A Better World has set a larger community goal called “Reach for the Stars,” where they hope to inspire the in-game community to do one million good deeds by January 31, 2012. After one million good deeds have been reported, the game’s creators, ToonUps, will donate $10,000 to CURE.org, which will fund operations for ten children in need. These operations will allow the children to walk — some for the first time. You can see the boys and girls that the gift will help here.

“Our new ‘Reach for the Stars’ activities have been designed to promote a sense of goodwill and camaraderie among players. At least once a quarter, we will offer an opportunity for community members to work together to achieve something positive in the real world through activities within the game,” MarySue Hansell, COO of ToonUps, creator of A Better World, explains. “Our members have told us they love the idea of doing good for others, of being a part of an online community that is uplifting and values driven.”

“We are thrilled to bring the positive emotional involvement that players love about A Better World to the real world to benefit children who have little hope of receiving the medical care they need,” Joel Worrall, Vice President, CURE.org, said.

The game offers tons of opportunities to contribute to the “Reach for the Stars” goal, starting from the very beginning in areas like the Department of Do Good.

ToonUps, who created the game, is apparently very serious about their ultimate goal of creating games that promote altruism and optimism.

Dungeon Overlord, a new free-to-play strategy MMO set in a fantasy world, has launched as of this week, according to a representative from Night Owl Games.

In it, you play as an evil…well, overlord. That much is evident from the title, yeah? You’ll be working to conquer the world, starting from modest dungeon digs and working all the way up to the most prestigious lands in the kingdom. Of course, you’ll have to take some land away from other people to keep that going, so there’s where the MMO part comes in. You can both collaborate and with and against others by raiding lands and collecting resources.

“Our goal was to create an online multiplayer strategy game that kept all of the classic elements of the Dungeon Keeper franchise, but applied lessons learned from our team members’ work on MMOs like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies,” says Chris Mayer, CEO, Night Owl Games. “By taking advantage of the multiplayer potential of the franchise — allowing cooperative play, PvP combat for conquering your neighbors, a player-driven resource marketplace, etc… — we have modernized a classic.”

The game is currently open to anyone with a Facebook account. For more, check out their website.

One day, during a round of going between almost every Zynga game in existence, I realized that my toddler son (then about two and a half) kept tugging on my arms and climbing on my lap. At first, I was annoyed by the constant badgering, but then it occurred to me that he was bored, asking for my attention, and I was ignoring him for a fake farm.

Not my proudest Mom Moment.

I came close to just not playing any Facebook games at all because it was obviously causing issues in my relationship with my child. Not huge issues, I realize, but since I already worked 40 hours and went to school, my time at home was precious, and this was not how I really wanted to spend it.

Then I thought, “Wait. He likes watching me play, and he asks a ton of questions. He recognizes all the animals. He’s learning about money in a way. Maybe I can find games he will really enjoy, and we can play them together.” That is what the below games are about — toddler-safe games that my son had a great time watching me play (and even helping me play by telling me what to do!) and that I thought were fun as well. YMMV, of course.

1. Lucky Train (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Train/123005897752167)

This game is similar in nature and function to your typical sim game except that the entire premise is your town is built around a train station. You build structures to get passengers which earn you money, and you use your neighbors to make connections for sending trains out. There is an easily collectible currency that allows you to buy most everything, and there is the obligatory special currency that you can buy with real money. My son loves trains, so he really enjoys this one.

2. Happy Aquarium (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Aquarium/181543998551269)

There are a few different aquarium games available on Facebook, but I chose this one over the other that I have played (Zynga’s Fishville) because the fish DO NOT DIE. They just disappear. One thing I did not want to explain to my toddler was the fish skeletons that you had to clean out of your tank in Fishville if you forgot to feed your fish in time. In Happy Aquarium, your tank gets dirty, you have to feed your fish, and there are lots of crazy extra animals and decorations that are really entertaining. But you never have to deal with fish skeletons. Yick.

My tank has been replaced by my husband’s tank because he has had WAY too much time on his hands. It is a showcase of crazy with dancers, SCUBA divers, sharks, turtles, and everything else. Again, an easy currency and one you can collect slowly or buy outright.

