gaming
The School of Gaming, Part 1: Welcome to Ludoland
Ludology or narratology? These are the two generally accepted approaches to thinking about games. Though not incompatible, these two branches of knowledge nonetheless contend for pre-eminence among video game designer priorities. The first emphasizes play, the second story. In literary theory, narratology is the study of narrative structure.
The Rising Wave of Gamification
Gabe Zichermann may have coined the term "funware" to describe applications with game-like mechanics and game-like behavior that really aren’t traditional video games, but his neologism just may be expanding to encompass much more than initially intended — the extraordinary paroxysm of technological advances currently convulsing the gaming industry.
Bits: Sony PlayStation Network Still Down After Attack
Sony turned off its gaming network after an attack and says it is fixing the infrastructure of the network. It won’t say whether any customers’ information was stolen.
Wii 2 Will Rock You – Maybe
Five years after Nintendo launched the now-legendary Wii, the company’s rumored to have its successor — the Wii 2 — in the wings. Hearsay abound about the Wii 2, which is expected to be unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, to be held in Los Angeles in June.
Ubisoft Attacks Music Gaming With a Real Ax
The October release of Electronic Arts’ “Rock Band 3″ turned a lot of heads with its so-called Pro guitar controller that looks and feels more like a real guitar than any previous title in the series. But now another publisher, Ubisoft, is taking things a step further, having just revealed an upcoming game called “Rocksmith” that will actually let players plug in a real guitar to play along.
Next on Kinect’s Hit List: Hardcore Gamers
Guinness World Records has just announced that Microsoft’s Kinect is the fastest-selling electronics device ever. In its first 60 days on the market, more than 8 million of the Xbox 360 accessory units were sold, and to date that number has eclipsed 10 million. With this many Kinects installed around the world, it’s now pretty clear it’s a viable platform for developers to look into.
Bits: Microsoft Sells 10 Million Kinects, Breaking Record
Microsoft shattered sales expectations of the Kinect game controller, selling 10 million units since its launch last year and breaking The Guinness Book of World Records for fastest selling consumer electronics device in history.
Mobility Reigns Supreme at GDC
Every year, hordes of video game professionals and wannabe industry insiders flock to San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference. It’s usually more focused on the professional, business side of the industry, but even though it’s not filled with the glitz and glamor of some of the industry’s other big trade shows, it’s a good early indicator of what will be big for the rest of the year.
Epic Makes Unreal Engine More Realistic for Small Devs
Epic Games has created award-winning series like “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament,” as well as a popular proprietary development platform. That platform, Unreal Engine, doesn’t only appear in Epic titles, though. The company has allowed other developers to license it — for a fee. Now, it’s opening up that platform to independent developers with no upfront cost.
PS3 Could Become a Harder Nut to Crack
Sony doesn’t like it when gamers mess with its products. The company’s stance against PS3 hacking — users altering the machine’s programming to make it perform functions other than playing games — continues to grow stronger, as Sony pulls out the legal guns and shows no signs of backing down. When it comes to consumer electronics, unauthorized hacking and pirating seem like unavoidable hassles.
Xperia Play Phone May Not Have the Juice for Serious Gaming
After months of speculation, rumors, leaked photos, and even a pricey teaser ad that aired during the Super Bowl, Sony Ericsson finally revealed details about the Xperia Play, a device popularly referred to as the “PlayStation phone.” Sony Ericsson unveiled several new phones this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it’s arguably the Xperia Play that is getting the most attention.
Bits: Dot Earth: Games as Learning
A post on Dot Earth highlights readers’ ideas about the role of gaming in learning.
