John-ShepardSocial networking is changing how we view the video game industry. Hell, social networking is changing everything.
And that's why Activision says programs like Call of Duty Elite are absolutely essential. The initiative officially launches alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on November 8; it's a free and premium service designed for avid fans of the franchise. It'll deliver more content and extras for those who wish to participate.
In a recent interview with MCV , Activision digital vice president Jamie Berger said that "year-round services strategy that broadens the game experience beyond just playing is going to be a necessity." He admits that it isn't critical for all publishers now, but it soon will be. Said Berger:
"Right now, it's an option, but in three to five years, it won't be. To support a diverse player base, you will have to have a services and ongoing content strategy. I don't see how games are going to manage without that…Elite is about Call of Duty being bigger than ever five years from now and laying the groundwork for that."
Other publishers are pursuing similar programs. Perhaps it makes sense to assume that gamers will be into digital communication of all kinds, but we at PSXE aren't so sure. In recent polls, we've determined that not everyone has a Facebook account, not everyone Tweets, and not everyone goes online to play video games. Maybe that's going to change, though; maybe the vast majority of gamers will eventually do all those things. And maybe that's why Berger says 3-5 years…
Why does everything have to be social these days? I understand and I could see their use, but why does it fave to be forced on nearly almost everything? Oh well, I'd probably never know the answer.
I see it as free advertising for companies. If they can get there product circulating from person to person on a massive network then it will sale.
I'd rather it stay seperate. If I want to tweet I'll get on Twitter. If I want to interact with my friends I'll get on Facebook. If I want to play games I'll get on my consoles.
Facebook has ruined the lives of 3 people in my family, I hate social networking. I know it's good for gaming, but I just wanna sit and play. F the other players and their pointless stats.
They been hacked?
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 9/28/2011 12:17:53 AM
nope, they just used it as advised and thwump, lives wrecked. I'll just put it this way, there are usually good reasons we no longer associate with people from our pasts. Some doors should stay closed.
I'm with world. I've seen things on Facebook as pathetic as 25-30 year olds, going back and arguing about the way things should have gone on their high school sports team. People don't care 1 year later let alone 10+. I watch two guys who hated each other in High School, continue to hate each other 10 years later. All thanks to facebook.
Oh, and don't forget the 10 or so other people that knew them in highschool also get involved on the 50+ commented on wall post… Those guys don't even live in the same province anymore. If facebook didn't exist, they would have still remained forgotten with one another.
As for me, I cut my friends list down from 500 to just under 50 about 3 months ago… because that almost 50 people (about 25 or so are family) are the only people I actually want to be in contact with. Screw the other 450 I'll never talk to again. (nor want to)
Social networking began as a professional networking tool… which is appropriate. This social networking is a giant wart on an already disheveled face.
Well I only use facebook for my love 1's who live in the US and don't live in the US. Other than that, I keep in touch with my close friends in another way.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 9/28/2011 2:12:32 PM
… But you guys, you'll find such arguing regardless of Facebook! If anything, with Facebook it's as easy as it ever was to avoid annoying people. If you *want* to argue with them you can, and lord knows many enjoy confrontations. Just look at some individuals on this site…
… But if you don't want that, in Facebook you just ignore them and put them off your list (if they ever were added), and hey presto you'll never see from them again.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/29/2011 1:27:12 AM
Yeah, I'm dying to see the Facebook pages of teen farts who need to cheat in Call Of Duty games. I don't have a problem with Social Networking but like World, I, too, just wanna sit down and play.
Facebook isn't all bad. For me it's just a tool to get photos out there and plan parties. It's also great for indie bands 😉
Since I don't play anything online except one-on-one fighters this shouldn't affect me, but man. This is ridiculous.
i don't need need social networking in games, people still love the single player campaigns, i think social networking shud be limited to only connecting with ur friends, and not strangers invading ur privacy.
Last edited by AshT on 9/28/2011 1:13:23 AM
By far most games are doing that already, you can set up the game session as "private" meaning only friends can connect to your game.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/28/2011 4:10:24 AM
I hate online social crap- that's why I'm posting here 😉
LOL – omg, that's so bullseye it hurts.
