Slide1: Japanese Pervasive Game: Mogi Position & Emotion in a pervasive world BEIJING PERVASIVE GAME SYMPOSIUM AND WORKSHOP ‘The Future of Mobile and Pervasive Gaming in China’ Tsinghua University, January 2007 Copyright (c) 2007 Newt Games S.A. / Plus Eight Star Ltd, All rights reserved.


Slide2: Who’s talking?


Slide3: Benjamin JOFFE Me


Slide4: 本杰明 Me


Slide9: CEO


Slide10: Mobile & Internet Business Consulting


Slide11: China Japan South Korea


Slide12: Sometimes the most direct route to innovation is to look abroad and translate what you find


Slide13: Sometimes the most direct route to innovation is to look abroad and translate what you find Tom Kelley General Manager of IDEO Author of The Art of Innovation


Slide14: www.plus8star.com


Slide16: Co-Founder


Slide17: Organizer


Slide18: >100 participants every month


Slide19: 2006 Presenters 3G Tribe


Slide20: www.mobilemonday.cn (next session: Jan. 29)


Slide21: 2 years in China


Slide22: 1 year in Korea


Slide23: 4 years in Japan


Slide26: Asia Business Development


Slide27: ~1 year


Slide28: Mogi, Item Hunt


Slide29: 6 months


Slide31: Before Mogi


Slide32: - “Where are you?”


Slide33: Pervasive games?


Slide34: The Next Big Thing


Slide35: Academic research projects


Slide36: No objective on profitability


Slide37: Pure academic


Slide38: Pure fun


Slide39: Until now…


Slide40: Interruptive


Slide41: Running


Slide43: Expensive hardware


Slide46: DoGA - Time Machine Navi (Japan)


Slide47: Few commercial applications


Slide48: None really took off yet…


Slide49: Gameplay


Slide50: PC world


Slide51: Levels


Slide52: PKs


Slide53: Botfighters (Europe)


Slide54: Hardcore


Slide55: Not for casual gamers


Slide56: (Not for girls)


Slide57: High development and running costs


Slide58: Not scalable


Slide59: US-based


Slide60: Weak mobile ecoystem


Slide61: Mogi: origins


Slide62: ‘Third generation location-based content’


Slide63: 1st Gen maps, navigation


Slide64: 2nd Gen LBS fighting, fishing Simple social games


Slide65: 3rd Gen Advanced social games With augmented reality


Slide66: (online chat with Mogi users in Aug. 05) “There is no mobile service as original anywhere in Japan” Ms N., Office worker


Slide67: (online chat with Mogi users in Aug. 05) “Mogi is a communication game that overcame distance” Mr P., University student


Slide68: 2000


Slide70: Fantasy layer on the world


Slide71: (1999)


Slide72: (1982)


Slide73: ‘Augmented reality’


Slide74: Position = Opportunity for interaction


Slide75: MMMULBRPG


Slide76: (bless you)


Slide77: Mobile Massively Multiplayer Ubiquitous Location-Based Role-Playing Game


Slide78: Great idea


Slide79: Telecom bubble


Slide80: October 2001


Slide81: Financed


Slide82: (0.5 million EUR) (5 million RMB)


Slide83: Developing


Slide84: Hard work Me


Slide85: Mobile (java on CDMA 1x) Web (Flash + Shockwave) Testing (on location?) Universe Server (always-on) GIS (real map data) + Gameplay… Me


Slide86: Too ambitious? Me


Slide87: Simplify Me


Slide88: Collection + Communication Me


Slide89: Blend in the day


Slide90: Japan Me


Slide91: Java handsets Me


Slide92: Fast network Me


Slide93: GPS Me


Slide94: April 2003 Me


Slide97: Service details: mobile


Main screen: Main screen


The mobile mask: Flexible MIDP 1.0 (Java) application The application is interpreting XML flows, allowing the game to be modified with no need for the users to get a new version The mobile mask XML Flows


Slide100: New functions introduced almost every month Me


Mogi’s major features: Mogi’s major features


Radar: Radar


Radar: Radar View on CDMA1x handset (Sony-Ericsson)


