The Value of Change
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
“Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
-Conrad Hilton
There are many personal and public spaces in Home; we are all well aware of that. Some public ones have come and gone, and some have stayed for the long haul.
There is something about those public spaces that have stayed that has either grabbed our imagination or our hearts. The MuiMui Ship is a good example of that, so are Midway and the bowling alley. All of these have stayed basically the same, yet still get quite a bit of traffic; probably because their original content is based largely on the mini-games they offer.
Then there are spaces that no longer get used much, if at all. Quite a few of these exist – Namco Theatre, and ModNation to name a couple. They sit there, barely used and unless something changes, they will remain that way.
Empty and forgotten?
What is the value of change? What does it take for a developer to decide to do something to change their public – or even in some cases private – spaces?
There has to be reasoning behind it, just like there has to be a reason why some choose not to do it at all. It probably has to do with how popular the space was in the beginning, though who knows if that is truly the case, as ModNation was a very popular place at the start. I remember going there and having serious lag issues because of the traffic there playing the game. It was probably meant to be a short time promotion for the game, but it is still here long after the game has been out; unless they plan to never create another version or game.
Perhaps it is more about the numbers that the place sustains; if it is a flash in the pan, do the developers basically abandon it and move on?
For some that might be true, but why? If a developer wants to sustain interest in a space they have created in Home – at some good sized cost to them, I imagine – why not offer up a few changes every now and then?
Every time there is a change people take notice. Even if it isn’t broadcast on the opening screen before you go into Home, people will find out through word of mouth and flock there to see what’s new. This in turn brings renewed attention to the game it is about, or the company that created it.
Renewed and revived
How much can it cost to add something to an existing space to bring it back to life? It certainly can’t be as much as it cost in the first place.
It likely cost Loot a bit to add the day to night cycles to their Amaterasu Yacht, but until they transformed it into the Sunset Yacht, I didn’t buy it. That change, though probably more complex and expensive than some, probably boosted the sales of that commodity and made that decision worthwhile to them; it certainly did to me as a consumer. And they’ve done more changes to it recently, as one of the common complaints about the space was its harsh shading, which has now been removed.
They also update their Space Station public space and EOD occasionally with new video content and have events, like when the last space shuttle was happening.
There are some developers who have jumped on the virtual bandwagon with this idea. Loot has done it, Hellfire has done it with their Novus Prime space, and now we have the Lockwood Publishing Showcase concept. This has raised the bar as far as public venues go. It started with their more basic lines of goods, and has for a few weeks graduated to a whole Halloween themed area that includes the offerings from their gift machine. They have made it one of the most popular spaces in Home in a few short weeks because of the changes and the nice reward system they have instilled there, and as long as they continue doing this it will remain so.
Constant change
The first time that Lockwood Publishing Showcase appeared in Home they advertised it on the opening screen under new spaces, like what is done with every new space. But this time they didn’t say a thing about the changes they had made, yet the space quickly filled up as people went and told their friends about the rewards offered there. I make it a habit to broadcast the news about these kinds of things to my friends and anyone I meet with them, as do many others. They even have an unopened area in the Showcase called the Runway that promises even more new content.
The gift machine that Lockwood offers is another example of constant change, and this is a change we all have to actually pay something for. Yet the sale of tokens for the machine has been in the top five since it was reinvented a couple months ago. This is not only because it allows us to gift our friends with cool stuff, it is because they are consistently changing and adding to the goods available in the machine. They also added some nice features to the machine itself, like being able to create a wishlist so your friends can see what you want from the gifts there (if you remember to make one). Lockwood has proven themselves to be a true leader in Home by adding to all of their existing spaces on a consistent basis, Sodium2 is another example of this.
All of these changing factors have led to the boost in the sales they have seen, both in the public spaces and in the gift machine tokens. This is the value of change. It has to be making them money or they wouldn’t be doing it. So why don’t some of the developers who have the now unused places in Home jump on the bandwagon, too?
Sony knows the value of change; they showed us this by changing the entire face of Home with the Hub and its accompanying public spaces. The development of these new areas and the games they have included in them has to have cost them a great deal, yet they did this to maintain and grow their client base. It is going to be an overwhelming success, and therefore well worth the effort. There are of course other changes they could do to improve existing spaces, but I believe that they get the fact that this is needed to continue attracting new people and retain older ones.
If you want to maintain a client base in Home or outside of it, you need to update the material available to them. Disk based games – and even downloaded ones – have proven this time and again. Red Dead Redemption is a great example of this; by adding new downloadable content for free, they have revitalized a game that has been around for a long time already. Even if it means that some people will buy it used, therefore not creating new revenue for RockStar, they still offer it because they know that doing this has created some new customers and also kept their current customers happy while they wait for the next new game offering.
If developers in Home did this, the results would be the same; people like a company that gives back to its customers – I know that I do. Updating a public or private space in Home is a good way to increase your client base and introduce people who may have never even considered purchasing your game a look at it. Even if the game has been around for awhile, you will add to your future customer base. Lockwood proved this when they opened the public Salt Shooter game and its associated rewards. I went to play it and see what it was about, and got hooked and bought the game for the first time.
So what is the value of change? All of Homes developers both current and future need to think about this and decide if they are going to be in the forefront of what is to come in Home or be forgotten and left in the dust.
November 22nd, 2011 by Burbie52 | 7 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
Yes I agree!!!, changes are needed in order to keep things fresh and interesting, If only other developers would realize that then it will certainly reward them with renewed and constant client base who would be more than willing to purchase and use their products and services.
It is the spaces that have interesting content and are updated from time to time, like Aurora, Lockwood and Novus Prime that keeps me coming back. But as you said too a space must be fun and interactive with rewards to remain popular, like Hudson and the Mui ship. So first it must be fun and interact space and then updates offers something new and fresh to those that have completed everything in the space.
Audi has a great formula in the EU. They certainly deserve looking at by other developers and the community at large. They continually update content and as a result the spaces are still very popular.
Great mini-games at their spaces does a lot to help with continued interest as well.
Would be nice if Audi choose to come to North America.
I agree Audi and its accompanying spaces would be a welcome addition to NA Home. Maybe an American car company can put a more permanent space here like they did in EU? (hint, hint).
This is great , i love home and i hope they update more . i love the gift thing its great keep adding more kool stuff . I wish they would update SOCOM CONFRONTATION , its like most mens fav game . not sice that game gets your heart pumping like that game , but the last 6m its ben my blood prsure from cheaters that laugh at sony ,saing easy hack . if i was playstation i d put a stop to wimpy brats haveing there dad hacking playstation for cheat s and band playstations instead of acconts ,the 250 dollor lost would tech them i think . I have 5 playstations and we dont cheat , i like trophys . but back to home .keep up the good work you know you got my money on home and games .and my car sony your the best .loving the new saints row . ohh and can we ever watch netflex tooo on home i love that idea my friends and i can chill and watch movies and tv , like i said love you sony . THANKS everyone!!!
My problem is change for changes sake. RDR isnt the only game company to provide DLC. Most games have this now. This idea that Home is now a game concerns me… if the choice is to play a game on Home or hop into Borderlands, Burnout Paradise, Red Dead Redemption, Uncharted (list goes on ad nauseum)… I’m afraid I’m not going to be a visitor of Home too often.
Change is only valuable is value is added with the change.
I understand what Burbie is talking about …The other night I wandered into the XI museum….TALK ABOUT GHOST TOWN! I REMEMBER SEEING LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THERE AT ONE TIME!…It is truly sad…