3. SuperPoke! Pets (http://www.facebook.com/sppets)

You pick out a baby animal. They are all really cute and range from cats and dogs to sheep and pandas. You can pick various backgrounds and decorate the scenes to your heart’s content. You can also plant a garden and grow plants that bloom into more stuff for your rooms. Caring for your pet involves feeding it, tickling it, keeping it clean, and playing with it. One of the best parts is that you can go through your friends’ pets and have your pet play with them which comes with some cute little visuals of pets on swings, slides, trampolines, etc. My son outgrew this one a little quickly, but it’s still on my list as being toddler-safe and adorable.

Please note: This game now links to an external website, but I still consider it primarily a FB games since it does link back and uses your Friends List.

4. Farmville (http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/index.php)

Maybe this selection is just me trying to justify my time spent on the game, but I really enjoyed playing it with my son. He loves animals, so he was always telling me which ones to collect from. (“Do the cows, Mommy!”) He loved the animal noises and the various decorations, and he was always telling me where things should go. I used it as an opportunity to educate him on various animals and their sounds as well as all the fruits, vegetables and flowers you could grow. I do not play it much anymore since he seems to have outgrown it, but we had a lot of fun with it when it was still holding his interest.

5. Dog Show Friends (http://apps.facebook.com/dogshowfriends)

Another cute pet game, but this one is sponsored by the National Dog Show, which is where I heard about it. You pick out a puppy, and then you feed it, teach it tricks, and let it sleep. They are freaking adorable, and my son got to help name the second one, and he loved telling me what tricks to teach it. I wish the dogs were more like the ones in the Nintendo game where we could actually see them do the tricks, but honestly, my son did not care. He just wanted me to feed them and see the outside of their doghouses. You can decorate the houses and dig up prizes on a daily basis, and again, special currency and normal currency is available.

My son also loved watching me play just about any game that had a nice interface with bright colors and items he could easily identify or relate to. He’s almost five now, so I will soon be looking for more educational games, but I like being able to spend time with him and share something I like doing. As long as he is having fun with me, I think it’s a good time.

“Zynga has had an undeniable impact on the gaming landscape,” said Dennis Fong, CEO of Raptr. “However, little is known about the behavior of Zynga’s players. By looking at the actual gameplay habits of real users, we’re able to get a deeper understanding of how Zynga has been able to dominate the social gaming space and command one of the highest projected IPO valuations this decade.”

As we’ve suspected for a while, core gamers and social gamers play a little differently. For instance, -Ville players log into their games for multiple quick sessions per day (averaging eight), while core gamers (your CoD and Warcraft lovers) have longer sessions less often. However, players of both games rack up equal play time. Zynga games also have a high conversion rate — over 90% of users of older games will try one of their newer ones. Zynga’s social games are also gaining traction with the console crowd, with a third of Xbox 360 players having played one of them over the past year.

The two percent of Zynga users who play the game most often tend to play over two hours a day. That’s a lot of farming, city-ing, yo-ing and…well, whatever else you do in those games.

Here’s the full report:
Zynga Report

For more, check out Raptr’s blog.

One of the most interesting things for me this year at Casual Connect was going to some of the discussions. Because Casual Connect is more for people in the industry, or people trying to work their way into the industry, I got a peek behind the curtain at what goes in to making casual and social games, some of the psychology, some of the business. This particular talk was given by Greg Mills from Digital Chocolate – makers of one of my favorite social games, “Zombie Lane.”

Now, if you have ever played a social game – particularly on Facebook – you have noticed that they are largely free to play. However, when push comes to shove, it’s difficult to get very far very fast when you play with no paid content. There is a multitude of ways to spend Facebook credits within many games that help move things along and level up more frequently, whether it’s buying basic units of energy in energy based games, or in game currency, or purchasing customizations or upgraded weapons to use less energy to start with. For those of us with competitive friends, these items are very tempting indeed.

Of course, those of us who do enjoy playing for free, the “freeloaders” as you will, do generate some cost to the system. So, basically this talk was to describe ways to monetize us without “cannibalizing” the “whales” – people who do pay to play. Of course, this is a sticky situation from a developer standpoint, but what about from a consumer standpoint? Chances are the 90% or so of us who don’t pay for content never will, or maybe we will buy one or two virtual goods here and there. So, how will our gaming experience change – or how does it differ from those few who do pay?

