Words With Friends Message Board

In a special note today to players thanking them for six years of support, Zynga chief operating officer Clive Downie revealed three new mobile titles soon to be released worldwide, including a FarmVille 2 game that's completely different from its Facebook counterpart. Read more...

#infographic I guess Words with People You Want to Hook Up With was just too long a title. In honor of the day before discount candy, Zynga has crafted an infographic to demonstrate what a hotbed of flirting the "With Friends" franchise really is. Who uses the chat function of a mobile game to hit on people? More »

#wordswithfiends No matter how you feel about the popular social/mobile game Words with Friends, you have to appreciate a property that spawns a piece of art in which Cobra Commander shoots Captain Planet through the chest as Shredder, Boba Fett, Skeletor, the Terminator and a Dalek look on. More »

So, 2012, it’s over. Blah. You’re gone. I can’t say I’m too upset about having 2012 in the rearview mirror, even if there was plenty to celebrate about those 12 months. I’m just happy to be moving forward, and can begin enacting change for the better, based on my time spent thinking about the recent past.

Sure, most of that’s going to happen in my personal life, but given how intertwined my personal life is with my professional life, that also means change for Giant Bomb--and my approach to news. When I first got here, I was hired as a news and features guy, and that was my role for the first few months. There weren’t enough podcast microphones to have me on the Bombcast regularly, but the office bought another one, and that changed. I’d drop into Quick Looks every so often just to fill in, but as it became clear there were games I was interested in looking at that no one else was, that changed, too. It all started to add up, and while I’m still regularly writing features for the site, it doesn’t happen enough, and I certainly do not have the time to spend doing background reporting on truly big stories.

That’s gonna change in 2013 in ways that will become evident in the next few months, I hope, and doesn’t really have much to do with shifting my day-to-day interaction with the site and you guys. It’s mostly making adjustments to operate more efficiently (ie: using a service to transcribe my interviews to get the writing part started sooner), and maybe bringing in outside writers to report on material that I have no business, interest, or time to tackle.

We’ll see. I’m only sharing some of these ideas with you to let you know it’s a new year, and while everyone talks about it being a time for change, I’d actually like some of it to happen. And, yes, that includes getting that PC. I already have the CPU and GPU, just need to get the rest. Soon, I think. Spookin' With Scoops will return, then, too.

Hey, You Should Play This

• Killer Escape by Psionic Games (Browser / Free) -- www.kongregate.com/games/Psionic3D/killer-escape

I may or may not have gone slightly overboard with the horror coverage on Giant Bomb in 2012, so I had every intention of opening Worth Reading in 2013 without a single reference to a horror game. Then, of course, I landed upon this terrific point-and-click adventure game about escaping the confines of serial killer, and absolutely had to share it with you. Killer Escape has an awful name, but Psionic Games has done a masterful job of establishing a sense of dread in a game with largely simple, static visuals. The damn game even managed to pull off a terrific jump scare out of nowhere, and I suspect you won’t see it coming, either. The whole experience doesn’t last more than 20 minutes or so (if you’re stuck: spiderwebs), but a timer ticks and tocks in the corner of your inventory, instilling a constant sense of “oh, shit, will the killer actually come back?” as you desperately click your way out.

And You Should Read These, Too

• "The Negative Influence of Games: An Autobiographical Essay" by Matthew Duhamel for Nightmare Mode

What brings pleasure to some will bring pain to others, as evidenced by this stunning essay about the negative role video games have played in his life. Granted, were games not around, it’s entirely possible Duahmel would have substituted them for a different form of fantasy and escapism, but today, the medium of choice for many is video games. We do not spend much time thinking about the consequences of the games we make and the games we play, and I’m troubled by the industry’s obsession with the word “addictive” and making games “addictive.” It’s not to suggest video games are “bad,” only that maybe there may, in fact, be “bad” things about games. The worlds we create and the mechanics we design that are beloved by most may bring out the worst in others. Should it matter?

