Game talk

This is the catch-all category for stuff about games and game design. It easily makes up the vast majority of the site’s content. If you are looking for something specific, I highly recommend looking into the tags used on the site instead. They can narrow down the hunt immensely.

  • VW08: Business Guys Debate the Future, one take

    Hours Categories Game talk
    Comments 5 Comments

    Dusan Writer has a take on the panel I was on, casting it as Metaplace vs Linden Lab — though to my mind that leaves out the contributions of Mike Wilson of Makena and Corey Bridges of Multiverse. That’s because Dusan is interested mostly int he clash of philosophies about where virtual worlds are going:

    But it leaves a question: are virtual worlds places? Or will the technologies that enable 3D spaces become so ubiquitous that we’ll stop thinking of them as distinct places? Because in Raph’s view, the tools and technologies to create 3D artefacts, the system for managing your avatar and identity should be EXPRESSION-agnostic. In other words, we should have the tools for creating content and then be able to seamlessly publish that content to cell phones, browsers, Flash, separate clients – whatever, it’s not the viewer, it’s in the engine from which content is derived and creating standards and tools for expressing the content from that engine.

    FWIW, virtual worlds are definitely “places” in my mind. But to me, clients and devices are merely windows that look onto that place. That doesn’t preclude rich 3d “windows” — I merely happen to think that multihead, flexibly represented VWs is the future. I would swap the word “engine” for “server” perhaps, or “world.”

  • VW08: Technical Visionaries Debate the Future

    Hours Categories Game talk
    Comments 6 Comments

    Liveblog, excuse trhe typos!

    Technical Visionaries Discuss and Debate
    The Future of Virtual World Technologies
    This session will analyze the future course of virtual worlds technologies. Join us for debate between leading industry technology experts on the future of the technology, where it’s headed and what needs to be done to get there. Don’t miss this lively conversation.
    – John Swords, Director of Business Development, The Electric Sheep Company (moderator)
    – Ian Hughes/epredator Metaverse Evangelist, IBM
    – Ben Goertzel, CEO, Novamente LLC
    – Mark Wallace, Chief Executive, Wello Horld, Inc.
    – Christian Renaud, CEO, Technology Intelligence Group

    Mod: When we brainstormed, a common theme was that we might be at a point where it’s time to talk about VW’s 2.0. The last few years could be described as 1.0, what characterizes the changes and what is 2.0?

    Ian: The 2.0 thing kind of scares people, geeky. For me, there’s stuff that is probably going to happen that breaks this avatar model. There may actally be better ways for us to interact as humans over this medium, and it may be that while we try to repicate the world and dress up in interesting ways, that there are better ways, whether it is motion tracking or other ways we choose. That may be a leap we need to take, though avatars has brought some acceptance.
    Read More “VW08: Technical Visionaries Debate the Future”

  • At VW Expo Wednesday

    Hours Categories Game talk
    Comments 1 Comment

    I’m driving up to LA tomorrow morning for the Virtual Worlds Expo. I’ll be on a panel. If you’re there, say hello!

    1:00 – 2:00 pm Business Visionaries Panel: Where is the Business Headed Next?
    Innovation is coming fast and furious on multiple fronts from multiple vendors. This one-of-a-kind session brings together the business visionaries of major virtual world companies for an interactive discussion on the future of the industry. Join us for a session you won’t want to miss.
    – Ginsu Yoon, VP of Business Affairs, Linden Lab
    – Corey Bridges, Executive Producer, Multiverse
    – Michael Wilson, CEO, Makena Technologies, Inc.
    – Raph Koster, President, Areae
    – Joey Seiler, Editor, VirtualWorldsNews.com & Virtual Worlds Weekly (moderator)

  • A Theory of Fun is available again on Amazon

    Hours Categories Game talk, Writing
    Comments 13 Comments

    This is a nice blog anniversary surprise!

    I don’t know for how long, or why (maybe the publisher stuff is sorted out? Maybe someone found a cache of them hidden under a mossy rock north of Pirate Cove) — but it’s claims 1-3 weeks shipping time, and it’s $17.24, and it’s not used copies. As you may or may not know, it’s been out of print since last October or so, and copies have been going for as high as $300.

    If you’ve been waiting, now might be the time to order it!

    Theory of Fun for Game Design @ Amazon

    BTW, if any current owners want to review it, it could use some fresh reviews…

  • Another games picture from Target

    Hours Categories Game talk
    Comments 6 Comments
    Kim's surprised by the giant PC game rack that has 1/3 casual titles and 1/3 adventure games

    Holy balls! Look at the PC game shelf! Approx 1/3 traditional PC hardcore fare (not shown), 1/3 kids & adventure (e.g. Dora, Nancy Drew, etc – also not shown) and 1/3 $20 casual download titles.

    …on pampers, programming & pitching manure: Evolution of retail

    See now, what have I been saying? 🙂

    Though when I point this out (as I did most recently in my criminally underreported, one of the best talks I have ever given, go watch the video now Sandbox/Web3d speech), I usually focus on adventure games, not the casual games.

    The point is the same though — a misread of what the average consumer is purchasing. Target has plenty of data on this, they make their living from it. First fact: the PC rack is large, despite what anyone may say about PC gaming dying. And what they stock tilts pretty heavily towards game cards, adventure games, and casual games.

    If you do venture into the “core games” shelves, by the way, what you find is that there are two shelves of Sims stuff, two shelves of Blizzard stuff, and a smattering of current popular titles.