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Blizzard, BioWare, Valve, more chat about connected gaming

GDC 2010: Rob Pardo, Ray Muzyka, Jason Holtman join Zynga's Brian Reynolds and Nexon's Min Kim to advocate the importance of community in game design.

Who was there: "The Connected Future of Games" panel at the 2010 Game Developers Conference featured some of the biggest names in the online business. On hand to deliver their thoughts on the impact of the connected experience in games were Blizzard senior vice president of game design Rob Pardo; BioWare role-playing game/massively multiplayer online group and senior vice president of EA Ray Muzyka; Zynga chief game designer Brian Reynolds; Valve director of business development Jason Holtman; and Nexon vice president of marketing Min Kim.

Rob Pardo

Rob Pardo

What they talked about: The moderator began the session by asking members of the illustrious panel to name the one thing that designers should have in mind when beginning the process of making a connected game. According to Pardo, designers need to have a clear idea of the game's audience and how the community will interact with that connectivity. Muzyka noted that it's important to approach these projects with the mindset of games as an ongoing service; one that doesn't end when a game ships.

For Reynolds, who is notable for creating such hits as Rise of Nations at Big Huge Games--and who now oversees development on the award-winning Facebook game Farmville--designers should focus on the social mechanics of the game as much or even more so than gameplay mechanics. In a similar vein, Valve's Holtman noted that designers need to think as much about designing gameplay mechanics as how the community will experience these devices.

Ray Muzkya

Ray Muzkya

The moderator then brought up Valve's recent announcement of Steam Play, where gamers who purchase one of the company's products can use it on a PC or Mac. Holtman said that arbitrary barriers such as PC and Mac simply aren't important anymore and that gamers want to be fans of the product, not of the platform. The moderator then asked whether this would extend to the Xbox 360 as well, to which Holtman replied, "You'll have to ask Microsoft."

Reynolds then fielded a question about people's inability to shelter certain sides of their behavior from their friends on Facebook, such as constant status updates from games on that service. The Farmville lead said that Facebook is largely at fault here, and that it is important to be able to limit the information to those who are interested in it.

The next question was for Pardo and dealt with whether all game companies should invest in a connected service like Battle.net. The game executive said that it's a good idea, but the amount of work required is substantial. Ultimately, having their own dedicated service is far better than a generic platform like Xbox Live because companies can more closely tailor the experience to their individual games.

Brian Reynolds

Brian Reynolds

To this point, Holtman said that Valve could not have done the kind of teaser campaign it executed with the recently announced Portal 2 on Xbox Live, due to the lengthy certification process. He advocated the PC in this regard, noting that it is an open platform that simply updates on the fly.

Nexon's Kim then fielded a question about polishing an online game in the public eye by way of a beta. Kim noted that it is a necessary evil to have players see an unfinished product through a beta because the company can only really know whether it has been successful with its design when players actually respond to it. Responding to a follow-up question, Kim also noted that it's pretty much impossible to call an online game complete, considering Nexon continually updates some of its games over the course of their life spans, a point the panel concurred with.

Jason Holtman

Jason Holtman

The discussion then shifted toward how the designers approach old content, especially in light of new players. Reynolds noted that it's an ongoing struggle between baking up new features for veteran players while maintaining a low level of entry for newcomers. Pardo concurred, noting that the impetus behind World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion Cataclysm was to revisit the new-player experience. With WOW now in its fifth year, the team has gotten much better at creating content, and it is clear that some of the old-world stuff isn't as good as it could be.

Because Nexon is a Korean gaming company, the moderator then asked Kim what lessons his home nation can offer to North America. Kim noted that the gaming environment is completely different in Korea, due to the immense popularity of Internet cafes. These are successful in Asia because the gaming community is gathered together in one room, interacting with one another as they play. This type of experience isn't at all like the Western one, where online gaming is largely a solitary experience in people's homes.

Min Kim

Min Kim

Closing out the panel, Pardo addressed the idea of matchmaking in games, saying it's incredibly tricky to do. Namely, he said that it is difficult to really appraise someone's skill, but it is important to shelter new players from more experienced ones. One other problem that Blizzard is butting up against is that if a matchmaking system works really well, where players are of the same skill level, it leads to very intense play experiences. The thing is, players often can't play more than a couple of intense matches in a row before becoming frazzled and burnt out, so they are wondering if that kind of matchmaking is really what they even want.

Takeaway: The connected gaming experience, shockingly enough, is impacted largely by the community surrounding the game. With more and more games packing in online functionality, not to mention the rise of social gaming on platforms like Facebook, it is increasingly important for developers to cater to the community surrounding their products.

26 Comments

  • SithLordVenom

    Posted Apr 24, 2010 6:31 am GMT

    Off topic, but quarentine was the sh**!!!!

  • edzellll

    Posted Mar 14, 2010 6:01 am GMT

    I have owned every console from NES, the sega master system, the genesis, (joe montana football baby!) the sega CD NES 64 man I have owned them ALL. Don't get me wrong I love my PC as I said VERY versatile! But the console are getting so very good. GTA 1, man the memories. There was a GREAT game out for the PC called Quarentine, you drove around in a taxi I wish they would revisit that game

  • Dorgoth12

    Posted Mar 14, 2010 4:39 am GMT

    i own a PC and a 360, but i much prefer my PC to my 360. It is just unfortunate that many game companies do not use the PC to its full in gaming. that is the only reason i play on my 360 because the PC is frankly a much more superior machine.

