STEAM: And the future of the video game industry

DIGITAL distribution giant and gaming platform, Steam, has fast become the Google of the gaming world – reaping in an estimated US$468 million (roughly R3.1 billion) in revenues through June 2011, according to mygaming.co.za. This attests to the fact the gaming industry has become one of the fastest growing industries in history.

Using Steam has become compulsory for ardent PC gamers, who are forced to use the platform to buy, install and update several of the latest gaming titles. According to Wikipedia, as of July 2011, Steam had over 30 million active users and offered over 1 300 game titles. It is estimated that Steam has a 70% share of the digital distribution market for video games.

The Steam platform

The idea of creating a centralised online platform to distribute games and related media online was, in part, a move towards combating software piracy – specifically pirated games. To play a store bought game that is powered through steam requires one to register a Steam account. One then has to be logged into Steam to install the game, update the game, play the game and be offered a host of promotional adverts upon exiting the game.

In bandwidth-stricken countries such as South Africa, one can imagine what a schlep this can be. In my experience, if a newly released game if bought through Steam, it can take up to two days to download and install. Thereafter Steam automatically updates your newly bought game, which can take another day or two. If your bandwidth hasn’t run dry by this point, you then have to log into Steam before you can play your new game for the first time.

The benefits of Steam

One can understand the benefits that gaming platforms such as Steam offer. They have made it extremely difficult for impoverished gamers to play pirated titles; it automatically patches and updates your game collection, and it offers you downloadable content for your favourite titles. It does also offer a lot of specials and promotions, whereby one can easily transfer and convert your money into US dollars and buy games via the web for cheap. In fact, purchasing games through Steam is so simple that it can be dangerously addictive.

However, this is not to mention that the Steam servers are often running at full capacity whereby one is put on a waiting list to play. I was once informed that my newly installed and updated game would launch in approximately five days. Bearing all this in mind it’s fair to say that Steam is having a negative impact on many game consumers who don’t necessarily want to play multiplayer.

Market research

Anti-piracy aside, Steam most certainly uses its cleverly crafted platform for market research purposes. A Steam user’s page includes some brief personal information, details of any games owned, as well as the number of hours played in each game. Steam admits that it collects and reports anonymous metrics of its usage, stability, and performance and uses this information to justify implementing new features.

However, a lot of this information is collected without notifying the user or offering an opt-out. Some of these metrics are also available publicly, such as what games are being played or statistics of a player’s progress in certain games. Last year, Steam announced that they would begin collecting a list of users' installed software as well.

Steam critiques

Steam has been criticised for allowing developers and game publishers to change prices and restrict game availability depending on the locations of users. Despite the reduction in manufacturing, packaging, design and distribution costs, this can cause some games to cost more than their retail prices. Steam has also been heavily criticised by European users for pricing games much higher in Euro-zone countries.

Furthermore, according to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, “Steam's availability is not guaranteed and Valve is under no legal obligation to release an update disabling the authentication system in the event that Steam becomes permanently unavailable.” - www.gamefaqs.com

Ardent PC gamers can argue for or against the value of Steam. However, if history has taught us anything, it is always wise to be cautious of that which is powerful. However, with Steam now being in the position of power that it is, has implications for gamers worldwide. In our liberal and democratic age, I suppose the biggest concern is a lack of choice.

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OGAMES: Big Brother gets more interactive

DSTV Online has launched Africa’s biggest gaming portal, Ogames.com. Offering users over 600 games for PC and over 300 mobile games, Ogames.com has focused on social media integration and dynamic multiplayer offerings for its online community of gamers.

Key to the Ogames.com offering is multiplatform interaction, giving users the opportunity to play games with strong links to the DStv Channel offering. Ogames.com’s new Big Brother games – developed for the current season of M-Net’s Big Brother Amplified – allow users to play for points which translate into rewards for the housemates on the live TV show.

By playing Big Brother Bubble Popper, Big Brother Wordsearch or taking the Big Brother Quiz, Ogames.com users have the chance to influence aspects of the television show. They can use the points they score by playing to supply the housemates with extra snacks, drinks and surprise gifts & goodies at their Saturday night parties. Users also stand the chance to win rewards of their own. By scoring more than 500 points, they are entered into a grand prize draw for Samsung prizes at the Big Brother Amplified finale on 31 July.

