Via Scoop.it – Location Is Everywhere
For mobile games, dozens of location-based gaming startups have popped up in just the last few months. From zombie invasions to mob wars to Pokemon-inspired, these games will connect virtual worlds to real life by taking …
Via blog.betable.com
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This is the first time I’ve used Scoop.it to feed to my WordPress blog. It worked really well so I guess I will do it more often in future. A key point of this story is that monetization is very important. Many app developers are doing really well with VC investment but that money is for growth and development not harvest. Zynga has proven as I have blogged about before that people are just as happy to spend money on virtual tractors as they are investing in tangible items. Children (some not so young) are getting vouchers purchased in large retail stores allowing them to buy virtual items for games such as Farmville. Location based applications are also now looking at how they can get people to buy items, either as a short cut to longer game time or in order to gain a competitive advantage when playing games on mobile devices.
If you had told me 5 years ago that a company like Zynga would attain value in the billions by selling virtual items in a game you can play for free, I would have been very sceptical, now I just wish I had invested in them:)