Avatars and personal page: Avatars and personal page Nickname / online status Points Ranking Introduction line Registration date Zodiac sign Blood type


Radar: The player needs to be close to an object (<400m) to pick it up Radar


Items types: Standard - nationwide with different rarities Time-related (time of the day, moon phase) Location related (autumn leaves, cherry blossoms, seashells, etc.) users have to trade with players located in other regions (or travel nationwide…) Items types


Ranking: Ranking


Mailer: Mailer


One message: One message


Recent logins + online/offline + web/mobile status: Recent logins + online/offline + web/mobile status


One item: One item


Slide112: Messages can be sent from almost any screen Me


Slide113: Service details: web


Slide114: Internet-based client Me


Slide115: Shockwave + Flash Me


Slide116: Login with ID provided on the mobile Me


3D view (web interface) – www.mogimogi.com: 3D view (web interface) – www.mogimogi.com Nation-wide 3D maps can be used to spot : - rare items - players and NPCs - special locations (e.g. shops)


Web interface – www.mogimogi.com: Web interface – www.mogimogi.com Locate players, items, etc. on the Web interface


Locate other players: Locate other players Ubiquitous access


Slide121: Me Current “Virtual Shops”


RPG features: scrolls, shops and creatures !: RPG features: scrolls, shops and creatures ! Current “Virtual Shops” Advanced functions Virtual shops nationwide Users can enter them for various purposes Creatures No fighting Own behavior User can interact with them Functional objects Camera to take pictures of creatures’ behaviors Have you seen them ?


Slide123: 5. Business model


Slide124: Subscription-based (US$2 / month) Me


Slide125: Critical mass: 10,000 users Me


Slide126: Active users considered the fee negligible Me


Slide127: (especially compared to their data bills) Me


Slide128: Facts and figures


Slide129: 10,000 downloads with no advertising Me


Slide130: EVERY MONTH a) Over 40,000 logins b) Over 70,000 objects picked up c) Over 70.000 messages sent …with only 1000 active users! (active user: at least one login in a month) Me


Monthly data - One year overview: Monthly data - One year overview


Slide132: Unfortunately not revenue-shared SMS -_-; Me


Slide133: Unusual things… Me


Slide134: (1) Balanced Male/Female ratio Me


Slide135: (2) Age range [10~40 y.o.] Me


Users behaviors (one month: July 2004) : Users behaviors (one month: July 2004) Occasional Users ( 35% ) Expert Users ( 18% ) Addicts? ( 1% ) Pure Hunters ( 35% ) Number of items collected Number of messages sent in a month


Slide137: Weekly Logins


Daily data (July 2004 Avg.) : Daily Logins lunchtime night Daily data (July 2004 Avg.)


Daily data (July 2004 Avg.) : Daily Items Pickups Daily data (July 2004 Avg.)


Daily data (July 2004 Avg.) : Daily Messages Daily data (July 2004 Avg.)


Daily data (July 2004 Avg.) : Daily Exchanges Daily data (July 2004 Avg.)


Slide142: QUICK FACTS - Users login all day long, all days - Hunt during daytime between 7:00 am to 18:00 pm - Mail & Trade peak after 8:00 pm Me


Slide143: KEY POINT 1 Playing a casual game does not mean playing casually (think of Tetris…) Me


Slide144: KEY POINT 2 Mogi adapts to users’ gaming style and life styles Me


Slide145: Research by Sociologist in July 2004 (10 users interviews) Me


Slide146: Dr Christian Licoppe, PhD Former Head of Social Sciences Lab, France Telecom R&D 1997-2003 Professor of Social Sciences at ENST (France’s leading Telecom University) Me


Slide147: Me


Slide148: Emotion? Me


Slide149: (1) What is there in a Game without Killing, 3D Graphics and a Fast Pace? Me


