What Would It Take To Save Home?
by Phoenix, HSM team writer
Now that Sony has announced the impending closure of Japan Home and Asia Home at the end of this fiscal year, the question inevitably arises: how long before SCEA Home and SCEE Home join that death sentence?
Could Home have benefited from adopting some implemented ideas of other social networks/virtual worlds?
We take solace in the knowledge that for the moment, new content is still being accepted for publication in America and Europe. But for how much longer? And when that cessation inevitably takes place, will those regions also be shut down at the end of the 2014 fiscal year, or will they be sustained for a period longer than that?
Right now, as a Home citizen, it’s like life as a Roman under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. They knew it was there, looming above them with waiting destruction, but they stayed. With the flood of comparably low-risk and cheap trinketry into the marketplace this year, it feels like an illusion worn thin: a stable and enduring Home, despite practically no marketing budget, a shrinking pool of third-party developers, and a shocking lack of high-profile IP promotions or game tie-ins.
This, by the way, is not the fault of the Home Platform Group, PlayStation community management, or any of the other outstanding people who work on Home for their respective regions; they are simply making do with what instructions they have and what resources they’ve been allocated. No, the problem comes from further up the food chain — specifically, at a business level, whether the decision has been made to:
- Simply kill all of Home and be done with it;
- Bring Home as we know it to an end and embark on a sequel;
- Continue Home as it is, at least for the duration of the PS3 (and hopefully beyond).
It’s highly probable that Home is simply on its way out, with nothing new to replace it. And, interestingly enough, would we even want Home in its present state on a current-gen console? It is so plagued with issues and missing features that it really does show its age. The ideal would be a clean-sheet redesign of Home — or something better than Home, having learned from all the mistakes of the first iteration — on the PS4. But who knows if that will happen?
The difference between an opinion and a market reality is the number of people who share the same belief. So here’s what I believe:
Home needs to evolve.
It’s not a question of content; Home has plenty of content. It’s a question of features and design.
Home needs to evolve and decide what it’s going to be. And there has to be the will, at a business level, to invest the necessary amount of money and development time to see it through. The original concept of a social network for gamers is a brilliant concept, but it was created at a time when social networking as a whole was in its infancy, and there clearly wasn’t much of a plan at the outset as to how to monetize this idea for PlayStation, let alone a sufficient understanding at a design level of behavioral economics.
Richard Garriott, in issue #10 of HSM, summed it up best: any social metaverse with no clearly-defined purpose, such as Home, is doomed to failure. There was no way Home could sustainably survive, long-term, in a state of identity confusion. Home has all the draw of a county fair, with just a little burlesque thrown in on occasion for the back lot of the fairgrounds. On one hand, you could argue that Home, having been around since 2007, has had a successful run and thus a good design; on the other hand, it’s just as easy to point out some glaring design flaws that stunted Home’s growth and continue to serve as major roadblocks. Let’s go through some of these:
We apologize for the coarseness of this comic. But this IS a social reality of PlayStation Home.
User-controlled blocking features. User-to-user harassment is regularly cited as one of Home’s biggest issues. As there is no system in place for a user to really and truly block another user, that leaves only the reporting system and an overtaxed (and invisible) moderation team to handle the mess. Compounding this problem is that moderators can only work within the limits of Home’s terms of service, whereas a fair amount of user harassment falls into the gray area of someone being a jerk without necessarily breaking any rules. Without empowering a user to curb poor behavior and remove it from their field of vision — permanently — the whole of the Home experience is dramatically reduced.
Inventory management and metadata entitlement verification. A number of core client updates, over the years, made improvements to the UI for Home’s furniture system and wardrobe system. They are, however, woefully inadequate to the task of keeping up with the power users who have staggering amounts of metadata entitlements attached to their accounts. This creates a tremendous blocking issue to further monetization of the one- to three-percent of the user base that actually does monetize with any consistency.
In-world currency. Home is an MMO experience, but without an internal currency — along with jobs, tasks, guilds, rewards, etc. to drive it — Home is a shockingly decentralized metaverse, and the all-too-common “there’s nothing to do” complaint raises its ugly head. Home’s experiment to reinvent itself as a third-party gaming platform was probably the only way to try to make Home feel like a game unto itself, because to actually make Home into a proper MMO game would require a complete redesign of the product. In this way, we see that Home’s lifespan was frankly doomed from a very early point in its development. It is perhaps commendable to see how much was wrought out of Home’s formula, even if the bulk of the losses seem to have been shouldered by third-party developers.
