MySpace meets Second Life meets your kid’s video game console
Sony is hoping to build on the success of online social networking sites like facebook with its new online gaming world “Home.” The beta launched in 2008. Home is essentially a 3D social networking service, available to Playstation 3 gamers everywhere. Players can create avatars and do everything from buy new clothes to create their own homes to enter gaming competitions to make and break friendships online.


           
Everyone can be a video game developer
More and more, you don’t have to go to a big box retailer to buy new video games. They may be coming from your friends and neighbors instead, and you can access them online. Set to launch sometime next year, players will be able to upload their own self-created games to a new channel on Xbox Live dedicated to community games. Microsoft sees this as a great way to build community, generate new content, and maybe even make money. Microsoft will give Xbox Live users access to a free do-it-yourself game programming tool called XNA Game Studio Express. This means that users will be able to create a game, share it, forward it to friends, and add other games to their favorites. In other words, YouTube for gamers.

Share this.
- Print