BBlizzard history
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Wittgenstein, Wheeler and Wallace - JB McGuire
Google TechTalk - August 08, 2011
In this talk about Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Wheeler and David Foster Wallace, JB McGuire discusses the curious relationship between philosophy, physics and mathematics.
In this talk about Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Wheeler and David Foster Wallace, JB McGuire discusses the curious relationship between philosophy, physics and mathematics.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Art History of Games - Jesper Juul, Frank Lantz and John Sharp
GeorgiaTech - February 5, 2010
A panel discussion featuring Jesper Juul, Frank Lantz and John Sharp at the Art History of Games Symposium in the High Museum of Art's Rich Auditorium on the campus of the Woodruff Arts Center, in midtown Atlanta. The discussion was moderated by Christoph Kluetsch. The symposium was presented by Georgia Tech and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
John Sharp is an accomplished game designer, art historian and educator with over 20 years experience. His design work is focused on Twitter and social platform games, art games and non-digital games. His current research is focused on game design curricula for after-school programs, the history of play and the early history of computer and video games.
Dr. Sharp is a professor in the interactive design and game development and art history departments at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He also is a member of Local No. 12, a social network game collaboration; a member of The Leisure Society, an artgame collective; and a partner in Supercosm, a digital media consultancy.
Jesper Juul is an influential theorist in the field of video game studies. He is currently a visiting professor at the New York University Game Center and has been a visiting scholar in comparative media studies at MIT. He holds a Ph.D. in video game theory from the Center for Computer Games Research in Copenhagen, where he held a position as an assistant professor until mid-2007.
Dr. Juul also has worked as a designer and programmer in video game and chat development, and participated in the Indie Game Jam. He has been working with the development of video game theory since the late 1990s. His more recent work deals with the fictional aspects of video games as well. His book on video game theory, Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds, was published by the MIT Press in 2005. The book was named by designer Ernest Adams as one of the "50 Books for Everyone in the Game Industry." His recently published book, A Casual Revolution, examines how puzzle games, music games, and Nintendo Wii are bringing video games to a new audience. Juul maintains the blog, "The Ludologist," on game research and other important things.
Dr. Phil Christoph Klütsch studied Philosophy, Art History and German Literature in Freiburg, Hamburg, and Heidelberg (Germany). From 1999-2002 he worked as author, editor, and concepter for multimedia exhibitions and multimedia CD-ROM's. He received his PhD in 2006 at the University Bremen, Germany with "Computer Graphic -- Aesthetic experiments between two cultures" (Springer, Wien NewYork 2007). From 2004-2006 he worked as scientific coordinator for the interdisciplinary and international research project on Visual Hegemonies at the International University Bremen, Germany. Since 2007 he has worked as a Prof. of Art History at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). His research specializes on the connection between digital art and aesthetic theory.
Frank Lantz is creative director and co-founder of Area/Code, a New York-based developer that creates cross-media, location-based, and social network games. He has worked in the field of game development for the past 20 years. Before starting Area/Code, Lantz worked on a wide variety of games as the director of game design at Gamelab, lead game designer at Pop & Co. and creative director at R/GA Interactive.
Over the past eight years, he helped pioneer the genre of large-scale, real-world games, as one of the creators of the Big Urban Game, which turned the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul into the world's largest board game; ConQwest, which featured the first major application of semacodes in the United States; PacManhattan, a life-size version of the arcade classic created by the students in his Big Games class at NYU, and many other experiments in pervasive and urban gaming. For over 12 years, Frank has taught game design at NYU in the interactive telecommunications program and at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. He is currently director of the NYU Game Center. His writings on games, technology and culture have appeared in a variety of publications.
A panel discussion featuring Jesper Juul, Frank Lantz and John Sharp at the Art History of Games Symposium in the High Museum of Art's Rich Auditorium on the campus of the Woodruff Arts Center, in midtown Atlanta. The discussion was moderated by Christoph Kluetsch. The symposium was presented by Georgia Tech and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
John Sharp is an accomplished game designer, art historian and educator with over 20 years experience. His design work is focused on Twitter and social platform games, art games and non-digital games. His current research is focused on game design curricula for after-school programs, the history of play and the early history of computer and video games.
Dr. Sharp is a professor in the interactive design and game development and art history departments at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He also is a member of Local No. 12, a social network game collaboration; a member of The Leisure Society, an artgame collective; and a partner in Supercosm, a digital media consultancy.
Jesper Juul is an influential theorist in the field of video game studies. He is currently a visiting professor at the New York University Game Center and has been a visiting scholar in comparative media studies at MIT. He holds a Ph.D. in video game theory from the Center for Computer Games Research in Copenhagen, where he held a position as an assistant professor until mid-2007.
Dr. Juul also has worked as a designer and programmer in video game and chat development, and participated in the Indie Game Jam. He has been working with the development of video game theory since the late 1990s. His more recent work deals with the fictional aspects of video games as well. His book on video game theory, Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds, was published by the MIT Press in 2005. The book was named by designer Ernest Adams as one of the "50 Books for Everyone in the Game Industry." His recently published book, A Casual Revolution, examines how puzzle games, music games, and Nintendo Wii are bringing video games to a new audience. Juul maintains the blog, "The Ludologist," on game research and other important things.
Dr. Phil Christoph Klütsch studied Philosophy, Art History and German Literature in Freiburg, Hamburg, and Heidelberg (Germany). From 1999-2002 he worked as author, editor, and concepter for multimedia exhibitions and multimedia CD-ROM's. He received his PhD in 2006 at the University Bremen, Germany with "Computer Graphic -- Aesthetic experiments between two cultures" (Springer, Wien NewYork 2007). From 2004-2006 he worked as scientific coordinator for the interdisciplinary and international research project on Visual Hegemonies at the International University Bremen, Germany. Since 2007 he has worked as a Prof. of Art History at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). His research specializes on the connection between digital art and aesthetic theory.
Frank Lantz is creative director and co-founder of Area/Code, a New York-based developer that creates cross-media, location-based, and social network games. He has worked in the field of game development for the past 20 years. Before starting Area/Code, Lantz worked on a wide variety of games as the director of game design at Gamelab, lead game designer at Pop & Co. and creative director at R/GA Interactive.
