iPhone Game Players Move Into Tiny Tower By JENNA WORTHAM AUGUST 12, 2011
On a recent Sunday afternoon in Central Park, several of my friends were all hunched over their iPhones, busily tapping at their phones, deeply engrossed in game play. I peered over their shoulders and realized they were playing the same game. But it wasn't Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies or even GagaVille. Instead, they were furiously building virtual communities on a game called Tiny Tower that challenges players to build a soaring skyscraper, floor by floor. Players start with a simple building and work to erect new floors, adding apartment complexes, restaurants, stores and even nightclubs. The game itself is rendered in cutesy, 8-bit graphics that resemble vintage arcade and videogames. One of the game's selling points is the insidery glimpse one gets into the lives of those who occupy their buildings, the Bitizens. You can read their status updates on a Facebook-like social network called BitBook and see what they like (and don't like) about living in your building. If you choose, you can adjust their jobs and living situations accordingly. The game also incorporates several entertaining social elements: Players can find their friends who are also playing the game and see how they've built out their towers. The game, which debuted on June 22, has already attracted 4.5 million downloads. It's a far cry from a game like Angry Birds, which has hundreds of millions of downloads, but it's a strong start for a game limited to the iPhone that is also competing with thousands of other titles in the App Store. By comparison, it's roughly around the same number of downloads as Instagram. ... http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/iphone-game-players-move-into-tiny-tower/ _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
