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A piece that looks at the “boring future” as described by J.G. Ballard and the extreme obsessions that arise from living in its consumerist culture. Rossignol (the author) then proposes games should be more extreme and weird and violent (in stead of less) to alleviate said boredom. I am all for weird stuff, but I do think this article misrepresents Ballard’s views somewhat.
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For those with access to academic papers, this piece is worth having a look. It describes a method for coming up with design ideas ‘in the wild’. Useful for those designing ubicomp systems, service design and (my personal interest) pervasive games.
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Having done interaction design for large organizations, I can only agree with “Mr. X” who writes “doing the design isn’t the hard part”. On the other hand, I like Dustin Curtis’s take on why some companies succeed in delivering a good experience while others don’t: they have taste.
links for 2009-05-22
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“By turning simple brushstrokes of ink into complex and energetic life forms, drawn delights with simple truths: the musicality and immediacy of drawing, and the playful joy of magic.” Lovely work that brings together drawing, play, performance and music into a charming experience.
links for 2009-05-20
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Dodgeball creator Dennis Crowly’s revamped his location based social networking tool, but with added playfulness. So far it sounds firmly aimed at the geek elite. Wouldn’t it be nice if something like this was designed to be a bit more accessible, so my non-techie friends could join in?
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Dutch service design agency 31Volts shares some examples of sketching and prototyping techniques they use. I wonder if they could recommend a portable photo printing solution.
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A nice profile of a pervasive / urban game aimed at teambuilding that has been running for quite some time in the US, and has now come to the UK.
links for 2009-05-19
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Jasper highlights an interesting aspect of the story behind the Sony Walkman: “the whole concept was sparked because Sony’s honorary chairman was using an advanced prototype of a portable tape-recorder”.
links for 2009-05-18
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Knowing that one of the prototypes discussed in this article has gone on to become the hugely successful World of Goo makes this even more interesting reading than it already was. The teacher in me would love to have a group of students go mad with prototyping like this sometime, too.
links for 2009-05-15
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My friends at Ronimo (of De Blob fame) have released their first game on WiiWare; a sidescrolling realtime strategy game titled Swords & Soldiers. It’s getting good press already. Hope it’ll continue to do well!
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A lengthy piece at City of Sound about the sounds of cities, and specifically the need (or lack thereof) for electric cars to make noise.
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A usefullist of things to keep in mind when designing an urban and/or pervasive games.
What I’m doing at the Festival of Games
I’ve helped out with the program of this year’s NLGD Festival of Games. If you’re into gaming’s fringe phenomena, then this edition is not to be missed. The conference’s theme is “play global, global play” and will celebrate the impact of gaming beyond the screen. I curated several sessions focused on urban games and alternate reality games, some of which I will be present at myself. Here they are in no particular order:
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Adrian Hon of Six to Start is coming over to Utrecht for a keynote titled “Why stories in games suck”. Adrian was one of the people behind the ambitious and influential ARG Perplex City. For a taste of what this session might be like, check out Dan Hon’s1 talk “Everything you know about ARGs is WRONG”.
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During a parallel session, Evert Hoogendoorn will look at performance in games. Evert heads up the Design for Virtual Theater and Games program at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Knowing Evert, this session won’t be just about performance…
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I’ll be moderating a session consisting of three case studies. You’ll get an exclusive look behind the scenes of the practice of three seasoned designers of urban games and ARGs. The presentations will be short but sweet, each followed by ample time for Q&A. The people I’ve asked to present are the aforementioned Adrian Hon, Nathalie Brähler of Cultural Oil and Ronald Lenz of 7scenes.
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The elusive Minkette and myself will run a three-hour workshop, where you’ll get a crash course in designing simple but fun street games. We’re hoping to make this session very accessible, but also very much hands-on, physical and active. Minkette has been involved with Punchdrunk, Hide & Seek and The Soho Project; what better facilitator can you wish for?
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The games developed during the workshop will be available for playtesting during a separate open session. You’ll get to play fun little games, and will be asked to vote on your favourite. The winner will receive an awesome prize.
- Update: Before the open playtest session, I’ll be hosting a lunch session open to all people working in the area of social and tangible play. It’s on the program as “ARG lunch” but don’t let that fool you. If you make urban games, pervasive games, or any type of game that’s not limited to what happens on the screen, you’re welcome to join us. We’ll be looking at how we can join forces in certain strategic areas, but the session is also just about getting to know each other.
And there you have it. I’m quite happy with the way the program has shaped up, and I am excited to see how the sessions turn out (though I’m sure they’ll be great). If this has wet your appetite, why not head over to the NLGD Festival of Games website and get yourself a ticket right now? I hope to see you there!
- Dan is Adrian’s brother and business partner [↩]
links for 2009-05-14
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“If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done. […] Done is the engine of more.”
links for 2009-05-12
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“No one cares about what you think, unless you do what you think. No one cares what you do, unless you think about what you do. No one ever really cares what you say.” A tough lesson, but one worth attempting to live by.
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“The Twiggy Game is a charming cultural object from a bygone era; it’s also a stark representation of what went wrong with boardgames, and a stark warning for what can go wrong with games as a whole — at least, if we fail to inculcate, in ourselves and in others who love games, an aesthetic that prizes something beyond the brand.” Greg Costikyan in fine form.
links for 2009-05-11
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My friends at Mudlark are launching their company with a one-day event on post digital games.