Slide150: A good game is a good concept first Me


Slide151: (2) Excitement created by Mogi is something NEW Me


Slide152: Users are not only “gamers” Me


Slide153: Mogi helps users enjoy traveling and communicating Me


Slide154: (3) A Social Experience Me


Slide155: Easy way to make contact with new people Me


Slide156: Average player has between 10 and 20 Mogi-friends Me


Slide157: New concepts Me


Slide158: Mobility in an augmented world Me


Slide159: On-screen encounters Me


Slide160: Interactional mobility paradigm


Slide161: Emergent uses of a multiplayer location-aware mobile game: the interactional consequences of mediated encounters http://www.parishine.com/FTreport/mobile/ppt/SpeakersPapers.pdf http://egsh.enst.fr/licoppe/documents/Recherche/LicoppeMOgi_NidoRevisedVersion2.44doc.pdf Me


Slide162: Conclusions on Mogi


Slide163: Too early Me


Slide164: Network speed Data pricing Me


Slide165: Too young Me


Slide166: Money only on development No permanent staff in Japan! Me


Slide167: But… Me


Slide168: Environment is ready today Me


Slide169: 3G (over 50 million) GPS (over 10 million) Flat-rate data + people waiting for new things Me


Slide170: What Mogi demonstrated Me


Slide171: (1) Positioning can be fun Me


Slide172: (2) Privacy, security and communication issues have been solved successfully Me


Slide173: (3) Reaching critical mass is hard work Me


Slide174: Numerous benefits associated Me


Slide175: Attracts casual users Generate large data traffic Educate users (LBS, etc.) Potentially successful Me


Slide176: Mogi Today


Slide177: Possible re-launch in 1Q2007 with KDDI Me


Mogi v2.0 screenshots: Mogi v2.0 screenshots


Slide179: 6. What to remember


Slide180: Counter-intuitive Me


Slide181: (1) Blend in the day vs. Interruptive Me


Slide182: “Time pervasiveness” Me


Slide183: (2) Quick learning curve vs. Hardcore gameplay Me


Slide184: Self-teaching Me


Slide185: Teaching by other users Me


Slide186: (3) Standard hardware vs. Over-specification Me


Slide187: (was GPS necessary?) Me


Slide188: (4) Simplicity vs. 3D, blinks and booms Me


Slide189: “Provide what is meaningful” Me


Slide190: Me


Slide191: Me


Slide192: Me


Slide193: Me


Slide194: Play with one hand Me


Slide195: (5) Ubiquity? not limited to ‘same experience on all devices’ Me


Slide196: Platforms are different Me


Slide197: Information display capacities Me


Slide198: Communication speed Me


Slide199: Available time of users Me


Slide200: (6) Social aspects vs. Play alone Me


Slide201: Mobiles connect us with people we know Me


Slide202: LBS can connect us with strangers who share ‘connectivity’ Me


Slide203: Position and time give opportunities for timely or asynchronous interactions Me


Slide204: Position is a new type of private information Me


Slide205: (Other information) Name Gender Age Phone number Email (QQ number?) Me


Slide206: KEY POINTS How to enable trust and ensure privacy among strangers? Me


Slide207: (*) Emotion! vs. Just another game Me


Slide208: What is fun? Me


Slide209: Does it feel special? Me


Slide210: Position gives a sense of reality Me


Slide211: ‘Like the first time you played an online game’ Me


Slide212: Would you use it again? Me


Slide213: Mobile is not just mobile Me


Slide214: Always on Me


Slide215: Before: discontinuous Me


Slide216: Instants Me


Slide217: Place Me


Slide218: Time Me


Slide219: Mobile: open new sorts Me


Slide220: Instants vs. Trajectories in time and space Me


Slide221: Thank you!