Over the past eight years, he helped pioneer the genre of large-scale, real-world games, as one of the creators of the Big Urban Game, which turned the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul into the world's largest board game; ConQwest, which featured the first major application of semacodes in the United States; PacManhattan, a life-size version of the arcade classic created by the students in his Big Games class at NYU, and many other experiments in pervasive and urban gaming. For over 12 years, Frank has taught game design at NYU in the interactive telecommunications program and at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. He is currently director of the NYU Game Center. His writings on games, technology and culture have appeared in a variety of publications.
Reinventing Gaming - Frank Lantz
Ted Talk - July 2010
Frank Lantz, Creative Director and co-Founder of area/code is a game designer based in New York City. He has worked in the field of game development for the past 20 years. Before starting area/code, Frank was the Director of Game Design at gameLab, a developer of online and downloadable games.
Frank has also worked as a game designer for the developer POP, where he created games for Cartoon Network, Lifetime TV, and VH1. Between 1988 and 1998, he was Creative Director at R/GA Interactive, a New York digital design company.
For over 10 years, Frank has taught game design at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, the School of Visual Arts, and the New School. His writings on games, technology and culture have appeared in a variety of publications.
Frank Lantz, Creative Director and co-Founder of area/code is a game designer based in New York City. He has worked in the field of game development for the past 20 years. Before starting area/code, Frank was the Director of Game Design at gameLab, a developer of online and downloadable games.
Frank has also worked as a game designer for the developer POP, where he created games for Cartoon Network, Lifetime TV, and VH1. Between 1988 and 1998, he was Creative Director at R/GA Interactive, a New York digital design company.
For over 10 years, Frank has taught game design at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, the School of Visual Arts, and the New School. His writings on games, technology and culture have appeared in a variety of publications.
Visual Design Animation & Gaming - Avrim Katzman
Ted Talk - November 2010
For over 25 years Avrim Katzman has been the senior professor in the internationally renowned Computer Animation Program at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning as well as the founding Director and principal investigator of Sheridan's first research institute, the Visualization Design Institute. He teaches Game Design and Theory, and Game Development, in the Communications Culture and Information Technology Program, a joint program with the University of Toronto, and is the curriculum architect of Sheridan's Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Game Design.
Prof. Katzman's current research focuses on the use of video games to improve cognitive functioning in older adults and the application of game technologies to feature film production.
For over 25 years Avrim Katzman has been the senior professor in the internationally renowned Computer Animation Program at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning as well as the founding Director and principal investigator of Sheridan's first research institute, the Visualization Design Institute. He teaches Game Design and Theory, and Game Development, in the Communications Culture and Information Technology Program, a joint program with the University of Toronto, and is the curriculum architect of Sheridan's Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Game Design.
Prof. Katzman's current research focuses on the use of video games to improve cognitive functioning in older adults and the application of game technologies to feature film production.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Death in Games - Julian Dibbell
GLS 11 - IT University of Copenhagen - April 4, 2011
Much has been written about violence and video games, but what about death? And more specifically: What about dying? Players do a lot of killing in games, but the truth — and it’s a truth that’s under-recognized — is that they do at least as much dying. From Space War’s exploding rocket ships to the dramatic agonies of the fragged Halo shooter, the story of video games can be understood as a 50-year saga of players dying over and over without end. This talk will put that history of game death in the spotlight, considering both its cultural and personal meanings and its implications for the past and future of game design.
Julian Dibbellis an author and technology journalist with a particular interest in social systems within online communities. Dibbell has chronicled the evolution of online worlds for Wired Magazine, and has written about his attempt to make a living playing MMORPGs in the book Play Money: or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot. Dibbell is also a founder of the academic gaming research blog Terra Nova.
Much has been written about violence and video games, but what about death? And more specifically: What about dying? Players do a lot of killing in games, but the truth — and it’s a truth that’s under-recognized — is that they do at least as much dying. From Space War’s exploding rocket ships to the dramatic agonies of the fragged Halo shooter, the story of video games can be understood as a 50-year saga of players dying over and over without end. This talk will put that history of game death in the spotlight, considering both its cultural and personal meanings and its implications for the past and future of game design.
Julian Dibbellis an author and technology journalist with a particular interest in social systems within online communities. Dibbell has chronicled the evolution of online worlds for Wired Magazine, and has written about his attempt to make a living playing MMORPGs in the book Play Money: or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot. Dibbell is also a founder of the academic gaming research blog Terra Nova.
This Might Sting a Little - Tobias Wrigstad
GLS 02 - IT University of Copenhagen - Spring 2010
Tobias Wrigstad talks about roleplaying and game design.
Tobias Wrigstad is a assistant professor at the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University and before that, was a professor at the Department for Computer and Systems Science at Stockholm University. He has a PhD from Royal Institute of Technology.
Tobias Wrigstad talks about roleplaying and game design.
Tobias Wrigstad is a assistant professor at the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University and before that, was a professor at the Department for Computer and Systems Science at Stockholm University. He has a PhD from Royal Institute of Technology.
Personal Game Design - Nicklas Nygren
GLS 01 - IT University of Copenhagen - Spring 2010
Game design lecture featuring Nicklas Nygren.
Nicklas Nygren (born 6 January 1983), better known by the handle "Nifflas", is a video game developer. He is known for his freeware games Knytt, Knytt Stories, Within a Deep Forest and the the experimental game B.U.T.T.O.N., and is currently developing software for indie publisher/developer Nicalis. He currently lives in Umeå, Sweden.
Game design lecture featuring Nicklas Nygren.
Nicklas Nygren (born 6 January 1983), better known by the handle "Nifflas", is a video game developer. He is known for his freeware games Knytt, Knytt Stories, Within a Deep Forest and the the experimental game B.U.T.T.O.N., and is currently developing software for indie publisher/developer Nicalis. He currently lives in Umeå, Sweden.
Boston Post Mortem: Artificial Intelligence Panel
Boston Post Mortem - November 10, 2009
The November meeting of the Boston Post Mortem (IGDA Boston), featured a panel of AI experts talking about challenges in artificial intelligence. The panel worked on the AI for games such as Halo 2 and 3, BioShock, SWAT 4, F.E.A.R., and No One Lives Forever 2.
- John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie was the AI Lead on BIOSHOCK and SWAT 4 and is now the Lead Programmer on 2K Boston’s unannounced title. He graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Computer Science in 2000, and has worked at Irrational Games / 2K Boston ever since.
- Damián Isla
Damián Isla has been working on and writing about game technology for almost a decade. Recently, he helped found Moonshot Games, a studio dedicated to the creation of downloadable games with triple-A production values and technology. Before Moonshot, Damián was AI and Gameplay engineering lead at Bungie Studios, where he was responsible for the AI for the mega-hit first-person shooters Halo 2 and Halo 3.
An expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Games, Damián has spoken on games, AI and character technology at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), at the AI and Interactive Digital Entertainment Conference (AIIDE), and at Siggraph, and is a frequent speaker at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Before joining the industry, Damián earned a Masters Degree at the M.I.T. Media Lab, where he did research on learning and behavior for synthetic characters. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science, also from M.I.T.
- Jeff Orkin
Jeff Orkin is a PhD candidate in the Cognitive Machines Group at the MIT Media Lab. Jeff’s research focuses on Artificial Intelligence for characters that learn to communicate and collaborate by observing humans playing online multiplayer games.
Prior to enrolling at the Media Lab, Jeff developed several generations of AI systems in the game industry. As a Senior Engineer at Monolith Productions, Jeff focused on goal-oriented autonomous character behavior and planning, while developing AI systems for the award winning titles No One Lives Forever 2 and F.E.A.R.
Jeff is a Contributing Author and Section Editor of the AI Game Programming Wisdom book series, has presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, the AI and Interactive Digital Entertainment conference (AIIDE), and the Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Sytems (AAMAS) conference, and holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Tufts University with a minor in Studio Art.
The November meeting of the Boston Post Mortem (IGDA Boston), featured a panel of AI experts talking about challenges in artificial intelligence. The panel worked on the AI for games such as Halo 2 and 3, BioShock, SWAT 4, F.E.A.R., and No One Lives Forever 2.
- John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie was the AI Lead on BIOSHOCK and SWAT 4 and is now the Lead Programmer on 2K Boston’s unannounced title. He graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Computer Science in 2000, and has worked at Irrational Games / 2K Boston ever since.
- Damián Isla
Damián Isla has been working on and writing about game technology for almost a decade. Recently, he helped found Moonshot Games, a studio dedicated to the creation of downloadable games with triple-A production values and technology. Before Moonshot, Damián was AI and Gameplay engineering lead at Bungie Studios, where he was responsible for the AI for the mega-hit first-person shooters Halo 2 and Halo 3.
An expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Games, Damián has spoken on games, AI and character technology at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), at the AI and Interactive Digital Entertainment Conference (AIIDE), and at Siggraph, and is a frequent speaker at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Before joining the industry, Damián earned a Masters Degree at the M.I.T. Media Lab, where he did research on learning and behavior for synthetic characters. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science, also from M.I.T.
- Jeff Orkin
Jeff Orkin is a PhD candidate in the Cognitive Machines Group at the MIT Media Lab. Jeff’s research focuses on Artificial Intelligence for characters that learn to communicate and collaborate by observing humans playing online multiplayer games.
Prior to enrolling at the Media Lab, Jeff developed several generations of AI systems in the game industry. As a Senior Engineer at Monolith Productions, Jeff focused on goal-oriented autonomous character behavior and planning, while developing AI systems for the award winning titles No One Lives Forever 2 and F.E.A.R.
Jeff is a Contributing Author and Section Editor of the AI Game Programming Wisdom book series, has presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, the AI and Interactive Digital Entertainment conference (AIIDE), and the Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Sytems (AAMAS) conference, and holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Tufts University with a minor in Studio Art.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Meaningful Play: Getting Gamification Right
Google Tech Talk - January 24, 2011
Foursquare, GetGlue, Nike+, Badgeville: From reading news to fulfilling your hearts' desires, more and more "gameified" applications and "gamification" vendors doll out points and badges to users, promising anything from increased user engagement and retention to plain mind control. While some hold that adding such game elements to non-game applications opens a new decade of design, others criticize current implementations as shallow "pointsification" and overselling of a new digital snake oil. What lessons do games really offer for user experience design? Which criticisms are valid? And what can designers interested in "gameifying" an application do to steer clear of the worst pitfalls? In this talk, researcher and designer Sebastian Deterding provides an overview of the current gamification movement, its most troubling blind spots, the motivational powers of games, and how to design for a playful experience that is truly meaningful to its users.
Sebastian Deterding is a user experience designer and game researcher at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where he currently pursues a PhD on the motivational psychology of gameified applications. He speaks and publishes internationally on gamification, social games, and the social contexts of video games at events such as the Gamification Summit, Gamescom, reboot, Playful, or DiGRA. His work has been covered by The Guardian, the LA Times, The New Scientist, EDGE Magazine, and Fast Company's Co.Design. He co-hosts the Gamification Workshop at this year's CHI conference in Vancouver. Web: codingconduct.cc Twitter: @dingstweets
Foursquare, GetGlue, Nike+, Badgeville: From reading news to fulfilling your hearts' desires, more and more "gameified" applications and "gamification" vendors doll out points and badges to users, promising anything from increased user engagement and retention to plain mind control. While some hold that adding such game elements to non-game applications opens a new decade of design, others criticize current implementations as shallow "pointsification" and overselling of a new digital snake oil. What lessons do games really offer for user experience design? Which criticisms are valid? And what can designers interested in "gameifying" an application do to steer clear of the worst pitfalls? In this talk, researcher and designer Sebastian Deterding provides an overview of the current gamification movement, its most troubling blind spots, the motivational powers of games, and how to design for a playful experience that is truly meaningful to its users.
Sebastian Deterding is a user experience designer and game researcher at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where he currently pursues a PhD on the motivational psychology of gameified applications. He speaks and publishes internationally on gamification, social games, and the social contexts of video games at events such as the Gamification Summit, Gamescom, reboot, Playful, or DiGRA. His work has been covered by The Guardian, the LA Times, The New Scientist, EDGE Magazine, and Fast Company's Co.Design. He co-hosts the Gamification Workshop at this year's CHI conference in Vancouver. Web: codingconduct.cc Twitter: @dingstweets
Are Video Games Art? - Kellee Santiago - Ted Talk
Ted Talk - July, 2010
Game innovator Kellee Santiago insists that games are more than entertainment. They are art. As a student in the MFA Interactive Media program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Kellee's research focused on game design, interactive narrative, and physical and gestural interfaces for digital media. She has produced and managed a number of interactive projects including "I'm Gonna Kill the President! A Federal Offense" at PS122, and "The Angel Project" at Lincoln Center. While at USC, she teamed up with fellow student Jenova Chen to develop the student-created game, "Cloud." The critically acclaimed game led them to found their own studio, thatgamecompany, which landed a three game deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. to develop downloadable games for Playstation Network. thatgamecompany's mission is to create games that push the possibilities of what games can communicate.