One of the points made clear by Greg Mills is that virtual goods and advertizing are both equally important. We will continue to see a push for us to start or continue to buy an energy pack here and there or a shiny new weapon. And those banner ads on the page that don’t interfere with the game aren’t going anywhere any time soon. However, he did bring up a few new ways some companies may bring in some advertising dollars.

One way is a preroll ad. We may start seeing advertisements while the game is loading, whether it be a static ad or a short video. These already exist in places like broadcasting network websites in order for us to be able to watch a clip or full episode of a show, we watch an ad beforehand – supposedly while the clip is loading. For me, this is not really disruptive for the playing experience. It seems to be a system in which the developers can easily put in for freeloaders and not for whales. For this option, it seems to simply be a matter of who will start putting them in first – a when, not if, scenario. I don’t expect it to take too long.

The other way he talked about, which is a little more intriguing to me, is more incentivized ads. Incentivized ads provide some sort of reward for clicking through to a website or watching an ad. Though these are potentially more disruptive, they are a greater win for all parties concerned. Players first and foremost get a choice whether or not to watch the ad or click through, but they also get a reward for choosing to, usually a good they would normally have to spend a small bit of money for, such as the ability to gift land mines to friends, or 5 extra energy. From the developer standpoint, these ads tend to pay out at a higher rate, since people are actively paying exclusive attention to the ads, which is a greater win companies advertising. These ads do exist already in some games. I, for one, think this is a good compromise for playing for free. A little bit of time and brain clutter for an increased ability to be competitive sounds like a pretty good bargain to me.

What do you think? How intrusive do you think advertising is on the gaming experience, and is it a fair trade to sit through ads in order to not pay for playing? Do you pay money to play these types of games in order to avoid advertising or in order to be able to play more?

Impressions

In the beginning of the day, Things were a little overwhelming. Attendance was definitely up at Casual Connect this year.
But, while pushing through the clusters of people, an overwhelming sense of familiarity took over. It kind of felt like coming home. Though this year, I took a little different strategy to my single day of attendance. I wanted to listen to some panels and see where things sat in the industry instead of trying to meet with a bunch of people singularly. I think this worked out well, and I am anxious to share what I heard, including some of the psychology behind game development, the subtle ways they keep free social games free, and the quality and quantity of social behavior in so called social games.

I did meet with a couple of people singularly and am happy with what I learned. Whereas in previous years, it seemed like there was a big separation and traditional casual games were starting to have to compete with flash games, social games, and mobile games. Now it looks like they are starting to become a cohesive unit and work together interchangeably across multiple platforms. I also saw some exciting new developments in new ways to play with new technologies that work with smart TV’s.

I will say that it did seem like there was a lot of focus placed on monetization and different ways to take payments, etc. There were more and more booths and companies dedicated to this side of the business, which has some importance in a conference of this type, geared toward more industry professionals and prospective industry professionals. But from a consumer perspective, it’s not something I want to see such a big presence from.

All in all, there were some good things going on, good energy, interesting people, organization, cooperation, and innovation happening this year at Casual Connect. Stay tuned for more details and specifics. I can’t wait to hear some feedback as to what some of the panelists said and the direction of the industry as a whole.

The Sims Social will launch this summer on Facebook in five languages. You’ll get to create a brand-new Sim, build it a home and then play with your real-life friends.

EA Play announced that this title would have a companion mobile app available so that you don’t have to constantly nurse Facebook — you’ll be able to fulfill your Sim’s wants and needs on the go.

In the game, you’ll be able to engage with every aspect of your character’s social life, including moments like the all-important first kiss. And, of course, this is Facebook, so you’ll be helping your friends with tasks. You might (cough) even make some Woohoo with them. Yeah. That could get awkward. But your Sim can take on your personality.