User-generated content. At present, there are only two methods of getting UGC into Home: via the HPG News Reader (for SCEE region only, as SCEA region seems hell-bent on force-feeding us marketing propaganda and those insipid Magnus videos), or — for machinimists — via HSM and PSTalent through the LOOT EOD system or the Community Theatre. That’s it. And the problem with this is that when Home itself lacks basic fundamentals to be considered a game, users must be empowered to create their own meta-games, or to somehow feel connected to the larger world. I don’t pretend to understand the technical or legal complexities of getting UGC into Home and the metadata nightmare that would stem from such an undertaking, but it is a critical piece of Home, called out in the original Home FAQ from PlayStation, which is still missing. When comparable social MMO experiences such as Second Life and IMVU are blatantly player-driven economies, Home — and PlayStation — look rather short-sighted by comparison.
User-streamed music and videos. The inability for users to share movies, music, etc. in personal estates and clubhouses with friends is a gigantic issue. Perhaps, due to legal restrictions, it’s unsolvable. But it is nonethless one of the largest missing pieces in the overall Home social MMO experience.
Adult areas. Yeah, okay, this is going to ruffle some feathers. Home’s designed to have a broad audience appeal, and you can just see gaming media (and politicians) pouncing all over Sony for PEDDLING SMUT OMG OMG PEDDLING SMUT OMG OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN OMG! So it’s understandable why it never happened. But whether any of us like it or not, a social MMO can benefit considerably from more adult-themed content and/or adult-themed restricted areas. You don’t have to visit them or indulge in them, but you also don’t have to condemn those who want them. And, frankly, given the level of mature content that’s so highly touted in a lot of AAA titles — ever gone into a strip club in GTA Online and enjoyed a lapdance? — it was a huge mistake to not allow Home to dive into this territory. The harsh reality is that a lot — a lot — of Home users are actively trying to engage in some level of online sexual activity, and corralling that into specifically-designated zones might help improve the overall level of the rest of the experience for everyone else. Simply pretending it doesn’t exist is worse than silly; it’s unprofitable.
I have no doubt that your list of missing features and design oversights is different than mine. But perhaps they overlap in some places. Lord knows, I’m not saying anything new here. But as we have now formally lost half of Home, and the other half seems to be hanging on by a thread, then perhaps these issues should be revisited.
To be honest, I don’t believe there is anything at this juncture that will save Home on the PS3. I think Home has reached its feasible conclusion as a program that had no real direction other than a gaming jump-off platform. Now it is just a matter of time and circumstance before the shutdown of SCEA Home and SCEE Home. As a program that evolved as well as its constraints would allow, Home has and will be remembered as something extraordinarily different than anything else at its time.
August 28th, 2014 by Phoenix | 8 comments
Phoenix writes poetry and is a photography enthusiast, along with writing for HomeStation Magazine. She is currently studying for a BFA in Creative Writing and BA with concentration in Photography. psn ID phoenixstorm21
youtube.com/user/phoenixstorm21
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I, in a whole, disagree with the adult area suggestion. If they desire that, people can use Second Life and IMVU for that. I believe that Home is fine without that sort of mess. There is too much underlying psychology with that sort of feature being implemented and that would also put legitimate users of under age at big risk. By then, Sony would be opening floodgates of possible pending lawsuits against them. BIG ones, at that.
That might be crazy talk, but that’s something I’m not keen on. People do fine with their Groups and personal, private spaces. It’s bad enough I sort of see this in public and even then, it’s uncomfortable.
However, everything else is on par with what I desire on Home.
Great read, Phoenix.
Thanks Jin,
I understand your concern as well as that of others when the adult regions are mentioned. I don’t understand the immediate rejection however of the idea. These regions if implemented could have been controlled just like the x7 barrier, or the Lockwood barriers. As it is now these adult themed activities (that you speak of) appear in popular Sony video games, and not all adult activity is sexual. There is/was a need for separation in the age groups. Children should not always mingle with adults.
It might be coming to an end for the PlayStation 3 console, But it is just the beginning for a brand new re-vamped type of PS Home experience coming for the PlayStation 4 w/ Project Morpheus Virtual Reality.
It’s only going to get better. Costly, But better. You think it’s going to be a decent amount of money to fork over for the PS4 console if you don’t already have one, then the VR Headset, but it’s not that much if you think about how much the current PS Home users spend, I know I have spent a lot over the years. So doubt this comment if you like, But I know it’s coming. If you REALLY, REALLY dig deep enough, You will find the answers you seek.
