I knew about Skype Extras after buying one of the commercial extras (Pamela Systems) but didn’t really expect them to actively promote Skype as a serious gaming platform. Does this make sense?

Wagner James Au seems to think no:

This is a great idea bound to succeed– rather, it would have been, if it had been launched a few years ago. Now, they’re competing in an already crowded market.

Is Skype starting to look like a shoe two sizes too small for a foot? Have they forgotten about what made them popular: good call quality? Or is this a good strategic move?

Being a developer who has created and sold games commercially since 1999 and for fun since the eighties (my how my gaming gray is showing), I’m definitely checking the platform out in more detail before making any serious decisions, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not skeptical of Skype as a successful gaming platform. It makes some sense for them to move this direction but I can’t help hoping they don’t forget their core service.

Should eBay add a games channel? No, they do auctions. Should we be playing the next MMORPG through the PayPal games channel? Umm, no. Skype admittedly makes more sense than these examples but I can’t help thinking this stuff could clog the pipes. The smart turned dumb Skype phone?

Another example elsewhere
Wordpress 2.2 released sans tagging and instead of keeping their widget code an add-on plugin they baked it into the core code. Good for those who used and relied on the widgets but of questionable merit for those who don’t use widgets. Somebody call a plumber or get some Draino ready as the Wordpress core becomes even more constipated. Spin it, Matt.

Skype game dev links
Back to Skype land, have any developer readers scoped out what this Skype GameXN platform offers yet? New paint smell I realize but any early thoughts, concerns, issues, compliments?

The Skype Games Dev Channel is the place to start. The list of existing Skype games includes some party favorites: chess, bingo, a Yahtzee clone called Jazz, checkers and Backgammon (played that yet, Sterling?). Must admit I’ve never played a single Skype game yet, so I need to try that experience on for size before saying any more.

I’m downloading and digging in.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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