It's day three @ SXSW Interactive and I'm getting that coming down feeling as we head into our last day tomorrow. I've been able to spend some quality time with friends like Izzy, Joi, Maura & Lauren, Robin, and Alice. Looking forward to lunch with Randi today and the Ypulse all ages mixer tonight. For Ypulse, this year has been all about growth, and I think moderating a panel, co-facilitating a Core Conversation and holding an evening event has really helped increase the visibility of our brand and educate people about what Ypulse is all about.

I think the Ypulse teen panel was a huge success. For my readers in the marketing world, teen panels are a staple at most youth marketing events -- not as much in the tech world and definitely not at SXSW. I think we broke some new ground here -- with seven amazing teens who spanned age (12-17) and race (African American, Latino, white) and socioeconomic background. They were also incredibly articulate and were psyched that adults actually wanted to hear what they had to say. I have to again thank Amy and Beth at MindOH! for helping us recruit these exceptional teens from three different local schools. The panel received lots of blog coverage so you can read different reactions on the following posts:

@SXSW: Checking in with the teens and tweens
SXSW: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phone
Teens'n'Phones
South By Southwest Interactive Festival: Teens and tweens love online video, hate advertising and are getting tired of social-networking sites
SXSW Morning-so-far: Kids online panel
From SXSW: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phones
What teens want online and their phones
SXSW 2008: What Teens Want Online & On Their Phones (this person must type really fast)

I didn't come away with the same conclusion that these teens hated advertising -- they just hate intrusive, deceptive advertising, like the rest of us. They got that sites need ads to keep the lights on and liked ads for stuff they want like sneakers and video games. What surprised a lot of people was how money and budget factors into their attitudes around technology, especially with cell phones -- lots of limits from mom and dad when it comes to spending. They also were very resistant to MMOs where they had to pay a monthly subscription. Educators reading Ypulse will be happy to know two of the teen girls -- Allandra (in the photo) and Shelby who was part of our gaming conversation, were very concerned about text speak or acronyms showing up in schoolwork.

On Sunday John Davison and I lead a Core Conversation with Shelby and Randall, two teen gamers from a local high school here in Austin. Both of these teens were console gamers, so it was definitely a specific point of view, but one I found fascinating. I learned....

- They like violence, but goofy, over the top fantasy violence. I think uber realistic violence actually makes them uneasy (realistic war games or anything Columbine like). Girls who play console games also share this point of view. When we were talking about Grand Theft Auto, Shelby confessed that the prostitutes in the game made her uneasy -- because you are a male when playing (no way to be a female character) and because girls get called prostitutes all the time at school (this disturbed me). Now that they're 15 -- ratings don't matter. Both have played M rated games and don't see it as a big deal.

- They love puzzles and STORY. Their ideal game would include puzzles with copious amounts of violence. But all the amazing graphics in the world don't make up for lack of story. This is why they still play and love Zelda. They hate games that end too soon, but also don't like game that go on and on like Grand Theft Auto.

- They wanted games to work on older consoles (again price/money factor) and would pay more for a game that did vs. having to go out and buy a new expensive console. They also didn't want to pay subscriptions unless they could share them with multiple players, friends, etc. Would donate to a game...

- Even though they were technically "gamers"... they wouldn't identify with that label at school because it means they would be "geeks," the kind that are really into Lord of the Rings.

- Both of these teens had parents who play video games -- and have played with them. Video gaming is social for them -- they are playing with others in Halo, usually friends they know and even at their video game club in school. They play in the living room at home, not holed up in their rooms.

- Gamers might play a casual game to kill time... but I'm convinced that non-gamer teens are heavier users of online Flash games and the Wii console. Shelby indicated that's what the other girls play. She was really against any game that felt explicitly girly or girl focused though she did enjoy The Sims and was more open to playing "serious" games that were educational in nature. Shelby is the exception -- being a girl gamer -- this crowd is mostly still guys. Neither owned a Wii.

I was struck that neither Shelby or Randall thought they were actively learning anything from their game play except hand eye coordination, which gamers master early -- yet they love puzzle games. I think there's a ton of passive learning happening though.

I'm sure there are more insights I'm not remembering, but these were some of the big takeaways for me.

Posted by anastasia