The difference between my own experience, and that of a typical hyper-successful ivy-league-bound student is that my sense of self was built around fabricated success. Video games present a fictitious sense of trial that produce a baseless sense of accomplishment. Saving the world feels like it’s worthy of note but it is simply the outcome for every person who plays the game and doesn’t turn off the console.

I chose to define myself by my gaming successes as a way of displacing the definition given to me by my circumstances. This has brought with it all the consequences Deresiewicz describes, but without any of the benefits gained from the hard work real-world success requires. I still craved the type of success that Ivy League schools looked for, but the ease with which I could turn on a video game and feel successful without any of the work was (and still is) incredibly difficult to pass up.

• ”"The Year of Antisocial Gaming" by Gavin Purcell for The New York Times

Gavin Purcell likely speaks for many of us when he talks his guilt from playing with the popular iOS word game Letterpress in 2012. I went through a similar psychological arc years ago when Words With Friends, and it surfaced some of my worst tendencies. It’s awfully easy to start a game with someone, but I’d usually never make it past the second turn. Then, you’re trying to avoid the messages from people asking you to keep playing, and you resent the game, the concept of push notifications, and, ultimately, your friends. Terrible! I don’t blame people for giving up.

I take so long to play? Well, guess what, dude, I’m busy. I put in long days at work. I have to buy things from time to time. I eat. I have a family. And I was just told by my own children to put the iPhone down. So, yes, I take my time.

The interchange gnawed at me. This was an entirely new development. Guilt. Anger. Betrayal. All because I wouldn’t play this dumb little iPhone game. Looking back, my friend probably did care about what was happening in my life at the time but he was blinded himself. He just wanted to play his turn.

If You Click It, It Will Play

I Don’t Know About This Kickstarter Thing, But These Projects Seem Pretty Cool

• The campaign to raise funds for a sequel to The Ship went nowhere, and the developers share lessons.
• Full Bore started as a simple action game, but it's growing bigger. Looks like this has potential.
• I'm so glad Dreadline didn't disappear into the ether. This ghostly game looks fantastic.

Maybe Every Top 10 List Doesn't Have to be the Absolute Worst

• Indie Games compiles a list of the best independent horror games from 2012. I missed a few!
• Super Hexagon creator Terry Cavanagh rattles off his favorites form the past year. Read, listen, play.
• Gamasutra reveals its most popular stories from this year, as does Kotaku.
• Apple outlines how to go from a casual player to a hardcore enthusiast in just 10 steps.

Valve Just Launched Greenlight, So Here’s Some Games That Don’t Look Terrible

• KRUNCH looks just like the kind of assholishly hard nostalgia I haven't experienced in a while.
• I don't know what to make of people saying They Breathe is genuinely horrifying, but I gotta find out why.
• In 2013, I will play more couch co-op games, and maybe Super Motherload can help in that quest.

Patrick's Watching TED Talks As Part of a New Years Resolution, So Here You Go

Oh, And This Other Stuff

• You've probably seen it already, but read this excellent essay criticizing The Big Bang Theory.
• Sony is not the only company investigating anti-piracy measures for next-gen, but it patented one idea.
• Electronic Arts continues to demonstrate its blatant disregard for decency.
• The whole War Z debacle happened while we were on break, but the creator has apologized. Christ.
• Whenever a developer announces co-op in a horror game, I cringe, and here is that cringing put into words.
• As more casual players look for deeper experiences, is the new term "mid-core"?
• People have so many fond memories of Morrowind. I wish I could count myself among them!
• Interesting commentary about games "forcing" us into situations where we do questionable things.
• I've never played the Shining Force games. Do they hold up at all?
• Michael Abbott does the best interviews, and recently he spoke with designer Warren Spector.

#toysfortots Zynga has given millions of Facebook gamers free toys to play with. Now it's time to spread the love. Today Zynga launches "Oh, What Fun!", a digital charity drive for Toys for Tots, spread across seven popular social games. More »

Brothers Paul and David Bettner, best known for coming up with Words with Friends, have left Zynga. The duo are the latest high-profile departures from Zynga following vacancies left by CCO Mike Verdu and COO John Schappert.

