Monthly Archives: November 2007

Fun with Photoshop

Last weekend I got the chance to visit my good friend, Zvi. He and I have been wasting time together since middle school. By “wasted”, I mean “completely unredeemable”, and by “time”, I’m (sadly) referring to copious amounts. This is, I think, one reason why we now live several states apart. It’s a necessary precaution.

Anyway, somehow we decided to screw around with Photoshop and spend several hours attempting to make ourselves look like aliens in a fancy graphic novel. I think we did a pretty good job, given that neither of us are artists. Unfortunately, I have to admit that Zvi’s photo came out significantly better!

And having shared that completely useless bit of information… happy Thanksgiving everyone! May you all be blessed with a terrific food coma. :-)

Via Ilya, the answer to the question: what happens when you fuse Pac-Man with Zork? Some information about EA’s revenues by platform and by retailer. Short version: Gamestop ekes out Walmart, and the 360 generates (by far) the most revenue … Continue reading

Lions, Tigers, Free Games… Oh My!

I’ve been compiling a list of “free game types” in preparation for my GDC Lyon lecture. When I look at the list on a single page, its breadth and depth are a bit stunning. There’s already a mountain of free game content out there, and the mountain is growing fast.

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Studies on Game Advertising Effectiveness?

I’ve spent the past few months interviewing many different people on the subject of games and advertising — professors, ad sales professionals, game developers — you name it. I’ve learned a great many things from these interviews, but one thing I have not learned is of the existence of much research on the topic of improving advertising effectiveness. I am referring specifically to ads in and around games, as well as advergames themselves.

I’ve found plenty of non-game-specific ad research. And there are several studies (sponsored by major publishers and/or in-game ad networks) that seek to prove advertisements in games are effective, without exploring what can make them more effective.

So I thought I’d ask you all: if you’re aware of any studies on the subject of game advertising effectiveness, especially studies that weren’t sponsored by organizations with a perceived bias, I’d greatly appreciate hearing about them.

Kim Pallister and Vlad Cole, two friends and colleagues here at Microsoft, have launched the Video Game Venture Capital (VGVC) blog. It tracks capital flows into the game industry, and is already chock full of goodies. Article about dating games … Continue reading

Portal (one of the many fine games included in “The Orange Box”) is just fantastic; a nearly perfect 3-4 hour gameplay experience. And I’m still laughing about the song at the end of the game. Do yourself a favor and … Continue reading