Game innovator Kellee Santiago insists that games are more than entertainment. They are art. As a student in the MFA Interactive Media program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Kellee's research focused on game design, interactive narrative, and physical and gestural interfaces for digital media. She has produced and managed a number of interactive projects including "I'm Gonna Kill the President! A Federal Offense" at PS122, and "The Angel Project" at Lincoln Center. While at USC, she teamed up with fellow student Jenova Chen to develop the student-created game, "Cloud." The critically acclaimed game led them to found their own studio, thatgamecompany, which landed a three game deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. to develop downloadable games for Playstation Network. thatgamecompany's mission is to create games that push the possibilities of what games can communicate.
Game Concepts - Brandon Boyer - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 2, 2011
Microtalk about new contexts for play and games.
Brandon Boyer's wild, pure, simple life has seen him acting as artist, programmer, and indie record label head, as well as writer, columnist and editor for outlets like Edge magazine, Gamasutra, Offworld and Boing Boing. He was recently named Chairman of the Independent Games Festival, the world's largest and most influential yearly showcase of indie games, where he is leading the organization into its thirteenth year.
Microtalk about new contexts for play and games.
Brandon Boyer's wild, pure, simple life has seen him acting as artist, programmer, and indie record label head, as well as writer, columnist and editor for outlets like Edge magazine, Gamasutra, Offworld and Boing Boing. He was recently named Chairman of the Independent Games Festival, the world's largest and most influential yearly showcase of indie games, where he is leading the organization into its thirteenth year.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Small Man Game Rand - Brandon Boyer - GDC 2010
GDC 2010
Brandon Boyer's wild, pure, simple life has seen him acting as artist, programmer, and indie record label head, as well as writer, columnist and editor for outlets like Edge magazine, Gamasutra, Offworld and Boing Boing. He was recently named Chairman of the Independent Games Festival, the world's largest and most influential yearly showcase of indie games, where he is leading the organization into its thirteenth year.
Brandon Boyer's wild, pure, simple life has seen him acting as artist, programmer, and indie record label head, as well as writer, columnist and editor for outlets like Edge magazine, Gamasutra, Offworld and Boing Boing. He was recently named Chairman of the Independent Games Festival, the world's largest and most influential yearly showcase of indie games, where he is leading the organization into its thirteenth year.
You're Stealing it Wrong: 30 Years of Inter-Pirate Battles
Jason Scott is a computer historian and plot-writer for computer games, employed by THQ/Volition, whose credits include the 1999 FreeSpace 2.
Historian Jason Scott walks through the many-years story of software piracy and touches on the tired debates before going into a completely different direction - the interesting, informative, hilarious and occasionally obscene world of inter-pirate-group battles. A multi-media extravaganza of threats, CSI-level accusations and evidence trails, decades of insider lingo, and demonstrations of how the more things change, the more they still have to keep their ratios up.
Historian Jason Scott walks through the many-years story of software piracy and touches on the tired debates before going into a completely different direction - the interesting, informative, hilarious and occasionally obscene world of inter-pirate-group battles. A multi-media extravaganza of threats, CSI-level accusations and evidence trails, decades of insider lingo, and demonstrations of how the more things change, the more they still have to keep their ratios up.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Smart Gamification: Designing the Player Journey
Google Tech Talk - February 16, 2011
Presented by Amy Jo Kim.
Game dynamics are infiltrating every aspect of daily life. Early "gamification" efforts involved adding simple game mechanics like points, badges and leaderboards to websites and apps. But that's not what makes games truly compelling. Good games take players on a journey, giving them something the learn and master. Smart gamification involves creating virtual systems that shape real-world behavior, using a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational techniques. In this short talk, we'll cover the basics of smart gamification, and learn how to use game thinking to develop more engaging products and services.
Amy Jo Kim is an internationally-known social game designer and community architect. Her clients include Harmonix/MTV (Rock Band), Maxis (The Sims), EA (Ultima Online), Square/Enix, Netflix, Ning, Lumos Labs, Gaia Online, eBay, Microsoft, and Disney. She's the author of Community Building on the Web, a design handbook that's available in 7 languages (English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese) and is required reading in game design studios and university classes. She holds a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington, and a BS in Experimental Psych from UC San Diego.
Presented by Amy Jo Kim.
Game dynamics are infiltrating every aspect of daily life. Early "gamification" efforts involved adding simple game mechanics like points, badges and leaderboards to websites and apps. But that's not what makes games truly compelling. Good games take players on a journey, giving them something the learn and master. Smart gamification involves creating virtual systems that shape real-world behavior, using a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational techniques. In this short talk, we'll cover the basics of smart gamification, and learn how to use game thinking to develop more engaging products and services.
Amy Jo Kim is an internationally-known social game designer and community architect. Her clients include Harmonix/MTV (Rock Band), Maxis (The Sims), EA (Ultima Online), Square/Enix, Netflix, Ning, Lumos Labs, Gaia Online, eBay, Microsoft, and Disney. She's the author of Community Building on the Web, a design handbook that's available in 7 languages (English, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese) and is required reading in game design studios and university classes. She holds a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington, and a BS in Experimental Psych from UC San Diego.
Game Design with Will Wright
November 20, 2003
Will Wright has become one of the most successful designers of interactive entertainment in the world. He began working on what would become SimCity—The City Simulator in 1985. Using a complex technique, he found a way to bring realistic simulations to desktop PCs. Previously simulations of this sort were only available to the military, scientists and academicians. However, using an easy to use graphic interface, the world of simulations opened up to consumers. Wright co-founded Maxis (now part of Electronic Arts) with Jeff Braun in 1987.
Will Wright has become one of the most successful designers of interactive entertainment in the world. He began working on what would become SimCity—The City Simulator in 1985. Using a complex technique, he found a way to bring realistic simulations to desktop PCs. Previously simulations of this sort were only available to the military, scientists and academicians. However, using an easy to use graphic interface, the world of simulations opened up to consumers. Wright co-founded Maxis (now part of Electronic Arts) with Jeff Braun in 1987.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
For more on Randy, visit: http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Pitch Your Game Idea - PAX East 2011
PAX East 2011 - March 12, 2011
Have you every thought you could make a better game than the ones you see in stores? At PAX East 2011 they held a "Pitch Your Game" panel to listen what the gaming community wants in their game. Enjoying hearing what gamers want in their games.
