Why Do We Miss Central Plaza?
“When Cortez reached the New World, he burned his ships. As a result, his men were well motivated.”
–Sean Connery, The Hunt For Red October
When the Hub first came out, Jersquall asked me on an episode of The Upload whether or not it was a good idea for Central Plaza to be removed.
I said yes. And I stand by that assertion. From a business standpoint, it makes perfect sense: Sony had spent a small fortune over multiple years to piece the Hub together, and the PR blitz was that this would be the new face of Home. So the old plaza had to be removed — not just relegated to some corner of Home, but removed, in order to drive the point that there was a new dawn in Home, and that was that.
The same thing happens in the real world. One resort developer I worked for, which specialized in luxury fractional residences, had a very specific product format it offered. For years, we knew that a new product format was in the works which was completely different. We represented the old format up to the very last moment; and then, when the new one was introduced, we immediately switched gears and represented the new one as The Way Things Should Be.
That’s how it goes in business.
Here’s the catch, though: there are some people who really, honestly have a strong attachment to not just Central Plaza, but what it represented. And this made me wonder why.
“You are never so revered as when you are safely and conveniently dead,” Joe Straczynski once wrote. And perhaps there’s some truth to that when reflecting upon the plaza. When it was around, there was no shortage of people — myself included — who spoke very poorly of it. It was a congregation point for imbeciles, trolls, and every other form of misbehavior you’ve seen in Home. Worse, as a result of this, it often left a less than stellar first impression of Home in the minds of first-time users. I personally avoided Central Plaza like Father Damien’s leper colony; the background scenery was nice, but there was just too much contagion for me to spend any time there.
Here’s the thing, though: the background scenery was quite nice, indeed. Recall the first time you set foot in Central Plaza. The sense of awe. Of wonder. The idea that you could just…walk around. That it was a living, breathing world. The scenery, the sound design, everything: it all lent itself to a relaxed pace which encouraged socialization.
Of course, then you attempted to socialize and most likely ended up being sexually harassed, recruited into a “fam” or told to take your noob threads and asterisk off. Which brings me to a somewhat controversial point:
Sony didn’t kill Central Plaza. We did.
HomeStation’s biggest criticism of Home, from day one, has never been directed at the people who create it — but rather the people who inhabit it. Home, as originally conceived, was designed as a social network for gamers. But there’s a catch:
“We discovered that if you put a lot of gamers in a room together and tell them to get to know each other, they don’t necessarily do that. But if you put them together and give them a game, they play and get to know each other.”
Jack Buser uttered these words on the eve of the Hub being launched. And he was right.
Consider for a moment: how often do you really interact, outside of work, with people who don’t have shared interests with you? Humanity is a tribal species; we gravitate towards people who are like us, who share our interests and tastes. But in Central Plaza, everyone got tossed in together, and left to their own devices. This is already a bit of a problem since Home’s audience is predominantly comprised of male teenagers. And this problem is compounded by the fact that the console isn’t bundled with a keyboard, so unless you come into Home pre-equipped with one, it renders communication nearly impossible.
So now we have a combination of people with limited means of communication and even less to talk about with one another. And this is the first public experience most people had with Home.
Thus, we come now to the Hub.
The Hub, if I’m honest, makes me uncomfortable. Compared to the old plaza, it feels claustrophobic in scope. And the sound design, albeit quite accurate for the setting, adds to the sense of hustle and bustle which I tend to avoid. But my theory is that all of this is by intentional design: Sony doesn’t want me to linger in one spot, wondering what to do next. They want to clearly get me moving — to the games, to the stores, to whatever attraction catches my eye. The one thing that every Home citizen has in common is a shared passion for video gaming, so the Hub is designed to get me towards whatever game I might like the most, in the hopes that I will meet people with shared interests and begin interacting with them.
I have to admit that as someone who’s been in Home for years, I prefer the old plaza. But that’s because I enjoy people watching, I’m in Home for the social scene, and I have the means to easily communicate. Some of my friends in Home, who are of like mind, have a sense that Home lost a key piece of its soul when it introduced the Hub — that by placing storefronts and games front and center, instead of park benches and chirping birds, Home is now too overtly commercial instead of an aesthetically welcoming experience.
