by Annie | May 21, 2012 | Game Design
After making it to the top of the charts in the Canadian App Store, Zoopnium has now been featured on Telus TV. Check it out now, and keep collecting...
by Annie | Apr 10, 2012 | Game Design
Yesterday was my first day as a designer at East Side Games (ESG). After wrapping up our latest product, Digido Interactive decided to put development on an indefinite hiatus. Luckily, I was able to find a spot at ESG. Since September of last year, Digido and ESG have occupied a common office space, so I’ve had plenty of opportunities to eavesdrop on ESG meetings and grab coffees with ESG folks. My desk literally moved about 20 feet over. But even given all that, a first day is still a first day. And all first days are long. I remember my first day of teaching like it was yesterday. I was so busy trying to keep up with 20+ kids and simultaneously trying to teach them a thing or two that I lost over a dozen pens. I would put a pen down, then have no recollection of where it could be. By 10am, my voice was hoarse, my feet were sore, and I was planning a career change. When the end of that first day finally came, I spent the rest of the evening prepping for day two. Talk about a trial by fire. Thankfully, my first day at ESG was much less painful. Right away, I was given responsibility, creative freedom, and support. And now, at the end of my second day, I’m happy to report that this transition has gone quite smoothly so far. And I still have all the pens I started...
by Annie | Mar 2, 2012 | Game Design
Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work creating a new platform to allow parents and kids to track kids’ physical activity. And now, we’re proud to present to you the Kinetic Academy. Every child exercises throughout the day, whether through walking to school, attending soccer practice, or playing with the dog. Until now, all of that activity has been lost in the hustle and bustle of the day. That’s where the Kinetic Academy comes in. Through this system, kids get to unleash their inner superhero, training to increase their superpowers. As kids input their physical activity into the system, they earn points that can be exchanged for rewards. Play soccer for two hours –> 500 points –> stay up 15 minutes past bedtime. Kids get motivation to do and track exercise. Parents get an easy way to help their kids adopt healthy habits. Everyone wins. So why am I telling you about this? I would like you to be involved in the beta-testing of this website. We are in the process of making this website awesome, but now we need your help to make it better. If you’re a parent, please consider participating. Here’s how the Kinetic Academy works: Step 1: Sign up for a parent account and create a separate child account for each of your children Step 2: Add custom rewards that your child can redeem when he/she participates in physical activity (ex: have a sleepover, stay up late, etc.) Step 3: Have your child fill in the activities he/she has completed Step 4: Approve/edit the activities your child has added Step 5: Have your child redeem the points they have earned for specific rewards Try...
by Annie | Sep 28, 2011 | Game Design
Today, our first game, MotionMaze, went live in the App Store. Nothing can quite prepare you for the excitement, pride, and craziness that follows the release of a game. MotionMaze was created within 2 weeks. After spending a significant amount of time designing a larger game with tons of features, we decided that creating a smaller game to prove out the tech and the crazy ideas in our heads might be more useful. And the good thing about working on such a small team is that U-turns and detours can be achieved quite easily. From a game design perspective, working under a strict 2-week deadline is both daunting and helpful. Having to create everything in two weeks forced us to focus on the most crucial features in our game, resulting in a streamlined experience. Sure, there are features I would have added if we had more time, but ultimately, the game is immensely more useful in the hands of players than sitting on our computers here in the office. So check it out for yourself. Head on over to the App Store and download MotionMaze now!...