Slide222: Appendix


Company History: Company History 2004 ~ 2003 2001 - 2002 Incubation Stage (2001 ~ 2002) 2001.10 Founded Newt Games in Paris, France 2001.11 Incubation starts at France Telecom’s mobile technologies Incubator 2002.05 Development of the game platform and 3D Flash® user interface using original 3D map rendering 2002.06 Development of a WAP version of our mobile multiplayer game “Kigen” Beginning Stage (2003) 2003.04 First community GPS Java game, “Mogi” launched on KDDI’s EZweb in Japan 2003.08 Awarded support from ANVAR, the French Innovation Agency for our mobile multiplayer platform 2003.09 Delivered a tailor-made location-based community content for the launch event of Nokia’s N-Gage gaming phone in France Commercial Stage (2004 ~ ) 2004.03 Best 2004 Marketing Event Targeted to Young Audience prize won by our PR partner for the Nokia N-Gage event 2004.03 Awarded support from the European Commission through the ETP Program to penetrate the Korean market 2004.08 Signed a development contract to launch Mogi in Spain with Telefonica Moviles


Entry Barriers or “Why is not everybody doing it?”: Entry Barriers or “Why is not everybody doing it?”


Touching New Issues : Touching New Issues Interactions web/mobile


Touching New Issues : Touching New Issues Privacy in the engineering of virtual and real encounters


Engineering of encounters : Engineering of encounters Between virtuality and face-to-face Overcoming distance Psychological and physical distance Triggering communication Physical safety, social acceptability, time sensitivity The notion of presence Engineering of encounters


Main aspects of Mogi: Main aspects of Mogi


Newt Games in the News (2004 ~ ): Newt Games in the News (2004 ~ ) Freenet.de, August 24 2004 “Neuer Handyspiele-Trend” (Latest Mobile Phone Trend) Article covering Mogi and some other LBS games www.freenet.de/freenet/handy_und_pda/handyspiele/mogimogi/index.html (German) Wireless Watch Japan, July 2 2004 “Mogi: Socially Connected GPS Gaming” Article and video shooting http://www.wirelesswatch.jp/pv/100/104hb.wmv (video preview) Ny Teknik, June 11 2004, Sweden “Mobil jakt på skatter i Tokyo” (Mobile treasure hunt in Tokyo) http://www.nyteknik.se/skrivUt.asp?art_id=35297 (Swedish) Spiegel Online, April 15 2004, Germany “GPS-Schatzsuche in Tokio” www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzkultur/0,1518,295253,00.html (German) Wired News, April 12 2004 “Making Wireless Roaming Fun” www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63011,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1 「東京発：携帯電話のGPS機能を使い、アイテムを探すゲーム『モギィ』」 www.hotwired.co.jp/news/news/culture/story/20040415204.html (Japanese) 위치기반 게임: “Mogi” http://blog.joins.com/i_dabinchii/2341883 (Korean) SmartMobs, April 3 2004 Weblog on emerging social trends linked with the Information age “Mogi: augmented reality gaming on Tokyo” www.smartmobs.com/archives/002946.html Slashdot, April 2 2004 “Mogi Location-Based Mobile Gaming Hits Japan” Reprint and commentary on The Feature article http://games.slashdot.org/games/04/04/02/0113231.shtml?tid=127&tid=137&tid=186&tid=193 All articles in English unless mentioned Some articles may have a restricted access. Corresponding files are available upon request


Newt Games in the News (2004~): Newt Games in the News (2004~) The Feature, April 1 2004 “Mogi: Second Generation Location-Based Gaming’’ by Justin Hall www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=100501&ref=744759 Game Developers’ Conference (GDC), March 25 2004, San Jose, California “Mogi” in David Collier ‘s ”World Tour of Mobile Games” http://pikkle.com/pub/ And Amy Kim’s “Social Trends in Mobile Entertainment” http://socialdesigner.net/GDC2004/index_files/frame.htm Liberation (major French Daily Newspaper), March 5 2004 edition, France Special Report on location-based games “’«Mogi», le jeu frenchie qui séduit le Japon” www.liberation.com/page.php?Article=183703 (French) “Cibles Mobiles” (Mobile Targets) www.liberation.com/page.php?Article=183701 (French) France Info (France’s leading information radio), March 5 2004 news, France Special report on Mogi from their correspondent in Japan Strategies Magazine, 3 March 2004, France “Best marketing event directed to young audience” Winner with PR Company Euro RSCG (No.1 PR European PR Agency) of the contest held by the French Magazine Strategies www.strategies.fr/palmares/trophee2004/ Many2Many (Group weblog focusing on social software), February 26, 2004 “Taking it to the streets” Group weblog focusing on social software www.corante.com/many/archives/2004/02/26/taking_it_to_the_streets.php