Brendan McNulty, GM: Games, says that this level of gaming / television interactivity is a first for the continent and puts Ogames.com at the forefront of interactive gaming worldwide.

“Viewers and gamers in Africa have never had the chance to influence the content of a television broadcast on this level before – outside of voting for contestants. The Big Brother games allow users to compete and show off their skills and have the result broadcast across the continent for all to see on Africa’s biggest reality show,” says McNulty. “This development on Ogames.com is just the first in a series of steps which will take interactivity in the broadcast space to new heights in our market.”

Darkness Falls – The Jozi Outbreak is another new addition to Ogames. The MXit-based Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) sees users entering a shadowy world to participate in a battle that's been raging for generations in Johannesburg. Thousands of players have chosen their side, created their own characters and are honing their skills as they battle through the dark underworld of Darkness Falls.

“MMO’s like Darkness Falls are generating huge traffic volumes as thousands of players log in to challenge each other. This kind of game has changed the way users engage with multiplayer offerings and Ogames.com is excited to be leading the charge,” says McNulty.

Ogames.com is the biggest gaming portal in Africa, built specifically for the African market. The portal delivers quality, fun and challenging mobile and PC games to users. With a strong multiplayer offering, Ogames.com offers users the chance to compete against each other for high scores and collect badges to showcase their achievements. Ogames.com launches tailor-made Kenyan and Nigerian sites in July.

- Issued on behalf of Ogames.com

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EDUCATION: Introducing gaming into the classroom

EDUCATION is the very foundation of our future. No doubt there are flaws in our current education system that need to be addressed. The marking system, learner agency and voluntary tangential learning are a few of the major issues in education today.

There’s a theory that tries to define each decade according to technological progress. Loosely speaking, by the end of one decade everyone had cellphones, by the end of another everyone was on Facebook, and this decade (2010-2020) it is said that everyone will be a gamer in a broad sense. It’s not a solid theory, but I’m sure you catch my drift.

Some exciting ideas are starting to surface which involved introducing gaming into the classroom — making education more fun and engaging. Again it is no solid science, but a few schools (especially in the United States) have started implementing such ideas into their teaching techniques and have started to see positive results.

To put gaming into better perspective — the most successful games on the market today are ones that encourage gradual progress. These award the player with experience points as he or she progresses through the game. Once enough experience is gained the player levels up, which comes with particular rewards or perks.

Benefits of a rewards system in education

Working towards clear and tangible levels with clear rewards or benefits would be a huge motivational factor for learners. Assignments and tests would feel more rewarding rather than disheartening if there is something to be gained. This wouldn’t necessarily require a major change in the way papers are generally marked. Marks would merely be changed to levels and learners would work towards a total rather than down from one.

Offering class-wide achievements, such as giving the whole class a reward if one or a few learners accumulates X amount of experience, would also encourage peer support. Rather than envying the top achievers, peer pupils would encourage their progress. The top achievers, on the other hand, would understand that they couldn’t get the best possible score unless they help the other learners improve their marks.

Gamifying Education

Agency in education

A huge hurdle for teachers is dealing with learners who lack a sense of agency — who feel that their opinions and choices don’t matter. They may feel that they have no control over their choices, perhaps ones that were made for them by their parents. They lack long-term goals and motivation — something that is common in young people today.

It is known that learners with a higher sense of agency do better at school. What’s interesting is that agency is the life force of games! You are in full control over the choices you make and the future lies entirely in your hands. What’s more, games teach us that if we fail, we try again (or try something different) until we succeed.

Voluntary tangential learning and information

A third challenge for our educational system is encouraging learners to pursue information voluntarily outside of the classroom. Homework, for most, is a bore — a chore that needs to be completed before we can play proper games. There are very few external motivators that encourage self-education.

An idea is to turn a subject into a game by leaving out pieces of the puzzle and using information that you want learners to learn on their own as keys that unlock the next section of the game or subject. In searching for this information there’s also a chance of tangential learning — learners stumbling across other pieces of related information.