"We are still very excited about the future and feel like we are at the beginning," Paul Bettner told Gamesbeat during a phone interview. Neither would comment on why they chose to leave Zynga nor would they comment on their time at the company.

The duo originally came on board with Zynga when the company purchased their Texas-based studio Newtoy, effectively rebranding it Zynga With Friends. Before the Zynga acquisition, the Bettners had previously helped ship Halo Wars at developer Ensemble Studios before its closure.

#lexatron The rise of Words with Friends has brought the slow and plodding casual word game genre into the spotlight. With Lexatron, Fictorial's Brian Hammond seeks to add a little excitement to the scene with a keen competitive twist. More »

Edward Norton, Snoop Lion (formerly Dogg), Kristen Bell and five other really popular people are taking part in the Words with Friends Celebrity Challenge, which will give $500,000 to a charity chosen by the winning celebrity. The Celebrity Challenge begins tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET with a Words with Friends match between Snoop Lion and Jonah Hill, streaming live with commentary.

Participating famous people are Kristen Bell, Sophia Bush, Jonah Hill, John Legend, Snoop Lion, Eva Longoria, Edward Norton and Paul Pierce. Anyone can join any of these "teams" and be entered for a chance to play a game against that celebrity.

For what it's worth, Edward Norton is supremely confident that he'll win for his charity, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund. His first round is against Paul Pierce, captain of the Boston Celtics, who is playing for his own charity, The Truth Fund.

"I think it's great that he has a cause he supports, and I hope the amount he gets from just the first round is going to make him happy because I don't think it's going to go past there," Norton tells The AP. Norton is most concerned about playing against Snoop Lion, citing his experience with wordplay. Norton also lived and worked in Osaka, Japan, after graduating Yale University in 1991, since you seem interested.

#zynga Come Monday, October 1 the agreement between toy maker Hasbro and game maker Zynga finally bears fruit (and vegetables), as physical games based on digital favorites hit store shelves. Who's up for some Hungry Hungry Farmville? More »

This is a pretty serious story, so in order to relieve some tension, here's CEO Mark Pincus playing poker with a dog on top of a pile of presumably your money.

Casual games publisher Zynga has come under fire recently over accusations that top members of the company's executive team dumped company stock ahead of a massive drop last week. Five different law firms have been investigating Zynga and its corporate heads over possibilities that top brass may have violated federal insider trading laws, and now the first suit on the subject has been officially filed.

According to the suit (first acquired by The Verge), law firm Newman Ferrara is claiming that members of Zynga's executive team, including CEO Mark Pincus, had the company's underwriters--Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley--waive a restriction that would have prevented them from selling their stock shares prior to May 28 of this year. By waiving the restriction, Pincus and company were able to cash out over $500 million in stock while the price was at $12 a share this April. At the time of the lockup's expiration for other employees, the stock had dropped to roughly $6 a share. As of today, it's closer to $3.

"Zynga's regular employees were still locked up from selling their shares. But the guys at the top, who saw what was coming down the pipe, got to cash out," Ferrara attorney Roy Shimon explained to The Verge.

Pincus had apparently dodged a question regarding the unloading of his stock during last week's company earnings call, telling BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield, "We believe in the opportunity for social gaming and play to be a mass-market activity, as it is already becoming," instead of responding to his question.

As The Verge points out (by way of the New York Times), Pincus himself only cashed out a fraction of his total stock earnings, meaning he took a significant financial hit along with other shareholders. However COO John Schappert sold roughly 45% of his total stock, while CFO David Wehner unloaded more than half his shares.

I'll just go ahead and attempt to preempt the whole slew of inevitable "Zynga is evil" comments by asking a question. Um. Uh...so...are any of you still playing Words With Friends? Nobody accepts my invites anymore...

#zynga The bubble bursts. The blood is in the water. The knives sharpen. More »

Well, that was fast. Just days after announcing its Zynga Platform, the casual and social games giant has revealed Zynga Platform is now available in open beta form. Like, you can go to Zynga.com right now and play some games. As of writing this post, 1.6 million people are currently doing just that.

