The Crops Are Dieing In Farmville

[Perrie Juran]

Many people have been commenting in this Forum about the move to Mobile Devices.

I thought this would be of interest:

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Online game maker Zynga Inc. said Monday that it is cutting 520 jobs, about 18 percent of its workforce, in a cost-saving move designed to help it adapt to consumers shifting game play from computers to mobile devices."

Zynga to cut 520 jobs amid performance woes (pops)

[Czari Zenovka]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

Many people have been commenting in this Forum about the move to Mobile Devices.

I thought this would be of interest:

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Online game maker Zynga Inc. said Monday that it is cutting 520 jobs, about 18 percent of its workforce, in a cost-saving move designed to help it adapt to consumers shifting game play from computers to mobile devices."

Zynga to cut 520 jobs amid performance woes (pops)

---

I heard that last night as well (along with the completed study of relationships that began online I referenced in another thread - must have been an internet kind of day)...

...will be interesting to see what happens to virtual worlds with this shift. 

[Madelaine McMasters]

Sony and Nintendo have watched their handheld gaming systems get trounced by smartphones, gaming consoles are losing out as well. PC sales are in decline and are predicted to be overtaken by tablets soon. Augmented reality has replaced virtual reality as the buzzword of the day. The medical community is suggesting that sitting on your derriere is as dangerous as smoking. Console game manufacturers have noted that players are no longer diving deep into the game's layers. There's too much competition from shallower games containing some social aspect.

LL is aware of this, hence Rod's shifting focus to lightweight games, playable on mobile devices.

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

[Dillon Levenque]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

---

 

There was certainly nothing like it before that I ever experienced. I think given the current trends there may well never be anything like it again. On the other hand, trends do change. That's what makes them so trendy, right?

In any case, I am quite glad to have experienced Second Life when I did. It has been and continues to be one of the most enjoyable 'spare time' pursuits I've ever found.

[Tiffy Vella]

I've been lamenting this change too. Comparing the gaming communities that I have loved (Sim City, The Sims, Second Life) where members not only play but have a love of learning, modding, adding gameplay, being creative, bringing involved storylines to the arena, to the more lightweight styles of gaming emerging today can be sad. The technology which allows extra mobility and access also seems to erode the depth of gameplay, until players are mere consumers.

Perhaps gaming is now more mainstream, and can be enjoyed almost anywhere at anytime by many more people with phones. There are countless games/apps which can be installed cheaply and instantly and  requiring little immersion; they can be picked up and played at a moments notice while waiting at the bus stop. I shouldn't be all judgey as there is a place for such light fun. It is sad that this apparently comes at the cost of more immersive experiences.

And not all doom! I was really heartened earlier this week when my 9 year old daughter showed me her first Minecraft skin. She'd made herself a little chicken skin to wear, and was proudly running about in it, and showing me her latest build. The spirit is still alive amongst some

 

 

 

 

 

[Perrie Juran]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

---

 

There was certainly nothing like it before that I ever experienced. I think given the current trends there may well never be anything like it again. On the other hand, trends do change. That's what makes them so trendy, right?

In any case, I am quite glad to have experienced Second Life when I did. It has been and continues to be one of the most enjoyable 'spare time' pursuits I've ever found.

---

It is a very interesting point.  I know people who run SL on a tablet but they are mainly old users who are on the road.  It's definitely not as immersive. 

If Moore's Law gets applied to mobile devices, coupled with devices like Occulus Rift, SL could continue to grow unabated.

I will say though that I find the idea of walking into my local coffee shop and seeing a bunch of people sitting there wearing goggles kind of creepy.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

---

 

There was certainly nothing like it before that I ever experienced. I think given the current trends there may well never be anything like it again. On the other hand, trends do change. That's what makes them so trendy, right?

In any case, I am quite glad to have experienced Second Life when I did. It has been and continues to be one of the most enjoyable 'spare time' pursuits I've ever found.

---

It is a very interesting point.  I know people who run SL on a tablet but they are mainly old users who are on the road.  It's definitely not as immersive. 

If Moore's Law gets applied to mobile devices, coupled with devices like Occulus Rift, SL could continue to grow unabated.

I will say though that I find the idea of walking into my local coffee shop and seeing a bunch of people sitting there wearing goggles kind of creepy.