I recall one of the most exciting times in my own education, which was when different subjects started to interlink and connect up. And this happened way after high school. Learning and understanding the connections between information and ideas is so important in education. A cross-disciplinary approach could be created early on by creating the keys mentioned here across different subjects. This will also allow learners to shine in different subjects and encourage communication and sharing of education among them.

This may also create an understanding and an appreciation of the importance of other subjects that learners may not immediately be interested in. I sure wish I had understood this when I was in high school.

• This article was inspired by the video above hosted at www.escapistmagazine.com called Gamifying Education.

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NEWS FLASH: MWEB to host an additional 53 gaming titles locally!

MWEB is continuing to expand its online gaming offering through its existing partnership with Gameservers.com. Riding on the back of the successful launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops, MWEB is looking to expand its platform further to ensure that local Internet users have a superior gaming experience.

To support this, the Interent Service Provider will be hosting a further 53 Gameservers.com titles on its network, including the likes of the popular Counter Strike, Battlefield and Medal of Honour.

“Online gaming is a key focus for us in 2011 and we are excited by the growth that we’re seeing in this space. Our goal is to position MWEB at the forefront of online gaming in South Africa,” says Derek Hershaw, CEO of MWEB ISP.

To further support these additional titles and to ensure a flawless end-user experience, the ISP has deployed its own Steam server allowing South African gamers to get automatic updates on their favourite games. Steam has servers all over the world, which host several major gaming titles.

“The decision to deploy a Steam Server is another value added service to our customers and means that they won’t need to worry about hunting for patches and spending hours downloading updates on unsolicited websites,” explains Hershaw.

The new gaming titles and the Steam servers will be hosted in MWEB’s Cape Town and Johannesburg data centres to ensure that customers have a superior gaming experience.

Both MWEB and non-MWEB customers will see benefits from the local hosting of the games and Steam servers as they will no longer have to connect to international servers.

• For more information on MWEB’s games visit MWEB GameZone at www.mweb.co.za/gamezone

- Issued on belhalf of MWEB and Greater Than

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MIND SPORT: Should competitive gaming be considered as an internationally recognised mind sport in South Africa?

THERE was a lot of talk and debate towards the end of last year about 2011 being “the year of eSports”. The central debate in a South African context was whether or not competitive gaming should be recognised and treated as an international mind sport in our country.

Electronic sport, or mind sport, falls into the category of non-physical competition. Competitive gaming is the fastest growing mind sport, and there currently exist several leagues and tournaments word-wide whereby gamers compete at amateur, semi-professional and professional levels.

With a steady increase in the number of competitive gamers across genders and cultures, the mind sport debate revolves around the idea of classifying network gaming as an official national sport and treating and covering it in the same manner as existing sports such as rugby and cricket.

It’s a misnomer that ‘real’ sport is physical and sweaty and demands an impressive display of physical prowess. With most sports being based on warlike principles, it’s often forgotten that quick wit and strategy play an integral part in most of the sports we love. And let’s face it – not everyone is cut out for the gym or has the impressive build of Os du Randt.

Consider chess, poker, pub quizzes, crossword contests and poetry slam as competitive mind sports. These all require quick wit, intellectual talent and creativity without the need to physically tackle opponents to the floor. And if you think that gaming is mindless finger-clicking, competitive gaming demands huge amounts of quick thinking, strategy, and above all, teamwork.

The World Cyber Games

The World Cyber Games, which began in 2000, initially consisted of 174 competitors from 17 different countries with a total cash prize of $20 000. In 2006, 700 competitors from 70 different countries fought for the cash prize of $462 000 (Wikipedia. Image: erodov.com).

The good news is that African countries are gradually getting on board and gearing up to compete internationally. Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is currently driving inter-school gaming leagues and organised the first official gaming test match between South Africa and Namibia last month.

According to an interview with the president of MSSA, Colin Webster, published on ITWeb, “One of the key highlights this year is the fact that MSSA is in talks with local government to organise a national e-sports LAN event that will have the same stature as a national sporting event. Gamers from all over the world will be able to test their skills against South African gamers.”

