Pirates vs. Cowboys vs... Ninjas? MetaSOY and Player-Created Content

Speakers: Daniel James, Michael Bayne

Track: Game Design

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: All

Description: Join the founders of Three Rings and lunatics behind PUZZLE PIRATES and BANG! HOWDY to catch up news from the docks, the ranch, and a digging into their latest project, code-named MetaSOY. In past years dirt has been dished on the design decisions behind the games, the production process and tools employed, the (mis)management of the team, went-rights and went-wrongs, and the gory details of the numbers, including financials and specifics of the item-based microcurrency business model. This proud precedent will be continued for MetaSOY, and we'll also peruse the prior games performance. Ample time for questions and outright heckling will be provided.

Idea Takeaway: Depart with a sense of what it takes to build massively multi-player online games and operate them as a microcurrency-driven service. In particular we expect to deliver some insight on the development and operation of a player-created content driven online world.

Intended Audience: Audience members are encouraged to have interest in online games development, alternative MMO game design, micro-currencies and mayhem. No specific pre-requisites are required.