45 seconds to deliver a game idea to a panel of experts.
Have you every thought you could make a better game than the ones you see in stores? At PAX East 2011 they held a "Pitch Your Game" panel to listen what the gaming community wants in their game. Enjoying hearing what gamers want in their games.
45 seconds to deliver a game idea to a panel of experts.
The End of Death,The Crash of 1982 - Mark Cerny - DICE 2011
DICE 2011 - February 18, 2011
Mark has been working in game design and technology for 25 years. He designed and programmed 1984s Marble Madness for Atari coin-op, and at Sega he oversaw the creation of Sonic The Hedgehog 2. While president of Universal Studios game division, he worked in a variety of production and design roles on the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon series on the original PlayStation. In 1998, Mark established Cerny Games as a consultancy, and has since participated in the creation of Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank series on PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation 3 launch title Resistance: Fall of Man. He has also been instrumental in the creation and guidance of the ICE team, a technology group based at Naughty Dog that specializes in graphics systems and tools for the PlayStation 3. In 2004 the IGDA honored Mark with its Lifetime Achievement Award, calling him a master collaborator and a jack of all trades.
Mark Cerny discusses the evolution of the difficulty level in video games by looking at the crash of the video game industry's coin-op days in the 1980's.
Mark has been working in game design and technology for 25 years. He designed and programmed 1984s Marble Madness for Atari coin-op, and at Sega he oversaw the creation of Sonic The Hedgehog 2. While president of Universal Studios game division, he worked in a variety of production and design roles on the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon series on the original PlayStation. In 1998, Mark established Cerny Games as a consultancy, and has since participated in the creation of Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank series on PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation 3 launch title Resistance: Fall of Man. He has also been instrumental in the creation and guidance of the ICE team, a technology group based at Naughty Dog that specializes in graphics systems and tools for the PlayStation 3. In 2004 the IGDA honored Mark with its Lifetime Achievement Award, calling him a master collaborator and a jack of all trades.
Mark Cerny discusses the evolution of the difficulty level in video games by looking at the crash of the video game industry's coin-op days in the 1980's.
Design Outside the Box - DICE 2010
DICE 2010 - February 18, 2010
Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell, dives into a world of game development which will emerge from the popular "Facebook Games" era.
Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Jesse Schell, dives into a world of game development which will emerge from the popular "Facebook Games" era.
The Bioware Method - DICE 2011
DICE 2011 - February 16, 2011
Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founders for Bioware, discuss the business philosophies and core values that have led to BioWare's success.
Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founders for Bioware, discuss the business philosophies and core values that have led to BioWare's success.
A Historical Perspective and Vision for the Future - Satoru Iwata - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 2, 2011
In 2002, Satoru Iwata was named president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. He joined Nintendo in 2000 as the head of the Corporate Planning Division, where he was responsible for Nintendo's global corporate planning. Iwata was born in 1959 in the Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan. He studied at and graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology University, where he majored in Computer Science. Shortly after graduating, Iwata joined HAL Laboratory, Inc. and in 1983 began coordinating the software production and development of Nintendo titles, such as the Kirby series. By 1993, he had become President of that company.
For a quarter of a century, the engine of video games has been must have - the viral communication of what a gamer simply can't do without. Sometimes it's hardware, sometimes software, sometimes an accessory, but must have always describes an experience that can't be missedthe next big thing. Along the way, innovation has continuously reinvented the game experience in terms of graphics, player control and pure game design. But in the process, part of the magic of those early days of game creation has been lost. As a leading player during all 25 years of the modern video gaming era, Nintendo has a unique perspective on what makes gamers grin, what defines the term gamer and what is essential to ensuring industry growth. Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, will draw from his development roots and talk not only about how video gaming has evolved, but also, more importantly, he will offer his views on where we go from here.
In 2002, Satoru Iwata was named president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. He joined Nintendo in 2000 as the head of the Corporate Planning Division, where he was responsible for Nintendo's global corporate planning. Iwata was born in 1959 in the Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan. He studied at and graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology University, where he majored in Computer Science. Shortly after graduating, Iwata joined HAL Laboratory, Inc. and in 1983 began coordinating the software production and development of Nintendo titles, such as the Kirby series. By 1993, he had become President of that company.
For a quarter of a century, the engine of video games has been must have - the viral communication of what a gamer simply can't do without. Sometimes it's hardware, sometimes software, sometimes an accessory, but must have always describes an experience that can't be missedthe next big thing. Along the way, innovation has continuously reinvented the game experience in terms of graphics, player control and pure game design. But in the process, part of the magic of those early days of game creation has been lost. As a leading player during all 25 years of the modern video gaming era, Nintendo has a unique perspective on what makes gamers grin, what defines the term gamer and what is essential to ensuring industry growth. Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, will draw from his development roots and talk not only about how video gaming has evolved, but also, more importantly, he will offer his views on where we go from here.
Yu Suzuki's Gameworks: A Career Retrospective - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 2, 2011
Yu Suzuki is a Japanese game designer and producer who has spent his entire career with Sega Enterprises. Often referred to as Sega's answer to Shigeru Miyamoto, he has been responsible for the creation of many of Sega's most important arcade games such as Hang-On, Out Run, After Burner II, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA and Virtua Cop as well as the Shenmue series for the Dreamcast.
In this first-ever Western talk, SEGA legend, Yu Suzuki talks with former colleague and industry veteran Mark Cerny on the inspiration and design underpinnings behind his seminal game output. From HANG ON and OUT-RUN to SPACE HARRIER and VIRTUA FIGHTER through AFTER BURNER and SHEN MUE, he has rarely spoken about the design reasoning and creative decisions that underscored his career to date. This Q&A style lecture will present what Suzuki has learned from his almost 30 years in the video game industry, with direct reference to his past, current, and future work.
Yu Suzuki is a Japanese game designer and producer who has spent his entire career with Sega Enterprises. Often referred to as Sega's answer to Shigeru Miyamoto, he has been responsible for the creation of many of Sega's most important arcade games such as Hang-On, Out Run, After Burner II, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA and Virtua Cop as well as the Shenmue series for the Dreamcast.
