NASA to create space-themed social game combining in-depth education with fun

A few years ago, NASA held a research challenge looking for a developer and game proposal for an educational, space-themed video game that could not only be extremely educational, but also fun and commercially viable. Now, four years later, we've started to see the fruits of that challenge, as Canadian developer Project Whitecard has created a Kickstarter video preview, asking the public at large for donations to boost the project along (for the record, its goal has already been met).

The game is called Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond, and it will play like an MMO set in the year 2035. Space flight for the average citizen is now not only available, but actually encouraged, as players will make their way through our solar system (and potentially beyond), landing on Mars and exploring other celestial bodies with both friends and strangers alike. In the game's story, a threat to "civilization as we know it" has emerged, and you'll need to build a base somewhere in outer space (yes, Mars is an option) and eventually outfit a team of other players or potentially NPCs (non-player characters) with high-tech gear to fight back.

Astronauts is described by the developers as being Harry Potter in space, as players are centered around the Arthur C. Clarke Astronaut Academy Station, which is the game's version of "Hogwarts." We'll be assigned missions in this fictional version of outer space, and can then go about our business in either player vs. environment or team vs. team modes. True scientific challenges will appear in the game, as we'll need to worry about radiation, extreme heat or cold and other elements that true-to-life astronauts and NASA as a whole must deal with everyday.

If everything goes well for Project Whitecard, we can expect to see the full launch of Astronaut: Moon, Mars & Beyond on PC, Mac and iOS in December of 2012. Sure, that's a long time to wait, but hey - space is a pretty big place to recreate.

Quote of the Moment: 'Facebook gaming is a completely valid market'

    But it's a completely valid market. People in the industry are seeing Facebook as a platform like we see the PlayStation 3 or the PC as a platform. They all have a particular audience and the demographic tends to like a specific type of game more predominantly than others. By looking at it as a platform and not judging the whole thing just based on a few games or a subset of mechanics that you deem unacceptable for whatever reason, I think traditional developers are coming around to the opportunities of Facebook.

Brenda Brathwaite, another social game design convert, said this in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz concerning the growing criticism of the social games industry. Brathwaite's background is in traditional games, but she recently opened Loot Drop with veteran John Romero after seeing the opportunities Facebook had to offer. The interview came after this year's GDC, which held a panel titled "No Freakin' Respect! Social Game Developers Rant Back." Brathwaite's short, sweet and NSFW speech covered many of the same points she makes in her talk with Gamesindustry.biz. Most importantly, Brathwaite says that while there are plenty of social game developers out there with profit as their primary motive, the amount of traditional designers entering the space will change things. Brenda, we sure hope you're right.

[Image Credit: Trendr]

Do you agree with Brathwaite's optimism for the future of social games? When, or if ever, do you think we'll see these changes?

A Mystical Land: Cartoony MMO bakes in Facebook sharing

The Facebook MMO (massively multiplayer game) fusion churns away with the release of A Mystical Land, a full-3D fantasy Facebook MMO by Berlin-based Neonga and Oregon-based Mad Otter Games. In A Mystical Land, players will journey through the land of Ardent, filled with monsters, magic and mighty warriors. You know, all that good stuff you can thank Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons for. Unlike previous Facebook MMOs, this one in particular will soon bake Facebook right into the game, allowing players to post milestones to their Walls and add Facebook friends from within the game.

"A Mystical Land invites players to enter a world that has never been seen on Facebook before," says Neonga COO Markus Melching. "With its adorable look and feel, cheerful characters and charming setting, A Mystical Land provides the ideal game for Facebook users."

Because it's a 3D Facebook game, a plug-in called the Portalarium Player (remember what Richard Garriott was up to?) is required to play A Mystical Land. Though, if you're a big enough fantasy fanboy or girl, we're sure it'll be worth a shot.

Click here to play A Mystical Land on Facebook Now >

Have you already dove into A Mystical Land? What do you think of MMOs and Facebook games slowly fusing together?