To a degree, I sympathize with that sentiment. There’s always a small thrill of excitement, psychologically, upon entering virtual reality once again — but it’s possible that the Hub may have overcompensated for the old plaza’s deficiencies a little too well. Ideally, it should be a space I want to spend time in; if the main core space of Home exists to serve as an overall summary of the Home experience, then the Hub feels like a shopping mall at an amusement park rather than the social center of a living, breathing reality.
At the same time, however, we — all of us — must be cognizant of the fact that we represent a small percentage of the tip of Home’s power-law distribution curve. Were I a new user to Home, with no prior experiences with Central Plaza, how would I feel about emerging into the light of the Hub as my first experience with Home?
Well, frankly, in many respects, the Hub does a far better job of handholding a new user. Games, transporters and stores are all plainly evident. Yes, there’s socialization all around (and for the most part it’s just as juvenile and pathetic as what we all saw in Central Plaza, because changing the scenery doesn’t change the people), but the sound design and the small space lends itself to wanting to get out and explore, rather than stick around and languish.
So, yeah, I get it. I get the method behind the madness. And it makes sense.
But if I’m honest, there are times when I can’t quite shake that feeling of being an orphaned child. Even if I had the ability to choose where to spawn upon entering the Hub, where would I go? With Central Plaza gone, along with Irem’s lovely public spaces, there really isn’t a public space that I can think of which lends itself to just…relaxing, chatting and enjoying the scenery.
It feels like there’s no longer a place in Home built for someone like me.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m still very much enamored with Home. There are plenty of spots I frequent, when I actually have a few minutes to relax and enjoy Home instead of publicizing it. That said, however, while I understand Sony’s strategy of deriving greater revenue and average user session length through gaming attractions — it’s kinda hard to argue with those sales lists, after all, which clearly show a shift towards gaming microtransactions — it is possible that Sony may have overlooked the fact that there is a contingent of users who care little for the gaming, and are willing to spend considerable sums of money if the inherent Home experience itself is sufficiently compelling and enjoyable.
This is why this publication, since its inception, has clamored for improvements to the social experience of Home: because it, too, constitutes a source of revenue generation. And, to be fair, some of what the community has asked for over the years has indeed found its way into core client updates; in many ways, Home is a more versatile experience now than it ever was in the past — and LOOT, in particular, is on the eve of deploying some commodities which will dramatically enhance the social experience of Home.
So, what am I really asking for? After all, we believe here at HomeStation that if you’re going to present a problem, you damned well better be prepared to advocate a solution. Otherwise, you’re just being whiny. And William Shatner doesn’t like whiny brats. They make him angry.
Here’s what I’m recommending.
Give us a park.
No, not a Pier Park — a park. As in Central Park. A public space which has no overtly commercialized reason to exist. Oh sure, it can have one or two commerce points in it, just as the old Central Plaza did. And if you feel compelled to toss in a mini-game, so be it. I’d be happy with the old Saucer Pop, personally. But make the space itself one which is aesthetically relaxing and enjoyable to be in, and serves no function other than to facilitate and promote socialization between citizens.
You might be thinking this is a bit silly. After all, one can socialize nearly anywhere in Home. Why not just go to Indie Park, for instance?
Simple. The focus of that space is the gaming. Same goes for Pier Park and Sportswalk. And before you throw Gamer’s Lounge at me, keep in mind that Gamer’s Lounge is a remarkably unappealing setting: indoors, small, and with no pleasant scenery or background music.
I’m advocating for a space which serves no purpose except to be pleasant to be in. Which is why a park setting comes to mind. Sort of an Irem Square environment, perhaps. It doesn’t have to be the central spawn point for Home users (in fact, I’d prefer that it wasn’t) — it just has to exist.
And I’m recommending this for a very specific reason: because there is a segment of the Home population that’s wired the same way I am, and to some extent that constitutes an economic bloc which may justify, long term, the expense required in developing and deploying a space which serves no purpose other than to make the Home experience itself more pleasant.
Let’s use broadcast television as an example. If advertisers could get away with somehow getting you to sit through nothing but ads, they’d be in heaven. But they can’t. They have to entertain us. So we willingly, in this country, endure eighteen minutes of advertising for forty-two minutes of entertainment.
Home, at the moment, is starting to feel like forty-two minutes of advertising for eighteen minutes of entertainment. And this is the old trap of pushing ads front and center: not only does constant in-your-face marketing desensitize the target audience, but at some point there’s a risk of becoming so focused on what you’re trying to sell that you forget what people are willing to buy.
I completely understand the logic of removing Central Plaza. And if it never returns, so be it. But it sure would be nice to have a relaxed, open-air setting to call Home.
March 16th, 2012 by NorseGamer | 10 comments
NorseGamer is the product manager for LOOT Entertainment at Sony Pictures, as well as the founder and publisher of HomeStation Magazine. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and presently lives in Los Angeles. All opinions expressed in HSM are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sony DADC.
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I really don’t find the marketing in Home that obtrusive. Apart from The Hub and that screen at Pier Park, it’s all presented fairly organically. And The Hub exists to get people moving to the next point. It is not a destination, any more than Grand Central Station is a destination. Maybe you meet someone there and have a coffee while you wait, but once you’ve found whoever you’re looking for, you’re not inclined to stick around.
There are still a couple of great spots to sit and watch avatars roam by in Home. The cafe chairs near the Theater entrance in Pier Park are an ideal spot. The tables outside of the Sportswalk bar would also be ideal, if they’d turn off or turn down the music that blares over them. Aurora and the Lockwood Publishing Showcase also offer some excellent spots for those who want to have a seat and see who stops by.
This park suggestion is doomed to fail, for the same reason that Central Plaza was doomed to fail. If there’s nothing to do in a space, people will find their own entertainment, which usually involves harassing someone or glitching something. When spaces have a purpose, either to promote a game or a developer, they become an immediate turnoff to those who dislike that game or developer, which shaves back the troll population by a bit.
It’s certainly not bulletproof--Playground has games and a dance area and still contributes no shortage of drama. The same holds true for Siren, but most of that space’s problems could be fixed by putting a proper queue system on the game.
Ultimately, you have to respond to what the users are telling you. In the case of generic, purposeless spaces like the old Central Plaza, the users have told the rest of the community that these spaces are a place to troll and harass. That’s a sad commentary on the way that far too many people behave, but it’s also something that a smart designer will respect.
In this regard, The Hub is brilliant. You can’t really be anywhere in the main part of it without feeling like you’re in the way of something, which encourages people to use what’s there or loiter elsewhere. Moving the dance floor to the outside area gives the trolls a place to operate away from more civilized users, as opposed to the old Central Plaza design, which encouraged free-range trolling.
Do I miss Central Plaza? Of course. For all of its faults, it could be a fun place to meet people, and you could always count on “Chain Swing” to raise your spirits. But it belonged to the flawed early vision of Home, which failed to recognize the problems that a small, stubborn, immature segment of the community could create. Ultimately, it had to go. Replacing it with something similarly formless will bring back all of the problems that Central Plaza was once notorious for.
Great points, which remind me of that “This is why we can’t have nice things!” internet meme.
I suppose I’m lamenting the fact that Home’s citizenry, at large, isn’t better behaved; a more civilized Home population wouldn’t have necessitated the removal of the plaza, in favor of something like the Hub. And I totally get the Hub; it makes perfectly logical sense, and it does a much better job of moving people from point A to point B than the old plaza ever did. Perhaps the park idea is simply a rare bit of emotional whimsy, then.
You know what I miss? The Singstar VIP. Because it was a semi-restricted space, like the Observatory, it was (almost always) blessedly troll free. I suppose that’s the only way to have a public park environment that would be blessedly serene and peaceful.
Chain Swing, though…gah.
The reason I miss Central Plaza is pretty simple; it’s how open it felt. The new one feels boxed in to me, minus the dance floor area of course. But yeah, I get claustrophobic in there…I think it’s how close the very tall walls are to each other, compared to the old Central…
*Hub
I don’t like the Hub.
It would be nice to have a park with a bridge and a pond.
I see no reason why a park couldn’t have small kiosks labeled with what they sell.
