Ahh, Home. The joys of re-creating yourself in a haphazard manner where the end result ends up looking nothing like you. It is a bizarre experiment into what people call "3D Social Networking" and it has come to the one console who can probably deal with it: the PlayStation 3. Now I realize that Home came out a long time ago (and interestingly enough it's still in a Beta stage) but I felt that since I got a new PS3 myself, and now that the sales for PS3s are skyrocketing, I should review something that very little have touched on.

So basically, the game is meant for three things:

1.) Social networking

Social networking is a new trend meant to cash in on the loneliness felt by millions of introverted basement dwellers who need some sort of stimulation in their "Social" bars to keep them from going in the red. However, despite its purpose it can actually be very useful for actually talking to your online friends when you're apart. You can meet up in virtual places, dance at virtual "bars" and even have massive planning rooms before you go into a game. You can also launch a game directly from Home, though the game titles you can do that with are limited to only a few select titles. The main problem with social interaction over the internet is that, just like Second Life, there are many, many creepy things that you will witness unfold in conversations between two "people" on Home. A perfect example is one that happened to me my first day.

(I apologize for the quality, it was taken with my phone's camera)


And I have seen several conversations along the same line. The weirdos tend to ruin the social networking, acting like stalkers or trolls who just like to dick around. You can bond with your new virtual buddy, though, in that there are several mini-games and casual games for people to enjoy.

2.) Casual and Mini-Games

Home is meant to be a distraction, nothing more, and what kind of distraction would it be without mini-games? Your avatar can play a variety of mini-games, ranging from very simple arcade games (like break-the-blocks) to something that may require practice and finesse and actually works quite well (like pool or bowling). The lack of immersion in these games leaves the game feeling a little bit empty, in that you don't feel as though YOU are playing the game rather than a sloppily made avatar playing your game. The mini-games work overall and lend themselves to some addiction if you play enough. But at the end of the day there's no reward or benefit other than that small bit of fun you enjoyed for a few minutes.

3.) Brand Awareness and making some fucking money

Now this is the biggest point. The entire purpose of Home is to make money and promote advertisements. The game is chock full of advertisements that stem from actual video games, to the recent T.V. ads for Sony's PS3 Slim and offers to buy new clothing for your avatar. The entire game-world is littered with micro-transactions in an attempt to make the most money out of something. They limit your clothing items to a paltry selection of boring t-shirts, trousers and hats. This forces you (if you're like that) to literally buy new clothing, priced anywhere from $0.99 to $3.99. Though it may not seem like a lot, those prices add up over time and really make you question your purchase. I can understand these micro-transactions though, as the service itself is free and there needs to be some sort of cash flow in order to make the investment worth it from Sony's standpoint. I just wish they had at least one normal looking t-shirt from the start.

Overall, Home has a lot of potential to either be a colossal failure or be a monumental hit in the social-gaming genre. It is neither good nor is it bad, it's a neutral in the medium, meant only to distract you from real-life with silly games and music. It's a fun little distraction, but it lacks any real depth, making you wonder why you should go back at all. Maybe once I dabble with it some more I'll come to better conclusion.