LEGO Universe is awesome like bacon

In part two of today’s LEGO MMO media buzz blitz, we take a peek at chatter around the web and beyond, as journalists enter LEGO Universe and report back for the first time…

Check out part one for more fun – behind-the-scenes, in the spotlight and on the brick road along the way. The LEGO Group and developer NetDevil are anxiously counting down the days to LEGO Universe launch in mass retail, nationwide on October 26th!

Early Reviews

Long burnt out on playing massively multiplayer online games, I was a bit surprised how much fun I was having checking out LEGO Universe. Its whimsical mix of LEGO elements, humor and collecting is a powerful combination. More surprising, though, is that my 9-year-old son has just as much fun playing the game as I do. Creating a game that is equally fun for children and adults could help NetDevil find some piece of World of Warcraft’s immense, though elusive success. – Kotaku

All in all, I think NetDevil has done an amazing job with Lego Universe… I think it’s a game that kids will enjoy, but adult fans of Lego will really love — particularly because NetDevil has permission to introduce Lego pieces that aren’t available in the real world. The combination of Lego platforming, online multiplayer gaming, collecting bricks and building has enormous potential. – Wired GeekDad

Following an impressive take-home of E3 awards earlier this year, LEGO Universe is already proving to be a holiday 2010 favorite too. The game was recently featured in FUN! Online Games, IEEE Spectrum and EDGE magazines, and has also been selected for the “Video Game Hot Dozen” in the Holiday 2010 issue of FunFare Magazine.

Full Previews

You know? I’m damn impressed by NetDevil… All in all I am getting a really good vibe from Lego Universe. There’s been serious work put into it and more importantly, more than just a little love. This is more than just a game.OnRPG

When I first logged into the LEGO Universe closed beta, I immediately felt like the game was built using physical LEGO bricks. That’s the best way to describe it. From creating a mini-figure to running through the zones, it honestly seemed like every piece was pulled from a huge box of assorted LEGO pieces. The level of detail in the game is perfect… it certainly succeeds in offering a fun LEGO world that fosters creativity in players of all ages.ZAM

It’s pure user-generated creativity, the kind of in-game feature that might seem at home amongst other pseudo-level design games but stands out in full force inside an MMO. VideoGamer

The LEGO Universe story is simply brilliant… It summarizes a conflict and provides a reason for the game world to exist, while at the same time offering players the opportunity to overcome the enemy NOT with direct conflict and combat (though plenty of that exists), but rather by creating things and using their imagination. If that’s not the perfect set-up for a LEGO-based story, then I don’t know what is. With such a simple premise, NetDevil has simultaneously reinforced the best aspects of a toy created to inspire with a reason to seek out and embrace that inspiration. I’d like to offer my personal kudos to the team for this marvelous bit of writing… I have, on the whole, had an extremely enjoyable time adventuring and creating in LEGO Universe.TenTonHammer

The game features more than three million options for character selection, including trousers, shirts and hair pieces that can all be decorated with brightly colored patterns and stickers. The character creation is also where the “huge commitment to child safety” starts. By using a “really cool programming language” and a simple User Interface (UI), Lego Universe also enables players to make their creations come to life. Any items that have been built can be made to move, such as a lift being programmed to go up and down or the wonky sheep being made to hop around.Digital Spy

Gnarled Forest & Forbidden Valley

The Gnarled Forest is my perfect world–pirates have been marooned in a forest (a pirate’s least favorite place), cornered by cursed treasure, angry gorillas, and a first mate monkey with a trigger finger… I sincerely enjoyed all of my time in the LEGO Universe beta. The achievements and pet systems offer a lot of “carrots” to chase after.PC Gamer

The LEGO Universe Beta has been a blast. We truly can’t wait for this came to come out because not only is it a very easy game to pick up for anyone with an imagination, but also super kid safe.Pixelated Geek

In some games it might seem like major overkill to have wide-ranging gameplay elements together in such a tight space — and indeed often together in the same quests. However, in LEGO Universe, they make sense. As opposed to just giving you the quests and expecting you to run five feet to talk to an NPC, the quests incorporate obstacle courses, requiring you to stop and think about how you’ll accomplish the task.Massively

I honestly love how this game looks, and The Forbidden Valley mixes it up with dark colors that contrast much of the rest of the game to create a great looking area for players to explore and quest in. I think that developer NetDevil has done a great job at capturing what makes Legos great…which of course is that they are fun to play with, and Lego Universe is certainly a fun experience. – Games Are Evil

I wanted to know if the game could match my memories of that castle from my childhood. So far, it seems to be doing a pretty good job… I’m impressed by the level of detail that NetDevil, the developer, was able to pack into the game, giving each zone a distinct feel through its quests and setting. Gnarled Forest is full of trees, apes and pirates while the Forbidden Valley is dark and brooding, creating the perfect mood for a world full of ninjas. The zones contain a lot of replay value, and you’ll be constantly revisiting them as you obtain new gear and begin new quests. ZAM

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.