---

I don't think Moore's Law will help SL. The immersive nature of SL is, I think, completely at odds with the shift to mobile. Once you get out of your home cocoon, you no longer have the ability to concentrate as you must to appreciate SL. Even ignoring mobile, console game manufacturers have noticed that people no longer dive deep into their games. As a result, 80% of the effort spent developing intricate games goes unseen. In the last article I read about this, about two years ago, attempts to make the games more engaging, so that people would stay with them for larger blocks of time, had failed completely. The draw to mobile is sucking all the oxygen out of many rooms. The better Moore's Law makes the mobile experience, the less attractive SL becomes.

This is why I believe augmented reality will limit the growth of virtual reality. For most of my life, I've been tethered to my office chair to interact with the rest of the online world. That's no longer true and I'm having great fun bringing my technology out into the wild with me. I've been exchanging "Map My Ride" bicycle route summaries with the neighbor kid, who hasn't yet realized that I am indeed nefarious enough to retrace his bike route through our neighborhood in my car at 21mph, matching his average speed and making me seem like a diminutive Lady Lance Armstrong.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Tiffy Vella wrote:

I've been lamenting this change too. Comparing the gaming communities that I have loved (Sim City, The Sims, Second Life) where members not only play but have a love of learning, modding, adding gameplay, being creative, bringing involved storylines to the arena, to the more lightweight styles of gaming emerging today can be sad. The technology which allows extra mobility and access also seems to erode the depth of gameplay, until players are mere consumers.

Perhaps gaming is now more mainstream, and can be enjoyed almost anywhere at anytime by many more people with phones. There are countless games/apps which can be installed cheaply and instantly and  requiring little immersion; they can be picked up and played at a moments notice while waiting at the bus stop. I shouldn't be all judgey as there is a place for such light fun. It is sad that this apparently comes at the cost of more immersive experiences.

And not all doom! I was really heartened earlier this week when my 9 year old daughter showed me her first Minecraft skin. She'd made herself a little chicken skin to wear, and was proudly running about in it, and showing me her latest build. The spirit is still alive amongst some

 

---

I don't know if I lament the change, TIffy. I don't yet understand it.

I've certainly enjoyed the immersion of SL, to the point of having a romance here, but I'm also enjoying mobile technology. I've never been much of a game player, so neither console/PC games nor lightweight mobile/social games interest me, but I am finding great value in my iPhone as a means of connecting with others and with the world around me. I now routinely use Star Walk to plan my backyard astronomical observations, and to teach younsters about the night sky. These apps may be lightweight, but they're tremendously useful.

Back to gaming, imagine a future in which involved storylines are somehow woven around real time activities by participating "gamers". The interface to the system might be lightweight, but the involvement might be intellectually, and physically challenging.

[Perrie Juran]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

---

 

There was certainly nothing like it before that I ever experienced. I think given the current trends there may well never be anything like it again. On the other hand, trends do change. That's what makes them so trendy, right?

In any case, I am quite glad to have experienced Second Life when I did. It has been and continues to be one of the most enjoyable 'spare time' pursuits I've ever found.

---

It is a very interesting point.  I know people who run SL on a tablet but they are mainly old users who are on the road.  It's definitely not as immersive. 

If Moore's Law gets applied to mobile devices, coupled with devices like Occulus Rift, SL could continue to grow unabated.

I will say though that I find the idea of walking into my local coffee shop and seeing a bunch of people sitting there wearing goggles kind of creepy.

---

I don't think Moore's Law will help SL. The immersive nature of SL is, I think, completely at odds with the shift to mobile. Once you get out of your home cocoon, you no longer have the ability to concentrate as you must to appreciate SL. Even ignoring mobile, console game manufacturers have noticed that people no longer dive deep into their games. As a result, 80% of the effort spent developing intricate games goes unseen. In the last article I read about this, about two years ago, attempts to make the games more engaging, so that people would stay with them for larger blocks of time, had failed completely. The draw to mobile is sucking all the oxygen out of many rooms. The better Moore's Law makes the mobile experience, the less attractive SL becomes.

