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BS: the Montessori Prize

stanforded — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:43:35 +0000

Dr. Maria Montessori developed auto-didactic materials, or materials that teach when manipulated by a learner. She was born in the 1870’s and passed on the 1950’s.

Think about the technology that was introduced within her lifetime (automobiles, radio, television, airplanes, telephones) and the technology introduced after her death (computers, cell phones, the internet, space travel, satellite communication, GPS).

Dr. Montessori never saw photographs of the earth from space. She never saw a computer in action or marveled at the information available on the internet.

What kind of auto-didactic materials would she create if she were alive today?

These thoughts were inspired by a TED talk by Will Wright, the developer of the SIMS computer games which he says were inspired by the Montessori materials of his youth.

Do you suppose that Larry Page & Sergei Brin (Google founders) Will Wright (Game designer) Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon) and others might be interested in endowing an annual prize for the development of new, developmentally appropriate auto-didactic materials?

The Montessori Prize could be like a Nobel Prize for material design, maybe with age categories 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-18, adult.

This would be an interesting way to raise awareness of Montessori education principles within the “toy” and education industry.

"Spore" ganha adaptação para cinema

Nanda — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:36:31 +0000

A Eletronic Arts está investindo mesmo em adaptações. Depois de lançar o game Inferno de Dante, baseado na “A Divina Comédia” de Dante Alighieri, chegou a vez de adaptar um dos jogos eletrônicos mais inovadores dos últimos tempos, Spore (Eletronic Arts). O título ganha a sua versão cinematográfica pelos estúdios da Fox e a direção ficará a cargo de Chris Wedge (Era do Gelo e Robôs).

No game Spore, o jogador é um criador de criaturas. De acordo com as necessidades do meio em que vive a criatura, o usuário opta em inserir determinados membros do corpo. Uma simples ameba pode evoluir bastante e tornar-se uma criatura inteligente, capaz de descobrir tecnologias, formar tribos e grandes civilizações além de explorar o universo.

Spore é do mesmo criador de The Sims e Sim City, o lendário Will Wright (Maxis) e foi lançado em setembro de 2008, nos Estados Unidos.

2001: A Spore Odyssey

Narrator — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:20:48 +0000

Forget the hammy title.

It was recently announced that Spore, the evolution game from Electronics Arts, and brainchild of creative maestro Will Wright (also responsible for the Sims franchise) is going to become a movie. This is peculiar for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the narrative of Spore is, like many games, unsuitable or certainly unseeable as a filmic experience. To elaborate, Spore is the game where you begin as a small cellular lifeform and through survival in the seas of a distant planet you grow and evolve, your ‘creature’ gaining all sorts of creature ‘parts’ as you specialise and adapt to the environment around you. Thus Spore is even atypical for a game in that you don’t have a character or avatar who grows with you during the course of your playing experience, but instead an entire species. When you die, your creature won’t return, but one of its offspring will. Thus Spore charts the experience of evolution, from the seas, to the plains and landscapes where you must compete with other creatures to become king of the food chain to the far reaches of space when you finally learn how to be become a pious space faring civilisation, or a blood thirsty empire – it’s your choice. How do you adapt the experience of life, death and evolution on such a scale to a two hour film? How do you connect with the audience? The survival of the fittest is not a theme that particularly induces laughter, emotion and entertainment.

Secondly, Spore’s high concept design centres around the aforementioned survival of the fittest ethic, a subject which is still highly controversial to some. Exploring existential themes of evolution in a galaxy without a god is a masterstroke which cements Spore’s place in the history of the development of games, even if the game itself is less than the ideas which drive it, but videogames are a form played by a certain demographic who must share a certain affinity with a computer to be able to play that game; cinema is different. Take Creation, the recent biopic starring Paul Bettany and wife Jennifer Connelly about the life of Darwin and the way his own ideas conflicted with his and his wife’s religion. Pretty much no one saw it, as barely any North American cinemas dared to show it. And Creation opens interesting and constructive discourse between religion and science. What could Spore offer?

Thirdly, as the title of this post suggests, the game is heavily influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey. While 2001 may ponder upon the evolution of man from the proto-humans to the technology muted future to the starchild, Spore just lets us play that. You can even place a black monolith on other worlds inhabited by creatures and give their evolution a head start and even more, there’s a cut scene in the game directly taken from the famous revelatory monkey scene.

