GAMES | Roman Nouzareth | Boonty | CAFE.COM

I'm a Cave Man

Videogames feed your inner cavemen, says report

By James Sherwood

Men now have a proper excuse for spending hours glued to a games console, thanks to new research which has concluded that videogames force blokes to revert to their caveman roots.

Allan Reiss, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science at Stanford University, US recently hooked a group of men and women up to an MRI scanner whilst playing a videogame where the aim was to win virtual territory.

Although the study found that the mesocorticolimbic area of the brain – which is associated with reward and addiction – became stimulated in both sexes during gameplay, the effect on men was more intense.

For example, male brains displayed higher levels of activity as they progressed through the videogame and won more territory. The study concluded that male brains are simply hardwired to conquer and dominate, which could be the result of our caveman days spent fending off sabre-toothed tigers and rival cave-dwellers.

Professor Reiss said that men are more likely to feel some sense of reward by ‘succeeding’ in videogames. “These gender differences might help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become “hooked” on, videogames than females,” he added.

LTV

Very goo post from Andrew Chen about the customer Life Time Value

LTV for retail sites versus social sites
For retail sites, the calculation of LTV is pretty clear. In plain English, you might define it as:

The stream of all previous and future profits that a user generates from their purchases

So for a given user, you'd add up all their previous transactions and then add that to whatever model you've created about their likely future transactions. Part of what makes this work is that:

Transactions in a retail setting are unambiguous
Each individual makes an isolated impact on the system, in the form of a transaction
Retail buying has a long established history of data, both online and offline

Continue reading the article

Social sites help casualgames reach the next level

Very nice article about our free online games site cafe.com

"Cafe.com features drawing game Sketch-It!, along with the more traditional Concentration and Sudoku; players can buy game "boosts" and outfit "Mini-Me" avatars.
[...]
One of the games on new Cafe.com, Sketch-It! is a cross between Etch A Sketch and Charades. Players must get competitors to guess a secret word by drawing the object using a palette of colors. Newcomers get 10,000 Cafe coins (virtual currency) to outfit their "Mini-Me" or to use during games as "boosts.""

Read the full article

Mahjong Wars: cafe.com whups pogo

Man, what are they thinking over at Pogo.com?

I just can’t get into their Mahjong games. Literally. Oh don’t get me wrong, at my friends’ behest I really, really tried, but it’s like they want you to give up in frustration. For starters, the best version of it isn’t even available to everyone… you have to be a paying VIP.

Oh well, they’ve got bunches of others, I’ll just try one of them right? Oh, too bad, can’t play it in Firefox, so now I have to load up Internet Explorer (ew). Can you say inconvenient? On to the game! Wait, no… oh look, IE needs to install software to play the game… and the browser’s security protocols are blocking its own download. Great. The game better be worth all this trouble.

And meanwhile, I especially love the little add screaming “hello” at me every time my mouse passes near it. Not. Ok, forget in-browser, I’ll just try the downloadable version.

Finally, I’m playing. Ok, lots of layouts, pretty graphics, not bad…not bad… but jeez, can you say “boring”? And way too easy.

That’s it, I give up. I’m going back to Cafe.com. The Mahjong there is just a lot more challenging … I just click and play. Don’t even have to be a member!

Stumble It!

Cafe.com reviews

2 nice reviews over the week end about cafe.com

Casual Gamer Chick: "Casual gaming shouldn’t resemble walking into a car dealership, free casual games are not nagware and shouldn’t be in your face. This is the number one reason we have to recommend Cafe.com as a place to stop by and game. Give us quality casual games without the harassment and we’ll stay around to play."

and

Casualgaming.biz: "Social gaming portal Café.com believes it CafeCoins micro-transaction system has pioneered an Asian business model in the West – and is having winning results"

We love to hear comments about our free online games site. We are working to achieve perfection, it's not easy but we are passionate about what we are doing, so go for it and thank you for your support!

Some people never believe...until it arrives...

Erin from PlayGirlz is making a good statement while saying "Still convinced, like a recently thawed ice man thrust into a new and scary world, that online gaming and subscription based pay systems will never be a) accepted by players or b) profitable for game makers? Well has The NPD Group got news for you!"

I think it's easier for some people to be skeptical about things they don't know (or understand). I remember when I created my first internet company in France back in 1995, I met with people telling me that internet will never work in Europe because it's an "American behavior". When we started to sell casual games at a $20 price point, I found some people laughing. When I arrived in the US 4 years ago to start Boonty, I met with some people telling me that SMS will never work in the US because it's a "north european and asian usage only"... and I could go on...

I'm not trying to say I'm more clever than anyone (I've made some mistakes too - like at the launch of Google, I told anyone it will never work because of the Yahoo! domination... - and I will make some in the future for sure) but sometimes, the market is sending signs that something will happen, and it's better to see that before than after.

Indeed, the NPD study shows than online gaming subscriptions will exceed $1 billion annually. And this is NOT including Digital Distribution nor online subscription sales (??? not online subscription sales?? strange... but this is another story).

Anyway, revenues are mostly coming from MMO (WoW, RuneScape,...) and from the simple, even if by subscription, try before you buy model (Realarcade, Pogo, Gametap, ...). I believed in this model since 2001 when my brother and me started Boonty.

Tomorrow, I believe it's gonna be much more casual, social and multiplayer. It's gonna be free to play and people will pay for value with micro-transaction (following successful models from China, Korea or Japan and already in Europe or the US).

And more important, the market size will not be $1 billion or $2 billion! Everyone knows it's gonna be bigger than the whole video game industry today ($35 billion) because casual gaming, simply put, means more gamers...