This is why I believe augmented reality will limit the growth of virtual reality. For most of my life, I've been tethered to my office chair to interact with the rest of the online world. That's no longer true and I'm having great fun bringing my technology out into the wild with me. I've been exchanging "Map My Ride" bicycle route summaries with the neighbor kid, who hasn't yet realized that I am indeed nefarious enough to retrace his bike route through our neighborhood in my car at 21mph, matching his average speed and making me seem like a diminutive Lady Lance Armstrong.

---

I am fortunate enough to own both a lap top and a desk top.  When I got it about 4 years ago my lap top was of 'desk top replacement' grade and more than sufficient to run SL at high graphics.  Now I have had to back down to Medium. 

On the rare occasions when my Internet was down for several days at home I have gone to the local coffee shop to log in.  I've always had this secret hope that some pretty girl would see me SL'ing and come over and say "I do that too."  But alas it has never happened.

But before I stray to far I should get to the point I wanted to make.  While we know more and more people only have their mobile devices now to connect, even though while they are mobile they may not use them for SL, when they become powerful enough, they may start using them to connect to SL when at home.  It is a possibility.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

But before I stray to far I should get to the point I wanted to make.  While we know more and more people only have their mobile devices now to connect, even though while they are mobile they may not use them for SL, when they become powerful enough, they may start using them to connect to SL when at home.  It is a possibility.

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It is a possibility, but I wonder if it's likely. I think we're witnessing a sea change in people's use of technology. Some of us will be content to continue to stay home and focus intently on the immersive experience of SL. Some will come looking for that experience. But I wonder if a lot of people who'd been using housebound technology because they couldn't pocket it will abandon the home experience, never to return.

We're creatures of habit. There are new creatures with new habits right behind us. Watch your rear!

[nijushrestha]

if the zynga cut down it such a huge no of enplooes then there will obviously arise a problem of unemploymet and shifting games in mobile from compiters will increase the no of user but it may creat problem when there will be huge no of iser so i think it would be better not to shift in mobiles

 

[Suspiria Finucane]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Online game maker Zynga Inc. said Monday that it is cutting 520 jobs, about 18 percent of its workforce, in a cost-saving move designed to help it adapt to consumers shifting game play from computers to mobile devices."

---

 

I recently saw a 4g ad on youtube where these guys were watching the super bowl on a smart phone. It was tucked inside a small entertainment center and the guys were on a couch outside. I was like, ummm yea right, they have an umpteen inch screen TV and they would rather watch on a 3" screen.

Personally I would never play SL on a mobile device.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Perrie Juran wrote:

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

In another post, I wondered out loud to Czari whether we'd be the only generation to experience something like SL. There was nothing like it before, and there might be nothing like it after.

---

 

There was certainly nothing like it before that I ever experienced. I think given the current trends there may well never be anything like it again. On the other hand, trends do change. That's what makes them so trendy, right?

In any case, I am quite glad to have experienced Second Life when I did. It has been and continues to be one of the most enjoyable 'spare time' pursuits I've ever found.

---

It is a very interesting point.  I know people who run SL on a tablet but they are mainly old users who are on the road.  It's definitely not as immersive. 

If Moore's Law gets applied to mobile devices, coupled with devices like Occulus Rift, SL could continue to grow unabated.

I will say though that I find the idea of walking into my local coffee shop and seeing a bunch of people sitting there wearing goggles kind of creepy.

---

I don't think Moore's Law will help SL. The immersive nature of SL is, I think, completely at odds with the shift to mobile. Once you get out of your home cocoon, you no longer have the ability to concentrate as you must to appreciate SL. Even ignoring mobile, console game manufacturers have noticed that people no longer dive deep into their games. As a result, 80% of the effort spent developing intricate games goes unseen. In the last article I read about this, about two years ago, attempts to make the games more engaging, so that people would stay with them for larger blocks of time, had failed completely. The draw to mobile is sucking all the oxygen out of many rooms. The better Moore's Law makes the mobile experience, the less attractive SL becomes.

This is why I believe augmented reality will limit the growth of virtual reality. For most of my life, I've been tethered to my office chair to interact with the rest of the online world. That's no longer true and I'm having great fun bringing my technology out into the wild with me. I've been exchanging "Map My Ride" bicycle route summaries with the neighbor kid, who hasn't yet realized that I am indeed nefarious enough to retrace his bike route through our neighborhood in my car at 21mph, matching his average speed and making me seem like a diminutive Lady Lance Armstrong.