“Just like you and me, The Sims is now on Facebook,” said Jeff Karp, Executive Vice President of EA Play. “EA invented people simulation games with The Sims. Over the last decade, The Sims has sold in excess of 140 million units and spawned an active fan community that has grown into the millions. These fans are all enthusiastic, passionate individuals living out their dreams, adventures and fantasies, and expressing their creativity. As The Sims moves to Facebook, their personalities shine through more than ever. The game is alive, brimming with the humor, romance, mischief and creativity that only The Sims can provide.”

To learn more before the game’s launch, you can check out the game’s Facebook page, naturally.

My favorite way to spend a Friday night has found a new home. It looks like 1 vs 100 may never come back to the Xbox 360, but you can find it on Facebook.

Endemol and iWin are bringing Deal or No Deal and 1 vs 100 to Facebook. Both games are set for a launch later this spring. For Deal or No Deal, players will try to beat the Banker and get to the best briefcase.

But what I can’t wait for is 1 vs 100. Match wits against your friends and their friends in a virtual mob to see who is the smartest. This time if you need help, you can ask your Facebook friends to help with winnings you have lost.

“We’ve enjoyed tremendous growth over the past year with our games on Facebook, and we are excited to team up with Endemol to launch two more internationally recognized TV game show brands on the platform with Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100,” said Peter Negulescu, President of iWin, Inc. “This further strengthens our portfolio of branded social games on Facebook and demonstrates our deep expertise in creating game experiences that can bring together millions of players of all ages on a daily basis.”

PopCap Games today announced the launching of a new creative outlet for their developers and designers. It’s a smaller games company which takes its name from the intersection where PopCap HQ stands, 4th & Battery.

“4th & Battery is a pressure valve intended to keep our heads from exploding,” explained Ed Allard, Executive Vice President of Studios at PopCap. “The PopCap brand has become closely associated with ultra-high quality, polish and attention to detail — which is a great thing. But our standard game development process is therefore long and involved, and doesn’t really accommodate all of the creativity pumping through our collective veins. 4th & Battery gives us a way to quickly try really strange or marginal ideas, and to give our designers a safe area to hone their chops.”

Not to mention giving the fans a fun, fresh way to appreciate the talent and potential talent stewing in the PopCap pressure cooker up there. I, for one, am kind of excited to see what they come up with – what we wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to experience. The products of 4th & Battery are expected to be smaller scale, arcade-style games aimed at mature audiences (YAY!), but not confined to the PC (freedom to create anywhere!). They are expecting to also release Facebook, and iPhone games and adaptations as well.

“4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It’s kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films,” explained Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at PopCap. “Expect weirdness.”
This seems apparent in the details of their first release, Unpleasant Horse in which players embody a “strikingly unpleasant horse” (surprise!) that sports wings (doesn’t that make it a pegasus?) and rack up points by flying through the air, destroying small birds and stomping poor pleasant horses into the ground. Available later this month for the iPhone and iPod touch through the Apple App Store, Unpleasant Horse will be available for free. Check it out – and read the FUQ, lol.

I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family. I have tried a few Facebook games based on that message you receive from friends that they are playing. You know the ones that send you a request for a call of action to help them finish their garden. Or help supply them with something. If they are playing, (sometimes alot!) then it must be fun right?

I’m a gamer with very little time to game. I have always felt that Facebook games would offer a quick way to game “on the go” but none of them ever resonated with me. I don’t garden in real life. Why would I take care of a virtual one?

When it comes to Facebook games, I refuse to pay money for virtual items, or things that help me progress in the game. Most of that is that I’m not emotionally invested enough to use money for something that isn’t tangible.

Of course that all changed when I noticed EA launched Monopoly Millionaires for Facebook. To preface, I’m a sucker for all things Monopoly. Although I don’t own the Hello Kitty Monopoly board…yet.

Monopoly Millionaires starts with the similar premise that Monopoly is known for, but I LOVE how EA made this game work on Facebook. You don’t play with other Facebook users, but instead play on their boards. When you land on a street, instead of forking over rent, you get to pick a card to represent the color you landed on. The cards give you points, so you can purchase items to decorate your board.

Monopoly Millionaires is familiar but has some interesting changes. I like being able to visit my friends’ boards and play on them. You can purchase decorations or money to offer things on your board. While I have found a Facebook game I enjoy playing, don’t think things have changed that much. I still won’t pay to play. But I am more willing to give Facebook games a shot.