In addition to founding Atari, Bushnell also founded Chuck-e-Cheese's, and now he's into social gaming. His current project is UWink, a social gaming-focused restaurant chain with touch screen consoles at every table where users can not only order food and drink, but also play games together. UWink is set to open its second restaurant in Hollywood soon.

"Social games aren't sitting in boxer shorts in your basement," Bushnell said. "It's being out, having fun, being able to hi-five people around the table, and it's a bridge between traditional board games, which are highly social experiences in the home, and a video game. The idea is to create games in which the conversations among the people are as important as the gameplay itself."

One more thing on Bushnell's list of current projects? "Think of the holodeck come true," he said:

"It's an immersive game - totally revolutionary, totally new."

Lastly, Bushnell had plenty to add in a panel discussion that focused on the broadening casual and non-traditional game market. He sits on the board of NeoEdge, a tech company that enables advertisers to deliver 30-second spots in that casual gaming arena. And he thinks the industry has only begun scratching the surface as far as the amount of revenue available from advertising:

"People in the U.S. watch about 28, 27 hours of television per week, and they play about 7-8 hours of games per week. On a parity basis, that says there should be somewhere between 25 and 30 billion dollars of ads available for the game business... [but there's] less than a billion now," he said.

"We think there's a massive opportunity to get rid of that inefficiency with a lot more ad-supported gameplay... and not only should we be getting more revenue on a per game basis, but the gameplay should be significantly more valuable to an advertiser."

Also on the panel were Kathy Vrabeck, president of Casual Entertainment for Electronic Arts; John Koller, senior marketing manager for Sony Computer Entertainment America; Doug Clemmer, president of Valusoft & THQ Wireless, and WildTangent founder and chairman Alex St. John - and among other things, the panelists all agreed that greater ad support in games could accelerate the growth of digital distribution, free-to-play games, and ultimately, the death of that $60 retail box.

The overall message seems to highlight the PS3's diversity as an entertainment device, with the aim of appealing to an all-ages audience.

Full release follows the jump:

06/05/2008 17:30
Get closer to friends and family with PlayStation

London, 6th May 2008- With PlayStation, games have never been more family-friendly. We've created up the genre of 'social gaming': games where players of all ages socialise through gaming. For the kids and the young-at-heart, there are EyeToy® games that burn physical as well as mental energy. We've got puzzle games that everyone will want to try- whether at home or in the car - and we're also allowing you to take TV on the move. You can even team up as a family to challenge your overseas relatives to a round of online quizzing over PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN) - and when it comes to keeping in touch further, we've just given PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) video and voice chat capabilities.

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™): the next generation system that brings you High Definition gaming, Blu-ray movies, internet browsing, music, TV and entry into the online community of PLAYSTATION Network.

Buzz!™: Quiz TV (PS3)

Buzz!: Quiz TV for PS3™ is the next-gen game that takes the Buzz! experience into the future and across the world via the online PLAYSTATION Network. Arriving this June, it'll give you instant access to quizzes on almost any subject you can think of, and will be supported by vast downloadable and user-generated content. The game's Blu-ray disc comes with wireless buzzers and contains a whopping 5000 questions, divided into five selectable channels to suit every quiz fanatic - it's a quiz where you choose the content. Not enough questions on your subject of choice? Write your own. New online quiz community MyBuzz!™ links directly from the internet to the game and allows players to write and upload personalised quizzes plus download quizzes created by other online players which suit their questioning needs. The disc is also your gateway to online gaming and content, connecting you to Sofa vs Sofa mode, in which you can team up with everyone at home to challenge up to three other teams of gamers online, as well as to extra downloadable quiz packs and quizzes written by other Buzz! users.

echochrome (PSP and PS3)

In echochrome, it's not what you see, it's the way that you see it - and the more pairs of eyes involved, the better your chances of solving the dozens of fiendish puzzles ahead. The world of echochrome consists of a series of crazy mazes inhabited by the endlessly wandering Walker, and your goal is to help him get where he wants to go - despite being faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hazards. The trick is to open your mind and let your imagination run riot: by rotating each maze and changing your perspective on the action, you might just be able to change reality... A brand new and brain-busting puzzle experience, echochrome will have you asking everyone you know: "Can you see the answer?"

PlayTV™ (PS3)

Television how, when and where you want it; Play TV lets you pause, rewind and record free-to-air digital television using your PS3 and, best of all - after a one-off payment for the peripheral, the service is completely free. End family squabbles as you watch one channel while recording another through a dual TV tuner, stream television anywhere using a wi-fi connected PSP or pause television should household events demand your attention - Play TV offers access to great TV without the pocket-punching bills this later this year.

Folding@home (PS3)

Developed by Stanford University, Folding@home uses the combined power of interlinked computers around the world to perform mathematical calculations that help with research into protein folding - research that could lead to breakthroughs in the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's, CJD, Parkinson's and various forms of cancer. In 2006, it was realised that a network of interlinked PS3 processors could boost the project's output to unprecedented levels thanks to the power of the PS3's Cell processor. All you need to do to play a part in Folding@home is to select the project's icon in the Network column of the Cross-Media Bar (XMB), then leave your machine running.

PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN)

The online home of PS3, PLAYSTATION®Network is where you'll find some of PlayStation's most innovative and fun games for you to download at wallet-friendly prices. You'll also find downloadable extras, free online gaming, voice chat, video chat, web surfing and more.

Elefunk™ (PSN for PS3)

A herd of elephants needing safe guidance through a series of perilous levels requires a guide, so help steer the jungle giants to safety this May. Across 20 levels, create safe passage across ravines, rivers, fires, pits and swamps with the materials available to you. Plus, swap construction for Deconstruction in a specially designed multiplayer game where players must disassemble a structure as carefully as possible without letting the structure, or imperilled elephants, fall...