In this first-ever Western talk, SEGA legend, Yu Suzuki talks with former colleague and industry veteran Mark Cerny on the inspiration and design underpinnings behind his seminal game output. From HANG ON and OUT-RUN to SPACE HARRIER and VIRTUA FIGHTER through AFTER BURNER and SHEN MUE, he has rarely spoken about the design reasoning and creative decisions that underscored his career to date. This Q&A style lecture will present what Suzuki has learned from his almost 30 years in the video game industry, with direct reference to his past, current, and future work.
Pac-Man - Classic Postmortem - Toru Iwatani - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 2, 2011
Toru Iwatani is professor at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Game at Tokyo Polytechnic University, and a fellow in Namco Bandai Games, Inc. He joined Namco in 1977 and created Pac-Man in 1980. Toru produced more than 50 games including Galaga, Xevious, Pac-land, Ridge Racer, Alpine Racer and Time Crisis.
More than just the man who created and designed PAC-MAN, Toru Iwatani revolutionized an arcade industry filled with space shooters and PONG clones, introducing a new kind of game that was both immediately accessible and highly addictive. Thirty years after its debut, millions of fans are still playing the seminal maze title in spin-offs/remixes like PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX, as well as in its classic form through digital download games, smartphone releases, and even Google's homepage logo! In this session, Iwatani will share how he created one of the world's most successful and beloved arcade games around a circle with a wedge sliced off.
Toru Iwatani is professor at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Game at Tokyo Polytechnic University, and a fellow in Namco Bandai Games, Inc. He joined Namco in 1977 and created Pac-Man in 1980. Toru produced more than 50 games including Galaga, Xevious, Pac-land, Ridge Racer, Alpine Racer and Time Crisis.
More than just the man who created and designed PAC-MAN, Toru Iwatani revolutionized an arcade industry filled with space shooters and PONG clones, introducing a new kind of game that was both immediately accessible and highly addictive. Thirty years after its debut, millions of fans are still playing the seminal maze title in spin-offs/remixes like PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX, as well as in its classic form through digital download games, smartphone releases, and even Google's homepage logo! In this session, Iwatani will share how he created one of the world's most successful and beloved arcade games around a circle with a wedge sliced off.
Pitfall - Classic Postmortem - David Crane - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 4, 2011
David Game, game designer and programmer, started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. Crane left Atari in 1979 and co-founded Activision. His games won many awards while he was at Activision. At Activision, he was best known as the designer of Pitfall!.
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is one of the best selling games ever made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.
David Crane talks about his design challenges creating Pitfall for the Atari 2600.
David Game, game designer and programmer, started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. Crane left Atari in 1979 and co-founded Activision. His games won many awards while he was at Activision. At Activision, he was best known as the designer of Pitfall!.
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is one of the best selling games ever made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.
David Crane talks about his design challenges creating Pitfall for the Atari 2600.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Recruit Profitable Players through Advanced Multi-Channel Marketing Methods - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 6, 2011
By Min Kim (Nexon America Inc.), Anthony Royce (SOE), Laura Naviaux (Sony Online Entertainment), Tom Nicolas (), Paul Thind (TRIGGERSPOT) and Eric Bethke (Zynga)
Recruiting players with the highest return on investment (ROI) requires strategic allocation of marketing budgets and effective execution. Join Laura Naviaux, global vice president of sales and marketing at Sony Online Entertainment, as she leads a panel of industry experts responsible for acquiring profitable players through established and developing channels. Discussion will emphasize constructing marketing plans based on target audience and distribution methods, including metrics, offer management, campaign tracking, new user experience flows and promotional channels. This panel will give you a firm understanding of the techniques and channels marketing leaders use to deliver profitable players.
By Min Kim (Nexon America Inc.), Anthony Royce (SOE), Laura Naviaux (Sony Online Entertainment), Tom Nicolas (), Paul Thind (TRIGGERSPOT) and Eric Bethke (Zynga)
Recruiting players with the highest return on investment (ROI) requires strategic allocation of marketing budgets and effective execution. Join Laura Naviaux, global vice president of sales and marketing at Sony Online Entertainment, as she leads a panel of industry experts responsible for acquiring profitable players through established and developing channels. Discussion will emphasize constructing marketing plans based on target audience and distribution methods, including metrics, offer management, campaign tracking, new user experience flows and promotional channels. This panel will give you a firm understanding of the techniques and channels marketing leaders use to deliver profitable players.
The Road Ahead - Cliff Bleszinski - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - 8 mars 2011
Cliff Bleszinski is the design director for the game development company Epic Games in Cary, North Carolina. He is most famous for his continuing hand in the development of the Unreal franchise, especially 1999's Unreal Tournament, and the Gears of War franchise.
Cliff Bleszinski shares his insight on game development.
Cliff Bleszinski is the design director for the game development company Epic Games in Cary, North Carolina. He is most famous for his continuing hand in the development of the Unreal franchise, especially 1999's Unreal Tournament, and the Gears of War franchise.
Cliff Bleszinski shares his insight on game development.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - GDC 2011
GDC 2011 - March 2, 2011
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (previously Deus Ex 3) will be the third game in the Deus FPS series, and a prequel to the original game. It is being developed by Eidos Montreal.
It will support PC (Windows), PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
This talk is part of Autodesk GDC 2011 talks.
Presented by:
David Anfossi - Producer
Jean-François Dugas - Game Director
Simon Hamelin - Lead Programmer
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (previously Deus Ex 3) will be the third game in the Deus FPS series, and a prequel to the original game. It is being developed by Eidos Montreal.
It will support PC (Windows), PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
This talk is part of Autodesk GDC 2011 talks.
Presented by:
David Anfossi - Producer
Jean-François Dugas - Game Director
Simon Hamelin - Lead Programmer
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Procedural Content Generation - CIG 2010
CIG2010 - August 30, 2010
1) Julian Togelius, Mike Preuss, Nicola Beume, Simon Wessing, Johan Hagelbäck and Georgios N. Yannakakis. Multipleobjective Exploration of the StarCraft Map Space.
2) Adam M. Smith and Michael Mateas. Varations Forever: Flexibly Generating Rulesets from a Sculptable Design Space of Mini-Games.
3) Christoph Salge and Tobias Mahlmann. Relevant Information as a Formalisea Approach to Evaluate Game Mechanics.
4) Daniel Ashlock. Automatic Generation of Game Elements via Evolution.
1) Julian Togelius, Mike Preuss, Nicola Beume, Simon Wessing, Johan Hagelbäck and Georgios N. Yannakakis. Multipleobjective Exploration of the StarCraft Map Space.
2) Adam M. Smith and Michael Mateas. Varations Forever: Flexibly Generating Rulesets from a Sculptable Design Space of Mini-Games.
3) Christoph Salge and Tobias Mahlmann. Relevant Information as a Formalisea Approach to Evaluate Game Mechanics.
4) Daniel Ashlock. Automatic Generation of Game Elements via Evolution.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Cross Platform Gaming - Past, Present and Future - Gavriel State
Google Tech Talk - September 17, 2010
TransGaming's Founder and CTO, Gavriel State, will share some of the experience gained from over 10 years of work in supporting games on multiple platforms, including work bringing games from Windows to Linux, MacOS X, mobile devices, Consoles, and new connected TV platforms. TransGaming has also been heavily involved in industry standards such as OpenGL, including developing Google's ANGLE project to support WebGL on Windows via Direct3D.
When considering what platforms their work should target, game developers have more options than ever before: consoles, PCs, the web, a plethora of mobile platforms, and the emerging connected TV space. Game developers are no strangers to these choices: even 10 years ago developers had to contend with three primary consoles, PCs, plus handheld systems - more platforms than in any other major portion of the software market.
In this presentation, we will explore how cross platform development considerations influence game developers, and how platform providers can succeed by giving developers the tools to make their choices easy ones. On the technology side, we will discuss some of the main impediments to cross platform development. Some of these, such as basic hardware differences between platforms, seem obvious, but lead to profound differences in how developers approach the problem, from using cross-platform engines to requiring a complete rewrite of source code and regeneration of art assets.
TransGaming's Founder and CTO, Gavriel State, will share some of the experience gained from over 10 years of work in supporting games on multiple platforms, including work bringing games from Windows to Linux, MacOS X, mobile devices, Consoles, and new connected TV platforms. TransGaming has also been heavily involved in industry standards such as OpenGL, including developing Google's ANGLE project to support WebGL on Windows via Direct3D.
When considering what platforms their work should target, game developers have more options than ever before: consoles, PCs, the web, a plethora of mobile platforms, and the emerging connected TV space. Game developers are no strangers to these choices: even 10 years ago developers had to contend with three primary consoles, PCs, plus handheld systems - more platforms than in any other major portion of the software market.
In this presentation, we will explore how cross platform development considerations influence game developers, and how platform providers can succeed by giving developers the tools to make their choices easy ones. On the technology side, we will discuss some of the main impediments to cross platform development. Some of these, such as basic hardware differences between platforms, seem obvious, but lead to profound differences in how developers approach the problem, from using cross-platform engines to requiring a complete rewrite of source code and regeneration of art assets.
Case-Based Reasoning for Game AI - Ashwin Ram
Google Tech Talks - April, 3 2008
Dr. Ashwin Ram is an Associate Professor and Director of the Cognitive Computing Lab in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, and an Adjunct Professor in Psychology at Georgia Tech and in MathCS at Emory University. He received his PhD from Yale University in 1989, his MS from University of Illinois in 1984, and his BTech from IIT Delhi in 1982. He has published 2 books and over 100 scientific articles in international forums. He is a founder of Enkia Corporation which provides AI software for information assurance and decision support.
Computer games are an increasingly popular application for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, and conversely AI is an increasingly popular selling point for commercial games. Although games are typically associated with entertainment applications, there are many "serious" applications of gaming, including military, corporate, and advertising applications. There are also what the so called "humane" gaming applications—interactive tools for medical training, educational games, and games that reflect social consciousness or advocate for a cause. Game AI is the effort of taking computer games beyond scripted interactions, however complex, into the arena of truly interactive systems that are responsive, adaptive, and intelligent. Such systems learn about the player(s) during game play, adapt their own behaviors beyond the pre-programmed set provided by the game author, and interactively develop and provide a richer experience to the player(s).
In this brown bag, I will discuss a range of CBR approaches for Game AI. I will discuss differences and similarities between character-level AI (in embedded NPCs, for example) and game-level AI (in the drama manager or game director, for example). I will explain why the AI must reason at multiple levels, including reactive, tactical, strategic, rhetorical, and meta, and propose a CBR architecture that lets us design and coordinate real-time AIs operating asynchronously at all these levels. I will conclude with a brief discussion on the very idea of Game AI: is it feasible? realistic? and would we call it "intelligence" if we could implement all this stuff?
Dr. Ashwin Ram is an Associate Professor and Director of the Cognitive Computing Lab in the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, and an Adjunct Professor in Psychology at Georgia Tech and in MathCS at Emory University. He received his PhD from Yale University in 1989, his MS from University of Illinois in 1984, and his BTech from IIT Delhi in 1982. He has published 2 books and over 100 scientific articles in international forums. He is a founder of Enkia Corporation which provides AI software for information assurance and decision support.
Computer games are an increasingly popular application for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, and conversely AI is an increasingly popular selling point for commercial games. Although games are typically associated with entertainment applications, there are many "serious" applications of gaming, including military, corporate, and advertising applications. There are also what the so called "humane" gaming applications—interactive tools for medical training, educational games, and games that reflect social consciousness or advocate for a cause. Game AI is the effort of taking computer games beyond scripted interactions, however complex, into the arena of truly interactive systems that are responsive, adaptive, and intelligent. Such systems learn about the player(s) during game play, adapt their own behaviors beyond the pre-programmed set provided by the game author, and interactively develop and provide a richer experience to the player(s).
In this brown bag, I will discuss a range of CBR approaches for Game AI. I will discuss differences and similarities between character-level AI (in embedded NPCs, for example) and game-level AI (in the drama manager or game director, for example). I will explain why the AI must reason at multiple levels, including reactive, tactical, strategic, rhetorical, and meta, and propose a CBR architecture that lets us design and coordinate real-time AIs operating asynchronously at all these levels. I will conclude with a brief discussion on the very idea of Game AI: is it feasible? realistic? and would we call it "intelligence" if we could implement all this stuff?
Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification - Gabe Zichermann
Google Tech Talk - October 26, 2010
Gabe Zichermann is an author, highly rated public speaker and serial entrepreneur. His most recent book,Game-Based Marketing (Wiley, 4/2010) has achieved critical and industry acclaim for its detailed look at innovators who blend the power of games with brand strategy. His next book on game mechanics is a detailed technical look at architecture and implementation. Gabe is also the Chair of the Gamification Workshops and Summit, upcoming events that bring together the leading minds in Gamification and Engagement Science - http://gsummit.com. A resident of NYC, Gabe is a board member of StartOut.org, advisor to a number of startups and Facilitator for the NYC chapter of the Founder Institute.
Gamification is fundamentally rewriting the rules of engagement for product design and marketing. From Foursquare to Farmville and from Nike to the Navy, game mechanics like points, badges, levels, challenges, rewards and leaderboards are being used in ever greater numbers. But what does this mean for "traditional" marketing & UI/UX and how do you leverage this trend in your engagement strategy? Moreover, how do we measure success, and why will every company have a Chief Engagement Officer in the next few years? Find out more in this in-depth discussion with Gamification Expert, Gabe Zichermann -- author of "Game-Based Marketing" and the Gamification.co blog, and Chair of the Gamification Summit.
Gabe Zichermann is an author, highly rated public speaker and serial entrepreneur. His most recent book,Game-Based Marketing (Wiley, 4/2010) has achieved critical and industry acclaim for its detailed look at innovators who blend the power of games with brand strategy. His next book on game mechanics is a detailed technical look at architecture and implementation. Gabe is also the Chair of the Gamification Workshops and Summit, upcoming events that bring together the leading minds in Gamification and Engagement Science - http://gsummit.com. A resident of NYC, Gabe is a board member of StartOut.org, advisor to a number of startups and Facilitator for the NYC chapter of the Founder Institute.
Gamification is fundamentally rewriting the rules of engagement for product design and marketing. From Foursquare to Farmville and from Nike to the Navy, game mechanics like points, badges, levels, challenges, rewards and leaderboards are being used in ever greater numbers. But what does this mean for "traditional" marketing & UI/UX and how do you leverage this trend in your engagement strategy? Moreover, how do we measure success, and why will every company have a Chief Engagement Officer in the next few years? Find out more in this in-depth discussion with Gamification Expert, Gabe Zichermann -- author of "Game-Based Marketing" and the Gamification.co blog, and Chair of the Gamification Summit.
Building a JavaScript-Based Game Engine for the Web - Paul Bakaus
Google Tech Talk - June 11, 2010
Paul Bakaus is the CTO of the Germany-based startup Dextrose AG, and his corporate work mostly focuses on UX, UI and tricky JavaScript challenges. He is best known for creating jQuery UI, the popular official UI framework for jQuery, where he was the driving force behind many of its plugins.
There are many professional game engines out there for consoles, PCs, and mobile handhelds. However, there is one big empty gap, even in 2010: Not a single game engine targets desktop and mobile browsers natively without the use of plugins.
In this session, Paul talks about the challenges of building a pure browser-based gaming engine, how web programming concepts like event-driven architecture need to be considered, and what it means to fully utilize the open web stack—HTML5, client- and server-side JavaScript, external Stylesheets, server-side JavaScript and, of course, Canvas—to squeeze every millisecond of rendering time. We will go into the details of our own upcoming Aves Engine for isometric real-time games and will give you a very solid idea of what needs to be done to build graphically rich, real-time, full featured games for the web.
Paul Bakaus is the CTO of the Germany-based startup Dextrose AG, and his corporate work mostly focuses on UX, UI and tricky JavaScript challenges. He is best known for creating jQuery UI, the popular official UI framework for jQuery, where he was the driving force behind many of its plugins.
There are many professional game engines out there for consoles, PCs, and mobile handhelds. However, there is one big empty gap, even in 2010: Not a single game engine targets desktop and mobile browsers natively without the use of plugins.
In this session, Paul talks about the challenges of building a pure browser-based gaming engine, how web programming concepts like event-driven architecture need to be considered, and what it means to fully utilize the open web stack—HTML5, client- and server-side JavaScript, external Stylesheets, server-side JavaScript and, of course, Canvas—to squeeze every millisecond of rendering time. We will go into the details of our own upcoming Aves Engine for isometric real-time games and will give you a very solid idea of what needs to be done to build graphically rich, real-time, full featured games for the web.
Playing to Lose: AI and Civilization - Soren Johnson
Google Tech Talk - August 26, 2010
Soren Johnson was the lead designer and AI programmer for Sid Meier's Civilization IV. After working at Firaxis Games for seven years, Soren joined EA Maxis in 2007 to work on Spore as a lead designer/programmer. He is currently building web-based games with EA2D, such as the moddable strategystation.com and other unannounced projects. He also writes a design column for Game Developer Magazine and is on the GDC Advisory Board. His thoughts on game design can be found at http://www.designer-notes.com.
Artificial intelligence is crucial to any strategy game, providing a compelling opponent for solo play. While many of the challenges of AI development are technical, significant design challenges exist as well. Can the AI behave like a human? Should it? Should the game design be adjusted to accommodate the limitations of the AI? How do we make the AI fun? Should the AI cheat? If so, how much? Do we even want the AI to win? This session suggests some possible answers to these questions using the "Civilization" series as a case study. Ultimately, developers must choose between a "good" AI and a "fun" one, with an understanding of the trade-offs inherent when deciding between the two.
Download slides to this presentation here: http://www.designer-notes.com/PlayingToLoseGoogle.zip
Soren Johnson was the lead designer and AI programmer for Sid Meier's Civilization IV. After working at Firaxis Games for seven years, Soren joined EA Maxis in 2007 to work on Spore as a lead designer/programmer. He is currently building web-based games with EA2D, such as the moddable strategystation.com and other unannounced projects. He also writes a design column for Game Developer Magazine and is on the GDC Advisory Board. His thoughts on game design can be found at http://www.designer-notes.com.
Artificial intelligence is crucial to any strategy game, providing a compelling opponent for solo play. While many of the challenges of AI development are technical, significant design challenges exist as well. Can the AI behave like a human? Should it? Should the game design be adjusted to accommodate the limitations of the AI? How do we make the AI fun? Should the AI cheat? If so, how much? Do we even want the AI to win? This session suggests some possible answers to these questions using the "Civilization" series as a case study. Ultimately, developers must choose between a "good" AI and a "fun" one, with an understanding of the trade-offs inherent when deciding between the two.
Download slides to this presentation here: http://www.designer-notes.com/PlayingToLoseGoogle.zip
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