In a new Gamasutra feature, SSX creative director Todd Batty says that users must be empowered both to create and consume content to drive engagement "constantly".
"Some games talk about social features and have ways to meet up with friends and play against them, but they don't have that same means of creation and consumption in that loop, and so the entire social network falls apart. If you don't have interesting and constantly new creative content, the whole thing will fizzle out and die," says Batty.
In the article, he describes how SSX, which launched last month, added a new feature called Ridernet which -- like EA's Battlelog (Battlefield 3) and Autolog (Need for Speed) -- adds social functionality to the game, including the ability for players to hide items in the game.
"That right there is what makes a great social network: everyone is motivated to do something, and that thing makes the whole experience richer for everyone else," Batty says. "Any social network -- whether it's Facebook, Twitter, or a video game -- every single one of those relies on that formula."
"The richest social networks tend to be the most dependent on the people who belong to them to make interesting and meaningful content for other people on the network."
The full feature, which also includes comments from Activision (Call of Duty Elite) and 343 Industries (Halo Waypoint) is live now on Gamasutra.
I would certainly agree one of my favorite games this generation has been farcry 2 I am primarily a console gamer so to experience such a cool and detailed map-creation tool was a treat . in that game particular one of the things I love most is really feeling like I never have HAD to play on the same map twice a few come up often in the playlist especially anything with the user " Mike G. Live" as its creator but honestly it is refreshing to experience so many maps that have such different feels whether it is a tight series of corridors or an expansive african plane it makes it so that the users can continue to maintain and kee the game alive when the developers are far and a way from it . I played a full match of far cry 2 just a week or two ago and it was fun I played on a map with an intricately designed tower/ castle with several entry points one team had to defend . it was blast . I definitely agree allowing users to contribute and continue to make a game fresh is a great idea , and really one of the areas I as a console gamer am jealous of PC gamers. I hope console gaming gives way to improved map editing tools.
