Now, on the verge of the release of "N++," the second proper sequel in what has proved to be a rather venerable indie franchise, Burns and Sheppard aren't quite as minimalistic in their gaming views.
Between Scamville, Mark Pincus' "every horrible thing in the book" comments, and a particularly unfortunate speech at the GDC, 2010 is the year to hate on social games — viewed by many gaming industry developers to be simplistic derivatives requiring no talent or skill.
Regarding player demand, the new and smaller gaming outfits view bitcoin as a way to radically differentiate themselves while also tapping into the growing universe of bitcoin users.
In short, games are becoming a spectator event, both through content streaming, and through the rise of e-sports, professional gaming tournaments viewed by millions across the world.
That service also offers a glimpse of unique features Xbox might be able to leverage as both a TV provider and gaming network simultaneous viewing with friends, and potentially a chat feature for the long awaited "social TV" experience.
Previous studies have suggested that internet addiction, which is an umbrella term for a variety of scenarios including excessive gaming or viewing online pornography obsessively, operates in a similar way to drug or alcohol addiction - and releases the chemical dopamine in the same way.
Big screens make phones ideal for activities such as gaming and viewing videos.
"We just think about what would be interesting and cool from a gaming point of view and a story point of view".
Dr Dominic Micklewright head of the Sport,Performance and Fatigue Research Unit at Essex University, who conducted the study, also explained that in his view, gaming can't be considered a sport.