Raptr users fell in love with The Sims Social in every way this year

Who saw this one coming? (Not us, based on AppData numbers.) Raptr, the social network and tracking service for gamers, issued a report detailing its First Annual Playtime Awards, recognizing the most played games across several genres. When it comes to social games, EA and Playfish's The Sims Social dominated, accumulating more playtime in its first month than any social game released this year did in its first 30 days.

The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)

Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.

Are you surprised that The Sims Social won Raptr users over this year? Who do you think should have won?

Farmerama's Bigpoint knows how badly Zynga wants out of Facebook

"Oh they desperately want to," Bigpoint chief games officer Philip Resiberger told GamesIndustry.biz. "They have plans, they've had plans for the last two years. Everyone wants to reduce their dependence on Facebook I think." That's what everyone has said, but even the FarmVille maker's upcoming Project Z is tied rather intrinsically to Facebook, so what gives?

"Eventually it will come, but as some attempts have shown in the past, it's not as easy to understand the world outside Facebook because it's a totally different world," Reisberger elaborated during an interview with GI.biz "That's why Bigpoint is in a very good position: we're not just the ones developing, we've mastered, to a certain degree, the distribution."

But Bigpoint's (known best for Facebook-less social games like Farmerama and Skyrama) Resiberger goes on to compliment Zynga on its innovations in social games. Of course, it's safe to take Reisberger's earlier comments with a grain of salt: He works with a company that creates social games outside of Facebook--crazy, we know. And that company is doing quite well for itself, with 250 million registered players on Bigpoint, according to Reisberger.

It makes you wonder, however, is Zynga really drawing in new players, or are meteoric launches like CastleVille more thanks to its existing players than new ones? Most would go with the former, at least for the time being. Will Project Z and zTags finally help the CityVille creator bring in new players from throughout the web? Stay tuned for 2012.

Do you think Zynga relies too much on its existing player base for successful games? Would you rather play social games on Facebook or elsewhere?

Clarins looks to beautify Facebook with Spa Life, its first social game

Is it only a matter time now before mom pants get their own Facebook game? Clarins, a well-known French brand of beauty products, recently released its own Facebook game, Spa Life. The game doesn't stray far away from games like Cafe World or Restaurant City, but applies the same principles to managing a spa rather than an eatery. Developed by Freshplanet, Spa Life has players managing an influx of customers looking for everything from a "mani-pedi" to facials and more.

Of course, just like its inspirations, players can decorate, upgrade and add new services to their spa. But players can only do this if they serve their terribly impatient customers in time to make the most cash from them. And in true Facebook game fashion, players can always buy their way out of waiting for the next upgrade with Facebook Credits.

According to Mashable, Clarins's North American CEO Jonathan Zrihen saw Facebook as a golden opportunity to reach its audience. And considering we all know by now that the average Facebook gamer is a middle-aged mother, he's probably right on the money. "I knew about the craziness of Zynga games, but I didn't realize the demographic was so much in line with the demographics of our products," Zrihen told Mashable. "I was also impressed by the level of engagement these games create."

Yes, this is yet another branded game, though it's odd that players aren't inundated with the brand until much later in the game. Another interesting nod is that Spa Life attempts to use your friends' names as customers to add more social awareness to the game. Building off of that, you'll need plenty more friends to run your various services, just like you need them to staff buildings in CityVille.
Spa Life in action
Branded games are exploding on Facebook. In fact, studios like Ecko|Code are focusing all of their efforts on creating games for brands such as Showtime shows like Weeds and Dexter. Facebook game developers like Zynga and Playdom have integrated brands into their games for awhile through promotions, it's only recently that they've begun to build games around a single brand.

For instance, it looks as if Adventure World will become Zynga's first game to completely embrace a brand. In October, the game will become "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game" with the help of Lucasfilm. Sure, original games will continue to release, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see less of them moving forward.

Click here to Play Spa Life on Facebook Now >

Are you a Clarins fan--enough to check out this Facebook game? What do you think of branded games on Facebook and the fact that they're growing? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment