Click To Hit

As we fast approach the new site launch within the next couple of weeks, I started to think about the Web 2.0 Expo and what some of the important takeaways were for us as a team.

I’ve played MMORPG’s in the past, the last one I devoted any real time to was Earth and Beyond which took up a few weeks worth of my waking life back in 2002. From my guildies to my character growth the game play and social dynamics were completely immersive and very addictive, which is one of the reasons why I haven’t moved on to any others since it was shut down. I now prefer to relegate my online gaming experiences to short tactical based shooters such as Counterstrike Source and Battlefield 2142. It’s something I can dive in, acquire an hour or two of fun, and turn off without issue since there are no real strategic ‘goals’ I can lose myself in trying to achieve. Are these tactical shooters more rewarding than a good MMORPG? I don’t think so. You don’t get the same immersion or social reward that you can from games like WOW, but I also don’t face the issues I did in 2002 like a fiancé screaming for attention or work being put to the backburner that negatively affected my progress towards goals that influenced my real life.

This startup is my new immersion since I can lose myself on a daily basis, acquire the social interaction I desire, and accomplish the goals I set out to that materialize on a daily basis. Plus, I still have the fiancé screaming for attention so I know the addiction has to be similar in some way. The key difference though is that this immersion is also moving me forward in real life, as opposed to the fake one I create in someone else’s world who I have to pay to participate in on a monthly or episodic basis.

The reason I’m explaining all of this is because a few of the sessions we attended focused on how the science of online gaming is leading the world in social interactive immersion, and that the basic principals of this science are applicable to online social networks. I totally agree, with the important difference being that social networks can provide the same or better rewards emotionally, but similar to how this startup rewards me, some of them can also help you become more knowledgeable and powerful in this thing we all call real life.

We’ve designed our platform to have immersive features that allow users to socialize and interact in an environment with a shared goal. Similar to online gaming it’s a goal that all users share to one extent or another, and our community members all have to collaborate and work together to achieve their goals. Those that focus more at working with others will be more successful than those that are interested in the altruistic rewards, but all users will acquire the gratification they are looking for no matter what they want when they enter our community. The key difference though is that the rewards they will be able to achieve add to their real life existence on a daily basis, and it’s something where members will be able to earn tangible financial incentives for the effort they invest into the community versus us charging them for their contributions.

There are some very exciting things about what we are planning to launch, and I can’t wait to hear feedback from all of you when we pull back that curtain and show off what we’ve been working so very hard to create for you.