Games are changing and while you might not notice it now, in a few years you’ll look back in wonderment at the early games and ideas that sparked change.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m on the advisory board for Superstruct, an online game that will help predict and invent the future for the Institute For The Future. The IFTF is a non-profit organisation that analyses trends to provide insight and advice about the future and how to embrace the waves of change in areas such as business strategy and social dilemmas.
So why does that matter? Well, it’s clear to me that through a process of analysis, trend spotting, thought and speculation we can not only predict the future, but we can also work with the raw materials and invent it! If there’s something changing for the worse (e.g. global warming) then we can spot that in analysis and invent a solution before it happens. Or, and back to our topic if something’s changing for the better (e.g. games) we can embrace it and use our analysis to make them even better.
I’ve noticed a few things in gaming that have been changing dramatically lately. We don’t necessarily notice these big changes, because they happen in chunks and not all together, but believe me that things are going to be different in the future. You might think some of these are fairly simple observations, and that there’s no special analysis that’s gone into them and you’d be correct. These are simple changes, simple facts. After all, isn’t it always the simple things that have the most impact?
Before I open the envelope and reveal my nominees for the “Changing Games Award 2008″ it’s important to understand why people play games. If we know why people play games, then we know why they’re changing, or need to change. People play games because they get something out of them, lower level escapism needs and higher level self actualisation and esteem needs (We’ll be here all day if we look into everyone else’s definitions). So let’s get to the good stuff…
Everywhere gaming. Mobile, handheld and urban gaming are really pushing ubiquitous play. These advances take play to situations it was never possible before (in the video game sense), meaning that people can escape from reality wherever and whenever they like. I played Tap Tap Revolution on my iPhone on the way home from work this evening. Not because I’m a gaming junkie and needed a fix, but because it took me out of the dire situation I was in on the District Line. I’m really interested to see how location based play changes the dynamic and really pushes these advances in gaming.
On the other end of ubiquitous play are alternate reality games (ARGs). Not everywhere in the literal sense, but in terms of media they really are everywhere. They come to players at all angles, in every situation forcing them to think on their feet and challenge. Again, since I’m working in this field I’m keen to see how this changes other forms of gaming.
I’m not going to go too deep here. I’m sure it’s a trend you’ve all spotted. With the Nintendo Wii really pushing the field (fun pickup and play gaming), more people than ever are joining in. Not only are they a broader range of people than ever before (it’s not unusual to see Wii gamers in their 80’s), but they’re prepared to just dip in and out of games. Long gone are the 50+ hour narratives, this audience want something fun for a short period which they can come back to and not worry about what they’ve forgotten.
Not to be confused with casual, they often go hand in hand but are actually very different. Accessibility is about opening up gaming to people who wouldn’t normally play. In the ARG industry we’re making games more accessible by making them easy to dip into during the game’s running, as well as making re-playable games and games which people find very easy to see what’s going on. Transparency’s the key word, and it’s getting more transparent.
XBOX 360 has had Achievements for ages now and PS3 followed suit a couple of months ago with the long awaited trophy patch. For those who don’t know what achievements or trophies are, they’re incentives for players to play through games, sometimes more than they would normally would. The Nectar card of the gaming world! I particularly like the Playstation reward system, as the ‘trophies’ come in bronze, silver, gold and platinum variety. It turns completing games, and finding treasures into an olympic session for my inner brain that thinks I’m Michael Phelps. Not only can you compare your medal count to other friends. This creates a sort of ‘Hero syndrome’, where everyone’s a hero, striving to be a better hero. Surely a good thing? It’s really driving positivity and motivation to do better in life as well as gaming.
Also under the header of ‘rewarding’ would be community based games. MMOs are ever popular and the usage statistics of social networks are outstanding. Once again, these are very rewarding. We’re a social species, we love to talk and interact with our friends. Playing with 2 people is more than twice as fun playing with one. These sort of games are going to creep more into everyday life as they water down mundane tasks from answering calls and emails to keeping fit training plans.
Games have been mimicking reality for some time now, with the ever improving graphics in video games, to the avatar representations in the virtual world Second Life. The tides are shifting however, in favor of reality becoming more like a game and ties into ubiquitous play very nicely. Once again this is where ARGs fit in. What could possibly be better than raising morale and satisfying higher level needs by changing your reality? Sure, I’m Marc McGinley, but I’m also Agent Mango, who’s secret mission it is to brighten people’s day by complementing them on the tube. Why do we need to play representations of ourself when we have a really great tool for changing who we already are (the imagination).
So, what does this mean for the future then? Games are going to be even more everywhere, taking people to more bizarre places, with more bizarre personas and less boredom. Games were once used to pass time and forget troubles, but now they’re being used to make a real social impact. Next time you pick up a game, think of the features within it and the cool new thing it does, and wonder what changes it could have on the world. Dare I even say it, invent the future!
Tags: accessible, ARG, casual, future, iftf, ps3, reality, rewarding, Superstruct, trophies, ubiquitous, wii, xbox 360