Social Reaching {Editorial}
Posted Saturday, October 25th, 2008 6:34 am by Max
Ever so often, there is a good idea that sets a regular MMO apart from the tons and tons of other crap RPGs on the web, but it is usually just a gimmick and doesn’t give you enough reason to continue into the game. However, Twin Skies already has a few of these killer apps, from Mini-Games, site to game interaction, and of course the awesome community they are already creating and a part of. Top it off with a great sense of humor and Twin Skies is obviously going to be a game above most.
Recently, they have announced interaction with Facebook, presumably in the form of a game. This is just mind boggling, as new first-party company has ever made an application for their game on a social networking site (read: Facebook and/or MySpace). But with now predecessors to follow the lead, the guys at Meteor Games are journeying into harsh territory, but what will it lead to?
First let’s look at what the application will actually be. It has been announced that it is a rather large game, albeit a mini-game probably, that show cases a lot of characters. So it might be safe to assume that this will be more lore-centric than the regular games on the website. But, it is on Facebook, so you might be able to play with friends, which would give the first multiplayer game released. That’s exciting, since one of the Ms in MMO is indeed Multiplayer!
Now that we have finished the facts of the game, some of which are just speculation, let’s look at the community it is building. The platform of Facebook was an excellent choice, because it is much more personal than other social networks, like MySpace. You actually are connected to your friends, and you can see what they are doing and vice versa. The vice versa is the interesting part, since they might show interest in the game about Twin Skies you’re playing. Turns out, this could be more of an advertisement juggernaut than a game.
But therein lies the problem. If they focus too much on advertising, i.e. putting it out to your friends that there is a game you’re playing and they need to check it out, it might take away from the gameplay. What if you feel more like a walking billboard than a fantasy player? And would you even play with your friends, or would that feature be taken out over advertising?
I know I’m making Meteor Games sound dirty, but I’ve seen my share of MMOs and most of their tactics are predictable, sugar-coated, but predictable. I guess we just need to trust Adam and Donna and the rest of their team on this, they haven’t disappointed yet, have they? Plus, this is very different from other games, so whatever they do would have me interested. In short, I’m more excited than worried for this application, and can’t wait!