---

I am fortunate enough to own both a lap top and a desk top.  When I got it about 4 years ago my lap top was of 'desk top replacement' grade and more than sufficient to run SL at high graphics.  Now I have had to back down to Medium. 

On the rare occasions when my Internet was down for several days at home I have gone to the local coffee shop to log in.  I've always had this secret hope that some pretty girl would see me SL'ing and come over and say "I do that too."  But alas it has never happened.

But before I stray to far I should get to the point I wanted to make.  While we know more and more people only have their mobile devices now to connect, even though while they are mobile they may not use them for SL, when they become powerful enough, they may start using them to connect to SL when at home.  It is a possibility.

---

I think there are enough hard-core gamers who play MMORPGs for whom mobile devices would not work well if at all.  I know many gamers who "dual and triple box" PCs to run multiple avatars; the games with which I am familiar are not set up to allow more than one instance of the game running on one PC.  Additionally, some gamers have rigs with surround sound and/or super-duper headsets to become more immersed in the sound quality of the game.

I've been reading about mobile devices replacing PCs but I don't see that reflected in the prices of the gaming rigs I've been checking out lately. :matte-motes-sour: 

Sidenote: My mother recently asked why it was taking me so long to purchase a new PC and that she sees PCs advertised in the paper all the time for $200.00.  I try to explain why I need a more powerful PC.  She then asked why I want one of those "big tower systems" instead of a nice laptop.  Once again I try to explain (to someone who doesn't like PCs) why tower systems are preferable for easy upgrading.  Then she launches the coup de gras - "You only need that kind of PC for "that game" you play, right? ("That game" = SL).  I answer not totally for SL, but in large part.  She then says, "But if you did more in RL you wouldn't want to play that game, right?"

/facepalm

[Orca Flotta]

Instead of speculating about future developments let's focus on the Here and Now for a moment:

Here and Now you need a powerful machine and a big screen to really get the best out of SL. Here and Now impatient kids are crying for SL to be able to run on their tablets and not-so-smart phones. In the Here and Now I haven't heard of too many (if any) success stories about bringing these two very contradictionary demands technologically together.

On the sociological side in the Here and Now we'll see a vastly diverging demography of SL users: the immersers who can really get lost in the virtual world and create content and entertain themself versus the leisurely playing consumers. The first group is content with their big immobile boxes since they believe in the right tool for the task.

The second group is young and hip, upwardly mobile and don't have time/patience to learn anything and get immersed. They want to connect to SL for 3 minutes in the metro on their way to work/college. And they want to watch videos and do whatever one does on facebook as well. They are not the right target group for SL, I don't think. But they are the right target group for LL as future customers. And for them the rest of us hardcore SLers must sufffer all that nonsense we're faced with these days. In the end it comes down to a generational conflict.

I conclude for myself there is no need to finally jump on the train to adhd-ville and get myself a smartphone or  a tablet. Instead I shall rather spend my money on GPU and CPU upgrades for my big rig and maybe get a new lappy once in a while.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

Instead of speculating about future developments let's focus on the Here and Now for a moment:

Here and Now you need a powerful machine and a big screen to really get the best out of SL. Here and Now impatient kids are crying for SL to be able to run on their tablets and not-so-smart phones. In the Here and Now I haven't heard of too many (if any) success stories about bringing these two very contradictionary demands technologically together.

On the sociological side in the Here and Now we'll see a vastly diverging demography of SL users: the immersers who can really get lost in the virtual world and create content and entertain themself versus the leisurely playing consumers. The first group is content with their big immobile boxes since they believe in the right tool for the task.

The second group is young and hip, upwardly mobile and don't have time/patience to learn anything and get immersed. They want to connect to SL for 3 minutes in the metro on their way to work/college. And they want to watch videos and do whatever one does on facebook as well. They are not the right target group for SL, I don't think. But they are the right target group for LL as future customers. And for them the rest of us hardcore SLers must sufffer all that nonsense we're faced with these days. In the end it comes down to a generational conflict.