  • webby1

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 6:09 pm GMT

    @Trogeton Haha what. This is why I don't come to GameSpot that much anymore full of n00bs. Also before you say anything, I own almost every console that has been released so I'm not a fanboy.

    Think about it right. If you can play Call of Duty 2 (an early game this gen) on max (your pc would be more powerful than a 360), you can still play all the latest games that are getting released (apart from insane stuff like crysis). Not on the highest settings but on normal (maybe higher or lower depends on the game). Since your PC back then was better than the 360 it still will be today, in terms of performance.

  • purecontrol

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 5:44 pm GMT

    Stop using consoles, use a pc/mac.If we buy consoles companys control everything and gamers wont get all games.If everyone stoped using consoles for gaming, companies will have to make the games for the pc/mac.Better graphics, plus u have options: use a desktop or TV (yes u can connect to the tv using a cable) and you have the choice between a mouse-keyboard or controller (and yes u can use both the xbox 360 controller and ps3 controller) and its not expensive, just buy $80 video card which will last years.Gamers won't have to choose u can play any game you want:Halo, Gears of War, Killzone,Uncharted, Super Smash Bros, Call of Duty.............

  • The_Free-Man

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 5:02 pm GMT

    @Trogeton
    r u serious... what you said made no sense?
    if you get a computer better than a 360 or ps3 (600$ pc) then you wont have to upgrade ur pc until next gen consoles come out whish is a very long time away.

    how old are you... how can you possibly think that consoles somehow get better and you have to pay to upgrade your pc to keep up with it?

  • serieus

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 4:25 pm GMT

    What's too bad is that all console games are built on a PC. So why can't all developers keep the high resolution textures for the PC game and then just lower the texture resolution for consoles to run smoothly. If you can do that using settings on a PC then why can't they do that automatically when a game goes Gold for console. I know that GTA: San Andreas used that trick to make the PC version shine, so why can't more people do it.

    Also, graphic engines like Unreal Engine 3 should automatically have a mouse/keyboard and console controller setup so that it can easily be accessible to programmers of the game rather than having to program for PC and console.

    I have never paid more than $500 every 4-5 years for my PC and I have been able to play every great game that comes out and I find interest in. You can lower the graphics settings if needs be for the bad ass stuff like Crysis if you want, doesn't mean you need to go out and spend $500+ every year to keep up though. Some people want the latest and greatest, but hey, wait a while and a good PC becomes a cheap one, just like new good games become cheap old games. You don't have to buy things the day they come out.

    On my PC I make games, play games, go to school, work and do even more. It's a very versatile machine and deserves a place in our homes just as much as any consoles.

  • edzellll

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 3:44 pm GMT

    The mouse/keyboard is a way more accurate control system. The reason you do not see cross platform FPS is because the PC crowd would OWN the console peeps! Same thing with the RTS games. I have been PC gaming since the 1985 on my Commodore 65. Built my first PC in 89'. When the VooDoo 3D graphics proc came out PC games took a huge leap forward. The PC is WAY more versatile when is comes to the variety of games to play. With that being said! PC gamers have to spend WAY to much money to keep up with the LATEST/GREATEST games. I top notch gaming PC runs 3-6k and more. RIDICULOUS!!!! Even then after 5-6 years you have to spend more to play new games. My kids have a Wii which has been fun for them. There are a FEW good titles. Fewer for adults. My bother and sister have had 360's for a long time and loved them. I was all hardcore PC and refused to buy one until this last X-mas. My wife bought me an elite! Now I can't put the thing down. LIVE is very cool. (the new dashboard is kind of annoying. liked old one better) I still get my butt kicked on BattleField BC2 multi-player. But I will get used to the sloppy joystick control of all FPS on a console. The rein of the PC is over when it comes to gaming! I still play my WOW, Call of Duty MW2 and other good titles on my PC. But I don't think I will be dropping 60+ dollars on many PC games in the future. Working on my aim so LOOK OUT! Yourmama-RGR

  • Trogeton posted Mar 13, 2010 1:40 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Trogeton

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 1:40 pm GMT (hide)

    if pcs were so far ahead and can do so much more then how come every fews months you have to buy something more to play certain games.. with in a 5 year period you would have spent over the amount of money of adding on to a pc than you could have just bought a console and get just as much out of for less money.. oh but of course a pc fanboy won't put down their pc even when they are delusional, but they will come on a console forum and bash a console when they don't even play on them.. and it's fact the greatest games are already out on a console and most of the time you have to wait for pc

  • Kevin-V GameSpot staff member

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 1:15 pm GMT

    @swamptick - I am afraid you are wildly, wildly incorrect. Actually, computer games were developed before consoles even existed. Computer games first appeared in the 1950s; one of the most famous examples of an early computer game, Spacewar!, was finished in 1962, though there are earlier computer games dating into the 1950s. By contrast, the first home game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, was introduced in 1972. There was a time when you were more likely to see a console in a household than a PC--simply because personal computers were prohibitively expensive. Yet by 1974, Creative Computing was printing BASIC code for games computer enthusiasts to play; when the Odyssey sold poorly and Pong consoles were introduced, text adventures, chess games, and others were being developed and played.

