J Allard: "We're going to take on the Wikipedia model"

by Ross Miller { Feb 6th 2006 at 6:30PM }

Before you panic, Microsoft is not planning on buying out Wikipedia* - J Allard's choice of words mean to reflect the amount of customizability he wants to see in video games (presumably, Xbox 360 titles). Allard, along with Will Wright, see games as the optimal medium for immersion and player control. Wright used his upcoming title Spore as an ideal example, where players control every aspect of life as it evolves from single-cell organisms into a space-traveling civilization. Wright envisions a online mode where players can visit each other's worlds and see how they chose to evolve life.

Allard gave an anecdote involving an "inner-city child...[who] spent two hours creating a pair of sneakers" for his player in an Xbox 360 basketball game. According to Allard, "if only 1 percent of our audience that plays Halo helped construct the world around Halo, it would be more human beings than work at Microsoft...that's how much human energy we could harness in this medium." Odd phrasing aside, we support the idea of customizability - and sharing content via an online service such as Xbox Live - just so long as developers do not use it as an excuse to skimp on pre-programmed content in their games.

* as far as we know

[via Games Industry]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SID SPACE @ Feb 6th 2006 6:54PM

I like this idea, it gives the customer exactly what they want, because they create it. However, customization can get carried away to the point where it feels like all you do in the game is customize. This is the problem I have with racing and sports games (ie - Gran Turismo and Tiger Woods PGA Tour).

On a side a note, every time I see J. Allard's picture, it fills me with the urge to kill. I think that if I ever met him, I would probably beat the crap out of him before he said a word. I'm sure he's a decent guy, he just has one of those faces.

Buttonbasher @ Feb 6th 2006 7:03PM

Whoo, Halo in 'my' hands? Thats just a bad Idea, for anyone who would play it. Tanks everywhere, and swords dropping from the sky, and you can fly EVERYWHERE IN THE GAME! On second thought, screw that, Just give me Halo 3. Halo 3, Duke Nukem Fornever, Zelda, And A Revolution, Plus Gamefly, and pizza Delivery, I CAN JUST PLAY GAMES,
FOREVER!!!!!!Muh-haha! Just one person to occasionally come a poke me and make sure I'm still alive. Any Volunteers?

KLind

Andrew @ Feb 6th 2006 7:03PM

Doesn't this sort of support the rumor that the next Halo will be a massively multiplayer persistent world? Games with an internal economy, barter system, chat, etc tend to foster the kind of relationships with the game world that J. is hinting at. But then again this is all speculation as none of the 360 games so far have anything close to that level of next genniness.

Buttonbasher @ Feb 6th 2006 7:09PM

Halo 3 should be the exact same kind of gameplay, just with some new additions! An MMOHalo would suck. I don't care. Oh, and SID SPACE, Everytime I see J's picture I just want to hang out long enough to take his wallet. Not that I endorse that. But Hey, theres your Halo 3 addition, A giant multiplayer game mode: Capture the Juggernauts wallet, on the Oddballs Hill! heh, I have too much time.

KLind

jon @ Feb 6th 2006 7:13PM

I like the idea of having users contribute to content. They just need to remember that quality control might be an issue. A 10 year old can make a level with the unreal engine, it just might not be fun.

Ditto on hating Allard's face.

Vagabond Artist @ Feb 6th 2006 7:14PM

so Halo meets Animal Crossing?

SharpBlade @ Feb 6th 2006 7:21PM

Didn't he/MS say the same thing about the 360 hardware? This will be YOUR system, YOU will personalize it to YOUR taste? When it ended up being, you will customize what I tell you to customize, oh and yeah it will cost you $$$ as well! They can't even give such basic things as DiVX support for video playback.. Besides Sony, MS should be the last people talking about giving the customer complete costumization.

Oh and yes, I agree with #1 I would probably punch the guy in the throat if I ever met him in person and prolly Major Snelson too.. But mainly because of BS that comes out of their mouths.

CKpr @ Feb 6th 2006 7:25PM

Note the not-so-subtle Halo MMORPG references... I'm starting to buy into the rumors about Halo 3 being massively multiplayer. If it takes me 2 hours to pimp out my warthog's tires I'll be pissed.

tittergrrl @ Feb 6th 2006 7:26PM

Woo hoo! "Open Source" and "Wikipedia!" That's TWO squares on my buzzword bingo card. HOT DAMN!

Honestly, other than making content (and by that, it sounds like customizing already modeled items, which is even more different than those two examples), how is this like Wikipedia or open source at all?