I conclude for myself there is no need to finally jump on the train to adhd-ville and get myself a smartphone or  a tablet. Instead I shall rather spend my money on GPU and CPU upgrades for my big rig and maybe get a new lappy once in a while.

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I really wish I could give you a dozen HUGE "Likes" for this post!!!  Except I don't do FB, but anyway....WELL SAID!!!

[Perrie Juran]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

 

I conclude for myself there is no need to finally jump on the train to adhd-ville and get myself a smartphone or  a tablet. Instead I shall rather spend my money on GPU and CPU upgrades for my big rig and maybe get a new lappy once in a while.

---

My cell phone is about seven or eight years old now.

People stare in wonder when I pull it out.

All it does is the one thing I wanted it for originally.

Talking on the phone.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

I think there are enough hard-core gamers who play MMORPGs for whom mobile devices would not work well if at all. 

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Medhue has noted that PC gaming is growing at a healthy clip, 8% last year. SL concurrency looks to be down about 5% during the same period (WoW is hurting, too). So, even if there are enough hard-core gamers, LL isn't attracting them. If revenue is going up, as Rod claims, then we're a more tenacious customer base than I thought. I've no idea what that portends. SL is a fortress? You can only pull a rubber band so far? Dunno!

I think that LL losing 400,000 potential residents a month (that's Rod's quote for new signups, of which retention isn't  covering attrition) is probably more related to the trend towards lightweight mobile/social. Rapid engagment is key and mobile apps do that well... they have to.

The article I read two years ago, in which it was reported that player's game depth was decreasing dramatically, also reported that game developers were moving their resources away from depth. By that they meant that, rather than designing additional plots and scenery for deeper levels in the game which were being reached by fewer and fewer customers, they were shifting focus towards the creation of new franchises. Those franchises might be based off familiar pop culture, like hit movies or off mobile game viral successes. It seems that mobile games act like trailers for movies yet to be made. If the trailer (mobile game) is a hit, they'll make the movie (PC game).

There's a lot going on in the gaming world, and SL doesn't quite look quite like anything else in the constellation of participants. Maybe we should all be happy that SL seems stuck on the sidelines. Zynga shot up like a rocket and is coming down without a parachute.

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

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Orca Flotta wrote:

Instead of speculating about future developments let's focus on the Here and Now for a moment:

Here and Now you need a powerful machine and a big screen to really get the best out of SL. Here and Now impatient kids are crying for SL to be able to run on their tablets and not-so-smart phones. In the Here and Now I haven't heard of too many (if any) success stories about bringing these two very contradictionary demands technologically together.

On the sociological side in the Here and Now we'll see a vastly diverging demography of SL users: the immersers who can really get lost in the virtual world and create content and entertain themself versus the leisurely playing consumers. The first group is content with their big immobile boxes since they believe in the right tool for the task.

The second group is young and hip, upwardly mobile and don't have time/patience to learn anything and get immersed. They want to connect to SL for 3 minutes in the metro on their way to work/college. And they want to watch videos and do whatever one does on facebook as well. They are not the right target group for SL, I don't think. But they are the right target group for LL as future customers. And for them the rest of us hardcore SLers must sufffer all that nonsense we're faced with these days. In the end it comes down to a generational conflict.

I conclude for myself there is no need to finally jump on the train to adhd-ville and get myself a smartphone or  a tablet. Instead I shall rather spend my money on GPU and CPU upgrades for my big rig and maybe get a new lappy once in a while.

---

I really wish I could give you a dozen HUGE "Likes" for this post!!!  Except I don't do FB, but anyway....WELL SAID!!!

---

As I've already described, I grew up in front of PCs. I now have an iPhone and iPad, as does my mother and several of my neighbors. I make fewer phone calls than ever, because it's faster to converse in other ways. When I'm at the store and see something I think Mom might like, I send her a snapshot and she tells me I've no taste, saving me the annoyance of hearing that face-to-face when I hand it to her. The neighbor kid no longer has to tell me where he is when he needs a ride home, my phone knows and gives me directions. I'm now able to tell my furnace to warm my house before I come home, not after. It's the same for my porch lights and a couple lamps indoors.

I was never fond of telephones, so I'm actually quite happy the new ones aren't.

