November 2007
38 posts
Worlds In Motion - Disney To Expand Virtual World... →
This is what the studio I interned in the summer is doing next. I bet they’re still pretty busy with Pirates of the Caribbean Online and ToonTown, though.
People Don't Understand Software Yet.
When it comes to something as crucial as e-mail, people won’t choose to switch from their Hotmail account to Gmail. They don’t really understand what they’re missing out.
I think it’s been roughly 10 years since the Personal Computer became something that is truly used by everyone, but consumers are still acustomed to the physical world. They can judge a product by its...
More Competitive Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts...
Re: edmundito’s thoughts on Competitive games by chiguire
Well, there are two things you need to consider. Playing games by yourself vs. playing with others. I don’t mind playing Half-Life single player traversing through the levels shooting bad guys and solving puzzles. The goal is just not to succeed but also explore and interact. But once you convert that mechanic into a...
Competitive Thanksgiving Thoughts...
I really don’t give a shit about any competitive games, and that includes sports. I do like multiplayer games, however. There’s definitely a difference between the two, but most often multiplayer is tied to competition. There needs to exist other primary goals than just “to win”, though; it’s only a subset of all game possibilities that are out there.
I wonder how...
“Web design is the creation of digital environments that facilitate and encourage...”
– Jeffrey Zeldman (A List Apart: Articles: Understanding Web Design)
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device →
Could this be the iPod of eBooks? Could this change the way books, blogs, newspapers, etc. are read? Could interactive fiction succeed into devices like these?
We’ll see how it turns out.
There are a ton of ideas in my head...
…and I wish I had time to do them, but I have a hard enough time keeping up with my co-op, graduate school, and the little bit of free time that I have left.
I’m writing or sketching those ideas down. Hopefully I’ll work on them one day.
bandology game: Fixing A Prototype →
Our project will return next semester… better, faster, stronger.
Three Hundred Mechanics →
This kid named Sean Howard is coming up with 300 game mechanics. It’s not done yet, but it seems a good way to excersise the mind and to feel more confortable fleshing out lots of ideas.
“There’s so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy in the streets?”
– Dick Cavett
Zen of Design » Synchronicity and the Promise of... →
The right-wing response Raph’s post.
Raph’s Website » Salsipuedes: leave if you can →
Can MMOs be like the local bar instead of like a theme park where you are trapped after paying the fee?
WatchAlan Kay: Doing with Images Makes Symbols
In the year 2000...
Perhaps in the future there will be casual games that appeal to the same type of audience as today but are a whole lot more complex and persistent, just like skill-driven hardcore game started out simple with Space Invaders and Pac-Man and have become complex systems like Grand Theft Auto and Counter-Strike.
So, how could I make a personal MMOG? How do I include that charm that was infused by the old designers at LucasArts into their games? When the players play the game they must think, “Whoever people (and not company) made this game are f-ing awesome!”
We need to take the sterilization out of the game somehow and add some cojones to it. Just like my buddy, Dave Gilbert, does.
“I think games should not be able to easily move between developers. I think a...”
– Tim Schafer on an interview for playboy.com
Hardcore vs. Casual Investment
It seems to me that aside from the amount of skill required, those players who are considered “hardcore” not only include the games they play as part of their daily life but at the same time the game itself demands a certain amount of time investment. It is a formalized relationship between the game and the player.
“Casual” players, however, are given control over how long...
WiiSpace?
The Nintendo Wii seems to be fostering a kind of community of Wii owners. XBOX Live has people who are mostly buying games and being competitive, so it’s it’s a battleground of sorts. The Wii encourages you to hang out and participate in activities like Everybody Votes and Check Mii Out, which are just for fun and encourage you to check your Wii on a daily basis even if you’re...
EEK HELP SPIKE OH NO MOLLY
In 1983, there was a game released for the Vectrex console called Spike about a guy who has to rescue a girl from a bad guy by climbing stairs and jumping platforms. I wonder if Shigeru Miyamoto, who made Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. which are both about a guy rescuing a girl from a bad guy by jumping platforms, got any inspiration from this game.
Lost in Implementation
I often find myself so immersed in programming and implementation that I have a hard time stepping back and coming up with new ideas or improving the current design.
It’s definitely easier to build things than to imagine and refine new ideas, though it’s not usually the best option.
Grand Text Auto » Playing it Safe →
Is it a “misguided notion that it’s worth sacrificing a player-driven game to achieve a character-driven story”? Can games go beyond just players doing things and have players create their own stories with other human-like supporting actors?
What are Kids Learning in Virtual Worlds? →
It’s a conference to discuss what and how kids are learning in places like Club Penguin. I wonder if there if there is a conference about what are they learning from watching television.
Official Google Blog: OpenSocial makes the web... →
OpenSocial allows developers to make one application that can work across multiple social networks. Will it make the web better? We’ll see.
Taxonomy of Virtual Worlds: Title Fight →
“The search for a common taxonomy reflects both a need to find common language within an emerging culture, a business need to quantify and measure the spaces, and a way to use shorhand so we all understand each other.”
“The inconvenient truth is this: most gamers are fickle dicks with no...”
– Ben Andac from Idle Thumbs talking about the length of mainstream games.
Mic Check
This tumblr thing might be a good way to collect my thoughts and random snippets that I find about games, movies, television, and popular music. Hopefully it can make my personal website a little more active.