The author of the excellent “PlayNoEvil” blog has published a few months ago a very good book relating to games and security. Although the book is not specifically dedicated to online games security challenges, it does contain a mountain of information and basically acts as a giant checklist with proposed solutions for any online project. After many years and a lot of security issues happening in online games, it is very frustrating to see the same mistakes being done again, so we would recommend it to anyone working on an online project.

Steven’s take on security is very common sense- and business-driven, at the exact opposite of solution vendors trying to sell you a silver bullet. His recommendations are generally simple and easy to implement, providing that relevant stakeholders in the development and operations of the game are committed to security from early on in the project : just like service design or marketing, it is not the problem of the specificly assigned department, and it can’t be added as an afterthought. The book is not limited to technical risks, but also covers business and game design issues. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable read about the security game – the one played by your company, against an infinite horde of opponents armed with a lot of time, wits and resources.

Steven will also be teaching at Paris Masters Classes next week!

EA Phenomic announced last week that their collectible online RTS Battleforge now had a free version, available to anyone intrigued by the game’s concept. The core revenue model of the game will remain the same, centered around a virtual currency you can purchase online (or by redeeming codes in the game boxes, transorfming all those Battleforge dvd case into prepaid cards) and then use to buy booster packs à la Magic the Gathering containing new units for you to choose from for your battles.

A really nice move, but why wait so late? Read the rest of this entry »