  • glennvolio

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 12:59 pm GMT

    Oh no, Zynga's in on this discussion. Next thing you know people will be sending you cows while you're playing Halo 3. :-D

  • dentui

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 12:36 pm GMT

    People still cannot realise that today's population want everything now and not have it built or build it themselves. PC gaming is Better than console by far I know. But now a days no one wants to waste money updating a computer every 6 months or so. PC's can really do more than the 360, PS3 and Wii combined, it is just a matter of want and people are turning to consoles because they think it is to much hassle on the PC. I talked to many of my friends on PSN and XBOX live. Out of around 200 friends, only 10 had ever played on the PC seriously. The others either just played once or never played at all. That is a staggering number and I agree also that consoles gets too much credit. But it is the easiest thing right now for people that do not know how to navigate a PC. What might be easy for a lot of you will probably not be easy on other gamers. It is the sad truth.

  • jorge69696

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 12:33 pm GMT

    crossplataform FPS on PC pls..

  • AleksandarTale

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 12:18 pm GMT

    PCs can do so much more but IMO they are slowed down by console only games.

  • W3En

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 11:12 am GMT

    @mfarrukh453 I completely agree. PCs can do so much more

  • blackfray

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 11:01 am GMT

    Is something wrong with my eyes? or do Rob and Ray indeed look very similar to each other ?

  • ISuPrEmAcY32I

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 9:15 am GMT

    i just want to be able to make mods for my console games. love oblivion, etc and since i'm not in the habit of having a high end computer i can't run games like them on pc so i get them on console. would kill to be able to make/download and play mods on console.

  • JunglemanchiId

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 7:43 am GMT

    PCs are always ahead in terms of gaming.

  • 5a1nt_j0k3r

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 7:09 am GMT

    @swamptick
    You realize the absurdity of your statement right??? Without PCs, there never would have been consoles. The very first video game was the Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device which is essentially a computer monitor with predrawn images like those old one game handhelds back twenty years ago. If you are referring to the popularity of PC vs console, that is an entirely different debate.

  • k0r3aN_pR1d3

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 5:06 am GMT

    I agree. Consoles are great for the US. But whenever I'm in Korea, I prefer my laptop.

  • swamptick posted Mar 13, 2010 5:02 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    swamptick

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 5:02 am GMT (hide)

    @mfarrukh453

    Um......deserves? PC gaming came along FAR FAR after console gaming. Without console gaming, there would be no PC gaming. Why then does PC gaming "deserve" anything? I hate when people use the term "deserve" whether for consoles, PC or anything. You misused the term or don't understand it. That is so often the case. Interesting article though and I hope PC gaming continues to be strong.

  • mfarrukh453

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 4:08 am GMT

    Every game should be first made for PC.
    PC deserves alot more than consoles

  • DaneGamer

    Posted Mar 13, 2010 4:00 am GMT

    Imagine the power of the next gen consoles if Microsoft and Sony teamed up!

    I'm sorry for yu fanboys out there, but i simply can't stand the Wii - i have it myself, but i see NOTHING in that machine anymore, Mario is pretty fun, but there are alot of games out there for the 360 and ps3 that are way more fun, and that Nintendo keeps hanging on to old products (even old content with games as Mario Kart, Smash Bro. etc.)

    If only we could swipe Nintendo away from the non-handheld market, and then get Microsoft and Sony to team up = epic machine of the millenium !

  • PlasmicReaction

    Posted Mar 12, 2010 10:25 pm GMT

    "Holtman said that arbitrary barriers such as PC and Mac simply aren't important anymore, and that gamers want to be fans of the product, not of the platform."

    Now if only console game developers would realize this. I love my Xbox 360 and the games that come with it, but I would sell it in a second if someone offered me a PS3, just so I could play the new God of War. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen, and I probably won't get to play God of War III until a few years from now, when I can get a PS3 for around $100. Problems like these could be avoided, and I would happily pay full price for the new God of War when it is released next week, if console developers would just develop more cross platform games. However, I understand why cross-platform games aren't being made, I just don't like to concept of console exclusive games... That would eliminate the point of having multiple consoles though, and then no one would make money. It's not like all of the geniuses that make our games would ever get together and just work on one platform that would allow us to play all of the games we love. If that happened, I'm sure people would eventually just get carried away, skyrocket the prices, a monopoly would form, and then we wouldn't have anything. Damn us for having problems like greed, and superiority complexes.

  • Morris_The_Grey

    Posted Mar 12, 2010 8:04 pm GMT

    Brian Reynolds, just make Alpha Centauri 2 or any game with a lot of philosophy. Better yet make a remake of Alpha Centauri with all ill-gotten Zynga money.

  • XenoLair

    Posted Mar 12, 2010 7:20 pm GMT

    Just give us more cross platform multiplayer titles!

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