A bunch of people sitting online posting messages to eachother on how they hate social networking. Priceless comment. 😀
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/28/2011 4:09:03 AM
Except this isn't social networking. We are all anonymous and aside from a shared interest in gaming, we have no ties to one another.
That's not social networking. It's not even networking.
Networking, especially is the professional realm, involves having contacts and names. It's a way to know your resources.
This site is just news via one source and comments. It's lacking almost everything necessary to be considered networking. (Take it from a guy who once a week for the last 2 years runs a networking workshop)
What's the practical difference between posting comments on Facebook and here, really. It's basically the same kind of socializing between web users? If psxe had a community page on Facebook we would do exactly the same there. Anynomity can't be an issue, Facebook is one of the few sites where we are *not* anonymous, practically everywhere else we use nick names.
By your definition even twitter is not social networking cause the users are anonymous (or – can be)?
Many on my psn list are from here. We chat, argue, share stuff and get friends (and enemies) on this site. If this isn't social, and if it isn't networking, then what is. On a very basic level, sure, but still.
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/28/2011 9:04:16 AM
That's it there. On a very basic level, maybe.
But it really isn't networking. Not really.
If it was just a page on Facebook, that's not necessarily networking either. Especially it the only thing in common is receiving information from one particular source. It may generate discussion, but it isn't networking because it's only comments and opinions.
Simply communicating isn't what networking is.
The definition of social networking is, admittedly, extremely loose in comparison to what actual networking is. Networking is meant to create contacts that contribute to each others cause. This site isn't a network of varying contributions, because the only service involved is Ben as the sole provider, and we only discuss what is brought up.
You could make an argument for this site being a social committee, as a committee is a group of individuals coming together over one particular issue.
But networking implies a vast number of reasons.
Sure you may network with some members by becoming PSN friends, sharing information, assisting each other on various goals in game, and more, but that's because you chose to network with them. It is not because this site is a networking site.
Does that kinda make sense?
Last edited by Underdog15 on 9/28/2011 11:29:20 AM
I do follow your logic and see what you mean. You are probably right.
But it's not just Ben contributing here, is it? Very often the topics are just as much set by community members than by Ben or any other writer?
Most every news articles Ben write I could have just as well gotten from almost any other gaming site. That's not why I return here every day!
It's the rest of the guys; you, World, High, Clam, Pontiac, Dance, Qbex, Lawless, Fane, Claire – oh christ I've started something I can't possibly manage to finish – Alien, Excel, OldOne, Biker – omg I am doomed to forget someone here – Kirou, Big, LV, Jawk, obviously mr underline, and newcomers like Warrior Poet, PSdode, Trophy, leatherface – ok I give up SORRY to those of you I should have mentioned here, it's too big a crowd. 😀
Anyways… YOU guys are the main attraction here (plus a bunch I've forgotten to mention)!
Last edited by Beamboom on 9/28/2011 1:58:15 PM
i dont see the point in it, but eh i guess you cant fight the trends.
the game is all that matters, social additions and stats monitoring is nice, but really irrelevant to me.
i could not care less who of my friends is playing what, or how many kills with each gun i had achieved!
I don't know why, but everything related to Activision sound to me like: "Give me your money"
I disagree with this dude. And I also want to point out that many people at this site "called it" on it not always being free to play CoD.
Why does everything have to be social in gaming? Granted, I do enjoy connecting online with friends I haven't seen in months, or even years. Including the groomsman I had for my wedding. 2 of my groomsman live in the same city as me, but the other two, and 2 others I would consider extremely close, live thousands of kilometers away from me.
But -MOST- of the time… I game as a getaway. I counsel youth for a living… I volunteer for a couple things… I sit on committees… I play a couple sports…
I spend most of my life being social… when I get home and sit down in front of my tv with a controller in hand… the last thing I want to do is be social. It's the only part of my day besides sleeping when I get to be with my second favorite person…. me.
Having seen the Elita Beta, gotta say, it's just too gimmicky. They don't have anything on Elite that I shouldn't be able to find on my game (re; stats). The hardened edition of COD, which includes membership to Elite isn't selling because of ELITE, it's selling because people want the DLC. Personally, I don't see ELITE becoming the new benchmark for social gaming…it seems just as gimmicky as 3D.
Yeah. I only play with friends when I play CoD, so I'll just ask them (some are getting elite) to tell me what my stats are. lol