by Annie | Oct 29, 2010 | Game Design
It’s a fairly common sight these days to see a toddler with an iPhone or iPad learning basic math and sight words with the latest edutainment titles available in the App Store. The increasing availability of intuitive touch technologies has made gaming more accessible to the youngest minds and fingers. Warner Bros. recently launched two Sesame Street-themed titles – Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure for the Wii and Cookie’s Counting Carnival for the DS, and SouthPeak Games announced plans Wednesday to introduce a new line of interactive education games. So while edutainment might not seem like the most popular or exciting genre, the opportunities are certainly...
by Annie | Oct 28, 2010 | Game Design
Looking for an online resource to network with other gamers who want to change the world through games? Look no further than Gameful, the online “Secret HQ” launching today, 10/28/10, at 10:28:10am. Gameful is a free resource for gamers and game developers interested in world-changing games to find collaborators, jobs, funding, and more. Here are some of the things you can do through Gameful: – Set up a profile sharing your expertise, skills, abilities, and interests – Search the network for collaborators and talent – Spread the word about your new projects – Meet journalists who want to write about interesting games or research like yours – Find new and cutting-edge game projects to inspire you – Join a Gameful book club and discuss big ideas – Join a Gameful game club and play big ideas – Brainstorm and submit conference panels or sessions together – Plan Gameful meet-ups at conferences and festivals – Nominate your own work, or work you love, for the annual Gameful Awards (in the categories of Reality-Changing, Life-Changing, and World-Changing) So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to gameful.org and join...
by Annie | Oct 27, 2010 | Game Design
Term 3 starts today. [Cue scary music.] Ever since starting at VFS, I’ve been told how incredibly heavy the workload would be for term 3. Between a 50+ page detailed design doc, large level design project, and a bevy of smaller but equally challenging assignments, I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me. I foresee many coffee runs, late night pun attempts, and a chat status permanently set on “busy.” With Vancouver’s imminent winter rains approaching though, at least I won’t miss much good weather. I’m as ready as I’m going to be, so come on, Term 3, let’s see what you’ve got. Can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and dig...
![Super Twario]()
by Annie | Oct 22, 2010 | Game Design
Bored of scrolling through your Twitter feed? Check out Super Twario, a side scrolling platformer that turns tweeting into a game. I must admit, I’m not big into Twitter, but with more games like this, I might soon be tweeting...
![App Store Coming to Mac OS]()
by Annie | Oct 21, 2010 | Game Design
Looking for a new game? Or a cool widget? Look no further than the App Store on your iOS device. And soon, also on your Mac. Apple announced yesterday that it is bringing the App Store to the Mac. Yeah, so what? For developers, it means easy centralized distribution. The App Store provides a greater market for distribution, especially for small development companies or individual developers with little or no marketing budget. For consumers, the Mac App Store will bring more competition for casual games, reducing the average price while increasing the quality and choice, not to mention the ease of installing and updating applications. Consumer reviews and ratings will drive otherwise unheard of developers and games into the App Store’s featured or top apps lists, which in turn leads to more exposure and downloads. Matt Rix, developer of Trainyard, showed just what landing in Apple’s featured apps can do for exposure and sales. Half a million downloads since September 30th. Pretty phenomenal for one guy with an idea. Soon, similar stories will become more commonplace as the App Store comes to the Mac, bringing with it infinite possibilities for developers and exciting new apps for consumers. Buckle your seatbelt. The App Store is coming to Mac OS within 90...
