This week Techcrunch published the article ‘Gamification is Dead, Long Live Games for Learning‘. The post is written by Michael John, Game Director of GlassLab. GlassLab and its mission are well supported and worthy, but Mr. John could have made his point without oversimplifying, demonizing, and dismissing the concept of gamification. The headline is catchy, but the article shows … [Read more…]
A recurring feature of Gameballmedia.com where facts are gathered, shared, and sourced. Just the facts. Global Smartphone Data: Global Hardware brand Q2 2014 shipments broke down as follows (IDC): Samsung: 24.9% Apple: 11.7% Huawei: 6.7% Lenovo: 5.2% Others: 46.7% In Q2 2014 Global Mobile Smartphone shipments hit an all-time high of 301.3 million units (IDC) … [Read more…]
You are shopping for something big – like a new TV or major appliance – and the sales staff, while clearly visible, seems to be ignoring you. You take a deep breath and give the sales staff the benefit of the doubt – thinking through a few reasonable excuses in your head. After several minutes it seems apparent that you are … [Read more…]
When brands invest in games, they should mean it. In other words, as a starting point, they should invest properly, and the result should be a game that shows respect for the player and production value that honors the brand. On top of that, the game should be fun and/or rewarding to play and should … [Read more…]
When Dots first came out on iPhone in 2013 it earned admiration from gamers and non-gamers alike. The game presents a simple addicting mechanic with a colorful, minimalist, and playful design. In the vast ocean of mobile games that push players to monetize through pressure and addiction mechanics, appealing to the kids, or social casino mechanics, Dots stood out … [Read more…]
Proposed: One (very simplified) short-hand equation for articulating the elements of Customer Engagement: Engagement = Need/Desire + Good Experience + Habit Engagement is a necessary but not sufficient element of a successful business. A strong business model that generates cash and profit margin from the engaging activities is also required. Engagement is a key factor in Loyalty and is … [Read more…]
Part 1 Candy Crush Saga is developed and published by Midasplayer International Holding Company – better known as King. King has operated the skill games web portal King.com for about a decade. King has long supplanted Zynga as the largest and most talked about social/mobile casual game developer and Candy Crush Saga has replaced Angry … [Read more…]
CES is happening in Las Vegas this week. It’s a chance to see new stuff and catch up on the latest in areas of personal interest. I have never been one for giant crowded shows, and the online coverage is so thorough that I am more happy to observe online. Some links to follow the … [Read more…]
Checking out Gree Today I decided to explore Gree. My interest comes from several angles: 1) I keep hearing about how successful Gree is and about its new iOS Platform 2) I know I have potential clients who will want to evaluate Gree, and 3) Because I have an iOS game in development (of course … [Read more…]