Have I reached a point of gaming satiation?

I like games... Always have (NSS I hear you cry!).

Since the early days of console entertainment right up to the latest AAA hits I've had a blast and would consider myself a better than average gamer with a passion for the industry.

Recently however my gaming time has taken a nose dive and I am constantly flitting between games without clear focus of completion. Some would argue that my problem is not satiation but SATURATION! With a PS3 collection of more than 75 games I can see why they would say that, however it has always been like that since I started working over 10 years ago. Since buying my own PS2 at 16 I've always had a lot of games, and always enjoyed them.

Recently my gaming has felt more like a time filler than an entertainment activity and perhaps that is what is making me feel satiated by them. I have been taking driving lessons and spending more time out the house to look at property, socialise and be with my girlfriend more... so I can see why it does feel more time filling than time thrilling.

With a bank holiday weekend soon, and less plans ahead to "do stuff" during my solitary state that is a weekday I should get out of this state of satiation. Failing that there are plenty of games to loan out to friends in order to make my game time more focused... Any takers?


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Coming back for more, more often...

EA Games have today announced the use of daily scratchcard style rewards for players of their facebook game "Dragon Age Legends". The full story is at http://dragonagelegends.com/blog/2011/5/11/upcoming-feature-daily-bonus-game.html

I previously played the Ubisoft Assassins Creed Facebook game as it had a reward system that gave bonuses in Brotherhood, and until now that has been the basis of my playing DA Legends. Once however, I have got all I can out of these games I stop... So it is interesting to see EA Games use a reward technique that encourages both continuous play, and repeat play after the game has run it's course.

Now I just need the PSN to come back on so I can start using my unlocks on Dragon Age 2!


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PSN IS BACK UP SOON BABY!!!

Playstation network has been down nearly 2 weeks but has been confirmed to come back online this week. Excellent! Luckily I have been completely unaffected by the whole ordeal because...

1. On the day PSN went down I lost my debit card so that became invalid.

2. I've been on holiday for 10 days.

That doesn't mean there aren't passwords that gave had to be changed but it was about time I updated those anyway. So... Bring on the free 30 days of Playstation plus, which is a good chance to see what the service is like

On a closing comment... Hackers are arseholes! Playstation or other target, they should put their effort and skill into actually making the world a better place than what they really do!


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More games completed

I've been a busy guy and have completed 3 more games in the last 2 weeks. Now Red Faction guerrilla, Call of Duty black ops and split/second velocity can be added to the "done" pile


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Gamification so far... MyTown

Right. First up is MyTown, the monopoly style game that allows you to get points for checking in to locations and charging rent to visitors. At present I own my place of work and a subsidiary company, my girlfriends dads business, the local pub and a supermarket. I thought it best to own these as I actually visit them quite often.

The app does depend on google for business information so can be frustrating to check in to some places. I was standing outside of Tesco but no amount of refreshes would have allowed me to check in there. It does not allow you to check in when you get home either which would be a nice way of ending your MyTown day.

I have no friends that play MyTown so who I am charging rent to I have no idea, and when being told that I have had x amount of visitors to MyTown this figure is somewhat meaningless. Also, for someone that works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and takes the same route to and from work every day the opportunity to "check in" to new places is scarce. As a result I decided on one walk home to just see which businesses could be checked in to as I passed and ended up going up several levels.

For the most part it is "fun" to pass the time walking to work by using MyTown but as the week has passed it has become more about seeing what the next level of building upgrade looks like, and no other mechanic in the game that has kept me going. With no variation to the types of rewards received in game (and no real world reason to do anything) I have a feeling this app may be short-lived in my use. Especially so as it requires an internet connection on 3G or wifi.

Next time you see "gamification" Do Some Good will be under the spotlight.


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Gamification

So... Gamification?!?

Turns out life is becoming a game and we can get rewards for it!

Two apps have come to my attention, MyTown and Do Some Good. Both these apps provide users with either a game reason to check in (to own places and charge rent to others that check in - MyTown) or real world rewards for game like activity in doing good deeds.

They are now on my iPhone and further comments will follow once I see how gamification affects my life...


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Gun weight

Reviewers often talk about gun weight and other movement parameters when dealing with FPS games. Until recently I had never paid too much attention to it, however in the last few days it has become very apparent how different this can make the immersion in games.

I've played the demo for Killzone 3, and played several other FPS's (Black-Ops, Battlefield, Medal of Honor) in the past week and am greatly impressed with Guerilla studios latest output. The weighty weapons feel heavy and the pistols feel whip-able creating a great sense of reality in how the player moves about the virtual world.

I have yet to try the game with Move and a sharpshooter but that coupling may well further increase that feeling.


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