New Media Future: Fun And Games

Michael Hedges December 19, 2011 Follow on Twitter

Search engines and social networks have become the common media currency. More and more it’s mobile devices that form the common platform for the distributing anything that can be translated into 1’s and 0’s. The next development could be even more fun.

Online game maker Zynga went public last week (December 16) and the initial public offering (IPO) of 100 million shares at US$10 valued the company at roughly US$7 billion. Zynga is famous for Farmville, CityVille and other online games played to a great extent through Facebook. A few months ago the investor crystal ball said Zynga might be worth much more.

By the end of its first day trading Zynga shares had dropped 5%. Investors, it seems, wanted to grab a quick profit and move on. But a billion dollars is a billion dollars. And the online game business of the Zynga model is a game changer even disregarding disparaging reports of miserable employment practices and relationships with spammers. Investors aren’t troubled with minor irritations anyway. FarmVille et.al. are played by more than 50 million people in 175 countries. (A media buyer in Turkey introduced me to FarmVille two years ago.)

Playing Farmville or CityVille is easy. Nobody needs to buy a game console or other such device. It’s already in your hand, that mobile phone. While the graphics and, indeed, the storyline isn’t as “dynamic” as the hot action games it moves along at the player’s pace. Rewards come easily. Most players don’t pay real money to “buy crops” or anything else. Those who let the game tap into micropayment vehicles earn bigger rewards and instant recognition among other players. And, yes, players can visit the McDonalds farm for a bit of brand interactivity.

As entertainment and news media struggle to find their way in the new media realm, not limited to payment plans, mobile game developers have made their products easy and fun. The Zynga online game model puts the player firmly in charge. And the social interaction aspect is a bonus.

One continuing dilemma for media content providers is that platform issue. Device makers like Apple and Research in Motion (RIM - Blackberry) don’t make it easy for cross-platform development. Gaming and social network apps cross all (or most) platforms, proving that users don’t want to be bothered by that decision. It’s the 21st century equivalent of that 300-page instruction manual. Presentation, not platform, will drive new media usage.

Market researcher Millward Brown, part of WPP, recently called “gamification” one of the top trends to watch. “Points, level progression, badges, achievements, power-ups, virtual currency, quests, puzzles, loss aversion – all of these game concepts are involved in this growing trend that spans areas from education and work to keeping fit and green actions to improved brand experience and loyalty schemes,” said its Top 12 Digital Predictions For 2012 (December 12). The possibilities for entertainment and news media would seem endless.

“Gamification is inherently social, either by some element of competition or collaboration between you and your social network friends and contacts,” they explained, noting that closed systems – “badgification” – will be a non-starter for consumers.

Developers of what we now call new media were all, in one way or another, influenced by the television series Startrek it’s been said. The future seen by creator Gene Roddenberry in the mid-1960’s included plasma screens, the internet, mobile phones. We are now more than a generation apart Mr. Spock and that future has come true.

The biggest influence on both media techies and many consumers now is gaming and social media. The mobile devices are the ubiquitous tools for all points of interaction, which is a game to be played with anybody, anywhere and any time. Next generation media will certainly be fun.

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