Speeches and Users’ Voice (2004~): Speeches and Users’ Voice (2004~) SPEECHES Mobile Intelligence Tour (MIT), October 4 2004, Tokyo www.mobileeconomy.de/mit/ TeleTV Summit, April 28 2004, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Summit on interactive television – guest speaker http://www.teletvsummit.com/ GameHotel @ Game Developers’ Conference (GDC), March 25 2004, San Jose, California Keynote speaker for the “Game Hotel” event www.gamehotel.net http://mobenta.com/analysis/item-1551.html Nokia LBS Summit, March 2004, Nokia HQ, Helsinki, Finland Selected by Nokia along with 10 companies to present upcoming LBS USERS BLOGS AND BBS ICOCA Blog http://blog.livedoor.jp/kazn_chi/ Wireless Watch Japan (Reports from Japan’s mobile revolution), July 2 2004 “Mogi: Socially Connected GPS Gaming” Article and video shooting http://www.wirelesswatch.jp/pv/100/104hb.wmv (video preview) Ore No Buloggu, June 1-3, 2004, Tokyo, Japan Our second foreign buser-blogger in Japan ! http://blog.oreno.org/archives/000384.html http://blog.oreno.org/archives/000384.html IN-DUCE weblog, February 10, 2004, Tokyo, Japan Weblog of one of Mogi's players in Japan (who happens to be a foreigner) www.in-duce.net/archives/mogi_item_hunt.php Mogi’s room (Mogi na oheya, in Japanese) Japanese users’ BBS http://pksp.jp/ruka-knj/bbs.cgi?&o=7 Mogi Diary A player’s experiences with Mogi www.doblog.com/weblog/myblog/13395


Context: Context Strong worldwide trend of “Connected Communities” Games / Contents are moving from Place centric to people centric PC-centric to cell-phone centric (mobile games are largely played at home!) Current urban people Are on the go Want to stay connected Want to meet new people safely Mobile games have been replicating the PC / Console world BUT Mobile users look for quick and casual entertainment People long for self-expression “For young users, communication is entertainment” (Amy Jo KIM, socialdesigner.net) Mogi offers on-the-edge entertainment for the majority


The LBS Paradox: The LBS Paradox Location-based services has been a buzzword for years Still the main usage is for the most “simple” service possible: maps and navigation Operators are integrating location features in their handsets but… Most people don’t use them And most do not even know their handset have such features Mobile Phone Operators do not develop contents and let CPs compete But few Content Providers had come up with attractive contents for the average user Development of fixed and mobile internet showed that There is a learning curve for any new service or technology Some contents are adopted faster than any other Games Adult contents User education is key Games are able to dramatically increase users’ awareness of LBS …and create numerous other business opportunities


The Broadband Mobile Paradox: Who needs 3G?: The Broadband Mobile Paradox: Who needs 3G? 2G’s killer contents are not enough Ring-tones / Screensavers alone do not justify heavy packet plans Most games only require a one-time download 3G services building on 2G are still limited in reach Videophone function is not content Video clips, comics, photo albums will be a niche market until data cost drop dramatically Music full-track DL is seen as a replacement for CD singles New ideas are needed to create value – not simply replace markets


Mobile Games Trend: Mobile Games Trend Trying to move from from “Gamers” to “Users” Hardcore gamers to casual users Male to gender-agnostic Teens to a larger age group Game evolution Standalone  target = gamers, teens Single player game (famous licenses, games with “obvious” gameplay) Linked game  target = hardcore gamers IrDA, Bluetooth, packet network Limited to a few players Community game  target = online gamers / groups Network based Unlimited number of players Social content  target = everybody! Moving from “player” to “user” The game serves as a background for social purposes


