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I hesitate to post this here, and thought about posting it on my computer games related blog, but it has such value to the business minded among us, I thought I’d share it with the marketing folks too (of course, altering it greatly to avoid duplicate content).

Online Gaming is Dead! And perhaps your answer is, so what?

Maybe you never play online games, simply don’t get them, or simply don’t care. But there are many reasons you should. When I ran a computer game company, the people next door were making Meridian 59, arguably one of the first serious online multiplayer games. It was a great game. A multiplayer “Ultima Online”. Since then, there’s been a slew, EverQuest being the best known. Even at the time of Meridian 59, there were people whom were trying to figure out how to tie real world money into game items. How to allow people to spend real cash, to further their game lives. That was over a decade ago.

Now, that concept, of spending real money to further game objectives is commonplace, and getting worse. It’s mind boggling to think about, but just today, I actually spent money (additional money) to further my game objective (in Lords of Ultima) of building a computerized empire. That’s right, rather than work on my own real-world “gazillions” making business Empire, I spent money to “play” a game.  If it continually costs money to progress in a “game”, can you really even call it a game?

That’s a real problem. Because, regardless of what all the millions of game players out their think, they are not “playing anything”. These games aren’t games. Mafia Wars, Farmville, and it’s slew of ilk are not games! They are scientifically calculated money-sucking algorithms to get people, on a psychological and emotional level, to fork out cash.

And yes, I just did it too. Wow!  It’s like gambling … but bigger. Creepier … and even more insidious, hiding behind the thin veneer of a “game” on your console, computer or TV Screen. How did they get me? Back when there were actual “games”, I played one, and grew up on one, called “Ultima”. This series of role playing games were some of the first of their kind, and I spent many fun filled days lost in their stories.  I did not have to pay money to continue playing, or to find out how the story progressed, or to aid my character in staying alive, or to further any in-game objectives. I simply play-ed …

It seems like those days are all but gone, as online social gaming becomes more and more popular, and PC gaming becomes less and less. How long until social gaming truly devours our next generation consoles machines? Would you spend an extra $1 to beat the hell out of your friend in a racing game, a shooter, and the grandaddy “Sims” style games? I’m betting a lot of us might, and so are a lot of major gaming companies.

But hold on, this all might be interesting, but isn’t this a marketing blog? I mean, “hey, I’m sorry you just spent $50 to buy yourself a better fantasy castle, in your fantasy city empire building computer game, but what does that have to do with me”?  Well, perhaps more than you think!

As this has become so mainstream, big and small (yes, small) brands are using social gaming as a way to reach out, and addict, prospective customers and clients. In fact, walking around Adtech, I even bumped into one of these game companies - with hundreds of games.  The psychological triggers these games employ, and their widespread acceptance, provides an enormous amount of actionable data to would-be marketers on how to sell.

I wouldn’t have believed it. If you haven’t booted one of these games up, perhaps now is the time? I downloaded several to my IPad unknowingly, thinking they were just regular strategy games, and was amazed at how they weaved in the concept of using real money to purchase items in the game. You owe it to yourself to see what’s happening out there to the younger generation!  This is a total disaster for gaming …

And I say younger generation with great sorrow - as they will likely never know the simplicity and fun of the way games used to be - prior to them becoming disguised ATM machines with the purpose of getting money out of you in the guise of accomplishing more in the game. I feel like my dad, when I say, “back in my day, we didn’t pay to win a video game … we simply played them well”.

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Ok, yes, I tried this service, and I wanted to provide my personal usocial review, for my followers, so they can learn from my experiences. I buy so much stuff… really. I’m a sucker for a solid sales pitch. That being said, a few of those sales pitches have panned out and made me an internet marketing guru, so no complaints.

What you need to know … is who the hell is valuing a facebook fan at $3.60? Really? Is that what the populist thoughts are? Is that what the crazy corporate world is willing to pay? Because let me tell you, Metric wise, and ROI wise, I would rate them worth a few cents at best. Nowhere near the ROI of a controlled medium.

Not to devalue their worth, but they are a small part of my marketing muscle (and I recommend the same for you), and while I’m quite the facebook “fan”, and believe they are going to take over the world with their new “like” button (more on that later), there’s no way a facebook fan is worth that much to me. And yes, I have several facebook pages that are large … Of course, I no longer have Fans - I have people that “Like” me. And that’s a great change, but still, no way I’m giving my “likes” that much value.

However, let’s get to the Uscocial Review, and my personal experiences. Far be it from me to take everyone else’s word for it, as the web is strewn with awful reviews for this service, I had to try it myself.

Being MarketingCrazy, I didn’t try their smallest package. Oh no, I tried their largest package. Let me give you stats …

After 2 Months

After 20+ Emails

After 6 Responses

After 4 Broken Dates and Promises

I haven’t gotten a single “fan”, or a single “like”. Um, did they just take my money and actually not give me anything return, and stop answering my emails? Yes, yes they did. Seems crazy right? But that’s what happened to me. They simply took the money, and stopped responding, and did no work.

So, while I’d love to say something positive, there was not a single positive experience I had with this company. That’s too bad. Beware my experiences, or be doomed to repeat them. I hope I save you a clean $1000 by telling you what happened.

Good Luck, I’m off to get scammed again - as my public service, just to keep you in the know. And that’s my Usocial Review.  Man, that’s like 3 times this year … I’m on a roll.

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Why am I here? No, really, why am I here.

