friends, which is why they are among the most popular activities on Facebook. We’re excited that beginning today the social game experience is coming to Xbox Live, so now you can play Xbox games with your Facebook friends.

More and more services are integrating with Facebook to make it easy for you to connect with friends wherever you are — including websites like Digg, devices like the iPhone and desktop applications like iPhoto.

The Xbox Facebook integration allows you to take part in some of the most popular activities on Facebook directly from your living room on your television. With Facebook for Xbox, you can update your status, browse updates from your friends and view photos on the big screen. You also can link your Facebook profile to your Xbox Gamertag to find your Facebook friends and connect with them on Xbox Live. It’s never been easier to discover friends you never even knew played Xbox.”

Selling the Farm: Virtual Goods Summit 2009

Unless you have been living under a social media rock for the past few months, you (or if you are not willing to admit it, “someone you know”) have most likely participated in the latest sensation to hit the games industry – social gaming. Redefining the market and shifting demographics of those traditionally associated with gaming, companies such as Zynga, Playfish, and Playdom have charged into the space by storm, and as made evident at last week’s Virtual Goods Summit 2009, are here to stay.

Uncertainty looms for the future of social gaming hits such as "FarmVille" — Uncertainty looms for the future of social gaming hits such as FarmVille

There are skeptics who believe social gaming could potentially just be a current trend. With simple gameplay mechanics and questionable depth, maintaining active users beyond a few months could pose a challenge to even the most successful of social gaming companies currently finding success in the casual market. A potentially more dangerous threat to such companies lies within questionable corporate practices, which has led to some recent backlash as exposed last week by TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington:

“In short, these games try to get people to pay cash for in game currency so they can level up faster and have a better overall experience. Which is fine. But for users who won’t pay cash, a wide variety of “offers” are available where they can get in-game currency in exchange for lead gen-type offers. Most of these offers are bad for consumers because it confusingly gets them to pay far more for in-game currency than if they just paid cash (there are notable exceptions, but the scammy stuff tends to crowd out the legitimate offers). And it’s also bad for legitimate advertisers.” Continue reading Selling the Farm: Virtual Goods Summit 2009

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