Coffee Talk Archives - Page 17 of 68

Coffee Talk #517: Confusing Moments in Pro-Wrestling History

Today’s column was inspired by a chat I was having with RPadholic Tokz_21 on the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group. On last night’s WWE Monday Night Raw, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack on air. It’s sad and I hope everyone sends positive vibes to Jerry, hoping for a speedy recovery. Now to be completely honest, initially I wasn’t sure if it was real or if it was an angle. Pro-wrestling can be funny that way. The writers have no boundaries and have crossed several lines over the years. Would an angle involving Lawler’s age (he was in the ring that night too) be out of the realm of possibility? Of course not. Sadly, the heart attack was real, but the whole thing had me thinking about times when I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t in pro-wrestling…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, wishing that Andy Murray becomes a one-hit wonder, Emma Watson searches leading to computer viruses, or iPhone 5 fever, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

When Owen Heart died due to a harness mishap during the Over the Edge PPV, I initially thought it was an angle. He was playing The Blue Blazer, a masked idiot that thought he was a superhero. He was actually supposed to have a botched fall to the ring, keeping with his character. Sadly, the harness released him too soon and he suffered a tragic fall. I distinctly remember watching the PPV at my friend Justin’s place and arguing that it was a work. It wasn’t until the cameras completely pulled to the crowd that I was aware that something very bad and very real happened.

On a lighter note, a pair of WCW angles vexed me for a long time. The first involved Brian Pillman. In an “I Respect You” match against Kevin Sullivan, Pillman suddenly bailed with the words, “I respect you, booker man!” I knew that Sullivan was a WCW booker, but this was something that was never said on air. Pillman was fired and that’s where things got cloudy. Did he really get fired or was it part of a storyline? Former WCW exec Eric Bischoff said it was part of an angle and that Pillman was supposed to develop his “Loose Cannon” character in ECW before returning to WCW. Pillman said that he wanted to get fired and had no intention of going back to WCW. He ended up going to ECW and eventually brought the “Loose Cannon” persona to WWE.

Kevin Sullivan was involved in an angle with his wife, Nancy Sullivan, and Chris Benoit. The story was that Benoit, who was feuding with Sullivan on TV, took things too far by stealing his wife. Sullivan booked it so that Nancy and Chris traveled together, ate together on the road, and stayed in the same hotels. Art imitated life, with Nancy and Chris actually falling in love and eventually getting married. For a long time, I thought it was just an elaborate angle. It wasn’t until kayfabe went out of style that I realized, “Oh…that really happened.”

Anyway, those are some wrestling moments where I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. I’d love to hear about some angles that you weren’t sure about. Please share some stories in the comments section!

Coffee Talk #516: Anti-Apple Fanboys Are Everywhere

Recently, I’ve had a bunch of Apple-related discussions on message boards that have little to do with technology. I was surprised to find myself in an Android vs. iOS discussion on a boxing forum. I was amused to read several “tablets are awesome” and “iPads suck” posts on a travel board. Whether it was talking about Apple, iPad, iPhone, or iOS, there was one thing that was consistent — people with an irrational hatred for Apple.

If you don’t like Mac OS or iOS, that’s fine, but some of the reasons I’ve heard for people not wanting to buy Apple products are stupid and ignorant. One of my favorites is…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, deciding between plasma and LCD televisions, Ryan Reynolds’ marriage “downgrade” to Blake Lively, or getting excited for Britney Spears on X-Factor, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

If you don’t like Mac OS or iOS products, that’s fine, but some of the reasons I’ve heard for people not wanting to buy Apple goods are stupid and ignorant. One of my favorites is “Apple forces you to only buy from them!” I’m not aware of how Apple forces anyone to do anything. Does the company have a secret ninja army forcing people to buy music and movies from iTunes? Certainly if you have an iPhone then it’s easier to buy media through iTunes. If you have a Mac then it’s easier to buy programs on the Mac App Store. So what?!? Apple is proving hardware, software, and services that make for a pleasant experience. Besides, that’s not stopping anyone from buying music on Google Play or books from Amazon and using them on an iPad. Apple and Amazon (with its Kindle Fire tablets) have shown that a certain amount of digital content curation is what the majority of consumers want.

Another anti-Apple sentiment I’ve read several times in the last couple of weeks was, “Their ‘It just works’ motto is a scam!” I strongly disagree with knocking the usability of Apple products. I own Android and iOS products. Although Android is my preferred mobile OS, it’s clear that iOS is easier for more people to use. I own OS X and Windows products. Honestly, this one isn’t even close. OS X is just a smoother and more refined experience than Windows.