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.

Spotlight with Bloomberg TV’s Tech Reporter

Michele Steele - Bloomberg TVMichele Steele is a Chicago-native who now lives in New York City and works as a reporter for Bloomberg TV. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, Michele quickly made a name for herself as a reporter on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, covering stocks and the economy for over 100 local stations which broadcast Bloomberg business reports. Now focusing primarily on the business of media, tech and entertainment, you can see Michele on Bloomberg Television segments worldwide.

TP: Tell us a bit about your position at Bloomberg. What are your areas of coverage?

Continue reading Spotlight with Bloomberg TV’s Tech Reporter

LEGO Universe Demo Debut Reactions

Last week we conducted the very first preview press demos for LEGO Universe at the TriplePoint offices in San Francisco. Journalists were invited to check out the game, snag some new screenshots, talk with the development team, and get answers to all their LEGO MMO questions.

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Ryan Seabury, the game’s Creative Director from NetDevil was on hand with an in-depth gameplay demo – the first peek for journalists into myriad challenges and worlds awaiting players when LEGO Universe releases next year.

Continue reading LEGO Universe Demo Debut Reactions

Kanye West Hates Gamer People

(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Last week, the social media world was taken hostage by Kanye West.  Yes, the Chicago-native rapper, music producer, and singer managed to not only become the topic of conversation around water coolers everywhere, but more importantly, Mr. West seized complete control over social networks, and in particular, Twitter.

Whether or not you tuned in to the MTV Video Music Awards (we all know he did), many of you are familiar with the media-sensationalized Kanye tirade in which “The College Dropout” interrupted pop singer  Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for “Best Female Video.”  What you may not be familiar with is social media explosion that subsequently occurred as a result of Mr. West’s profession of love for Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video.

I, along with the rest of the TriplePoint team, have spent a good deal of time figuring out the best way to utilize social media to spread client and industry news.  In order to adapt to the changing landscape of media, we “PR folk” are constantly seeking the best methods for distributing such news and having it reach the masses.  Over the last year, Twitter has emerged as a leading source of news information, and the @TriplePoint feed continues to deliver the latest news on not only our clients, but the gaming industry on the whole, as well as other social media trends, insights, etc. From my observations, the opportunity to reach audiences on Twitter was greatly inhibited last week by the eloquent phrase, “I’ma let you finish, but…”

Continue reading Kanye West Hates Gamer People

Is the Linking Bug Enough to Save Mainstream News?

The New York Times’ October 13th print edition had two ironically juxtaposed articles side-by-side on B4; Mainstream News Outlets Start Linking to Other Sites and Newspapers’ Web Revenue is stalling.

Of course the two phenomena are linked.  Declining or stagnant revenue will ultimately lead any organization or industry to rethink itself.  But a general directive from some of the organization’s hierarchy will not be enough to create the culture of “link journalism” referred to in the former.  For one thing, the obviously relevant articles do not link to each other!  It is a large step forward for the organizations profiled (mostly the New York Times itself, along with NBC and the Washington Post.)

More importantly than a culture of links must come a revival of the personalities that used to differentiate papers from each other.  The commercial boosterism of the Chandlers’ Times, the America-first militancy of McCormack’s Tribune, or for that matter, the omnivous internationalism of the New York Times were defining characteristics that lead those papers above the fray in the once highly competitive local newspaper market.

The acid test of, say, a technology section of a newspaper is not whether it links to TechCrunch, but has a view, consistently and rapidly executed on and voice that competes with TechCrunch.  This is the essence of the successful blogosphere.  With the consolidation and maturation of the newspaper market and largely always-consolidated television market over the course of the twentyth century the voices of these outlets often stagnated into a safe objectivity that preserved what often would be a media duopoly in any given market.

One hopes to see them succeed.  The objectivity, longer term-timeframe and copy-editing “mainstream” media have as part of their DNA are both a civic resource and ultimately set a bar for most bloggers to rise to.   Those that can solve in their business model the problems of voice, frequency of material, and linking will.

(The PR implication of a shift in what are still the 800-pound gorillas of attention is to find the right messages for the right audience no matter what the initial size of the outlet that will cover the story is.  If the Universe is going to link to something you better get it right the first time.)