GamesBeat writes, "The 'whales' of the social-gaming world are a mystery to most of us. As the biggest spenders, they make up a tiny group (think about 2 percent of audiences) that drives most of the revenue for publishers of these games. But the word 'whale' isn’t a flattering term, and neither are the numbers associated with it. These are people, not just customers.
It’s easy to think of whales anonymously because we’re not quite sure who they are or how they think — they’re often elusive due to the stigma that surrounds them. We know they play social games, but are they social? Are their habits casual or obsessive? What kind of people are they?"
Dear valued player, Following an incredible 11 years since its initial launch back in 2009, we are officially announcing the closure of the original FarmVille game on Facebook.
The video game industry is not one where originality reigns supreme. Sure, there are definitely Big Ideas that change the landscape of gaming, but for the most part publishers are content to slowly improve on stuff that’s already proven profitable.
But sometimes imitation goes beyond mere flattery to become a fad, when seemingly the entire video game world gets fixated on a single idea and starts churning out endless copies. We’re seeing it now with Fortnite and the Battle Royale craze, but this isn’t a new thing. Let’s blow in the cartridges and revisit some of the most potent fads in video game history.
I thought that too until he mentioned "paradigm change" with the addition of a competitive two-player mode. Obvious fumble, and we all do it, but it's a pet peeve that I should work on.
Thomas from Lizard Lounge writes, "What a time to be alive! Farming Simulator has released its eighth instalment, you too can discover the mysterious and glamorous life of a slice of bread, and someone has released a game about grass and it’s not even the interesting kind of grass. Walking simulators, have you heard of those? Games like Gone Home, Serena, The Beginner’s Guide, in which you walk around a world and stuff happens at you?"
Zynga: "MAN THE HARPOONS!"
PETA has already condemned this.
Nice story.
It's crazy I never heard of some of these games, and people are spending hundreds of dollars on them!
I can't imagine dropping hundreds of dollars on just one game, even if I did have the money (note: that's why I never really played MMOs before). These guys are hardcore.