Views from Experts: Views from Experts “What makes the game so exciting to me? It uses the GPS in my phone, and that's so cool. It brings a fresh new way to look at my map of Tokyo. It has a community dimension to it, The game offers a few different scenarios to accumulate points ” (IN-DUCE) “Mogi is a brilliant, obvious envisioning of location-based gaming. Mobile multiplayer the way it was meant to be” (The Feature) "Trading is a very social game mechanic, very lightweight, very mainstream." So, while the location aspect may make doing errands more interesting, it's the connection with others that's key.” (Amy Jo KIM, socialdesigner.net) “Mogi is but one of the latest examples of a developing trend: location-based mobile gaming. But according to some people familiar with mobile gaming, Mogi may well be the most important” (Wired News)


Before going further: Before going further What do you know about Mogi / LBS / Community games ?


Speaking about Mogi: Speaking about Mogi Possible presentations Design  User feedback, experiments, etc. Game play  User appeal Architecture  Technical challenges Community  Inducing friendly communication Privacy  Dealing with spam, stalking, etc. Convergence  Balancing web + mobile Pervasiveness  Blending real and virtual Business  Revenue models and hurdles Future  Environment, timing for ubiquitous games Emotions  “This strange feeling”


Emotions and motivation in Mogi: Emotions and motivation in Mogi Game related Enjoy breaks with a service that is never the same Quite different from Tetris’ never ending block falls Collection Social Trade and bargaining Online “rich” encounters Exploration a new world With special rules, places, inhabitants Competition Through a daily/weekly/monthly/global ranking Solving “quests”, completing first new collections introduced Belonging in a “rich” way Avatar, original type of profile A world others cannot see A community of users A team of players


Field Study: Ten face-to-face interviews In Japan & in Japanese With medium-ranked and “over 20 y.o.” users Two hours for each interview (photos are used with users’ permission) Study conducted by Dr C. Licoppe, PhD in Tokyo in July 2004 Former Head of Social Sciences Lab, France Telecom R&D 1997-2003 Professor of Social Sciences at ENST (France’s leading Telecom Univ.) Reference “Seing” one another onscreen and the construction of social order in a mobile-based augmented public space- The uses of a geo-localized mobile game in Japan. http://www.fil.hu/mobil/2005/Licoppe_final.pdf Field Study Dr. C. Licoppe, PhD


Users’ Voice: Users’ Voice


Users’ Voice: Users’ Voice


Users’ Voice: Users’ Voice


Users’ Voice: Users’ Voice What is there in a Game without Killing, 3D Graphics and a Fast Pace? A good game is a good concept first The excitement created by Mogi is something NEW Our users are not only “gamers” Mogi helps them enjoy traveling and communicating “Your Mogi” Ability to customize Mogi adapts to the user’s lifestyle Users chose their own gameplay “World with endless possibilities” (Ms Y, early 20s) A Social Experience Easy way to make contact with people Average player has between 10 and 20 Mogi-friends Excellent (and unusual) male/female balance


Time and space?: Time and space?


Time and space?: Time and space? Time Space Now MMORPG are here Most games are here Here Mogi defines trajectories in time and space


Overview: A location-based collection and communication game Service-in: April 2003 Official content on KDDI’s EZweb portal in Japan EZNumber: 53577 Charge: 210 JPY / month Characteristics Light Java Application Location-based Ubiquitous (mobile & web) Multiplayer Permanent universe And a LBS laboratory New features are tested and implemented every month Overview


Numerous opportunities for interaction: Numerous opportunities for interaction People long for communication but as of today You never meet new people through mobile phones The “mobile network” is a cold and dark place Mogi makes it populated, warmer and friendly! Game related “Let’s trade items”, “Here is a present for you” “Please help me”, “How do you do this?” “Let’s cooperate” Proximity (Location and/or Time) “We’re close”, “We’re far” are all good introductions “Where are you” is the No.1 question asked over the phone! “Good morning”, etc. Messages can be sent from almost any screen in the game (radar, ranking, trade menu, connected users, etc.)