;-)

[Suspiria Finucane]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

Instead of speculating about future developments let's focus on the Here and Now for a moment:

Here and Now you need a powerful machine and a big screen to really get the best out of SL

. Here and Now impatient kids are crying for SL to be able to run on their tablets and not-so-smart phones. In the Here and Now I haven't heard of too many (if any) success stories about bringing these two very contradictionary demands technologically together.

On the sociological side in the Here and Now we'll see a vastly diverging demography of SL users: the immersers who can really get lost in the virtual world and create content and entertain themself versus the leisurely playing consumers. The first group is content with their big immobile boxes since they believe in the right tool for the task.

The second group is young and hip, upwardly mobile and don't have time/patience to learn anything and get immersed. They want to connect to SL for 3 minutes in the metro on their way to work/college. And they want to watch videos and do whatever one does on facebook as well. They are not the right target group for SL, I don't think. But they are the right target group for LL as future customers. And for them the rest of us hardcore SLers must sufffer all that nonsense we're faced with these days. In the end it comes down to a generational conflict.

I conclude for myself there is no need to finally jump on the train to adhd-ville and get myself a smartphone or  a tablet. Instead I shall rather spend my money on GPU and CPU upgrades for my big rig and maybe get a new lappy once in a while.

---

Excellent!

A side note: A laptop has been considered a PC in the past despite the fact it is "mobile". Most of the reports for the decline of "pc's" are laptop vs tablet sales. Big rigs like we have are entirely different despite being classified as a PC. I seriously doubt a smartphone will take over the corporate computing world any time soon.

 

[Locke Nider]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

Instead of speculating about future developments let's focus on the Here and Now for a moment:

Here and Now you need a powerful machine and a big screen to really get the best out of SL. Here and Now impatient kids are crying for SL to be able to run on their tablets and not-so-smart phones. In the Here and Now I haven't heard of too many (if any) success stories about bringing these two very contradictionary demands technologically together.

---

That's only because SL is horribly unoptimized due to LL crappy coding.  You think something that looks like second life (which you have to admit, doesn't look that great by todays graphical standards) wouldn't need at least a Radeon HD 7950 to run smoothy on ultra settings.  Tablets and smartphones are already running decent looking games, and they're getting stronger every year.  I obvoiusly don't expect to see SL on any mobile devices anytime soon when we even have SL running like crap on decent rigs.  But for everything else out there, I expect PCs will get less popular overtime.  I know even popular gaming companies like Square Enix starting to say that tablets are the future.

[Awe Thor]

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Suspiria Finucane wrote:

 

I seriously doubt a smartphone will take over the corporate computing world any time soon.

 

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I'll file this with the claim by Bill Gates that "640k RAM is enough for everybody".

 

Awe . . .was there; and guffawed; everybody looked at him; Bill Gates went bright red.

[Czari Zenovka]

I was just addressing gaming/MMORPGs in general, not SL in particular. (I don't think - I've been in a bit of a fog the past week so anything is possible..lol).

New, more immersive, more realistic MMORPGs are being released regularly (at least from the ads I see for them and a bit of game site forum chatter) so games like EQ and WoW are experiencing a decrease in numbers when the demographics of many gamers are such that they seek to "win" at any given game and when that is achieved they jump to the next game/challenge. However, much like SL, there are other players of EQ, WoW, etc. who are loyal to a particular game/s and will be there until the lights are turned off.  There is a social element in both EQ and WoW that, while not to the same extent as SL of course, keeps some people there due to relationships formed.  About two years ago EQ introduced the concept of owning land and having homes to the game.  Especially older (in number of years played) loved this idea and entire neighborhoods have now formed including guilds purchasing large areas for their members.  WoW offers several RP servers and many players roleplay "marriages and families."

As someone said in this or another thread, we are seeing more of a generational divide between people who first became acquainted with online games/social venues when the desktop PC ruled vs those who are growing up with all the portable devices.

When I'm seeing "Gaming PCs" priced well in the $2,000.00 USD range, I'm thinking those manufacturers aren't anticipating the total demise of gaming.

(Not really debating the issue...more of a musing, pondering, thinking aloud in an observational manner. :matte-motes-smile:)

[Kenbro Utu]

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Locke Nider wrote:

 I obvoiusly don't expect to see SL on any mobile devices anytime soon 

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You can see SL on mobile devices now.