Certainly.
Zyngaâs as much a video game company as any of the interactive entertainment fieldâs brightest lights. Of course, given the firmâs primarily business-focused approach to design, itâs also the devil incarnate to some. But the real irony that many people miss is that the outfit may inadvertently be one of the best things to happen to gaming since the invention of the home console.
Say what you will about titles like FarmVille and CityVille. Those games are designed to keep players hypnotically clicking away like slack-jawed idiots. Among the industryâs fastest-growing and mostly wildly popular titles of all-time, theyâre also helping make true believers out of millions. And, for that matter, these games are finally communicating the pastimeâs appeal to generations of clueless bystanders whoâve spent decades convinced that gamers are still socially awkward dweebs who spend 20 hours a day twiddling away on Atari-2600-era joysticks.
OK, so tending virtual crops or building an online crime family isnât exactly the height of artistic expression, and in many ways a marked step back from todayâs growingly more high-concept, intellectually sophisticated, culturally aware and literate blockbusters. But face it: Itâs these simple, idiot-proof and engaging concepts that make sense to all, as well as their inherent intuitiveness and appeal, that are increasingly helping to push gaming to the forefront of mainstream awareness. And, while weâre at it, inspiring more designersâincluding individuals from a more diverse group of cultural backgrounds, nationalities and ages than previously seen at any point in historyâto take up the craft of game creation than ever.
Thank them 10 years from now when a new generation of enterprising young teams working out of their basements and fueled by Ramen are pumping out incredibly deep and thought-provoking, yet simple to pick up and play offerings ideal for social settings that make even modern-day classics such as Braid, Limbo or Swords and Sworcery look like prehistoric carvings crudely scribbled into cave walls. Or, while weâre at it, you meet your future husband/wife/World of Warcraft life partner when someone starts talking raising simulated sheep or managing animated homesteads over drinks at happy hour.
Note from the deputy editor:
I asked Scott Steinberg to assess Zyngaâs video game company bona fides, but that was yesterday, when we were spurred by the report that Zynga snatched EAâs number two executive for a senior position. That was yesterday. Zynga moves fast and made news again today for purchasing Wonderland Software, creators of the game Godfinger. Zynga has been averaging one new game studio purchase a month, including prestige acquisitions of the creators of Words with Friends and Drop 7. That Zynga farm of developers keeps growing, one macro-payment at a time. âStephen Totilo, Kotaku
Mind you, Zynga has obviously come under immense criticism for its cash-centric design methods and gameplay strategies, which often put making money before ensuring that players have a keenly-balanced gaming experience, or can enjoy particularly new and novel features. But much as players like to romanticize it, gamingâs a multibillion-dollar business thatâs long been dominated by firms that prize accounting over artistic integrity â what, you think EA brought back NBA Jam, Microsoft aims to make idiot-proof motion controls the new high-tech gaming standard and Nintendoâs suddenly resurrecting The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time out of purely altruistic motives? Putting the exploitation of new technologies, trends and devices above the chance to push the boundaries of creativity is a proud, time-honored tradition: From classic-era Atariâs multitude of home Pong variants to Capcomâs endless [Insert Meme Here] vs. [Which of Our Franchises is Currently Selling Best] crossovers, itâs the same fundamental principle.
Storied history and franchises aside, corporate giants like Electronic Arts and Take 2 arenât powered by sunshine and magical rainbows, and have to pay for the dozens of avant garde experiments (Mirrorâs Edge) and aeons-long development cycles (Red Dead Redemption) that eventually lead to BioShock-level brilliance somehow. Check Rockstarâs softography prior to Grand Theft Auto, or Harmonixâs before Guitar Hero â youâll see plenty of foul balls before they ever starting belting out home runs. The difference with Zynga is simply that itâs not content to play by the old industry rule of thumbâ-1 hit pays for every 10 flops-âand instead focuses on the bottom line first. One might argue that, while sacrificing the quality of a playerâs experience is inexcusable, the overall concept is actually a much saner approach to game making, offering predictable revenues and successes than can be funneled into making better sequels, spin-offs or fueling the launch of original, more innovative outings down the road.
