I read about Mr. Tweet on ShinyShiny today. It’s a personal networking assistant for Twitter. Everyone is fawning over the recommendation engine of the service. I, on the other hand, am in love with the “price of a follow” feature.

I hate to say this but some people tweet too much (30+ updates PER DAY).  I can’t unfollow them because they will likely hear about it through, Qwitter. And then I’ll have to deal with the awkward-ness that comes with it. So now I can use Mr. Tweet to help me avoid these people in the future. Or until I gather up the nerve to update my twitter list.

[ Via - ShinyShiny]

The iPhone app store is filled with applications. The selection of gaming apps alone makes me dizzy. Not because they’re all awesome but because the quality is all over the place. You’ll run into a gem of a game like Super Monkey Ball only to see 15 knockoffs of it and an app that claims it can turn your iPhone into a vibrator.

A proponent of free markets might say that the best apps will always rise to prominence. But for most people, finding the best stuff limits you to top 25 lists on the app store or relying on recommendations from friends.

With so much crap and so few quality apps you have to wonder if these cheap, low quality games are ruining the iPhone’s chances of becoming a heavy weight gaming platform. Traditional gaming consoles like the Playstation or the Xbox rely on game developers that pour millions into game development. And even with a high bar to entry I still have to wade through titles like Babyz, 8 versions of Street Fighter and other shameless knockoffs.

Of course, Apple remains cooly confident that the iPhone (and the iPod Touch) wil topple the PSP and the Nintendo DS. But with their bar to entry on the floor I don’t know if it will become the influential gaming platform I was hoping for.

Steve Demeter, app developer  of Trism, will be launching a social networking app for iphone users soon. Onyx Online mimics Xbox Live, enabling iphone gamers to be ranked on leader boards, gather achievements and chat on forums.

While the application is a shameless copy of Xbox Live  it will definitely help disconnected iphone gamers come together. It fills a need. I look forward to its release.

Via – Nerdgrind

It’s a whole new ball game folks.

Change.gov

Today I woke up much earlier than I usually do to vote in the Presidential Election. If you’re in the U.S. I think you should vote because it’s your civic duty.

And don’t forget to pick up your ‘Vote Swag’!

Free Coffee from StarBucks

Free Donuts from Krispy Kreme

Free Ice Cream from Ben and Jerry’s

It looks like Barack Obama understands the power of in-game ads. So much so that he’s launched a couple on Xbox Live.  His campaign placed an ad in the online racing game, Burnout Paradise. In it he urges players of the open-ended racing game to vote early.

This is brilliant because it’s completely unexpected and gaming has the potential to reach multiple targets. I’d love to know if this was part of a media buy package (in which you get a mix of marketing channels to advertise on) or if Obama woke up one morning and felt compelled to place an ad on Burnout.

Warner Beat Obama to Gaming

Obama isn’t the first politician to campaign in games. Mark Warner broke the mold when he attended a Press Conference in Second Life back in 2006.  One could argue that he pushed the envelope further than Obama did. Warner made a personal appearance via avatar and took questions from the audience on issues ranging from the War in Iraq to abortion rights.

Conclusion

Obama’s campaign continues to impress me. They’ve pursued marketing channels that most people overlook. And since they are literally rolling in cash they can afford to pursue voters anywhere.

According to a study commissioned by Ofcom, TV ad revenue could dry up by the year 2020. The growth of the internet is cited as a major cause.

The study found that the value of conventional TV ads could fall from £3.16bn in 2007 to just £520m in 12 years’ time – a drop of 83 per cent – if some of the most dramatic predictions about the growth of the internet become a reality. [Via - Guardian | The Observer]

This is a big deal.

If TV ads lose their value that quickly I doubt the advertising and marketing industry would be able to keep up with it. According to data compiled and analyzed by Google:

Americans spend an average of 14 hours a week online and 14 hours watching TV. But marketers spend 22% of of their advertising dollars on TV and only 6% online. [Via - Wharton Alumni Magazine]

This data coupled with the findings of Ofcom’s study could mean that we’re facing the death of the TV Ad. And it would be more of a crash given the time line the study cited.

What This Means for Game Marketing

Game companies are closely tied to their audiences via forums, blogs and game’s press websites. These companies know how the internet affects the way their brands are perceived. So the transition to alternative forms of advertising will be smooth. Industries that aren’t well tuned to online marketing may not fare so well. Their transition will be rough as they try to figure out the online space, what it means for their brands and how to stand out as more companies join the conversation.

Another Indication that We’ll See More Ads In-Game

Game companies are already spending a lot of resources on online ad buys. The money left over from television’s demise could be moved to support the development of contextual in-game ads.

What This Means for Everyone Else

Learn the ‘ins and outs’ of online marketing before its too late. The internet is already cluttered with companies telling stories about their products. Get in now and build an online presence that can be felt by your consumers before the space becomes too crowded. If you wait too long it’ll be harder to break through the noise after TV ads die.

Zack Snyder, Director of 300 and the Watchmen will be developing three games for Electronic Arts. Under the deal EA will own the intellecutual properties. So hopes of a game for The Watchmen appears bleak at the moment. This could still be a good move though. Steven Spielberg directed Boom Blox. I brought the game last week. It’s an action packed puzzle game that builds on the Jenga gaming experience.  It’s original, fun and addicting.

Many game designers suffer from tunnel vision with a case of ‘me too’ syndrome. They’re either trying to make a sequel of GTA, Tekken or Soul Calibur. Or they’re trying to make a game that’s better than (but still a pathetic copy of) the GTAs, Tekkens and Soul Caliburs. We need fresh minds with novel ideas. Bringing in more major players from sister industries like film might lead to higher quality games.

[Via - GamesIndustry.Biz]

I found this awesome piece on Deviantart. It looks like I’ve found a kindred spirit in SpaceCoyote. She’s a woman with a thing for the “Beat em’ Up”  genre.

Terry of Fatal Fury/KOF lends a hand to Ryu of Street Fighter.

The TechCrunch 50 conference launched early this week to give start-ups a chance to share their creations with the world. One of the companies launching tomorrow is Akoha, a social game allowing real people to engage in meaningful interactions. I have no idea what that means, I just got that line from their website.

No one really knows what the company is all about. But today I’ve taken a step towards solving the puzzle. I signed up for a Mystery Starter Kit Invite to make sure that I’m one of the first people in the world to play the game. Akoha only made 500 Starter Kits available so if you’re interested sign up here!

And don’t worry about shipping and handling or being in Australia. They’ll ship the Mystery Kit anywhere in the world…for free!

(Via – Techcrunch)