Homes biggest problem is it’s user base, something like 150 million psn accounts have been created, yet it takes aurora 2 and a half years to get 13 million visits over 4 regions, that’s visits not unique accounts, it took a year to get 1 million unique accounts. Which probably means 70000 regular users over the 2 and half years if you take how many visits it takes to get to level 100 and over. These figures are no better than a mediocre game that’s released in one region. Homes suppose to be social yet the most successful fan sites average about 5000 followers on social media and the developers that give away stuff about 20000 followers on social media. Home videos on you tube are lucky to be seen a 1000 times. In contrast second life and imvu users embrace social media more beating home in every social media aspect. Second life doesn’t rely on rumour about oculus rift, second life is going to be available using oculus rift headset. Unless home gets it’s user numbers up dramatically it’s not worth migrating it to the ps4. As for a new revamped home, it sounds from an interview done a while ago that the cost it took to set home up and run on the ps3 meant Sony made no money out of home for several years. There’s a lot easier and quicker ways of making money for Sony. Take the current granzella event the high score board is way down on user numbers against the same event last year. That’s even taking into account it’s in less regions this year.
To me your right in just about every point, all these features you mentioned are available elsewhere, it’s like home took everything that was wrong in second life and imvu and made it better, but then took everything that was successful in second life and imvu and threw that away as well. Homes has no direction but not sure if it’s tried to listen to too many people that thought they were doing right when really they were clueless to was needed. Example is launching games from home. Who had the idea, lets log into a slow loading app like home, try and meet people with the game that want to play now, slow load into game because we are in home, when I leave game it slow loads out back to home. When I can load game goto a lobby find a game and play. I have to say that adult areas can be the same as games, take neon downtown in Japan that’s got a 17 certificate and it’s no different to the drinking parts in gta 5. Kids get into gta 5 with no comeback to rockstar so i don’t think Sony would open themselves up to lawsuits if they do it right. It when take some of the embarassing uncomfortable users away from the areas you wsnt to keep cleaner.
But like all entertainment you have to keep the memories. Even if your favourite band spilts after you have been to see them in concert, just remember how good they were in concert. But make sure you see them in concert and don’t miss out.
Thank You Gary,
for sharing and not because you agree with me either. lol I felt the same way about Home and some of the familiar content in Second Life. It’s as if Home wanted to go in that direction but then changed its mind. It wouldn’t take becoming another Second Life for Home to survive, but it would take some growing up and stability for Home to survive.
No problems, second life and imvu are 2 of the most successful social mmo’s so we are right to look at what makes them successful, bearing in mind both started out before home and it looks like they will outlast home as well. Seeing as second life can be complicated to use compared to home and imvu is far more basic than home. Both have lag and crashing issues. So the actual program’s are not as good as home. But we will take the scenario of fashion, big in home, but homes fashion pales into nothing compared to the choice that both the others give it’s users. A Good start for both second life and imvu is the ability to create your own fashion line from nothing and sell it within the community. The ability to derive from others work to create your own version. The ability to build a public space from the ground up so you can have your own fashion venue that’s designed and maintained by you. Second life you can adjust the trims of bought clothes to suit your avatar. Thousands of body types and default actions are available in both. That’s just one area. I could go on loads but I won’t this time lol
I don’t know about that last one but everything else is spot on. All this I had in mind at least. once before.
Some good ideas yes (save for the adults only part) but those running Home no longer seem to care. Their apathy, refusal to give answers on the future, and absolute refusal to fix chronic recurring issues are all telltale signs that they want to kill this virtual world as a whole in the very near future. Odds are NA and EU will die sometime later next year or early 2016 at the rate that things are going. The Vesuvius comparison is most amusing, and even though most know it’s coming, it’s obvious Sony refuses to reveal that because their sole intention in this is greed. Greed as in trying to make as much money as possible before they pull the plug. I suppose things like this as well as Sony’s apathy and refusal to both give answers and solve chronic problems are why one friend of mine now calls this virtual world Home Fraud instead. My main reason for still going on Home Fraud is not for Sony or its products, it’s for the good friends I’ve made on there these past six years. Believe me, I’d like to see Sony start to care more, fix the chronic issues, and port our virtual world to PS4, but the odds of that happening are easily even lower than winning the lottery or finally seeing another Legacy of Kain game (the upcoming Nosgoth doesn’t count but that’s a whole other story). Point blank, our virtual world is currently on life support. We know Sony’s going to pull the plug soon, we just don’t know when soon will be.