Pirated Corsairs
28-03-2008, 17:27
I've been wanting to discuss this for some time, but due to a non disclosure agreement, I have been unable to use the example that I wanted to. However, with the start of its public beta (http://www.whirled.com/), I thought I'd try to get some discussion going on the concept.
Essentially, the above linked game (for lack of a better word), Whirled, is based entirely on the idea that the users can upload their own content-- avatars, rooms, even games-- to the in-game market, where they can then be purchased by other players with in-game currency(called Flow). A share of every sale goes to the creator of an item. You also get Flow for playing the games people have created (the developers have some sort of standard for how much can be awarded compared to the difficulty of the game, but I'm not quite sure on how that works). They do offer a few templates and easy ways to make new avatars and such, for those who would have trouble with such things (especially the animation), but I've not tried those out too much. But really, the meta-game as designed by the developers exists as more of a world in which to socially interact and to add your own content to.
Anyway, the interesting thing is seeing what people can come up with, be it their own uploaded content, or how they use the things that others have created in creative ways. As one example, there is one avatar that has been created that is a butterfly, that can, when desired, go into "disco mode," where a rubber chicken extends from it and rotates around it. Lights flash around the avatar, and it plays the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" on a repeated loop.
I am not making this up. There is even a weekly event (that I helped pioneer before taking a several month break that I've recently ended) in which everybody gathers in a room, and a certain player gets out that avatar, and everybody gets out their "Cleavertars" (Cleaver being the in-game name used by the CEO of Three Rings design in their first game-- this avatar was made from a picture of him when he was drunk and wearing a pirate costume at a party), and use the avatar's "dance" state as the music plays.
Anyway, I've digressed a bit, as I have a tendency to do, so I'll get back to the general idea instead of a long-winded discussion on one specific example, as much as that one example amuses me.
What's also interesting is the diverse array of styles that you may see, since every user may have a different artistic style, and different preferences. Where most games have a more consistent style, both in terms of look and in gameplay, you can get a pretty diverse experience here.
It seems to work pretty well-- the game is pretty well-received by most people who try it out, even if it can be a bit confusing at first. I think this shows a genuine potential for more games to use the idea. (Sure, many single player games have this, but it is less common in online gaming-- and where it is present, it's usually only something like a symbol that you can spray paint on a wall in a FPS, or something that can be customized from a selection of choices.) To a degree, Spore will also be a good experiment in the idea, since other players' content will be added to your game as you play, but that will be a bit more removed-- you aren't actually interacting with the other players who make this content, so there seems to be less potential for collaboration and improving upon things you like.
Well, I've rambled on a bit, so I want to ask: NSG, what do you think of user generated content in online gaming? I want to leave the question intentionally broad to facilitate general discussion on it, but I am particularly interested in if you'd think the idea is, in general, a good one, if you think it'd be successful, and in the social dynamics in the community that would develop around it.
(I have a few more thoughts, but I need to organize them a bit more to avoid something as rambling as the above mess; plus, I want to see what all of you have to say.)
Essentially, the above linked game (for lack of a better word), Whirled, is based entirely on the idea that the users can upload their own content-- avatars, rooms, even games-- to the in-game market, where they can then be purchased by other players with in-game currency(called Flow). A share of every sale goes to the creator of an item. You also get Flow for playing the games people have created (the developers have some sort of standard for how much can be awarded compared to the difficulty of the game, but I'm not quite sure on how that works). They do offer a few templates and easy ways to make new avatars and such, for those who would have trouble with such things (especially the animation), but I've not tried those out too much. But really, the meta-game as designed by the developers exists as more of a world in which to socially interact and to add your own content to.
Anyway, the interesting thing is seeing what people can come up with, be it their own uploaded content, or how they use the things that others have created in creative ways. As one example, there is one avatar that has been created that is a butterfly, that can, when desired, go into "disco mode," where a rubber chicken extends from it and rotates around it. Lights flash around the avatar, and it plays the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" on a repeated loop.
I am not making this up. There is even a weekly event (that I helped pioneer before taking a several month break that I've recently ended) in which everybody gathers in a room, and a certain player gets out that avatar, and everybody gets out their "Cleavertars" (Cleaver being the in-game name used by the CEO of Three Rings design in their first game-- this avatar was made from a picture of him when he was drunk and wearing a pirate costume at a party), and use the avatar's "dance" state as the music plays.
Anyway, I've digressed a bit, as I have a tendency to do, so I'll get back to the general idea instead of a long-winded discussion on one specific example, as much as that one example amuses me.
What's also interesting is the diverse array of styles that you may see, since every user may have a different artistic style, and different preferences. Where most games have a more consistent style, both in terms of look and in gameplay, you can get a pretty diverse experience here.
It seems to work pretty well-- the game is pretty well-received by most people who try it out, even if it can be a bit confusing at first. I think this shows a genuine potential for more games to use the idea. (Sure, many single player games have this, but it is less common in online gaming-- and where it is present, it's usually only something like a symbol that you can spray paint on a wall in a FPS, or something that can be customized from a selection of choices.) To a degree, Spore will also be a good experiment in the idea, since other players' content will be added to your game as you play, but that will be a bit more removed-- you aren't actually interacting with the other players who make this content, so there seems to be less potential for collaboration and improving upon things you like.
Well, I've rambled on a bit, so I want to ask: NSG, what do you think of user generated content in online gaming? I want to leave the question intentionally broad to facilitate general discussion on it, but I am particularly interested in if you'd think the idea is, in general, a good one, if you think it'd be successful, and in the social dynamics in the community that would develop around it.
(I have a few more thoughts, but I need to organize them a bit more to avoid something as rambling as the above mess; plus, I want to see what all of you have to say.)