For all of there nerds out there such as ourselves who dig understanding social media and where technology is heading, constantly keep in the back of your mind, video games. Now don't think of the adventure games that suck you into a time warp and make days go by where your identity then becomes something in the realm of DragonSlayer666 or CultOfAragorn. Rather think on the apps that you use on phones or with Facebook.
If you have seen the data on the use of apps and the amount of users, what is most compelling is how games are top of the food chain. We get hit up often about creating a Rusty Knuckles music app or one for the bands, but in all honesty, the traffic just isn't there. But, this is where a company such as Songster is taking things in the direction that Guitar Hero did a few years back. Their plan of attack is stupid simple. Pair up gaming and music to create mashups and let it reside in the world of Facebook. Read on it more below and see what ya think.
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| Gaming dominates mobile apps - Link to article |
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| Songster launched this week through Facebook |
"Dr. Dre never had it this easy. Music-creation social site, Songster, launched at SXSW on Wednesday for the music portion of the conference. Songster lets you feel like a musician and mix various beats and vocals to make your own tracks.
To access the game, you need to sign-in with your Facebook account. Songster lets users chose from rap, rock and alternative music to mash together and create their own song. Users can share their tracks on Facebook and connect with other Songster players. Players can also use virtual coins to progress to bigger and better gigs. The virtual venues can be selected from a cartoon map.
Songster is the first game by Atlanta-based startup, Mowgli. Founder and CEO Marshall Seese, Jr. came from a legal background, practicing entertainment and technology law for seven years while balancing that with his own music career (Seese is a musician, too). He combined his expertise in entertainment and passion for making music to create Songster.
“As a musician, I’m really passionate about people connecting through music,” he told Mashable. “So I wanted to enable anyone to make great songs, not just sounds. Social gaming seemed like a great fit because it embraces user creation.”
Players can step in the shoes of a struggling musician (as least virtually) and work their way up the ranks of the music industry. Players start by doing gigs at frat parties and eventually arenas — depending on how well they do. Because music is so subjective, Seese said, they plan to track the success of a song by how many “Likes” and comments it gets rather than an AI component. The feedback songs receive will translate to virtual record sales, enabling players to progress faster through the game based on how popular their songs become.
As more players join, the team at Mowgli can work out any issues and add more features such as charts, which will be available within the next couple of months. Players will be able to see how their songs compare against their friends’ songs based on shares and “Likes.”
Currently, Songster is in beta but it’s open to the public now. The game is free for everyone.
“Most song packs can be bought for in-game currency, which can be earned by playing the game,” Seese said. “Only premium features and unlocking things early costs money at this point.”"
