Computer Support Blog

Puzzle games are exceptionally popular among casual computer game players.  The rise of smartphones has made video games accessible to a much larger audience. Puzzle games like Hexic and Angry Birds have effectively captivated smartphone users and opened entirely new markets up in the video game industry.  But while Angry Birds has remained comparatively static – Rovio has effectively merchandised Angry Birds beyond the popular game, but not released any new expansions for some time – a new game has come to dominate the puzzle game niche.  That game is Cut The Rope.

Cut The Rope is a physics-based puzzle game similar in several ways to Angry Birds, which might be why it so easily took over the same niche.  Developed by Chillingo, Cut The Rope features bright colors and simple animation that makes it ideal for playing on a smartphone or tablet computer, where one does not need the most advanced monitor to get the most out of the game.  When Chillingo released Cut The Rope to the Apple App Store during the fourth quarter of 2010, it sold three million downloads before the end of that year!  Since its initial release, Chillingo has continued to release Cut The Rope for different video game platforms, as well as a new expansion, Cut The Rope: Experiments.

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The rise of video games on smartphones and tablet computers has led to many changes in perception about video gaming.  People who used to despise video games now make Gardenville and Angry Birds exceptionally popular.  With the change in both attitudes toward video games and the rise of untraditional video game platforms comes the need for new business models.  One of the new attempts to make money off these new forms of gaming comes from Roy Liu.

Roy Liu is a co-founder of the new company GimmieWorld.  Liu is also the company’s Chief Technology Officer.  GimmieWorld is the innovative new site that rewards video game enthusiasts for trying new games on their mobile computing device or smartphone.  Liu’s idea for the platform was to have incentives for trying new games and GimmieWorld provides points to users for trying new games.  Those points may be redeemed for freebies both within the games and on the emerging GimmieWorld site.  To lure more developers to GimmieWorld, Roy Liu has illustrated a strong connection between mobile computing customers and giveaways that gives developers a real incentive to try the new service.  As a developer himself, Roy Liu recognizes the importance of getting your product in front of the intended consumers and his GimmieWorld provides that service for emerging mobile video game developers!

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Angry Birds is very cool and it is time we acknowledged that.  Angry Birds may have started as a limited computer game for smartphones, but it has evolved into a real cultural phenomenon.  In addition to the smartphone game, Angry Birds is now a merchandising bonanza.  Stuffed toys, t-shirts and other swag featuring Angry Birds hit the market right in time for the holidays last year and were very popular among a diverse range of ages and subcultures.  Even Hartz, the pet product manufacturer, licensed Angry Birds for dog and cat toys!

Why is Angry Birds so cool?  First, Angry Birds is very easy to buy.  The popular game started its life as a game application for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch.  Because those products featured a touchscreen, Angry Birds exploded onto the market as one of the first games that utilized that technology well.  Apple customers were excited about their touchscreens and Angry Birds gave them something to get truly excited about.  While Angry Birds was originally only available as an Apple app, with the rise of Android, the game’s publisher, Rovio, expanded the programming to allow it to play on the Android Operating System.  Now, there are versions of Angry Birds for virtually every platform, including Windows, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo 3DS!

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In the video game world, there is never truly time to relax.  Despite innovations in gaming that might create the year’s biggest entertainment phenomenon, executives at video game companies are always pushing for the next big thing.  So, even though Electronic Arts had one of the biggest video game releases of 2011 with Battlefield 3, it is already deep at work trying to dominate the market in 2012.  Leading EA Labels is Frank Gibeau.

Frank Gibeau is the President of EA Labels, the division of Electronic Arts that oversees all of the video game divisions.  Gibeau rose to the lead position of EA Labels after years of hard work with a very painful beginning.  After getting his B.S. in Business and International Relations, a stairway collapsed on Gibeau, seriously injuring him.  Gibeau broke his leg in the accident, forcing him to be immobile while his leg healed.  He recuperated at his parents’ house, playing video games.  At the time, Electronic Arts was in its infancy and they were looking to hire professional game players to test their games. Gibeau limped over and got himself a job for $10,000/year playing video games!  Gibeau’s real big break, though, came in 1999 when he was assigned to market The Sims.  With The Sims, Gibeau had a huge success for EA that brought him to the attention of the executives at EA who fostered his career.

Taking over as President in 2011, Gibeau made the successful transition from game player and marketer to corporate executive.  In addition to the exceptionally popular Battlefield 3, as President, Gibeau brought to market the very successful Dead Space 2, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2, and The Sims: Medieval video games.  Gibeau saw the potential of growing social networking platforms and launched SimSocial on Facebook as well.  2011 was a very good year for EA because of Gibeau’s guidance of the company.

Gibeau ended 2011 with his biggest gamble yet, the release of the massively multi-player online role playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic.  This new video game required a massive investment of time and money on the part of EA and while the project was begun well before Gibeau took over as President, it fell to him to successfully shepherd it to market.  Competing against the exceptionally popular World Of Warcraft and the recently-successful DC Universe Online Legends, Gibeau had the dual challenges of attracting Star Wars fans who have not traditionally been video game fans to the endeavor and luring the fiercely loyal fans of the other massively multi-player online role playing to the new game.  With huge sales since December 20 when EA originally released the game, Star Wars: The Old Republic Gibeau gets to take credit for this a massive success!

Frank Gibeau has a keen marketing sense, as is evidenced by the exclusive Battlefield 3 V.I.P. kits, and the gaming credentials to lead EA Labels effectively!

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