Platform Independence

I don't know why this didn't occur to previously, but in commenting on m3mnoch's Passive Gaming entry, I realized something else about Club Penguin (and games of those ilk) that could be a big driver of success:

Platform independence.

Web-based games, including MMOGs like Puzzle Pirates, Runescape and Club Penguin, can be played anywhere. This achieves two goals:

1. Moves the barrier of entry to almost the lowest point possible. Not needing to buy and install a CD isn't a huge benefit. We've been doing that for 15 years. Rather, the benefit here is being able to play the game on your home PC, traveling Laptop, via wireless hookup in Starbucks, at an airport, and so on. This benefit is in addition to the lower processor overhead. These are, after all, Flash-like experiences. Try playing Everquest 2 at an airport on anything less than one of those crazy Alienware laptops.
2. Cultural relevance. We are a connected culture constantly on the go. This isn't new knowledge. Even Microsoft has been saying this, pushing the "Connected Home" strategy of Xbox 360, PC(s), and now their upcoming portable. The goal is to bring entertainment to wherever people are, not forcing them to a specific location.

Web-based games are not for everyone. I personally prefer an immersive full-screen game and am old school enough to not mind needing to buy CDs, install, patch and launch from my PC. I have appreciated newer MMOGs like CoH, EQ2, and WoW that store user settings (including toolbars) on the server, allowing for easier migration between computers. But those are not critical features for someone like me.

But new gamers, or young gamers, or people who have previously been turned off because of the higher barriers to entry do appreciate those things. And web-based games that can be played anywhere.

For me, the next step would be to get web-based MMOGers to play in the same space as download/installed MMOGers, and then on cellphones and portable gaming rigs later. Imagine WoW in a web browser, PSP or cellphone for example. That doesn't lower the barriers within the game; however, it does mean more accessibility for the people who already like that sort of experience.

A few years ago, I saw a Chinese MMOG called "Mu" that supposedly promised to be an MMOG that could be played on PC or cellphone, but I've been unable to find any way to verify that functionality.

I hope it happens though. Ever since reading about Habitat, I've longed for a day when the game experience was more important than the singular platform upon which it was developed. I understand not many companies have the resources to pull off something like a platform-independent game though, so for now appreciate those who are making them for web browsers.