Happy Goat: Texting and gaming

I work mostly in IT, graphics, internet, as well as new media, and it came to mind how phone texting could be a potential tool for gaming companies to continue to build product loyalty and broaden their community goals.

Gamers are plugged-in, whether in their games, online, or in some form of virtual connection. It would make sense then for a gaming company to capitalize on this, by offering a texting service which could provide say...

1) Text blasts of upcoming gaming titles
2) Information on updates/patches and their releases
3) Contests/Events specifically targeting texting members
4) Offer bonus codes/cheats

..and so forth.

Given my experience, the whole issue of "spam" text is covered by automatic opt-in texts that verify twice if a potential subscriber is interested in joining. At any time, a subscriber could opt-out. The end result? Those individuals have agreed to be members, and thereby, minimizing complaints.

Then, with a delicate balance of blasts (say one or two per week, or as necessary), the company could provide said info directly to their cell phones. Of course, this isn't something that you just "set and forget". There is planning, and effort required to make such a campaign work.

Television, especially TV shows are doing this; keeping the fans up-to-date on what goes on. Why not something similar for gaming companies? It would offer yet another avenue to reach customers, increase interest, offer information and opportunities that members wouldn't find elsewhere.

The question begs -- But what about our online presence? That's fine as well, but, realize that some people (myself excluded it seems) are not in front of their monitors 24/7. So by a company texting about a new game page at a given URL, some will either visit via their phone, or have that message available for when they're infront of their computer. The idea is to work with all tools in tandem, not foreshadow.

The next question - What about email? Email has received such a bad rap from those that have abused it with spam. So many steps are taken to keep this problem at hand, that now, we're asked to do an extra step of whitelisting domains, which can complicate the whole joining/communication process.

Texting marketing example:
Let's say a gaming company has a texting/marketing campaign and has worked a deal with gaming stores so that when their new game is released, those in their club get a text message that says something to the effect... "Present this message at the following stores (store list), and receive a X% discount." Or, "....get $X off the purchase of game X". The stores get traffic, the game gets interest, and the text recipient saves some green.

Or, what if in the manual or a game screen, people are invited to join or are told that if they're a member, to type a key code for the opportunity to win some game-related swag or some other prize?

Or, by typing in a code, they receive a text which includes a URL to register for prizes or unlocks or whatnot ... (Linking texting with online).

The possibilities are endless.

Food for thought:
The US average number of monthly texts for a 13- to 17-year-old teen is 1,742, according to a Nielsen study of cellphone usage.

Happy Goat: Randomness

I'll attempt to keep these type of entries as infrequent as possible as they're "fillers" for when my mind draws a blank.

What I get for gloating

I had to go ahead and tempt fate, didn't I? I was braggin' to my mom last night about how I hadn't been ill in about a year. What happens? I wake up with signs of a cold coming on. I am feeling better though, so, either my immune system is kickin some butt, or fate just smirked and offered a small reminder.

Yearn to learn

Been caught up with getting our stations streaming. It's interesting, and yet another chapter of learning new stuff which is probably the smart thing to do with the economy going weird.

There were over 2.8 million people that lost their job in 2008 here in the US. The more one diversifies, educates and gains experience - the better.

I'm happy with work and my employer, but, you never know. Therefore I've set 2009 as the year to learn and enhance some skills. I love production editing, and motion graphics and that's where my sights are right now. Where this will lead? No idea, but, at the very least no one can take the experience and knowledge away from me.

My bank account may scream in agony for a little while, but I've always found that investing in yourself is well, a good investment.

Happy Goat, and "Fin"

Many ask, what's with the smiling goat and braces?

Just a pic that tends to personify me and my personality. Plus, it's a great item to look at when you're feeling down. I can't count how many times the silly goat pic has lifted my spirits.

Oh, and I'm back to doing my DDR'ing! Yep, time to get in some cardio exercise to burn off the holiday excess. Plus it's a great stress reliever!

By the way, for those that didn't know - "Fin" aside from being a part of some aquatic creature also means "End" in Spanish. This fancy tidbit of useless trivia was brought to you by the letters J, A and the number 6.

"I gotta get me one of these!!"

...as quoted by our hero in Independence Day as he flies the alien spaceship -- his words were exactly what came to mind when I saw this article about a 'Car simulator' that promises to take racing games to a new level.

Discover Magazine also has their take on this.

Drooooooooool... =o)~~

Image courtesy of: Discover Magazine

Video games & real life

Another news story makes the headlines... 6 yr old steals car and claims racing video games taught him how to drive.

When I was growing up, heavy metal music was believed to be the source of all evil regarding teenager behavior. Interestingly, I listened to that evil music, and I didn't become a psychotic killer.

Can it be that some kids are easily influenced and don't know what's wrong and right? Perhaps. But this headline begs the same question when stories like these make the press. Where were the parents? In this case, asleep.

Being a racing game fan, I'm bombarded with freedom and law-breaking abilities. I'm able to ram cops, speed, drift, and race all from the comfort of my own home. But, it's been eons since I've received any traffic citation for my driving habits. Could it be my parents did a great job bringing me up? Most likely.

Today, that seems to be an exception rather than the rule. Yes, times are different now, but that still doesn't negate parental responsibility. What's a 6 yr old kid doing near a car alone or better yet ... how did he manage to get the keys?

The press, lawyers and videogames-are-bad-for kids pundits have a field day with these kind of situations as the controversy of video games influencing individuals is inviting - and in the case of lawyers, a potential profit windfall.

But, one observation... If what the kid says is true, what's a 6yr old doing playing a M(ature) rated game? Game developers are rating their games fairly and ESRB ratings are hard to miss, so these two entities are doing their job.

It's time parents did theirs.

Unexpected holiday gifts

Most that know me, realize I love racing games and to that end, I frequent the Codemasters forums, and their side-blog MayContainGamers.

Obviously, a fan of their racing games (DiRT/GRID), MayContainGamers had a series of "BlogVents". BlogVents was their unique way of describing contests where people could compete and garner some pretty nice prizes. Everything from the "Dirty Dancing" CD, to Lord of The Rings Online items were offered.

Alas, BlogVent 15 is close to my heart. We were asked to come up with a Christmas card using nothing but MS Paint! My entry was chosen from the lot -- and I must admit, for a while there I was not sure I'd win. There's some pretty slick MS Painters out there. So, where does this all lead?

Here's the entry I submitted:


And, below is what I received... Yes, even the Quaker Oats oatmeal packet! LOL!





Unfortunately, since Codemasters is located in the UK, it took a while for the goodies to arrive. But then again, considering the distance, I would say the package arrived quite quickly. One surprise was the holiday card (lower right). That was completely unexpected! =o)

A few entries ago, I mentioned how companies (gaming companies especially) need to look beyond the "tried and true" business models they've been running with for years and become more fluid and dynamic - especially with the economy as it stands.

Yes, I'm a Codemasters fan. But, this extra touch in reaching out to their fans and customers through their community involvement is a smart thing. It encourages loyalty. Plus, we get to communicate with the company in an informal setting.

Will I buy the next Codemasters racing game? Of course. But given the opportunity to win a GRID cap as a collectible (not to mention the oatmeal!) has made me a Codies fan for life. Bar-none!

All other gaming companies -- Take notice!

Now for some fun.

One of the blog entries on MCG discussed their voicemail system. It's nice in that when someone leaves a voicemail, it can be received via email as a wav file. Satine, (aka "Squirrel" named by the victim of the post) published these nuggets of audio.

I took that to the next level, adding some music, as heard here (right-click to download) and thus the "Jigglybean Voicemail Rap" was born.