Since Rockstar Games began their “Social Club” media network, it has been used for little more than a way to check out song lists in Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as the uploading of high scores in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. There hasn’t been much in the way of evolving content on the social network, but that has changed with the announcement of features that will be added to the club with the release of Red Dead Redemption this month.
First off, the network’s members will be privy to a series of challenges, all based off of in-game events and allowing players to win real-world prizes. Also, a community-driven, constantly evolving newspaper called “The Blackwater Ledger” will be accessible in game, keeping players abreast of ongoing player achievements. Also, expect a series of multiplayer events to be made available, the first of which will kick off on May 21 with as players battle against members of Rockstar’s developmental teams.
Apart from that, you can also expect the standard achievements, leaderboards, stats, and other features that come from a social network like this. For those that have been holding off from joining the Social Club, hit the cut to find out why you should…and why you can expect this to start becoming the standard in gaming.
Of course, Rockstar Games has had their hand in creating one of the most socially-driven series of all time, Grand Theft Auto. Maybe not in the usual sense, as multiplayer has only been recently added into the series, but upon GTAIII’s release, gamers everywhere were constantly bragging about their accomplishments in the game, as well as sharing hints and tips. Of course, this is nothing new – Mario fans were constantly giving friends the locations of special warps back in the 80’s and 90’s. But now, there’s a way to keep all of that online, and create social interaction even in a single-player experience. A tremendous move, to be sure.
Still, what Rockstar is doing can be improved upon, perhaps for the usage of one, interdependent social network, such as Facebook, or even the ones already in place on Xbox Live and PSN. But companies on their own could definitely stand to create a greater social world from their games, so that what they create can stand out.
While these networks likely won’t replace Facebook or Twitter anytime soon, they can best be used as a compliment to these already-established networks. Perhaps one’s Red Dead exploits can be posted on Facebook for the world, even the non-gaming one, to see. Perhaps a move similar to Uncharted 2, tying the game in with the player’s Twitter account, could make things more marketable. And of course, for those that just want to play through the game without distractions, they can just turn these features off.
In the end, it’s a good way for gaming to go, so long as the actual game isn’t forgotten about. Fortunately, the way Red Dead Redemption is looking, that likely won’t be a problem.
