The Funware Blog @ rmbr

Today’s Advertising Age covers the topic of Funware and has some interesting quotes from yours truly (Gabe). Natalie Zmuda (the author) and I first met last week after she played the Old Navy “circular” and thought it was pretty fun. Sounds like some additional digging led her to Funware theories and we really dug in on the theory and practice.It’s been a while since we’ve had such insightful mainstream coverage of the theories, and for reasons I can’t yet espouse on in great detail, it’s especially interesting to see it framed by Advertising Age. Feel free to DIGG the article and pass it around!Marketers Bet on Games to Win Consumers - AdAge.com

Last week I had the extreme pleasure of achieving 2 firsts:

1. Keynoting my first conference
2. Attending my first Gamehotel event

It was a super fun event. Not only did I get to become a smidge reacquainted with Zurich (a lovely city that’s really worth exploring) but I got the (unexpected) surprise of anchoring the event with Chris Hecker. What could be better?

The theme of the event pivoted on my keynote talk, which really focused on an overview of the Funware concept - particularly as I’ve refined my “Great Unifying Theory” of Funware in our lives. I also deconstructed the current economic crisis in the context of an MMOG - which was super amusing. I also suggested that economic policy design should include game designers with MMO economics experience - they’d know how to anticipate and counter cheating.

Separately, many interesting presenters were part of the dialogue, and we had a wrap-up panel discussion at the EOD that asked some great questions about games and the world around us. Probably the most pointed was when the topic of “self-policing” communities came up. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing - and apparently, so has Alan Greenspan. I struggle to find any community application (MMOG or otherwise) without a substantial moderation and enforcement infrastructure.

Although the notes are not included, you’ll probably enjoy the slideshow below, courtesty of SlideShare.

It seems that diet and exercise, the two bogeymen of the obesity apocalypse are finally seen to be getting the funware treatment.

The $50Bn+ diet/exercise industry hasn’t generally done a great job of making itself fun - even though it’s obvious that it would benefit from it.

But, with the advent of the Wii Fit, we’re beginning to see a greater realization that games and weight loss/physical fitness can be effectively combined. Like most funware analyses of the world around us, the games have (generally) always been there - it’s just our changing perspective that lets us see them as the games they are.

Clive Thompson makes one such realization in his solid article about Weight Watchers RPGishness in today’s Wired. What’s interesting to me is that Weight Watchers has always been an RPG - their basic system is unchanged since its inception. Even the use of points (see the diabetes association as well) - which Thompson finds surprising - should come as no shock. It’s not exactly like we invented the idea of keeping score in game design.

The Wii too has seen a fair amount of coverage relating to its effect on people’s exercise habits. ConsumerAffairs talks about an enlightening experiment at Dalhousie about the real health benefits, while Time weighed in with its well-written analysis of the wii making workouts fun!

While most people are focused on the obvious connection (workout-fun), I’m increasingly pleased at the way that our knowledge of games and game design is being put to spectacularly good use to understand the world around us.

Yes - if you make working out fun, people will do it more. You can substitute any activity for working out that you’d like. The axiom is always true.

No, I did not make a personal appearance on the Daily Show, but yesterday (6/24/08) saw the show dive into videogames and the political landscape in an unusual and Funware-centric way. Take a look at this Daily Show clip and fast-forward to 4:17:

Jon Stewart (TDS’ affable host) made reference to the McCain Space Invaders/Pork Invaders Game in which you blast pork-barrel spending and can compare the Obama and McCain camps on that issue (I’m sure they readied a Hillary version too). Here’s the game’s embed, for your amusement:

He then proceeded to joke not only about how old the senator appeared to be (by making a lame game, I suppose) but took it a step further and showed us McCain’s abortion-rights game (Pong with fetuses) and Obama’s health care game (FPS with Obama head shouting Yes. We. Can).

Part of the precedence for Funware is the idea that people start - even in jest - conceptualizing games that do more and go beyond the point of pure entertainment. The Daily Show’s satirists took a specific Funware application (the McCain game) and then imagined both how they’d build an anti-McCain game (FetusPong) and a pro-Obama game. They were using game design, though more visual then mechanistic, to get a point across.

The best part: the audience completely understood the meaning that both of the satirical games were trying to convey.

Dean Takahashi, well-respected and insightful reporter at Venture Beat just wrote a fascinating article on Funware, its threat to traditional videogames, and the opportunities for the industry. It also talks a little bit about rmbr and a number of other game industry luminaries who have strong opinons on the subject.

Please to enjoy!

This past year, a number of bloggers have covered a site called I’m In Like With You, a very interesting Funware app that is effectively a social network based on flirting. Many of these bloggers also made the connection between Amy Jo Kim’s work on bringing game design to the web and IILWY, which does some very cool stuff. A great article on the subject was written by Yi-Wyn Yen on the Startup Game Blog.

We’re hopefully going to talk to I’m In Like With You founder Charles Forman in the next little while and delve deeper into their approach to Funware.