AOL Tries Adding Games To IM Software

Thanks to CNET News for their report that AOL is integrating games into its Instant Messenger software. The company has partnered with WildTangent so users can "...invite and play online games with others... [and] can also instant message with those they're playing with." According to the article, advergaming is also part of the mix, since "The two free games initially available will be sponsored by dnL, a soft drink produced by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, but the remainder of the games will require payments", and it should be noted that many of WildTangent's games are single-player only, but with online high-score tables.

ah yes...

[recursiv]

wildtangent of spying on you fame. this should be good.

Better Options Out There

[Servo5678]

Wait a minute... why should I pay to play AOL's single player games in the AIM environment when I can go to Shockwave [shockwave.com], Yahoo [yahoo.com], or any of the other million free online game sites that support single and multiplayer gaming? I can understand AOL wanting to squeeze as much profit as they can from their IM service, but this seems like a foolish way to burn money from the consumer's point of view.

Re:Better Options Out There

[fireduck]

As you point out, Yahoo has a number of online games. They also have their own IM client, YM. I don't see why they just don't integrate the two. Yahoo has done some cool stuff (like adding webcams to YM), so obviously they've got no problem with being innovative. Bump up the size of the game window so that it can fit an ad, and it pays for itself.

Re:Better Options Out There

[Mr.Ned]

If you see a game you like on AIM, you are likely to sign on to AIM to play it, even if it available elsewhere. Perhaps you don't know about the alternative, or perhaps the AIM version is more convenient.

I think this is a smart way to get more people to use AIM. They're adding value to their IM client instead of restricting alternative clients. Isn't that a good thing?

Re:Better Options Out There

[DrDoombender]

yes, that's could be true. But leave it to AOL to charge for things on the Internet that you can easily get for free.

Truly an exercise in irony

[slashuzer]

For many indivisuals consider AOL IM a game in itself...

7-up's last game

[Fammy2000]

Lest we not forget Cool Spot [netjak.com].

dnL

[Anonymous Coward]

dnL is 7up upside down.

I have one upside down word for that: awe7

Riddle within a puzzle

[uplinkpriest]

So, If a person IMs theirself, Does that mean that they can play with themselves?

Re:Riddle within a puzzle

[Demodian]

But they have to pay since it will not be included with the freebie games... :-)

Steam, AOL, IRC, Talk

[neglige]

So... Steam lets you play games and chat... and AOL lets you chat and play games... and IRC lets you chat and play chat based games... and Talk lets you chat, but no games...

I'm confused.

Re:Steam, AOL, IRC, Talk

[uplinkpriest]

Your cats ate your karma, But my karma ran over my dogma.

Re:Steam, AOL, IRC, Talk

[neglige]

That's ok, unless your karma runs over my cats...

Games? Bah...

[curious.corn]

... I'd rather have the Talk feature back on the OsX version. It really gets on my nerves that to use voice IM I have to fire Classic up. Ok, ok... as soon as iChatAV interoperates with win AIM clients I'll ditch the whole AOL crap but until then I'm stuck with this absurdity. Games... ha! I'd sooner play one on a java phone... ;)

New Client Beta

[sabNetwork]

Ugh, I can't believe how awful the new beta is.

1.) The games function uses Java, and has to load JVM every time the Games button is pressed.
2.) The portion of the Buddy List window reserved for Games is huge and uses unnecessary horizontal and vertical space. Yeah, okay, you can turn it off, but what if you actually want to use them once in a while without being completely invaded?
3.) There is no 3, I already downgraded.

Gaim Games

[sirmikester]

I think gaim should add games too... I wonder how hard it would be to write a plugin that would add a game playing functionality, maybe it would require a rewrite of the core program itself.. in anycase I think that it would be a cool addition.

Great........wildtangent......

[Lord_Dweomer]

Wildtangent.......great, just the company I want track me.....errr......give me games.

From their Marketers/Advertisers page [wildtangent.com]:

"# Robust tracking and reporting from your custom published game campaign."

Wow, such a wonderful feature, I can't wait to play their games.

Now, as I work in advertising, I can see the value of this to companies, and would certainly be interested from a professional standpoint, but as an end-user, I am disgusted by Wildtangent and their practices and trust them about as far as I can

Good thing I use Apple's iChat...

[Stormwatch]

iChat: all AIM talk, no AIM bloat.

This has been around for a while..

[Darth Fredd]

I've been able to play games over AIM since as long as I can remember..

The 2 defaults are MSHearts and Quake2 (why would anyone wanna play Q2, when we have Q3A :-)

This looks like just a way to get some cash from wildtangent to me..granted, some of WTs games are fun..and they are giving these games away

I say they'll start charging for some games.

meh.

[Slime-dogg]

WildTangent is the producer of all of those crappy winamp plugins that have a babe dancing in various clothing. I remember feeling the oats one day, downloading them, and watching them hose things up in a big way.

I think I'll just stick with the safer things like Solitaire and... Minesweeper.

Bloat, way too much bloat

[vadim_t]

I got tired of it a long time ago. Last time I used ICQ (years ago) it was a huge program with a really long menu that seemed to include everything.

Didn't take me long to switch to licq, and later to Psi. So much better, just IM and no other crap. If I want to play games then I will just start a game.