Central Park had sunshine most of the time and fresh air. The Hub doesn’t, well… maybe it does but I can’t notice it. It smells funny and I don’t mean humorously.
I think that we could have the best of both worlds with a new space similar to what Norse suggests. Let them build us a park again with the fresh air feelings and all of that, but instead of making it a place filled with games or some other distractions to keep the trolls at bay, why not make the space itself a game? How about a park to walk your pets in?
This space would be specially designed to interact with pets we buy specifically for it. Example, I buy a new dog and when I enter this area it plays and chases a ball I can throw, or a cat that will play with a string I have attached to a toy mouse. Another thing is they could have leashes and accessories to buy that would give us the ability to walk our pets in the park.
Now I don’t know if any of this is even able to be done, but with the way they can make our avatars do different things now within public spaces, ie. the new fossil game in Granzella, why not a park like this? Not only would it satisfy people like Norse but it would generate new income for Sony or any developer as well through sales of the pets and their accessories, which they could sell in kiosks right in the park itself. Just an idea that I have been tossing around for a long while now.
Nice article Norse, it had to be explored again.
For whatever reasons there may be, Central Plaza (to anybody that has been n home over the past three years, and I can’t even believe it’s been that long..) WAS home, for me, it was it’s beating heart. I didn’t feel comfortable (and this is my own opinion and the Cheekster sounding like an old fart here) that it’s image was swapped with something that felt clinical and cold, as if it may as well be a Hospital ward or laboratory or something to keep rats inside.
I know that you Americans endure far more advertising than we do (‘KONAMI’
)
But do we really need this plastered to every wall, nook and cranny that i walk nearby or into?..
It’s kinda funny Norse, cos me and Burbie DID talk about perhaps having a park area and a small area of which you can take your companions to walk around in. (HEARITWOWS Warhorse rampaging through the field..as an example) And yes there could be stalls in which you can buy new pets / Companions and any accessories to make them have that extra bling or a new scripted ability or animation that can be displayed and used only in this area space. (Throw a stick or ball to a dog.. watch t run off after your ball or stick to see it return promptly to drop item at your feet, to start the the animation loop gain as soon as you hit your X button on the object. I’m an older demographic of Home, and I’m sure many older users are happy with just a space to sit and chat.. why not have a small outdoor cafe with quaint tables and chairs. The power of the PS3 console and its graphical technology could very well have you believe you were in a real space, with birds twittering, leaves / snow falling (seasonal changes)
Yes, I can agree with Jack Buser being right about Home having gaming as a way to motivate the many hormonal teenage males out there, as a means to communicate. But the older users, after heavy gaming sessions of Call Of Duty or Skyrim, are just as happy to sit and hang out somewhere and talk.
Virtual Reality from a SecondLife user’s standpoint also, is about ‘Experiences’
It wasn’t so long as last weekend, where i had the pleasure of visiting a fully working, recreated ‘Beatles’ Museum, it led to many conversations with my Virtual Wife kandi, talking about the many album covers that were perched on the wall of (presumably) John Lennon’s Home (complete with the white ‘Imagine’ Piano)
I believe the nail was hit squarely on the head here. Sony has more than one demographic occupying HOME, and it would be good to recognize that. Central Plaza indeed for the more mature community was the heartbeat and soul of HOME. I have to admit after 3 years of experiencing its sunshine and warm openness, it’s still hard to warm up to the new hub. Our community (CP) is gone, so i too feel a little like a orphan. I keep logging in hoping that Central Plaza will make a reappearance (even if its just returns as a personal space). Honestly speaking though, when I sign in these days…I can’t seem to find the sunshine and “rest” that Central Plaza use to afford us. It’s a restless exercise.
“Here’s what I’m recommending.
Give us a park.
No, not a Pier Park — a park. As in Central Park. A public space which has no overtly commercialized reason to exist. Oh sure, it can have one or two commerce points in it, just as the old Central Plaza did. And if you feel compelled to toss in a mini-game, so be it. I’d be happy with the old Saucer Pop, personally. But make the space itself one which is aesthetically relaxing and enjoyable to be in, and serves no function other than to facilitate and promote socialization between citizens.”
This article was written on March 16, 2012.
Thirteen months later, I am vindicated.