Unfortunately, for South African gamers to compete on a global scale and participate in the major leagues held in Europe, Korea and the United States, politics need to come into play. In order to compete internationally, gaming (as well as any sport) need to meet a certain set of criteria. There are good reasons for these, but when we consider that hi-tech sports such as gaming are ever-evolving with technology, perhaps we need to consider having such criteria updated as well.

The central issue is that for any sport to qualify and be able to compete at an international level, it needs to be accessible to everyone. Every government school has a sports closet full of soccer balls and cricket bats and there are real efforts to offer the same to rural schools around the country.

However, now that we are undoubtedly living in the digital age, it is also becoming compulsory for all schools to have computers and internet access. That’s all it takes to set the stage for competitive gaming tournaments. Learners could even opt to participate in network gaming during their lunch breaks. I’d guarantee that you wouldn’t have to twist any arms to get learners interested.

Mind Sport Growth and Revenue

There is also the opportunity to make a decent living from competitive gaming. The World Cyber Games held in South Korea every year sees a huge flow of revenue from sponsorship and advertising – not to mention the marketing value that top, individual gamers gain by proving their skills. As existing tournaments have shown, large technology and PC corporations are more than willing to play their part and offer sponsorship and support.

To put the growth and interest of competitive gaming into perspective, the World Cyber Games, which began in 2000, initially consisted of 174 competitors from 17 different countries with a total cash prize of $20 000. In 2006, 700 competitors from 70 different countries fought for the cash prize of $462 000 (Wikipedia).

I sincerely hope that competitive gaming gets the attention and coverage it deserves within the realm of mind sport. As an ardent gamer, I believe that having games pushed and played to their limits by professionals will improve the quality of existing and future games as well as associated technologies.

Furthermore, it’s a chance for people to engage with the latest technology, a chance to bring together people with similar interests, to team-build, to profit off all the advertising possibilities, and to show the rest of the world that South Africa has what it takes to compete globally in the realm of quick wit and real time strategy.

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Mind sport links:
2011: The Year of eSports
Africa gears up for e-sports

GAME GUIDE: Playing Fallout New Vegas on very hard difficulty in Hardcore mode

GAMES such as Fallout New Vegas are a lot more fun and intense when they’re extra challenging. Playing in hardcore mode really adds to the survival aspect of Fallout, and, in my opinion, makes the game a lot more fun to play.

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: S.P.E.C.I.A.L: General stats and perks

If you decide to test your Fallout skills in hardcore mode you’ll want to pay special attention to your starting stats. It’s a good idea to create a character with high strength and endurance. Strength will allow you to carry more items for selling and creating explosives and endurance will provide you with more hit points and the ability to get enhancements later on.

Also remember that in hardcore mode ammo weighs you down and it becomes frustrating if you have to constantly drop items when encumbered.

You’ll also want a fairly high intelligence so that you can add more skill points when leveling up. These are the three stats I’d give preference too. Remember that you can always add extra S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points with the Intense Training perk, by collecting bobbleheads (download Fallout New Vegas bobblehead mod here) and by visiting the New Vegas medical center.

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: Skill points

It may make sense to play as staunch, melee character in hardcore mode. Fallout New Vegas has improved melee combat considerably, so this can be a lot of fun.

However, I find it wiser to keep enemies at bay by playing as a gun nut. Killing or injuring enemies before they can get close enough to cripple you may just save your ass.

In the beginning, I generally feed my skill points into Guns, Repair, Explosives, Lockpicking and Survival, and maybe a few in to Medicine and Barter. You need to be able to inflict as much damage as possible early on as well as heal yourself with stimpaks or by cooking gecko steaks at a campfire.

Note that some foodstuffs work just as well as chems by giving you boosts to strength and other skills such as agility. It is also a good idea to keep well fed and hydrated in hardcore mode before leveling up.

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: Finding a home

It is useful to find a place to rest and stash your excess goods early on in the game. Unfortunately you don’t get offered as nice a place as the little shack in Megaton back in Fallout 3, but there are other options.

I chose to settle in Novac – in a rented motel room. You pay peanuts once off and the place is yours! I store extra guns and ammo in the safe, special Nuka Colas and other drinkables in the fridge, extra armour in the cabinet and all miscellaneous goods in the footlocker (for creating items later).

