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Stealing Farmville's thunder one player at a time. 1 down, 80 million to go.

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January 21st, 9:06am 1 comment

The Violence of Angry Birds

So says Play This Thing:

I didn't notice it myself, the credit goes to my fiancee, ready to give birth, intuitively tuned into the sensitivities of life.

"It's so violent."

"Como?"

"Yeah, you're making these birds commit suicide in order to kill these pigs."


It is violent. With no redeeming morality at all. You control suicide bombers as they destroy buildings. You're not punishing bad people. It's just one species against another.

So why doesn't it seem violent?

Are cute graphics really enough to remove the violent core of a game and turn it into a family friendly mainstream hit?

Posted by David Barnes
Posted by David Barnes
January 12th, 4:56am 1 comment

The Top 5 Mistakes You Should Avoid in Social Game Development (via @aquito)

Read 'em, don't make 'em.

Take a look at @aquito's analysis too.

Underlying the 5 mistakes, as usual, is the need to remember that social gaming is more about psychological tricks with incentives and pay offs than it is about providing a quality entertainment experience.

Posted by David Barnes
January 12th, 4:11am 0 comments

Why Does Microsoft Pass Up the Easy Money?

What is Microsoft playing at? Why hasn't a Windows App Store rolled out and appeared unbidden on our desktop with our regular updates to XP, Vista, and Windows 7?

Apple has shown that bundling an app store automatically into a popular device is a license to print money. Google and Intel have followed suit, but they have a problem. To attract developers -- and persuade them to offer software at low costs -- you need lots of customers. To attract customers, you need lots of low cost software.

Angry Birds has come to the PC via Intel App Up. It's FIVE TIMES the price than the equivalent for the iPhone. Not because developing for the PC is harder or the game is better, but because they can't expect anything like the sales through Intel App Up that they could on the iPhone. Why? Because nobody uses App Up. Why? Partly because nobody's heard of it. And nobody won't buy much from it, because the software is expensive. It's a vicious circle for Intel. Google might fare better, but it'll still take a long time.

There are hundreds of millions of Windows PCs in the world, all monitoring the Internet and ready to update themselves with whatever new features Microsoft wants them to have. Any given Tuesday Microsoft could give itself the largest app store install base in the world. If it was one click away from the desktop of hundreds of millions of Windows PCs, do you think Angry Birds would still be five bucks? Of course not.

Please Mr Ballmer, take this easy money from us and give us PC owners access to cheap casual games.

Posted by David Barnes