Right before attending the 12,000 person Adtech conference in San Francisco, and shortly after being shut down for an invite to the Moss Networks vip party (that’s right, Moss Networks told me “No Thanks”, as my search continues for a good small business PR firm), I was about to ask myself that question, as I was beaten to the punch by my uber-breakfast companion. Note: the companion was not uber, the breakfast was.

We sat eating a massive breakfast in the Ferry building at 11am (as we so often do), and he asked me, why the hell are you going to ADtech. I had to stop and ponder for a few moments as my late-night-salsa-dance addled brain took it’s time to get into business mode.

Why was I going to another advertising conference? I had just returned from the Underground online seminar, where I was surrounded by 500 similarly motivated, and equally successful go-getting “Basement Empire” multi millionaires, and now I’m going to a 12,000 person pitch-fest of yearly salaries, corporate cubes and 9-5′ers. What was I thinking …

I smoothly explained, after yet another cup of black-oil like coffee, that these conferences are at two ends of my business spectrum. These two styles of events are important for very different reasons.

The first type of conference is for internet marketers. This is where I’m at home. Surrounded by other people building internet empires from their basement. No commutes, few employees, but a real understanding of the small business world on the internet. We “get it”. We make enormous sums of money, doing what we love, and working how we want. I go to these conferences to feel at home, and be surrounded by people that are like myself.  That’s why I’m going to the San Diego event in May (and yes, there are TWO San Diego internet marketing events in May)

Adtech is the other end of the spectrum. I doubt that many, if any, baseline bedroom internet marketers really attend. This is the corporate world, and I come here to make sure I don’t lose all touch with the common and prevailing mindsets. This is where the kool-aid gets digested and disseminated. This is where the breadth of the advertising world gets, and makes, its money.  It’s intregral for me to be here - not to stay on the cutting edge, but to make sure I’m not so far out on the edge that I lose grounding, and thus lose touch with the masses.

Wow, now that I write it down, it doesn’t come off all that well, but you have to remember, it was 11am in the morning, after 3 hours of sleep, and I was about to enter a sell-sell-sell expo floor crammed with pushy people, suits, booth babes, and endless corporate hucksters. Honestly, a scarier proposition there never was …

Three Reasons to be here:

1) Small: To Stay on the Cutting Edge,  Big: To Stay Connected to the Masses

2) Both: To Learn about prevailing marketing mindsets and moods

3) Big: To test my patience (mettle) being hounded on the expo floor … and see what people spent display money on.

Yes, I have to be here. Yes, I have to stay connected to all internet marketing, in all its facets. This is a huge event, and I was surprised by the companies that were here, and more surprised by the companies that were absent.

Does anything here really have an immediate effect on my business? Probably not …

Am I learning? Yes, yes, I am.

Do I wish I had blown off ADtech and gone to see “Kick-Ass” with my friend? What do you think?

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Ok, so, first, check out MarketingCrazy Minute, my internet marketng video blog, for my video review (coming tomorrow), but I wanted to briefly talk about my IPad, and why I love it, hate it, and can’t wait for the 3G version.

Ok, first off. I love this thing. I have downloaded great games (Flight Control, Mirrors Edge), great productivity software (Mind Mapping ,Wordpress, things, post it notes), and great utilities (1password). I love it for it’s implementation of great web surfing, internet email, and general blog reading, news, etc … It’s awesome, and yes, you hould have one.  The one feature that’s never talked about, but is my most requested feature in over 20 years (yes, I’ve been talking about this computer feature for 20 years), is “Instant On”. The Ipad is instant on! Why no one else talks about this is beyond me. It’s a huge deal! Pick it up, and you are instantly “using” it.  There’s no waiting 2 minutes for the thing to be ready …

However, that being said, I’m waiting for the 3G (I’m giving my current one’s away), since today’s walk through San Francisco posed serious problems to my IPad connectivity. In fact, I could not find a single cafe (on 5 stops), where I could connect easily. Yes, I stopped at five cafes on my five mile walk to the Ferry Building - is there any other way to walk that far?

The IPad shines when its on the internet, and is merely passable fun when it’s not. To have an IPad and NOT have always on connectivity seems like  a waste.  I think ith 3G, it will shine on these little walks through the city. That being said, the WIFI version I have never seems to get (and be able to keep) a strong wireless connection. Not sure why that is - but Apple is aware of it, and hopefully it is just a software fix away.

I freely admit, I was greatly dissapointed on my walk with the IPad due to not being able to connect to the internet (an activity that I seemingly have to do everything thirty minutes or less). Drawing comparisons to the Lost episode, where the hatch guy has to push the button to stop the world from ending - that’s the way I feel about checking email. I need help, I know …

I really had problems, even at locations that HAD internet connectivity - I had trouble accessing it reliably.  Of course, as noted in other places around the net, when the device sleeps, it seems to always lose internet connectivity, and you have to reset the wireless connection.

I’ll be posting my top 10 IPad apps shortly.  I know you’re on pins and needles waiting.  For now, here’s my top 5 current uses:

1) IPads On myLap, instead of my laptop, while watching TV

2) Playing Flight Control (and Mirrors Edge…)

3) Checking and updating Email, and Facebook

4) Mind Mapping new projects

5) Buying New Apps (yes, that’s a use, right?).

Ok, I’m addicted … I admit it.  Wait for the 3G - don’t say I didn’t tell ya’.