Sounds like racheted down There.com/Second Life to me. Neat, but... c'mon. Hyyyyyyyppeeeeee.

yellowoystercult @ Feb 6th 2006 7:32PM

Smartbomb reveals a lot about J Allard. I'm paraphrasing, but his plan involves you watching television, playing video games, receiving phone calls, posting at message boards, and ordering clothing all through one Microsoft system. Makes perfect business sense, but Chaplin and Ruby cap off the description with this quote:
"[The Microsoft system has your] size, remembers your billing info, knows [your] home address--so you buy it. It's inevitable. It's just a matter of who's going to capitalize on it."

That Allard would specifically use Wikipedia to describe his goal sounds extremely underhanded. Wikipedia's idea--a free, user-created and maintained information database--is completely antithetical to Microsoft's game plan.

Be aware that any Wiki-esque setup that Microsoft puts in place will be under fierce control and will just put more money in the company's pockets.

Again, it's a brilliant business strategy, but to claim they're using the Wikipedia model as inspiration is deceitful.

They gotta get Seamus Blackley back.

pennywise969 @ Feb 6th 2006 7:40PM

I like the internet tough guys talking about punching J Allard in the face.

Cyberclaws @ Feb 6th 2006 7:58PM

I want to punch guys in the throat of the guys who want to punch guys in the throat...

funkonaut @ Feb 6th 2006 7:59PM

Microsoft + Open Source = When Hell Freezes Over.

Mr. Sparkler @ Feb 6th 2006 8:02PM

Personaly I would rather punch Reggie or Ken in the face than J.

Larry @ Feb 6th 2006 8:41PM

Doesn't J Allard look like a bald Eminem, with those black glasses?

Bob S. @ Feb 6th 2006 8:43PM

I can't wait to work for Microsoft for free! I'm glad you support their decision that we all should do so. (I always wanted to work at home, but the last 5 million offers in that direction sounded suspicious. I know J-dawg won't screw me, especially if you guys say so!

Eligio J Rosa @ Feb 6th 2006 8:48PM

Why when Will Wright says something unusual open source video games it sound smart? But when J Allard talk about the same think we sounds like an idiot.

Aresef @ Feb 6th 2006 9:23PM

I actually saw Lucy Bradshaw (VP of Maxis) demo Spore at a conference over the summer. VERY cool game.

bouncicles @ Feb 6th 2006 9:59PM

Wright actually doesn't really talk about modification in terms of the open source model; he discusses it as a collaboration between players and the game server to deliver continually evolving content. There's a great interview with him about this topic (and others) here:

http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/pearce/"

Here's a sample quotation from that interview that is applicable: "So in fact you have the players kind of cross-pollinating their creativity with each other, but it�s transparently mediated by the computer. They don�t even know whether the computer came up with this, or some other player in Oklahoma, or what. They just know that the game is doing something different today than it did yesterday."

bubbacrosbysucks @ Feb 6th 2006 11:02PM

allard just gave proof in his words that Mike is trying to
enslave gamers and harness their skills (and money) so that they could take
over the world.

oz @ Feb 7th 2006 1:07AM

I for one happen to like J's face and think he does a superb job.If only for the fact he can't stand those whining tard Nintendo fanboys either.[goes back to playing Gamecube]

DocRoland @ Feb 7th 2006 2:19AM

"just so long as developers do not use it as an excuse to skimp on pre-programmed content in their games"

This is kinda like saying, "I'd be great if we could use the Internet to download updates to videogames, as long as developers don't use it as an excuse to ship unfinished and buggy games" hmmmmmmmmm.

Ben Yates @ Feb 7th 2006 3:49AM

Yeah, Allard is pretty full of crap. systems like wikipedia are socially complex, and setting them up is very difficult -- and there are plenty of differences between the wikipedia and spore models), it's good to see the power of distributed content generation getting noticed.

me @ Feb 7th 2006 10:07AM

too bad ES4 Oblivion wont include the construction kit for the 360, stupid ass betheseda (or maybe ms for that matter). that would have been the shit.

SuicideNinja @ Feb 7th 2006 11:27AM

This is why a like Microsoft's gaming division. They have good ideas. Some may not be realized, but ideas like these get the ball rolling on "the next gen experience".

Sony on the other hand, would rather make a load of ridiculous promises and never keep them. They are so busy pushing their product and it's so-called abilities that they don't have room for many new "useful" ideas about the next generation of gaming.

Personally, I'd like to see the open-source model availability for the 360. That would really expand the market. Sony is too proprietary to consider such a thing. We'll see how much open-source Microsoft goes in its other products; I wouldn't expect much though.