The funny part is that many of the people I chatted with that blasted Apple products also admitted that they haven’t used one in a long time. So really, the hatred is based on ignorance. There’s nothing wrong with not being familiar with the latest versions of iOS and OS X, but it’s silly to blast Apple products when you don’t know what they offer. I understand having a preference for or being a fan of a particular platform, but I don’t understand why some people feel the need to automatically hate the competition. That kind of logic only works with professional sports (die Red Sox!!!) and sports entertainment (Cena sucks!!!).

A lot of people on the Internetz complain about Apple fanboys, saying that they’re arrogant loudmouths. There are certainly some vocal Apple users and many smug tech bloggers that are unapologetic about their Apple fandom. At least they’re making noise because they love Apple products. Some people call them iSheep because they love practically everything that Apple releases. In many ways, the anti-Apple crowd is worse. They’re hating on Apple and its fans without knowing what the hell they’re talking about.

If you’re going to hate on Apple products then at least know what they offer. At least then you can back up your hatred with knowledge. Be like Mark Wahlberg’s character from The Other Guys. As a youngster, he learned ballet so that he could make fun of the kids that were studying ballet. Dude knew the score.

Coffee Talk #515: Final Fantasy Dimensions and Square Enix iOS Pricing

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Roger Federer losing early in the U.S. Open (am cry), Bill Clinton vs. the dead teleprompter, or the start of the NFL season, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There’s this one (idiot) game journalist that I can’t stand (professionally). One of the things he constantly harps on is the price of Square Enix’s iOS games. He has used thousands of words to rail on the company. On a good day, he says that the games are overpriced. On a bad day, he says that the pricing is obscene. The truth is that the game’s are selling well enough so that it’s inaccurate to call them overpriced. Are they expensive compared to other iOS games? Sure they are. Is the pricing obscene? No. If enough gamers are happy to be paying these prices and the publisher is making money then why do some people have such a mad-on about the pricing?

Let’s look at the recently released Final Fantasy Dimensions, for example. Some game journalists, JRPG fans, and iOS users went nuts when they learned about the game’s U.S. pricing. The entire game costs $28.99 or $32.96 if purchased by individual chapters. My game clock after chapter one was a little over nine hours. By the end of chapter two, it was a hair over 26 hours. I’m currently near the end of chapter three and my clock is at 36:54. In terms of game time, $28.99 for an RPG that I’ll get at least 45 hours out of is a great value. I wouldn’t say that’s overpriced or obscene.

Then there’s the quality. While the graphics aren’t anything special (though they are a nice homage to Final Fantasy V), the music is fantastic. The combat system — centered around a sweet version of the Final Fantasy job system — is awesome. The story is very good, especially for fans of 16-bit RPGs. The game has a lot of depth and a ton of replay value for those that like to experiment with job systems. It’s a great game that compares favorably to RPGs I’ve purchased for other portable devices. Many of those games cost more than FFD’s $28.99 when they were first released.

I understand if some iOS gamers think that Final Fantasy Dimensions is too expensive. Although I think it’s a brilliant throwback game, others might not dig it. I don’t understand people calling the price obscene or claiming that Square Enix is out of its mind. It’s not like the company is sending flocks of wild chocobos to gamers’ houses, forcing them to buy Square Enix iOS games. If nobody buys these games then the prices will go down. One of the great things about the iOS market is that publishers can be flexible with pricing. For a new game (outside of Japan) that offers depth, quality, and dozens of gameplay hours, I don’t see anything obscene about Final Fantasy Dimensions‘ $28.99 price.

Of course that’s just my opinion. What do you think of this game’s price? How about other Square Enix games for iOS and Android? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

Coffee Talk #514: Your Favorite Comic-Book Cop-Outs

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Ka’u Coffee Mill’s semi-washed medium roast, hoping Roger Federer pulls off a U.S. Open victory, or watching injuries take their toll on the Yankees’ season, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Unstable molecules. Wolverine’s healing factor. Pym Particles. Those are just a few devices comic-book writers use to explain the inexplicable. Comic-book cop-outs have a long and glorious history. Many readers just accept them; after all, we’re talking about a hobby where you must believe (on some level) that a boy can get great powers from a radioactive-spider bite and a jetpilot can be gifted a magical ring from a dying purple alien. In some cases, they’re just convenient excuses used to explain things that make absolutely no sense. However, there are times when creative writers make the best of a silly situation and make these devices interesting (Geoff Johns excels at this). Let’s take a look at some comic-book cop-outs in today’s Coffee Talk and please share some of your favorites when you have a chance.

