What Your Mother and Your Ten-Year Old Can Teach You About MMOs
Speaker: Nick Fortugno (President/Co-Founder, Rebel Monkey)
Date/Time: Wednesday (September 17, 2008) 4:30pm — 5:30pm
Location (room): Room 5
Track: Online Games - Design
Format: 60-minute Lecture
Experience Level: Intermediate

Session Description
While interest in MMOs has been growing enormously the last couple of years, the focus has still largely been on the tradition gamer demographics: hardcore players (WOW, Eve) and DIY enthusiasts (Second Life). But the latest areas of commercial success and game innovation have come from a totally different direction: web-based multiplayer games for casual gamers. Games and portals from Club Penguin to Pogo.com to Webkins are expanding the idea of what a massive-multiplayer experience can be, and reaping the commercial benefits. This session will look at some of the ways casual games are reshaping the MMO landscape, and what lessons casual games have to teach us about reaching a broader audience for multiplayer experiences.

Idea Takeaway
Attendees will learn design lessons about what has made some casual MMOs successful. The discussion will focus on both on what components are necessary to make a casual MMO and how designs strategies of these MMOs can apply to all kinds of online games.

Intended Audience
The talk is intended for people working in online games looking to expand their reach to less hardcore, less game savvy players and make their games more accessible.