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Trip Hawkins, the founder of video game giant Electronic Arts and currently CEO of Digital Chocolate, is unveiling a new Facebook gaming platform called NanoStar Social Games that he thinks will take social gaming into the next generation. Chronicle reporter Ryan Kim recently asked him about the future of video games.
Q: How has the iPhone changed the video game industry, and what effect will the iPad have?
A: The iPhone will result in billions of mobile devices being sold in the next three years by Apple and its clones. In the same way, the iPad is an archetype for consumer tablet computers, for which I foresee a market potential of at least 1 billion people. People are adopting these new computing formats because they are simpler, more convenient and portable.
Q: What's next for social gaming that can keep up its momentum and keep players happy?
A: Better games with more value that are truly fun with friends, like our new NanoStar game platform. Up to now, many so-called social games have had thin and repetitive gameplay that feels more like work than play. And many current games are not really social - they're just using social networks to spam their social graph as a form of marketing. With truly great and classic games, it is fun to play again and the outcome is always different. The right gameplay design makes you sincerely want to play with friends.
Q: What else needs to happen before video games are truly considered mainstream entertainment?
A: We need new social games that can become timeless classics like we already have with online poker and fantasy baseball. The truly mass-market games can be played by anyone and that makes the social engagement much easier. Recent examples include the Texas Hold 'Em variant of poker, which only came to Vegas in 1967; the runaway success of Trivial Pursuit beginning in the 1980s; fan voting in the last decade with "American Idol"; and hit casual console games like Guitar Hero. We need more original games on new platforms like Facebook to follow in their footsteps.
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