Itâs easy to vilify corporate giants, especially in the wake of Guitar Heroâs recent relegation to the benches, given their seemingly single-minded pursuit of cash and knuckleheaded willingness to grind even the biggest and best franchises into the ground in order to turn a quick buck. But if you look at what Zynga is saying and doing as of late, itâs making the right insinuations, intimating that it will put all the cash and talent itâs amassing to work building deeper, more engaging titles that just happen to be tied to the worldâs most popular and readily accessible online platforms. In other words, itâs allegedly cranking away on what will hopefully be some pretty kick-ass games that more players of all skill levels â including traditional game players â can access from a greater range of touchpoints and devices than one couldâve dreamed even just five years ago.
https://lastchance.cc/activision-just-killed-guitar-hero-and-true-crime-5756232%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Zynga is not content to play by the old industry rule of thumbâ1 hit pays for every 10 flops.
CEO Mark Pincus and co. are no fools: They know that players have more options in terms of titles, platforms, devices and entertainment options than ever. The company is also well aware thatâs itâs increasingly fighting for a share of your time, not just your wallet. So now itâs growingly hiring away experienced game industry talent-âJohn Schappert, Brian Reynolds, etc.-âand buying up useful studios in hopes of rolling out a newer, deeper and more immersive wave of social experiences-âcall them anti- or hyper-social games if you will. These amusements will still feature the best of what social games have to offer: Instant gratification, multiplayer interaction, immediate accessibility, long-term persistency and casual approachability. But beneath the simple veneer of doe-eyed characters and shiny objects to click on, theyâll have all the depth, complexity, massively multiplayer interplay, community engagement and lasting rewards of traditional video game titles.
https://lastchance.cc/if-this-is-how-pc-gaming-will-live-maybe-it-should-die-5763005%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Scott Steinberg heads video game consulting firm TechSavvy, which advises developers, publishers, investors and media corporations on business strategy, product testing and market analysis. A frequent game industry expert witness, heâs also the author of Video Game Marketing and PR and host of video series Game Theory
To stay relevant going forward and keep up with the flood of new games invading Facebook dailyâmost of which are easy to abandon, because they donât cost you anything and take minutes to enjoy, making them ideal for the commitment-phobic-âthe firm not only has to deliver higher-quality gaming experiences that players actively want to seek out and spend time with. It also has to build games that emphasize value and convenience, and around which communities can easily be formed, giving you a reason to keep tuning in instead of scampering off to play Angry Birds at the gym.
From Kingdoms of Camelotâs hardcore leanings to Ravenwood Fairâs PC/console-style expansions and Heavenâs Dinerâs location- and photo-based challenges, social games are clearly evolving. Zynga realizes it has to keep up, and invest in high-quality, top-tier gaming experiences as much as new technologies to maintain pace, especially as its own audience of players matures and their gaming tastes become more sophisticated. In effect, this will eventually make the firm an entertainment and intellectual property (IP) company as much as any software maker, comic book publisher or Hollywood studio.
Thereâs a reason gamingâs most legendary developers continue to defect to the social space, and itâs not six-figure paychecks and lightning-quick development turnaround times alone. As Loot Dropâs Brenda Brathwaite so elegantly pointed out in her GDC rant, the industry is on the verge of a fundamental sea change as social gaming continues to explode in popularity-âeven amongst those who wouldnât consider themselves gamers-âand companies like Zynga are standing on the front lines of what promises to be both revelation and revolution, ushering in an entirely new and different (possibly better) era of game design and development. (Isnât the ultimate point of creating games to bring pleasure or make a statement to as many as possible?)
The good news is, given the growing level of competition, fan expectation and sheer alternatives players can readily turn to if disgruntled or disenchanted, these firms-âthe few and the proud-âhave no choice but to storm the proverbial beach. Frankly, theyâll get their Armani-clad kiesters shot full of holes if all they do is stand around trying to hawk licensed dog tags and branded bomber jackets instead.
For companies like Zynga, cash will always remain king, as keeping waves of money flowing into the bank gives the outfit incredible wherewithal to acquire the talent and technologies it needs to grow and survive, not to mention chart its own future, which-âbased on recent moves-âobviously involves leveraging the skill and practical real-world experience of games industry veterans. Were Zynga simply to view itself as a software or service provider offering a vanilla experience that plays to the least-common denominator, or content to stand around collecting a paycheck by simply exploiting new business models and technologies and/or regularly churning out nondescript and sub-par branded titles, well⌠Letâs just say that, given the state of todayâs gaming industry, even the mighty social giant wouldnât stay on top of the game for long.