Yes!! Off course! This is what our free online games site Cafe.com is doing! I believed of the success of this model before, I believe it is working today and I believe it will be huge in the coming years. One thing is sure, I'm not looking for it, I'm doing it!

May 11 is Mother's Day

Hey all you good little boys and girls, don't forget, Sunday May 11 is Mothers Day! But you all knew that, and have already made plans with your mom, right? Of course you did! I'm taking mine on a picnic in Central Park, with all her favorite wine and cheeses and little treats. Hope it doesn't rain! If it does, we're going to stay in and have ourselves a little Mahjong contest at Cafe.com.

Speaking of which; along with flowers, chocolates, and a trip to the spa, what better way to show your appreciation to the woman who brought you into this world (and didn't take you out of it despite her threats) then to get mom in on the games at Cafe.com? Show her some love with 5,000 free cafecoins she can use for boosts, Minime customization, and other nifty things. Just enter the invitation code "mom" when registering an account, or by going to the Shop and clicking "Claim Coupon".

Happy Mothers Day! And hey - don't slouch! Did you wash behind your ears? Don't sit so close to the computer screen, and eat your vegetables! And...

From blog.cafe.com

Technorati Tags: Cafe.com, Free Games, Free online games

Inflation Blues Got You Down? How About a Free Social Cup Of Casual Gaming?

NY, NY, May 7, 2008 -- Cafe.com, the social gaming site that offers casual gamers a place to Play, Win, Meet and have fun, is proving itself to be recession-proof in these challenging times with an always free-to-play strategy that continues to defy the U.S. economy. While the cost for real-world goods, like gasoline, bread, pasta, milk and other essentials continue to rise, Cafe’s single and multi-player casual games, provide hours of free family-friendly entertainment.

CEO Roman Nouzareth points to the viral nature of Cafe.com’s social networking platform that has helped fuel its rapid growth since its launch last month. The site offers close to 50 quality free online games with easy ways for members to invite their friends, importing contacts from email and social networks. New members in turn, invite their friends, and so on. And, according to Mr. Nouzareth, they’re not attracting the typical male-dominated action shoot-em-up youth market. “Our demographics mirror the larger casual gaming sector, with a highly-educated, decidedly female skew and an average median age of 35,” explained Nouzareth.

”Our formula is quality online games + social networking + free = success,” continued Nouzareth. “It’s like opening a bagel store, serving free bagels and coffee, and encouraging the patrons to socialize with one another. A true win-win for everyone,” he added.

With its new games web site, Cafe.com hopes to make micro-transactions and rich-media advertising the standard business model for online gaming moving forward. And the company is putting it’s money where it’s mouth is, literally, by giving away 10,000 CafeCoins to each new member as our way to combat the economic blues.

In fact, Cafe.com’s internal economy, based on its CafeCoins, is thriving within the social gaming community, as members are spending their virtual coins on everything from special powers within games, called “game boosts,” to new clothing and accessories for their 3D MiniMe personas. Who says you can’t buy a personality? In Cafe.com, you can even spend your coins on emotive expressions, athletic movements and other virtual personality enhancements for your MiniMe to really stand out in a crowd.

“Micro-transactions have become mainstream in Asia, where S. Korean multi-player games like Kart Rider and Chinese gaming portal QQ have reaped tremendous returns. With CafeCoins, members can purchase special powers and other in- and around-game virtual items that make Cafe.com one of the first social gaming sites in the U.S. to adopt a micro-transactional business model and it’s catching on in a big way with gamers of all skill levels,” Nouzareth noted.

About Cafe.com
Cafe.com combines the best elements of Web 2.0 social networking combined with the competitive aspects of top-rated single and multi-player games. The site is more than just a game for its developer, leading casual games platform provider Boonty Inc. The company has been involved in the creation, distribution and marketing of casual online games since 2001 and is largely responsible for the success of the try-before-you-buy downloadable games business model.

About Boonty
Boonty is one of the largest casual games platforms in the world, operating in more than 25 countries. Since its launch in 2001, the company’s customized end-to-end solutions have been implemented by major publishers, Internet portals, ISPs, mobile phone operators, advertisers, Internet communities, and PC manufacturers globally. Boonty has offices in New York, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, and Beijing.

Additional Resources:

• Video on You Tube: Youtube.com/CafeGames
• Pictures on Flickr: Flickr.com/cafegames
• Free Online Games at Cafe.com: Cafe.com

Technorati Tags: boonty, Cafe.com, Roman Nouzareth

Happy Cinco de Mayo

There's nothing Cafe.com loves more than a celebration, that's why we're happy to join in the festivities and wish everyone a happy Cinco de Mayo! Today commemorates the triumph of Mexican forces over French invaders at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. A day to remember to be sure, but don't get it confused with Mexican Independence day: That doesn't roll around until September.

The traditional way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Food, drink, and dance! So grab an empanada, mix up some margaritas, strike up a samba and dance the night away! And if you get tired, gather up your friends and move it on over to Cafe.com, where the party's always happening!

(If you'd like to learn more about the history of Cinco de Mayo, check out this wikipedia entry)

Government is violence (we are lucky)

People are marching in the street in front of my office on Broadway. They are fighting against the government (signs say that "government is violence"). I don't know exactly what they are trying to achieve here but it made me think that we are damn lucky to be in the right side of the world.

Yesterday, I was watching Persepolis (great movie, watch it), which is talking about repression during the war and revolution in Iran. I'm also thinking about this Egyptian girl who seamed to have disappeared for 16 days after creating a group on facebook and, unfortunately, I could find tons of other stories like that. I know it's sound cheesy... but yeah, we are spoiled here...