Monday, March 21, 2011

Future of Gaming is... Integration?

So recently a video was leaked from Microsoft giving a hint of what they intend for the future as far as Gaming is concerned on your PC. Take a look at the brief video.




I think more integration in the style that this video shows off is a really excellent idea. Let me tell you why, try to stay with me, I may get a little thick because I'm bored waiting for class.

When I sign on to my 360 it is awesome to have Facebook, Netflix and other services right there to use anytime, and since getting a brand new computer with Windows 7 I'm a very happy customer of both products. (Some of you may not be, but this is the realm of personal preference and opinion.)

I thought ESPN was going to be stupid but after using it I kind of like it, I am by no means a sports nut but I like hockey and boxing, I especially like being to pull it up whenever I want and watch a Lightning game or highlights of the Kings - Bruins match so I can trash talk a friend of mine who is a big Kings fan.

I've even kind of been wanting a Windows phone but alas they're on AT&T and Sprint who both blow. My point though is when you have one product by a company that you're happy with, a natural progression is cross sell your own customers. Any GOOD business these days is doing just that. Gone are the days of one product per customer.

Apple does this... get an iPod which works great with iTunes! You just bought two products, even though you may not pay for iTunes, let's assume you use it without making any purchases, you're still using their product and while in your use an inherent monetary value is ascribed to you using it for the company. Your bank even does this, get a checking account AND a savings account AND a credit card AND Identity Theft Protection. If you bank with Wells Fargo you're especially battered by sales when you call in to get your balance, BoA by contrast is a little more subtle, but again I'm straying off topic. You get it, cross-selling.
I've even tried using Windows Media Player again after years of hating it with a passion, but to be honest, once you set it up, it works like a champion and isn't half as annoying as Winamp can sometimes be or as clunky as iTunes.

It is just a natural progression, and personally after being very happy with my 360, now my Windows 7 PC, I think this WGX has the potential to be a great thing. Consider how much Steam has revolutionized PC gaming. Steam dominates almost the ENTIRE market for digital distribution of games. Now if you've used Steam you probably already know how ridiculously awesome it is. You have everything in one place, literally you can launch any game you currently own, or even previously owned (if purchased through Steam) and play it anytime. Add to the fact that they have plenty of demos up and have really GOOD deals and discounts going ALL the time and you've got a business model for success.

Now, give me something similar that perhaps is Microsoft based but ALSO integrates with my 360 and I'll jump on board in a heartbeat. I was already pretty impressed when I was able to play Bizarre Creations' (R.I.P., Activision you bastards!) Blur and post to my Facebook from inside the game after having a particularly awesome race. EA and Criterion expanded on this kind of idea with IN game leaderboards and commenting/sharing with NFS: Hot Pursuit, but I'll spare you that rant. The point is that the integration brings a new aspect to the game, it has the potential to create a METAGAME, and if there is anything gamers like, I can tell you, is having their actions have an effect, even if slight, on something larger than themselves. MMO's prove that. (Even though most MMO's currently out and on top completely disregard and ignore this side of the audience's wants, but that is another blog.)

Windows Live has already had an impact on 360 slightly, you can replay some games on your PC and have it contribute to your 360 gamerscore, two Arkham Asylum playthroughs for example, you'll get credit for both. Same can be said for Warhammer 40k and other titles.

If Microsoft plays their cards right and really capitalizes on the already established partnerships they have currently with Netflix, ESPN (which is owned by Disney and is another potential money market all in its own, but we'll see if that happens in the years to come), Facebook, Last.FM, Twitter, and Microsoft's own Zune line of digital distribution for Music and Movies, then you could end up with a seamless experience from 360 to PC. (Considering also that using the BING toolbar can earn you Microsoft Points)
After setting my 360 up on my home network it is already capable of streaming music, video and pictures from my computer to television. If my wife's PC wasn't already hooked up to our 50" Plasma it would be way more awesome, but still it is pretty damn cool.

Zynga's success with Farmville and other titles is pretty crazy. Last I checked they earn about a million dollars a day. Their success is pretty evident just using simple browser based games. Now consider if you start using your avatar with it and it becomes a 3D game, you just opened up a whole new avenue of gaming. Free little games that you can check maybe once or twice a day. Think about a Risk style game where you can check your war progress twice a day, once from your PC while at work and then once on your 360 when you get home, how sweet would that be? Especially considering social aspects such as making alliances with friends and playing such a thing multiplayer. Ad revenue combined with micro transactions would make such a venture enormous. Zygna's success has even sparked EA to start making browser based games, though if you think about it EA was doing that for years before Zygna just with things like Pogo.com I mean I've played Farmville and Mafia Wars extensively. Is the gameplay deep? Absolutely not. Is it fun? Sometimes it sure as hell is. It draws you in with the sense of accomplishment, often times in our lives we don't have a lot of control over what we do, so to be able to jump on Facebook, check what your family and friends are up to, and then harvest your crops and then plant some more cotton until tomorrow is pretty rewarding.

Ultimately, alot of people are going to say that WGX is going to fail hard, personally I am optimistic and think it could be a great thing. Not just for Microsoft as a company, but for us as gamers and non-gamers alike.