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东亚日报:游戏开发商正在把目光转向社交网络市场

发布时间:2010-08-26 14:23:33 Tags:,,

Facebook、Naver、暴雪娱乐、Nexon有何共同点?他们彼此竞争,希望人们在“自己的平台”逗留的时间能更长些。以前,只有计算机才能占据个人时间。但是,随着Mobile、网络TV相继问世,我们可以24小时随时随地、利用各种仪器,消磨时间。

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在这一方面,做得最为出色是Facebook。Facebook打造了一个巨大的网络社会,无论何时何地都可以交友、获取最新信息、购物、玩游戏。由此,社会游戏这种新领域,应运而生。这就是以人脉为资产的社会性网络服务(SNS)备受瞩目的原因。

因此,拥有数千万游戏者的游戏公司也是致力于SNS事业。这是随时随地都将SNS与自己公司的游戏进行连接,以增加新消费者的战略。

庆熙网络大学NGO专业教授闵庚培说:“游戏公司等多家公司正在考虑是要找像Facebook那样人群聚居的地方呢?还是要建立一个属于自己的Facebook来聚集人群呢?”

游戏成为疏通工具

今年4月,Nexon推出了“Nexon Star”,人们可以自由的装饰自己的星星。而且,若要装饰星星必须与其他人进行交流,属社会游戏的一种。这款游戏针对的是乐忠于Nexon游戏的人们。 Nexon解释道,“我们的宗旨是首先确保Nexon门户会员,并逐渐聚集那些不玩游戏的人们。”

12年后,以崭新的面孔回归的“星际争霸2”,其最大的转变之一便是“强化了疏通”。爱玩星际争霸或魔兽世界(Wow)等暴雪娱乐游戏的人们,可以通过“战网”进行对话。暴雪娱乐北亚本部代表韩政原说:“我一直给在日本的朋友发E-mail,可怎么也联系不上。最后,通过‘Wow’账户发了短信,就联系上了。”“社会游戏的功能已经被强化了,游戏竟也成了疏通的工具。”暴雪娱乐计划于今年内与Facebook联合行动。

NCSOFT运营可以使游戏世界的人物随时随地交流感情的“Avatarbook”服务。这是虚拟世界的SNS。今年年初,社长金泽振发出指示“要扩大社会性网络基础”。从今年5月起,可以边玩游戏边用Tweeter和朋友聊天。也就是说,可以用智慧手机聊天。

24小时紧抓“网络种子”

干事业需要“种子”(本钱),搞SNS则需要“网络种子(network seed)”。Facebook的网络种子则是哈佛大学的学生。

游戏公司已拥有大量会员。Nexon的游戏使用者达2000万。CJ网络的Netmarble的会员数也达3000万。加上,近来进行合作的2700万SK通信会员。其规模相当大。游戏公司的战略是以此为基础,吸引新的消费者接触游戏,并使消费者能够随时随地享受游戏的乐趣。CJ网络次长许承穆说:“以前,酒是扩大人脉的基础。然而,对繁忙的现代人而言,能够随时随地与朋友一同进行娱乐的游戏才是扩大人脉的基础。”

亚洲大学信息通信部教授卞光浚说:“一般玩社会游戏人都认为自己是利用SNS进行疏通,并非玩游戏。”

What do Facebook, Naver, Blizzard Entertainment and Nexon have in common? They all seek to make their customers spend as much time as possible on their platforms.

In the past, companies had customers use their services on computers but companies now attract users around the clock by utilizing mobile phones and Internet TV.

Facebook is leading the way. The U.S.-based social networking site has created a big venue for people to meet friends, gain information, shop and play games. Users can connect with each other anytime and anywhere.

The company’s massive user base has allowed it to carve out new businesses such as social games. This is why social networking services, whose assets are human networks, have given ideas to other companies.

A case in point is game producers. They want to provide social networking services by banking on the estimated tens of millions of gamers worldwide. Through such services, they can allow gamers to connect through games and expand their customer base.

Min Gyeong-bae, chairman of the NGO studies department at Kyung Hee Cyber University, said, “Many companies including game producers are agonizing over whether to go places where people have already gathered such as Facebook or to assemble people by themselves by becoming social networking service providers.”

Games for communication

Nexon in April joined hands with likeminded people to create “Nexonbyul (Nexonstar),” an online social networking game. If a user wants to elegantly decorate his or her star, he or she must connect with others.

The new service is for Nexon gamers. The company said, “The service will link users of a Nexon portal site to each another and be expanded to non-gamers gradually.”

The new “Starcraft 2,” which made a comeback after a 12-year hiatus, has a strengthened communication function. Those who play Starcraft and “World of Warcraft (Wow)” by Blizzard Entertainment can communicate with one another through the company’s Web site battle.net.

Han Jung-won, in charge of Blizzard’s Northeast Asia operations, said, “I couldn’t contact one of my Japanese friends through e-mail but I could keep in touch with him by sending messages via a Wow account,” adding, “We enhanced a social function to turn games into a means of communication.”

Blizzard will link its services to Facebook this year.

NCsoft is running “Avatarbook” to allow game characters from across the world to communicate with one another. This virtual social networking service was created at the request of NCsoft President Kim Taek-jin, who urged his staff early this year to expand the basis of social networking.

In May, NCsoft gamers began communicating with their friends via Twitter while playing games. This allowed gamers to connect with one another through smartphones.

Attracting customers with network seeds

Seed money is required for business and “network seeds” are necessary for social networking services. The network seeds for Facebook were students at Harvard University.

Game companies have a huge user base to draw from. Some 20 million people play Nexon’s games. Members of Net Marble of CJ Internet number more than 30 million. If the 27 million members of SK Communications, a company with whom CJ has recently joined forces, are added, the combined number will soar.

Based on the large number of members, game producers seek to enable new consumers to access and play games anytime and anywhere.

Seo Seung-myo of CJ Internet said, “Alcohol was the basis for building human networks in the past. But in this fast-paced society, people will promote personal connections through games.”

Byeon Kwang-june, an information and communications professor at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said, “Those who play social games think they`re using social networking services to communicate with others instead of playing games.”(source:donga)


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