Slides/Audio (47 MB)
Last year it was "iPhone", the year before it was "Xbox Live Arcade" – this year, some forward thinking developers and publishers are talking about "Community" and/or "Social Games". Companies like GameForge and Zynga have emerged as powerhouses in the arena from virtual obscurity last year, touting tens of millions of users – and long-time acolytes, like Jagex, say "See! We told you so..."
All this activity generates more questions than answers: All of a sudden Myspace and Facebook are a place for games? What are "Social Games"? What is "Community"? Is "Social" site features, a platform choice, a game design meme, or all of the above? Successful players in this field present on a panel to discuss their practical perspective on what "Social Games" and "Community" are and where they are heading in 2009.
This session will follow David Nixon's very popular mass involvement format. Come to participate in the fun!
Delivered at Casual Connect Europe, February 2009
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David NIXON (email)
Since 1999 David Nixon (davidn@Oberon-Media.com) has dedicated himself to pioneering new ways for our "casual" games to reach new audiences. In 1999, with RealArcade, he was one of the first to see the potential of "try before you buy". In 2000 he was one of the first to attempt "2nd Party" publishing. In 2001 he was looking to Eastern Europe as a source of commercially viable PC games, inspiring game developers around the world to participate in the amazing opportunities this category offered. In 2004 he helped catapult Oberon Media onto the casual games world stage. 2005 found David evangelizing "console casual" games with his central role in the launch of Xbox Live Arcade. Now, in 2008 he works to revitalize the role of "web games" in the casual games sector, expanding the role of online communities in the future of our industry. He currently works as Executive Producer at Oberon Media.