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: Leveling up

When playing on very hard difficulty in hardcore mode you’ll want to level up as quickly as possible. The best way to achieve this is by completing quests early on. Accept all side quests and odd jobs that come your way and get out and explore.

A good idea is to take the Hunter perk early on which gives a 75% critical hit score against mutated animals and creatures. Once you have that, get out and pot a few geckos and mole rats, but watch out for those killer Cazadors!

I won’t get into perks as there are various strategies involved with picking these, but allocating skill points wisely is vital to surviving the Mojave Wasteland. Don’t spread your skills points too thinly. Rather fuel them into a single stat until it reaches 50. Again I would first focus on Guns, Repair, Lockpicking, Explosives and perhaps Barter and Medicine before anything else.

It sucks coming across a safe or ammunition box that you can’t open because your lock pick skill is too low. You also want to keep your weapons in mint condition so as to inflict as much damage as possible.

• Fallout New Vegas Game Guide part II: weapons, crafting items, making money, combat tips

Related post: Fallout New Vegas Bobblehead Locations

25 best Fallout New Vegas game mods

Please feel free to add any game tips or suggestions you may have!

GAME GUIDE: Playing Fallout New Vegas on very hard difficulty in Hardcore mode

Read Fallout New Vegas Game Guide part 1 here

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: weapons

There is a great arsenal of weaponry available in Fallout New Vegas. However, it isn’t wise to carry more than just a few weapons at a time. I generally prefer handguns and rifles over heavy artillery and generally keep one handgun, one shotgun, a rifle and an assault rifle or machine gun at my disposal.

It is important to learn what ammo you need for each weapon and to carry enough of it. If you have collected other ammo that doesn’t fit your guns, break these down at a reloading bench and try and create more of the ammo you need for your favourite gun. If you’ve chosen lead over energy weapons, microfusion cells are still useful for collecting and selling later.

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: Crafting items and weapons

This is one of the best aspects of Fallout New Vegas. There is a plethora of items that you can make from wasteland junk – some of which are essential for survival.

Once your medicine level reaches 40 you can start making healing items; when your explosives skill reaches 50 you can start making time bombs; and when you science and survival skills pass the 50 mark you can start creating all sorts of chems and goodies at a campfire.

Learn what ingredients you need to craft each item you think might be useful and store these until your skills are at the right levels. Stash them in a safe or footlocker or get a trusty companion to carry them for you.

Making money in Fallout New Vegas

Fallout New Vegas gives you the chance to make it big and spend it all on guns, armour, enhancements and more gambling. What’s great is that there is always something to blow your caps on, unlike Fallout 3 where you often ended up sitting on a pile of bottle caps.

The casinos are where you can strike it big playing blackjack and roulette, but there is a game that can be played fairly early on to make some extra dough. The game’s called Caravan, which does take a little getting used to but can be a lot of fun. You will need a minimum of 30 cards before you can play and you will need to seek out merchants who know how to fold em.

Fallout New Vegas Game Guide: Combat tips

Everyone will have their own combat style, but if you’re playing as a gun nut with a high explosives skill, I would recommend the following.

Keep an eye on your compass for red markers as you explore the wasteland. Once spotted, sneak up as close as you can to assess the situation and see what you’re up against. Determine which direction the enemy will come charging when spotted and place a mine or two in this spot. Take some drugs (preferably jet and psycho), crouch down and go for a critical hit.

Let’s assume that the creature is the fiercest of them all – namely a Deathclaw. Funnel the creature to where your explosives are placed and throw a grenade or stick of dynamite just before said Deathclaw steps on your explosives. Boom! You want to try and cripple the enemy before they can get close.

If still alive continue to pump the creature with lead. Use you VATS to assess which areas are in critical condition and take it out! Be warned that playing Fallout New Vegas on very hard difficulty and in hardcore mode can be really tough early on. But give it a bash by playing strategically and the the rewards and good times will follow.

• Fallout New Vegas Game Guide part 1: S.P.E.C.I.A.L: General stats and perks, skill points, leveling up and finding a home

25 best Fallout New Vegas game mods

Please feel free to add any game tips or suggestions you may have!