Project Lore

Activision Blizzard CEO Robert "Bobby" Kotick on Thursday said he is "optimistic" about the future of the game industry as "a very low cost form of entertainment, if you look at the dollar-cost-per-hour." CNBC interviewed Kotick, who was in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the relatively secretive annual Allen & Company media mogul conference. Here's what he had to say about Activision Blizzard stocks performing above expectations in a down economy:

While Kotick does not speak specifically about WoW, there were some pretty interesting aspects to the interview that I wanted to elaborate on a bit because they can be applied to our favorite MMORPG. The journalist interviewing Kotick first points out that Activision Blizzard (and Electronic Arts) stocks were performing well Thursday. That's just a snapshot in time showing the trading levels at that point in the day, but if you look at the levels over the past six months or so, you'll see that the values have been rising steadily. Not surprisingly, the stock market apparently was on the minds of many Thursday who attended a panel on the economy at the conference. Although not an expert on the economy, Kotick pointed out that the availability of new hardware and the diversity of gaming experiences combine as a way to satisfy a lot of different entertainment needs all in one punch. As Kotick puts it, "While I'm relatively pessimistic about the economy, I'm very optimistic about the ability for video games to satisfy entertainment needs of consumers." And since we've been talking a bit about the future of WoW lately, I also found it interesting that Kotick said he's been looking at his expectations for Activision Blizzard over the next 5 to 10 years. He said that increasing production values, more effective in-game social interactions and the physical aspects of gaming "are really great catalysts for expansion of our audience; and we're still in the early days of markets like Western Europe, (and) in China." So perhaps WoW (or the next MMO) will be more of a world-wide audience? It seems that Kotick is hinting at that thought, which seems like smart business to me (more subscribers = more $$). Also along the idea of more money, Kotick said that lower the price of hardware, "the more consumers will be willing to purchase (it)." Makes perfect sense to me. Of course, a PC is a pretty hefty pricetag for someone just to play a game. But one would assume most people would have their computer for other uses, as well. What does everyone else make of this interview? Can you think of any other ways in which Kotick's ideas may be applied to WoW or the future of other Activision Blizzard MMOs, or do you think his points were too general to draw any real conclusions?

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Although I didn't have the opportunity to attend E3 this year, it's been pretty exciting hearing about all the neat announcements from home. One that especially piqued my interest? The introduction of the Peregrine. This nifty-looking little glove reminds me of an updated, more sophisticated version of Nintendo's Power Glove that I always wanted to play since seeing it in The Wizard, but never got a chance. From what I hear, I didn't miss out on much. But regardless, I can make up for all of that regret with this new gadget being put out for the PC by Iron Will Technologies which could offer us a new option for how we want to control our WoW characters. The Peregrine, named after the bird of prey, works through a combination of more than 30 programmable actions. It has 17 touch points and 3 activator points that, when pressed together, perform the action you have programmed into the glove. So while playing my rogue, for example, I could touch thumb to pointer finger for gouge, then thumb to middle finger for backstab, and back again. Right now I'm not sure that it would be any easier or more efficient than using hotkeys or just clicking your action bars, but with a little practice, it could be fun and possibly even effective. Here's a little bit more about the Peregrine, according to the product's official Web site:

Rapid action speed advantage: The Peregrine reduces finger travel and allows interaction without the need to look down, thereby increasing speed. Initial tests have shown speeds of 250 APM are possible. Immersive experience: Removing a layer of hardware between you and the virtual world and what do you get? A more immersive user experience. You become the interface by touching your fingers. Comfortable Ergonomic Gaming: By using natural hand motions and allowing you to rest your hand in the position that is most comfortable for you, the Peregrine creates comfort that can’t be beat.

I'll let you decide just how much of that you want to buy into. To me, 250 actions per minute sounds way too optimistic. Maybe you could do that for a couple minutes at a time, after which I would think your hand would cramp up. And that also messes up the ergonomic gaming argument for me. But who knows - it could come out and totally prove me wrong. Maybe people who use the Peregrine will become as legendary as my friend Lucas with the Power Glove, here. Or, it could really suck. I'll be interested to find out. So, what do you guys think? Is this toy worth the $129 price tag it's going for? Would you be willing to give it a shot for WoW, or for any other computer uses?

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