But, the real questions is: Will the XO play Halo?

The one surprise we won’t see are any new weapons. “You’d be surprised how microscopic our hardcore players get about even the spawn points of weapons. People lose their minds if we do anything wrong. Introducing a new weapon after the fact would probably be wrong. You’re going to get the complete set on day one. It is possible to add a weapon and who knows, we might. We could theoretically add an old favorite, but honestly we have to think of it as a sport and you can’t introduce new rules to a sport.”

Nice, stable, predictable rules sets. Ah. They make the world go ’round.

This article addresses a few upcoming (and one old) MMORPGs that are looking to capitalize on the phenom as well as provide some new added functionality to the mix. To me, it looks like they’re differentiating themselves by providing niche content (Context) that will be interesting to a self-selected group of people, and in a way that will cater to their specific needs (Personalization).

Marry that with some weird form of Xbox Live (don’t ask me how to combine a MMORPG with Xbox Live) and it could be the next big thing (Vertical Search).

I’m basing my thinking on this model.

The merging of SL and Earth could happen, and certainly, the ability to interact with the non-virtual world from cyberspace exists. It’s only a matter of time before our avatars can talk to non-virtual people, no?

Now consider video games which, in order to be “fun,” need to incorporate the paidia of ilinx, agon, and alea, while at the same time providing a ludic experience mimicking rule systems that are familiar to us (set theory a la Juul). There needs to be a balance struck between the two, paidia and ludus, that creates the functional game environment. Check out how pissed Daffy gets in Duck Amuck and you’ll see how dysfunctional games are when they don’t account for predictability, rationality and stability.

And so, game designers struggle the blend these two to create enjoyable experiences, especially within “god games,” like Spore, where unbridled creative possibility is a selling point, but all potential creations must still function within the game environment according to the same rules.

The problem is phrased well by Gamespot writer, Galen Davis:

Spore’s design team quickly discovered that there were myriad challenges with an emergent editor that embraced open-ended creativity. It had to be easy and fun. It had to satisfy a broad range of fantasies and expectations. The output had to work in the animation system and with the game’s rule sets. And how do you intuitively design a 3D object editor with a 2D interface for non-Maya-savvy players?

Most generally, how do you design an editor that your grandmother could use that still can yield countless creatures of varying size and shape that work with the gameplay?

Check this article about the various creature and object editing tools within Spore to see how this balance was created (or, given the delay, is still in the process of being created).

– Quantity and quality of item acquisition vs. the process of item acquisition.
– Guilds for play advantage vs. guilds for relationship building.
– PvP play vs. PvE play.

Maybe I’m prudish in my thinking, but I find the drastic difference to be startling. Check the article for the numbers.

Dell’s presence in Second Life is growing and, as part of a current marketing push, they’ve decided to create a special Earth Day event in world that features, yes, planting virtual saplings on Dell Island. You can specify how fast and large you would like your sapling to grow, and you can click on it and be taken to Dell’s Plant a Tree For Me page, which is really just a marketing blitz to convince potential buyers that their computers are not filled with toxic chemicals. To be fully honest, Dell has done some good in this regard, but Greenpeace is right, I do want more. As an environmentally conscious computer user, planting a virtual tree just makes my eyes bug. I’d prefer to put my money where my carbon footprint is and actually make a difference.

It’s an infographic, it’s high-design, it’s pithy and trite at the same time (saccharine, almost). It’s pretty well done. I see Play in a whole bunch of ways: wordplay, associations, visualizations, philosophical thoughtplay…

Credit to Clemens Kogler and his team for creating it. Other design snobs should check out Kogler’s other work, too.

~g