Unstable Molecules: Never mind that he took his fiance, fiance’s little brother, and best friend on a hazardous joyride to space. Reed Richards is a frickin’ genius. After his nearest and dearest get bombarded with cosmic rays — giving them four fantastically different super-powers — Richards developed unstable molecules. When used in a fabric, these molecules can adapt to cover up all kinds of powers. They turn invisible when the Invisible Woman uses her powers. They stretch when Mr. Fantastic uses his. They’re impervious to the extreme heat generated by the Human Torch. They also hide the Thing’s embarrassing rock boners.

Wolverine’s Healing Factor: Wolverine is popular because he’s a bad-ass (and Canadian…the world loves Canadians). One of the primary reasons that he’s a bad-ass is because he can take a beating due to his vaunted healing factor. It protects him from virtually any injury conceivable in hand-to-hand combat. It makes it difficult for him to get drunk and prevents cigars from giving him cancer. Most conveniently, it fights off any side effects from having (a fictitious) metal bonded to his bones. When said metal was briefly removed from Wolvie’s body, his healing factor kicked into overdrive. It was said that the only way to really kill him in bestial form was to chop off his head and get it very far away from his body so he couldn’t reattach it. Uh huh.

Pym Particles: When he’s not busy creating evil robots that continuously try (and fail) to take over the world, Hank Pym has fun with Pym Particles. These particles are responsible for his various size-changing aliases (Ant Man, Giant Man, Goliath, etc.). They allow the user to lose or gain mass, storing or receiving said mass in an alternate dimension (which must suck for the occupants of that dimension, what with all the appearing and disappearing mass). They’re also versatile enough to allow Pym to graft wasp-like wings onto his significant other. The kicker is that the wings only appear when she shrinks. Pym Particles have been known to cause schizophrenia and wife beating, as illustrated by Dr. Pym himself.

The Multiverse: DC has the grandaddy of all comic-book cop-outs with the multiverse. On one hand, it allows storytellers creative freedom by having different versions of superheroes exist in different universes. On the other hand, it’s hard to keep track of all the happenings on Earth One, Earth Two, Earth Scarlett Johansson, etc. The multiverse has been used to create big events that generated big sales (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis). It also allowed characters purchased from other comic book companies to be integrated into the proper DC Universe. The company has used the multiverse as an excuse to wipe the slate clean, which has angered many purists while also making books more accessible to new fans and liberating writers from the shackles of (sometimes ridiculous) continuity. What worked and what was cool in the ’70s might not work in 2012. Need to get rid of something silly while generating more sales? Use a multiverse summer crossover!

The Lazarus Pit: Batman foe R’as al Ghul discovered a restorative phenomenon that he calls The Lazarus Pit. It has allowed him to live for centuries, amass tremendous knowledge, and grow some nifty facial hair. It doesn’t matter how old R’as gets or if he picks up any STDs (hey, it happens to everyone that has lived for centuries). A swim in a Lazarus Pit will wipe away any ailments he suffers from. It can also be used to bring people back from the dead (see Todd, Jason). Repeated use of the Lazarus Pit may lead to megalomaniacal delusions and an addiction to wearing capes. Please consult your doctor before using a Lazarus Pit.

Anyway, those are a few comic-book cop-outs that have been bugging me for decades. I’d love to hear about some of your favorites. Please leave a comment when you have a chance!

Coffee Talk #513: Cheating and eSports

Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and Lance Armstrong recently reminded us that cheating (or alleged cheating) is an unfortunate part of competitive sports. With so much money and prestige on the line, people are always looking for an edge and they sometimes cross the line from being a competitor to being a cheater. The same holds true for competitive gaming and eSports.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, being sad about canceled trips to Japan, getting excited for Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., or Lindsay Lohan’s career as a master thief, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The recent scandal at the MLG Summer Championship has brought attention to cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct in eSports. MLG has accused Team Curse and Team Dignitas of collusion in the League of Legends finals, stripping both teams of ranking and prize money earned at the event. (There’s some debate on whether the two teams were actually cheating or just not being true to the spirit of MLG, but let’s shelf that for a moment.) Some people were surprised that cheating and gamesmanship happens in eSports. I was surprised that they were surprised. If there’s money, pride, and prestige at stake then you can count on people going too far to win. Some people are simply wired that way. It’s human nature.

Anyway, I wanted to get your take on cheating in eSports. Are you surprised that it happens? What do you think of the situation at the MLG Summer Championship? Would you call it cheating or two teams being wankers? Why can’t all competitors exemplify the purity of sports the way that Derek Jeter does?

