Posts from the Gaming Category at The Social Software Weblog

Gaming and Web Design Can Learn from Each Other

Posted Apr 17th 2006 4:18PM by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Filed under: gaming, web 2.0

Raph Koster has an interesting write up on what he thinks web designers could learn from game designers and vice versa. There is so much development going on in both realms that the discussion seems quite useful to me. Highlights include:

Koster says web designers could learn from games that some of the most important features of a successful design are interface, pre-seeded content and identity.

Game designers could learn from the Web 2.0 space about the importance of APIs, simplicity and much more.

There's good dialogue in the comments after Koster's post, too.

Found via one of my new favorite blogs, 3pointD.com

Libraries to host literary activities in Second Life

Posted Apr 13th 2006 3:35PM by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Filed under: gaming

I love this kind of stuff. The Alliance Library System and OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) have announced that it will be offering select activities in the virtual reality space Second Life. “We are excited to be offering new outreach programs, events, and services to people who might not otherwise come to the library,” stated Kitty Pope, Executive Director of the Alliance Library System. “Second Life has almost 200,000 residents and is rapidly growing in popularity. This will allow us to see what works and what does not work in this area. Second Life has malls, residential neighborhoods, online communities – why not a library?”

Examples of OPAL public online programs include book discussion programs, interviews, special events, library training, memoir writing workshops, and virtual tours of special digital library collections.

This is just one more example of SL being put to great use. Via 3pointD

Sims creator says gaming good for the brain, does Second Life prove him right?

Posted Mar 21st 2006 4:11PM by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Filed under: gaming

Will Wright, creator of TheSims series of video games, has a new article in Wired describing how he believes gaming is fostering imagination and problem solving in a new generation of young people. Want to see a fascinating example of this? Check out the crazy world of Second Life from Linden Labs. Some people say it's not a game, but Wright's analysis relies on the simulation of social interaction and I know of now better example.

From just the two most recent posts on W. James Au's fantastic New World Notes blog.

The 1920 film Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is being shown tonight in the Pixel Cinema.
There's a Linux users group meeting this weekend.
The Second Life Music Fest will occur simultaneously in Philadelphia and in game.
There was even a protest this week over failure to support key characters in other languages. Weird.

Seems Wright's conclusion about gaming is past the point of deniability, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it appears that it takes some brain power in 2nd Life to get past the glut of sex and commerce there. Perhaps it's just that gaming has a great potential to help with imagination, etc.

A fun game with Flickr

Posted Mar 17th 2006 5:30PM by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Filed under: gaming, remix culture

Check out Matchr, an enjoyable if maddenning use of the Flickr API.

Increíblemente rápido, el 9ff GT9 alcanza las 253 mph ¿Es un coche? ¿Es un avión? Es Transition Los chinos usan gadgets a lo James Bond	Recycle an old sweater into a cupcake pincushion Make an eco-friendly reusable sandwich wrap Feeling watched? How to detect a hidden camera
A Handbag for Change Batman's OTHER Ride Swarovski Retractable Lead	Sprint buzz not shared by analysts Sunday Funnies: Loan offers with small print and big consequences The Wal-Mart Weekly: Examining shareholder resolutions, Part 2
The Boston Globe in 60 seconds: Apricots, Artichokes, and A Whole Fish Iced Tea 101 The Big Book of Backyard Cooking, Cookbook of the Day	Buying a Swedish island... or just spending time on one Civil War reenactment battles to watch or join Photo of the Day (5/11/08)

Gaming and Web Design Can Learn from Each Other

Libraries to host literary activities in Second Life

Sims creator says gaming good for the brain, does Second Life prove him right?

A fun game with Flickr

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