Kotaku: Web 2.0

Is LBP Web 2.0 For Games Fulfilled?

Maggie Greene — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:30:00 MDT

Simon Carless, publisher of Gamasutra and one of my favorite people in the world of gaming journalism, contents that LittleBigPlanet is Web 2.0 for games fulfilled — and makes a pretty persuasive argument for why it may be so. Of course, he's basing this on access to the beta version and admits that we'll have to wait until release to see how this will all pan out with a big community attached, but it looks promising:

Now, I'm sure some might accuse me of hyperbole in the face of relatively little evidence. And it's true that I can't tell what's going to happen to the community based around the game, when the full weight (and, hopefully, ingenuity) of the PS3 masses are brought to bear on it.

But the game has managed to do what console titles have thus far shuddered to provide - an open, easy to use creation system that lets the community make the magic, while the creators stand back and marvel.

He goes on to lay out the points he sees as particularly important, from the ease of creating content to relative freedom in creation to the tagging system. This issue of user-generated content is so important — even big universities have people scurrying around trying to figure out how to make it easy for reasonably clueless people make cool stuff, too — so it will be interesting to see if all of these predictions pan out as planned.

Why LittleBigPlanet Is Web 2.0 For Games, Fulfilled [GameSetWatch]

'World of Answercraft'? Amazon.com's Askville

Maggie Greene — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 15:30:00 MST

There's an interesting piece over at Terra Nova on Amazon.com's Askville, an online question and answer forum with a slight twist - you gain experience points and quest gold! For what purpose? Good question - the author tackles the purpose and ramifications of this sort of virtual incentive system with a lengthy essay and plenty of links that I spent a while clicking my way through.

The question we might ask is: why would this matter? Other than for tax purposes or interpreting the language of wagers, do we really need to place those beads neatly in one of two boxes: money or esteem?
If you can exhange Quest gold for an Amazon gift card, then it is money. But if it also "show[s] everyone how active and helpful you've been on Askville" then it is also something else—a token of esteem. So, like many status markers out there that people might pursue ..., Quest gold belongs in both boxes at once. Prizes have valences in market, reputation, and ludic economies.

I am far from an economist, but the spread of RMT and other in-game economic developments, as well as 'ludic' transactions in non-game settings, is interesting to ponder - will the application work outside of games? Do people buy into it? An interesting piece that's worth a read through (and some clicking on the links if you have time).

World of Answercraft [Terra Nova]

Koinup, the Social Network for Game Crap

bogost — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:00:00 MST

Do you feel like you don't have enough websites to share digital content? Do you cringe with displeasure at the media circus on YouTube or Flickr? Do you wish you had a game-specific website to facilitate your lack of interest in other kinds of media and experienes? Do you sometimes wonder why you have to sort through television clips, cat videos, flower images, or travel photos when all you want is to see the latest avatar fashions?

Fear the internet no more, as Koinup is here. Quoth the Koinup FAQ:

Koinup is the first social network to share virtual lives, screenshots, machinima and virtual stories. It allows users to upload, share and review content they create within games, mmorpg, virtual worlds and metaverse.

Now you too may share your "adventures in Second Life" while making new friends and, of course, once more friending old ones. Rejoice!

Koinup [Koinup, thanks Pierluigi]