Coffee Talk #512: Your Thoughts on Apple vs. Samsung

Now that we’ve all had a weekend to think about it, I wanted to get your take on the Apple vs. Samsung verdict. If you haven’t been keeping score at home, Samsung got its ass kicked and will have to pay Apple more than $1-billion in damages. The jury found that Samsung infringed on several of Apple’s software and design patents. While the software patents are pretty specific, the design patents are vague enough that it’s somewhat surprising that Samsung lost so decisively. Some people believe this is all the result of a broken patent system. Others believe that Apple was just protecting its IP rights. Some pundits feel that the decision will stifle innovation in mobile tech (unless the innovators want to shell out money to Apple). What say you?!?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the stupendous trade between the Dodgers and the Red Sox, McKayla Maroney being totally hot (in certain states only), or the great Neil Armstrong, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As for me, after a weekend of deliberation I’ve come to the conclusion that this is all stupid. The trial was an enormous waste of money. Design patents are shockingly dumb. The jury failed. Samsung’s lawyers failed harder.

The decision was fantastic for Apple and there are several instances where I believe that the company was in the right. That said, I believe that it also got several gift decisions (like Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.) and that the verdict is bad for mobile tech. The ruling makes it harder and/or more expensive for companies to compete with Apple, which will result in consumers having less choices.

Anyway, that’s my take. Now it’s your turn! What are your thoughts on the Apple vs. Samsung verdict?

Coffee Talk 511: Smartphones, the Ultimate Disruptor?!?

The evolution of smartphones has screwed a number of businesses. Less people are buying watches. Point-and-shoot camera sales are down. Many pundits have predicted that handheld consoles are doomed. A big reason why the three aforementioned industries have taken a hit is because of smartphones. They’re just fantastic and versatile devices. Have you ever seen a consumer electronics device impact so many other businesses?

Remember when tech nerds would tote around a…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Nicky Minaj possibly judging American Idol 2013, preparing for fantasy football, or getting over AJ Lee, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Remember when tech nerds would tote around a phone, a camera, and a portable gaming system? These days, many people are completely satisfied with an iPhone or an Android phone being the one device to rule them all. Certainly you can snap better pictures with a Sony Nex-5N and can have deeper gaming experiences on a Nintendo 3DS, but for most people, smartphone photos and games are perfectly fine.

The crazy part is that smartphone capabilities are moving at a ridiculous pace. Think about the improvements in mobile-phone cameras over the last two years. Look at the awesome advancements in mobile graphics. Yeah, there are some slick point-and-shoot cameras coming up and today’s portable consoles are better than ever, but the improvements in those devices are being outpaced by their smartphone counterparts. Like The Carpenters said, “We’ve only just begun.”

Have you ever seen a consumer electronics device disrupt so many competitors? Are smartphones the ultimate disruptor? Leave your thoughts in the comments section (please!).

Coffee Talk #510: Originality vs. Polish

Would you rather play a flawed game with lots of originality or a polished game that’s mostly derivative? The question popped into my head after reading several reviews of The Last Story and Darksiders II. Many writers praised the former’s original battle mechanics, but also criticized them for not feeling quite done. Many writers praised the latter for being an incredibly polished experienced, but also criticized it for mimicking numerous gameplay elements from other action-adventure games. It’s almost like you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t with videogame critics, but forget those guys and gals for a second. Do you value originality or polish more?

As for me, I much rather play a game that…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, being shocked that your back isn’t sore after a week of sleeping on the floor, electric toothbrushes, or what you would do in Japan, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As for me, I much rather play a game that attempts to do something different, even it falls short. Keep in mind that I’m in an unusual situation; I’ve played hundreds of games, including many mediocre and bad ones. Most people get to stick to games they enjoy. When they come across the occasional stinker, they can just stop playing. I certainly appreciate and admire games that are highly polished, but considering all the cookie-cutter garbage I’ve had to play for work, originality is always refreshing.

Now it’s your turn! Please tell me which characteristic you value more in a videogame, originality or polish?

Coffee Talk #509: Your Favorite 2012 Olympics Moment

The 2012 Olympic competition is over. London did a fantastic job with Olympics XXX, with classy venues, a great opening ceremony, and a fantastic closing ceremony. In between Mr. Bean and the Spice Girls, lots of great sports events took place. What were some of your favorite moments? Were you dazzled by the speed of Usain Bold? Did you gasp when Nicolas Batum ball-punched Juan Carlos Navarro? Perhaps Michael Phelps capping of his stellar Olympic career pulled on your heartstrings. I want to hear all about your favorite Olympic moments.

