“Trip” Hawkins这个名字对游戏玩家来说已无需多费口舌介绍，他是Electronic Arts的创建者，并且开发了3DO游戏主机。在PC和视频游戏领域纵横三十年后，他创办的社交游戏公司Digital Chocolate使这段传奇的历史得以重现。

游戏邦了解到，该公司创办之初致力于开发手机游戏，不过目前已将目光转移到Facebook和其他社交网络平台并取得巨大的成功。1年之内，其招牌游戏《百万富翁城市》、《MMA格斗》和《NanoStar Castles》已使每月用户量超过2000万人次。在此，Hawkins解释为何他认为社交游戏和虚拟产品将是未来互动娱乐的主导力量。

Trip Hawkins

为何社交游戏的普及如此迅速？

当今社会，可供选择的娱乐方式多种多样，但是人们觉得自己越来越脱离现实社会。他们希望社交媒体能够提供新的娱乐方式，找回真实的自我。人们也开始转向简单方便的娱乐平台，如手机、网页和Facebook。

这是否意味着将来这些人会选择电脑游戏？

不，即使是现在，他们也会选择玩电脑游戏来消遣。亚洲大部分玩家选择MMO（大型多人在线）电脑游戏，最著名的便是《魔兽世界》。而在我们这里，大批玩家选择网页游戏和Facebook上的游戏。这两种趋势都是社会体验，并无差别。

你觉得这个价值数十亿美元的产业还会继续发展壮大吗？

当然会。目前，平台和游戏的价格越来越便宜，而且更易于使用。当代年轻人是玩着游戏长大的，因此整个世界慢慢就会变成充满游戏的乐园。

你能想到游戏会像今天这样发展吗？

当然，数十年来，我一直关注社交游戏和虚拟产品。我小时候就玩过《Strat-O-Matic》和《龙与地下城》，这些便是最早的虚拟产品。我此生的目标就是让更多人能够玩上游戏，但是很显然有些游戏过于复杂，只有更简单的游戏才可能开拓大众市场。我从业早期就尝试开发社交游戏和休闲游戏，如《M.U.L.E.》和《Twisted and Army Men》。但是我失败了而且广受批评，因为当时这些游戏并没有市场。虽然品牌EA Sports获得巨大的成功，但是新型社交游戏《百万富翁城市》也毫不逊色。

这些游戏与传统游戏有何不同？

这些游戏通过网络传播，方便且社交内涵丰富，同等对待新玩家和传统游戏玩家。许多在Facebook或iPhone上花大笔金钱购买虚拟商品的人此前将这些钱花在主机游戏上。可能现在他们已是成年人，没有那么多时间玩传统游戏，抑或是朋友都远在他乡，于是他们更倾向于选择智能手机和Facebook作为游戏平台。

依你所述，老式的游戏营销模式已无法使用。那么，社交游戏如何解决这个问题呢？

社交游戏避开了业界所忌讳的先期成本和高价产品带来的风险，采用的是免费游玩的营销模式。所有人都可以玩，而且只为他们喜欢的东西付款。这种类型的游戏如同服务型软件，最为重要的是游戏所包含的社会价值及其便利性。

人们时常说“PC游戏正在没落”，这些游戏为何值得他们如此留恋？

其实目前的PC游戏比以往更为活跃和突出，而且已衍生出多种平台，如平板电脑、电视屏等，还萌发将现实世界虚拟化的观点。但是，PC游戏最大的问题在于玩家必须在商店购买或下载游戏并安装，而且还需要记得将游戏保存在何处。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Trip Hawkins: There`s an App for That Game

William M. “Trip” Hawkins III — founder of Electronic Arts and father of the 3DO console — needs no introduction to serious gamers. But three decades after writing the blueprint for the PC and video game business, his latest creation — social games start-up Digital Chocolate — is rewriting the rules again.

Originally a developer of games for mobile phones, the company has shifted its focus to Facebook and other social networks to tremendous success. It’s garnered more than 20 million monthly users within a year with hits like Millionaire City, MMA Pro Fighter and NanoStar Castles. Here, Hawkins explains why he believes social gaming and virtual goods are the future of interactive entertainment.

Scott Steinberg: Why are social games exploding in popularity?

Trip Hawkins: People today are oversaturated with amusement options and feel too “checked out.” They’re seeking social media that provides new ways to “check in” with real people. They’re also shifting to platforms that are simpler and more convenient, like mobile devices, the Web and Facebook.

S.S.: Are they the future of PC gaming?

T.H.: No, they’re the present. Asia is mostly playing MMO games on PCs. The biggest Western game is World of Warcraft. Then we have huge audiences playing both Web and Facebook games. They’re all social experiences.

S.S.: How big do you see the multibillion-dollar field getting?

T.H.: Bigger — much bigger. Today’s platforms and games are cheaper and easier to use, and younger audiences are all growing up playing, so gradually the entire world is turning into an audience for games.

S.S.: Could you ever have imagined gaming going in this direction?

T.H.: Yes. For decades, I’ve cared a great deal about both social play and the concept of virtual goods. I grew up playing Strat-O-Matic sports board games and Dungeons & Dragons, which were the first forms of virtual goods. My life mission was to get more people to play, but it was clear that those titles were too complicated and that a mass market would only be reached with simpler games.

Earlier in my career, my efforts to make social or casual games often failed or were criticized because I was too far ahead of the market. Examples would include M.U.L.E., Twisted and Army Men. The EA Sports brand was a big success, however, as is new social game Millionaire City.

S.S: How do these titles differ from traditional offerings?

T.H.: Via Web distribution, convenience and social context, and by addressing both new gamers and traditional players alike. Many of the big spenders on virtual goods for Facebook or the iPhone used to spend that money on console games. But maybe they’re adults now and don’t have as much time, or their friends are located out of town, and they have a smartphone and a Facebook account in addition to a console.

S.S: You’ve said the old gaming business model was “broken.” In what way do social games fix it?

T.H.: They shift away from the prohibitive up-front costs and risks of high-priced packaged goods and go to the free-to-play model, where everyone can play and pay whatever they like. It’s software as a service. But most importantly, the new games offer social value and tremendous convenience.

S.S.: When people say, “PC gaming is dead,” what are they missing?

T.H.: The PC is more alive than ever, and its core elements are expanding into new formats, including tablets, TV screens and even through such ideas as virtualization. What are in jeopardy are PC games that you buy at a store or have to download, install and remember where you filed them. (Source: Digital Game Developer)