12/31/07, BBC News
"The last 12 months have been one of the best years in video game history, both critically and commercially." Judges pick out the best games of the year.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Help Form an ALA Games and Gaming Member Interest Group
Please take a moment to show your support for Scott Nicholson's initiative to start a Gaming and Gamer Member Interest Group of ALA!
Petition online at http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/ggmig.pdf
Print, sign, get your friends to sign, and mail to the address on the form - ASAP!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Literary Festival in Second Life
Stay tuned to the literary festival in Second Life and Teen Second Life to be held on Saturday, February 2 from 4am PST until 6pm PST. Games such as scavenger hunts with literary clues and solve the murder mystery game will be part of the events. Next planning meeting scheduled is Sunday, January 6 at 12p PST. IM Teofila Matova or BlueWings Hayek for a teleport. Join the googlegroup here.
Video Game Voters Network and Facebook
Video Game Voters Network 12/20/07
"The Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) is committed to raising awareness of the fight against video game regulation where ever we can. That's why we've launched a Facebook page, to help spread the word in this increasingly popular social networking site."
"The Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) is committed to raising awareness of the fight against video game regulation where ever we can. That's why we've launched a Facebook page, to help spread the word in this increasingly popular social networking site."
Member Interest Group on Games and Gaming
Scott Nicholson is interested in starting an ALA Member Interest Group on Games and Gaming.
The group's charge is:
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile, computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games, development of information and other literacies through games and partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all members.
100 signatures of ALA members are needed here in the next few weeks.
The group's charge is:
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile, computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games, development of information and other literacies through games and partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all members.
100 signatures of ALA members are needed here in the next few weeks.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Create Your Own Avatar! Contest
There is still time to enter YALSA's Create Your Own Avatar Contest. Contest submissions will be unveiled at YALSA's 3rd Annual Gaming Extravaganza. Attendees at the Extravaganza will vote on the entries and the winner will be announced during the event. Even if you don't have the chance to attend the Extravaganza you can still enter. In other words attendance at the Extravaganza is not required in order to enter.
The winner will receive $100 in books and will be interviewed for a YALSA article and press release.
For more information on the contest and to learn how to enter read the Create Your Own Avatar Contest Guideline available at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/avatar.pdf.
The winner will receive $100 in books and will be interviewed for a YALSA article and press release.
For more information on the contest and to learn how to enter read the Create Your Own Avatar Contest Guideline available at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/avatar.pdf.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
YALSA Offers Mini-Grants for Teen Tech Week!
The Young Adult Library Services Association is offering, thanks to sponsor Wizards of the Coast, TWENTY grants of $450 + promotional materials for Teen Tech Week (March 2008) programs! Want to buy a console for your teen room, and lack the money? Enroll half a dozen kids in a Youth Digital Arts Cyber School class? Buy land in Teen Second Life? COnsider applying!
Details at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/contests/contests.cfm
Details at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/contests/contests.cfm
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
w00t!
Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "w00t!" Further proof that gaming is ubiquitous and invading pop culture. Full article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_re_us/word_of_the_year
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_re_us/word_of_the_year
Monday, November 19, 2007
Rise of the Videogame
This Wednesday, Nov. 21 starts the first of the five part series by the Discovery Channel on The Rise of the Videogame
Level one:
The video game started not with a bang, but with a ping. Where did simple games like Pong and PacMan come from? And how did these global phenomenons usher in the videogame revolution?
Level two:
In the late '70s, early '80s, video games gained their face. Game creators became more liberated to create more complex video games and icons like Mario and Zelda began to give way to grittier characters. Learn how video game technology has evolved.
Level three:
Video games go 3-D, but the details they capture in the new virtual worlds are both awe-inspiring and disturbingly realistic. Critics begin to question if games are becoming too real, too violent, too addictive. Game designers begin wrestling with ethics.
Level four:
"God Games" begin simulating entire worlds and allow players to experiment with sometimes troubling cause and effect. Artificial intelligence creates lifelike characters and opens up opportunities for new learning tools and for artistic expression.
Level five:
Can a computer game make you cry? Games gain an emotional dimension, interpersonal connection, and Hollywood worthy story lines as they evolve and move onto the Web. What do these virtual world games tell us about the way we live in the 21st century?
Level one:
The video game started not with a bang, but with a ping. Where did simple games like Pong and PacMan come from? And how did these global phenomenons usher in the videogame revolution?
Level two:
In the late '70s, early '80s, video games gained their face. Game creators became more liberated to create more complex video games and icons like Mario and Zelda began to give way to grittier characters. Learn how video game technology has evolved.
Level three:
Video games go 3-D, but the details they capture in the new virtual worlds are both awe-inspiring and disturbingly realistic. Critics begin to question if games are becoming too real, too violent, too addictive. Game designers begin wrestling with ethics.
Level four:
"God Games" begin simulating entire worlds and allow players to experiment with sometimes troubling cause and effect. Artificial intelligence creates lifelike characters and opens up opportunities for new learning tools and for artistic expression.