Some functionality isn't live right now, but if you're a seasoned player, you'll find your progress there waiting for you on Zynga Platform. You can set up a Zynga profile, add some zFriends (ugh) and chat, and play any of the five games available: CastleVille, Words with Friends, CityVille, Hidden Chronicles and Zynga Poker.

Well, that was fast. Just days after announcing its Zynga Platform, the casual and social games giant has revealed Zynga Platform is now available in open beta form. Like, you can go to Zynga.com right now and play some games. As of writing this post, 1.6 million people are currently doing just that.

Some functionality isn't live right now, but if you're a seasoned player, you'll find your progress there waiting for you on Zynga Platform. You can set up a Zynga profile, add some zFriends (ugh) and chat, and play any of the five games available: CastleVille, Words with Friends, CityVille, Hidden Chronicles and Zynga Poker.

#wwfwtf I sometimes play Words With Friends, and I play it the way I play Scrabble: using words that a) I know and that b) I'm sure are words normal people would use. More »

#wordswithfriends We all know that the "social" space has changed the dating scene. Facebook has thrown all sorts of new tools and little wrinkles our way. More »

Apple has removed 59 copycat games from its App Store, including Temple Run lookalike Temple Jump, Words with Friends contender Numbers with Friends, Angry Birds clones Tiny Birds and Angry Ninja Birds, and the self explanatory Plant vs. Zombie. All of the offending clones were developed by Anton Sinelnikov.

Temple Jump, specifically, had achieved incredible success on the App Store, surpassing its source material to reach the number 1 spot on the paid Apps list. "This was really upsetting to us and damaging to our brand, because we work really hard to put out very high quality polished games and win the love of our fans," said Natalia Luckyanova, co-founder of Temple Run dev Imangi, during an interview with Gamasutra. "We don't want them to think that we would put out crap to steal a dollar from them."

This App Store raid comes roughly one week after Triple Town developer Spry Fox sued 6Waves LOLAPPS over Yeti Town, another aggressively similar iOS title. We like to imagine Apple Store employees rappelling from the ceiling of a dank, filthy warehouse, shooting iPod Nanos out of high-powered slingshots with extreme prejudice.

#games The ever-addictive word game cherished by word fiends and Alec Baldwins everywhere has a new star on its sleeve: it prevented a heart attack, sort of! More »

#wordswithfriends Megan Lawless and Jasper Jasperse didn't meet at a party, or through friends, or via a dating service. They met as random opponents over social game Words With Friends. More »

#wordswithfriends Ultimately it was an iPhone game, not political grousing, hackers or public tweets of affection that led actor and Twitteratti Alec Baldwin to quit the social networking service. More »

#pullquote Accompanied by the hash tag #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt, 30 Rock star and certified Baldwin Alec voiced his displeasure with American Airlines' strict no fun policy. [Twitter] More »

Never underestimate the addictive power of microtransaction infused farms, apparently, as Zynga has disclosed a record quarter for the period between July 1 and September 30: Over $306 million, an 80 percent increase in revenue over that same period in 2010. The social megalith attributes the increase in revenue to the successful launches of Adventure World and the Facebook version of Words with Friends, which took place during this quarter.

Revenue is a very different beast than profit, however, where Zynga continues to decline. Following a 95 percent year-over-year profit decrease in Q2, the SEC filing shows a 54 percent decrease year-over-year in Q3 after a total of $12.5 million in net profits.

Hey Zynga, want a tip? It's on the house: Monetize letter tiles in Words with Friends. We'll pay you fifteen dollars to get rid of "MXLCZDL."

Facebook games struggle to make an appearance on RPS without a boo-hiss from the crowd, but this one bears a little more patience. Words With Friends – owned by but not created by FarmVille frighteners Zynga – was a quiet giant on mobile platforms, due to basically being a persistent, online, score-based, multiplayer Scrabble, geared towards play with chums’n'family. Now it’s on its way to Facebook.(more…)

Zynga said today its mobile game Words With Friends is coming to the Facebook platform...