As for me, it was all about McKayla Maroney…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, devouring NY pizza, devouring NY bagels, or devouring NY chicken parm heroes, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As for me, it was all about McKayla Maroney. In general, I love watching Olympic gymnastics and figure skating; it’s awesome when they fall down and cry. You would expect a 16-year old girl like Maroney to cry after botching a landing that cost her a gold medal. Instead, she got pissed, started an internet phenomenon, and thoroughly embraced it. This girl is awesome and it was fun watching her blow up (and teach Jenna Bush how to “Dougie”).

Now it’s your turn! What were your favorite moments from the 2012 London Olympics?

Coffee Talk #508: Outernauts, Facebook Love, and HBO

Like millions of Facebook users, I’ve played a bunch of Facebook games. None of them have really grabbed me though…until Insomniac’s Outernauts. As a big fan of Insomniac and someone that has played thousands of hours of Pokemon games, of course I was going to fall for the game’s blend of that distinct Insomniac charm and the Pokemon-like gameplay. Outernauts is the first Facebook game that I’ve loved.

In addition to capturing monsters, training monsters, leveling up, etc., there are several aspects of Outernauts that aren’t found in Pokemon games…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, McKayla Maroney’s sexy anger when she “only” won a silver medal in the vault, Pamela Anderson going celibate for Dancing With the Stars, or Andy Murray looking at his Olympic gold medal as if it were a piece of crap compared to a Wimbledon trophy, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Like millions of Facebook users, I’ve played a bunch of Facebook games. None of them have really grabbed me…until Insomniac’s Outernauts. As a big fan of Insomniac and someone that has played thousands of hours of Pokemon games, of course I was going to fall for the game’s blend of that distinct Insomniac charm and its Pokemon-like gameplay. Outernauts is the first Facebook game that I’ve loved.

In addition to capturing monsters, training monsters, leveling up, etc., there are several aspects of Outernauts that aren’t found in Pokemon games — cooperative levels, a deep crafting system, PVP during adventures, and more. Since it’s tied to Facebook, the social aspect is played up; you can send items to and receive items from friends, allowing you to progress your adventure or enhance your item crafting. It’s also free-to-play with premium features. You can play for free, but have to wait between sessions for your character to replenish energy and/or for your monsters to heal. In short, it marries many of the features people love about Pokemon (save for Game Freak’s stellar monster design) and Zynga’s numerous “Ville” games.

So yeah, I love Outernauts, but I’m also really worried about it. The less important problem is the hate it’s getting in some corners of the Internetz. I was appalled by some of the comments left by Insomniac “fans” on Outernauts videos posted on YouTube. There are a lot of people that are pissing on the game simply because it’s new and different…and not Ratchet & Clank. Odin forbid the company tries something new and works on multiple projects, right?!?

The bigger issue is that this is a rocky time for the social-games space. A lot of Facebook games are in decline and many pundits believe that the first round of titles has peaked. There are too many social games that look, play, and feel the same. Hell, I can’t even tell most of Zynga’s games apart. Is a Pokemon angle and Insomniac’s stellar reputation enough for Outernauts to thrive? I’m certainly not smart enough to know. Instead, I’ll defer to the much smarter and much wiser Tadhg Kelly. He recently postulated on TechCrunch that the next round of social games has to be more like HBO:

The second generation needs to be thinking like HBO, not network television. It takes research and prototyping time to develop good game dynamics, but more than that it takes the right technology, talent and faith. This last quality is perhaps most frightening because it pretty much means letting the inmates run the asylum.

Games are no different than any other creative outlet in this respect though, but it’s hard for some people (managers, investors, producers, quants) to accept that. They think that games should be much more like software: predictable, mappable and about process engineering but games and players disagree. You may wish that game design was a process, but it’s an art.

That’s why the second generation of social games is unlikely to come from any of the current big players. They think too small, just as network television executives tend to think too small and need to be shaken out of their equilibrium by an HBO. By which I mean investing in providing real value rather than only playing the equivalent-value game.

Will Insomniac be the HBO of the social-games space? Will Outernauts be Facebook’s Sopranos/Curb Your Enthusiasm/Game of Thrones? It’s quite possible. The company has the experience and talent to make great games on any platform. It’s also relatively small and independent, allowing it the luxury to move and iterate quickly, unlike a large company. It also has the luxury of not having to worry about legacy social games (one of Zynga’s several headaches). Insomniac could have the perfect storm of factors to help determine the next generation of social games, with Outernauts leading the way.

As a fan of Insomniac and Outernauts, I hope the game kills it. I’m curious to see how it performs. In the meantime, I hope some of you give Outernauts a shot and play it with me (please!).