Level five:
Can a computer game make you cry? Games gain an emotional dimension, interpersonal connection, and Hollywood worthy story lines as they evolve and move onto the Web. What do these virtual world games tell us about the way we live in the 21st century?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
How Violent Video Games are Exemplary Agression Teachers
11/14/07, Science Daily
"Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviors over a span of six months, researchers have found."
"Students who played multiple violent video games actually learned through those games to produce greater hostile actions and aggressive behaviors over a span of six months, researchers have found."
Friday, November 02, 2007
Girl Gaming by Ubisoft
Ubisoft, the developers of Prince of Persia, Rayman, and Beyond Good and Evil, have a new line of games for the DS designed specifically for girls. Each game lets girls explore the things they like to do, and focuses on a related career. You can choose from babysitting, fashion designer, animal doctor, or chef. I've not been able to play these games yet, but I'm curious about your opinions about this.
Do you think that girl gamers will like these games? Would you have played one when you were younger?
If you have a chance ask you teen girls what they think of these games I'm really curious about the reaction girls will have to this.
Do you think that girl gamers will like these games? Would you have played one when you were younger?
If you have a chance ask you teen girls what they think of these games I'm really curious about the reaction girls will have to this.
Friday, October 19, 2007
A new issue of The Daedalus Project is now available
FORWARDED FROM NICK YEE:
A new issue of The Daedalus Project is now available at:
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/
Also, several new surveys are available for current MMORPG players. You can participate at: http://www.nickyee.com/mmorpg/
As the number of MMOs and MMO portals increase, your help in publicizing the link to the current surveys goes a long ways in sustaining this line of research. Any help is much appreciated.
Also, if you run into any errors, typos, or are confused by anything in the surveys, please email me to let me know.
Nick Yee
A new issue of The Daedalus Project is now available at:
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalu
Also, several new surveys are available for current MMORPG players. You can participate at: http://www.nickyee.com/mmorpg/
As the number of MMOs and MMO portals increase, your help in publicizing the link to the current surveys goes a long ways in sustaining this line of research. Any help is much appreciated.
Also, if you run into any errors, typos, or are confused by anything in the surveys, please email me to let me know.
Nick Yee
Monday, October 01, 2007
A quick guide to Gaming and Libraries
iLibrarian
"Here’s a quick guide to some of the resources available related to the gaming in libraries meme."
"Here’s a quick guide to some of the resources available related to the gaming in libraries meme."
Library of Congress to Preserve Virtual Worlds
by Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress, 8/3/07
"The Preserving Virtual Worlds project will explore methods for preserving digital games and interactive fiction. Major activities will include developing basic standards for metadata and content representation and conducting a series of archiving case studies for early video games, electronic literature and Second Life, an interactive multiplayer game. Second Life content participants include Life to the Second Power, Democracy Island and the International Spaceflight Museum."
"The Preserving Virtual Worlds project will explore methods for preserving digital games and interactive fiction. Major activities will include developing basic standards for metadata and content representation and conducting a series of archiving case studies for early video games, electronic literature and Second Life, an interactive multiplayer game. Second Life content participants include Life to the Second Power, Democracy Island and the International Spaceflight Museum."
Cinema Gamr
Check out this site whose goal is to collect video game cinematics (basically "the in-game generated movie that is used in video games to help tell a story, further a plot, guide a user to view or do something or a way to show of in-game features").
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Guild Cafe
Social networking outside of the game. Sign up on this Cambridge, MA based site to socialize with other gamers!
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Game of Life
by Constance Steinkuehler, Ottawa Citizen, 09/03/07
"Online gaming is far from the anti-intellectual, anti-social time waster it is commonly thought to be."
Constance writes about how virtual worlds and online games are significant in teaching 21st century skills such as, "collaboration, inquiry, argumentation, media literacy (not just critical consumption but also production), and the ability to productively participate in the negotiation of shared meaning and values with folks that don't always look or live or view the world just like you." She has some good things to say about librarians too!
"Online gaming is far from the anti-intellectual, anti-social time waster it is commonly thought to be."
Constance writes about how virtual worlds and online games are significant in teaching 21st century skills such as, "collaboration, inquiry, argumentation, media literacy (not just critical consumption but also production), and the ability to productively participate in the negotiation of shared meaning and values with folks that don't always look or live or view the world just like you." She has some good things to say about librarians too!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
de blob
Another exclusive from the Penny Arcade Expo. Coming in 2008, THQ is going to release a new game called de blob.
The game involves painting buildings, in a city that has lost all its color. Players are a paint blob, that can bounce onto buildings thus adding color. Starting with a primary color, you can add other paints to alter your coloring.
The demo I played had balanced wii mote controls, and was easy to learn. I didn't see much of a plot to the game, or goal, but I''m assuming this will be a fun game once completed.
Recently there was a independent PC game titled de Blob created by students to showcase a region of the Netherlands. I believe this is a remake of this title. See the video below created by Joystiq
Rock Band
Its singstar meets guitar hero + drums
Coming November 20th, Harmonix and MTV Games are releasing a new music/rhythm game that involves karaoke, lead and bass guitar, and drums.
It should be avaliable for PS2, PS3, Xbox360, and possibly Wii
This would make a great library program. For more information check out the wikipedia page about the game, or dig around on the official site.
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