Buzz! Junior™ (PSN for PS3)

This summer, we're bringing the fun of the children's Buzz! Junior range to PSN with bundles of mini-games for PS3 owners to download at pocket money prices. Buzz! Junior titles offer all the fun, easy play of Buzz! controllers, but with wacky mini-games of skill and speed rather than trivia-based play - they're perfect for youngsters to play with friends and family. Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party will be the first to arrive on PSN in a download featuring five great mini-games from the original PS2 version - now in 720p High Definition; it'll be followed by similar downloads from Buzz! Junior: RoboJam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble.

PixelJunk™ Eden (PSN for PS3)

After sowing seeds with its Racers and Monsters, PixelJunk puts down roots on PLAYSTATION®Network with PixelJunk Eden. Leap and swing between lush alien vegetation in a truly innovative platform game which constantly evolves over time as you move through the perfectly realised undergrowth, hunting treasures and smashing enemies from his path. Destroyed enemies scatter pollen across the landscape, which the player must collect and use to pollinate seed pods before using the new growth to progress further.

PlayStation®2 (PS2™): the world's best-selling entertainment system that offers you great gameplay and the biggest social gaming brands

EyeToy® Play: PomPom Party (PS2)

Limber-up for the first cheerleading game for PS2, which comes bundled with real pompoms to help every wannabe-cheerleader pull off some groovy moves. As you follow the directions on-screen and shake your pompoms to the music, the EyeToy Camera will detect your movements and score your routines. So keep that rhythm going, and soon the whole block will be bouncing to your cheers in EyeToy Play: PomPom Party - it's arriving in time for Christmas in late 2008.

EyeToy® Play: Hero (PS2)

The ultimate quest for all budding adventurers - embark on a fantastic journey through a colourful, exciting fantasy world. EyeToy Play: Hero includes its own toy sword for you to wield; the EyeToy Camera will detect your sword's movements as you perform feats of bravery throughout the land. Watch your adventure unfold on-screen, hone your swordplay, and maybe one day you'll be considered a true hero of the kingdom! It's arriving in time for Christmas in late 2008.

PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable): the handheld entertainment system that offers games, music, film, TV, communications, GPS mapping and more

Buzz!™: Master Quiz (PSP)

Turning PSP into the ultimate social gaming experience, Buzz! makes his handheld debut in Buzz!: Master Quiz. Keep friends and family amused and entertained on the move, on holiday or on the bus as Buzz! hits the road, free from its front-room beginnings. Play solo or get involved with new multiplayer rounds such as Pass Around (which enables six players to play Buzz! with just one PSP!). The ultimate PlayStation quiz experience has hit the road - are you along for the ride this July?

Go!Messenger™ (PSP)

Keep in touch using your PSP with a revolutionary new addition, which turns your handheld system into a wireless communication tool featuring video chat, voice chat and instant messaging. It allows PSP owners to instant message each other- then, just add a headset and voice messaging and voice calls become possible. Add Go!Cam, the USB camera for PSP, and video calls and video messaging become a possibility. Go!Messenger is out now - it's another reason why PSP is becoming a travel essential.

SKYPE™ (PSP)

Skype, the online communication software that allows Internet users to call each other free of charge*, has now arrived on the new Slim and Light PSP. Talk to any one of the hundred million Skype users worldwide with free voice calls, managing your contacts list and checking which of your friends are online via your PSP. You can opt into the SkypeOut and SkypeIn features, which connect Skype callers with landline and mobile users - and you can do all of this from any wireless hotspot - anywhere in the world.

I hang out with other gamers all the time, but it's mostly in multiplayer online play, using headsets. It's social, sure. But as any psychologist will tell you, hanging out in real life allows for even richer styles of communication to emerge. In face-to-face mode, we're better at picking up the little nuances — frustration, glee, sarcasm, subvocalized ranting, body language — that build team cohesion, and allow us to game with a positively Vulcan level of mind meld.

All completely true. The most fun I've had gaming over the past few years have been on those rare occasions that I have someone else playing with or against me at my side. Hearing a voice on the headset is one thing. Being able to turn to your side and punch someone in the arm when they screw up is another thing entirely.

Gaming with your friends is something that should be encouraged more. Oddly enough, this is one area where the PC gamers - connected to the internet years before consoles - excel. Look at LAN parties. Everyone lugs a computer out to a centralized location, complete with monitors, mice, keyboards, power supplies, etc., just for a chance to see the look on their opponent's face when they shoot it off. We need console game gettogethers, where a few folks bring their televisions, consoles, and controllers and people just chill and play together.

Mind you, if I ever seriously refer to such get togethers as play dates you have my full permission to punch me in the neck.

Frag With a Friend for Ultimate Fun [Wired]

"It's a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time," he said. "And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan: 'People do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen.' And then out comes the Wii."

Whenever game industry folks bring up the shift to social gaming you can bet your ass the Wii is going come up at some point. Take their successful ad campaign for the Wii, which goes against the grain by showcasing the people playing instead of the games themselves. It's a strategy that even Microsoft has to appreciate - and ape.

That's why I was not especially surprised to walk into a meeting with Mr. Schappert of Microsoft and find the walls covered with posters that looked as if they could have been ripped straight from Nintendo's marketing playbook. Those posters actually conveyed more about Microsoft's attempts to adapt to the new gaming market than almost anything Mr. Schappert could have said.

As Gaming Turns Social, Industry Shifts Strategies [New York Times]