Thing is, I can’t see Electronic Arts, attempting to milk their cash cows a little further, fancying taking a gamble in a failing film industry on an existential romp through the history of time charting the evolution of three eyed leprechauns from the planet Boris Twatus - can you?

Will Wright está trabalhando em três novos jogos

Revigoe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:50:42 +0000

Depois de sair da EA Games, o criador do Spore, The Sims e SimCity resolveu se dedicar a sua própria empresa; Stupid Fun Club. A maioria imaginava que ele havia encerrado sua carreira de Designer de jogos ali, mas agora, Will Wright voltou e anunciou que está trabalhando em três novos projetos, junto com a sua empresa.

“No momento, estamos perseguindo três games agressivamente. É possível que esse número seja elevado para quatro ou cinco, mas eu quero permanecer bastante concentrado. Nós temos muitas ideias em mente. Mas sim, são apenas três games atualmente.”

O que será que Will Wright está panejando dessa vez? Depois de um simulador de vida social, simulador de cidades, e simulador de evolução das espécies, o que mais poderia surgir de sua mente? Certamente, não será um Spore 2 ou um The Sims 4, mas mesmo assim, poderemos esperar uma nova ideia original de Will Wright.

Will Wright comentou que o primeiro título a ser lançado pelo Stupid Fan Club poderá chegar dentro de seis meses ou um ano. Ou seja: em 2010.

Fonte: Baixaki Jogos

News from the Games

xollothnews — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:41:28 +0000

Σε τρία νέα παιχνίδια δουλεύει ο Will Wright

Σε τρία νέα παιχνίδια δουλεύει ο Will Wright | byteme

Ο Will Wright μπορεί να ολοκλήρωσε τον κύκλο του στην ΕΑ (ή τουλάχιστον εντός αυτής) λίγους μήνες πριν, το ότι αποχωρίστηκε τα αγαπημένα του Sims όμως δεν σημαίνει και ότι βγήκε στη σύνταξη. Ο ταλαντούχος δημιουργός δουλεύει εντατικά αυτή την εποχή πάνω στην ανάπτυξη τριών νέων τίτλων για λογαριασμό της Stupid Fan Club, της νεοσύστατης εταιρείας του. Ο ίδιος δεν δίστασε να ανεβάσει ακόμα ψηλότερα τον αριθμό αυτό δηλώνοντας ότι μπορεί να φτάσουμε τα τέσσερα ή ακόμα και πέντε με το πρώτο εξ’ αυτών να κυκλοφορεί εντός του 2010 –ελπίζουμε όχι με χρονομέτρηση Spore.[next]

EyePet -review

GameWorld – Eye Pet (PS3)

To EyePet ανήκει στην κατηγορία των παιχνιδιών που παίζονται χωρίς χειριστήριο. Οι κινήσεις και οι λειτουργίες γίνονται με το σώμα του παίκτη και η διασκέδαση που προσφέρει είναι πολύ μεγαλύτερη απ’ ότι στις συμβατικές κυκλοφορίες παιχνιδιών. Βάζοντας το δισκάκι στο PS3, εμφανίζεται ένα tutorial για το πώς πρέπει να συνδέσετε την κάμερα έτσι ώστε να αρχίσετε τις περιπέτειές σας.[next]

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Online co-op καθοδόν στο Tekken 6

Online co-op καθοδόν στο Tekken 6 | Game 2.0

H Namco ανακοίνωσε ότι το πολυαναμενόμενο Tekken 6 έγινε χρυσό και πλέον βαδίζει ολοταχώς προς την κυκλοφορία του στις 30 Οκτωβρίου.

Όπως αποκάλυψε η εταιρεία, τον χειμώνα θα διατεθεί ως δωρεάν DLC για το παιχνίδι ένα online co-op mode, όπου δύο παίκτες αντιμετωπίζουν διάφορους αντιπάλους.[next]

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1η Δεκεμβρίου διαθέσιμο το Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood

Aπό την 1η Δεκεμβρίου διαθέσιμο το Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwoo | Game 2.0

Η Turbine ανακοίνωσε ότι το Siege of Mirkwood, το νέο downloadable expansion για το Lord of the Rings Online, θα είναι διαθέσιμο από την 1η Δεκεμβρίου.

Το Siege of Mirkwood αποτελεί τον επίλογο του Volume II και περιλαμβάνει νέες περιοχές, αυξημένο level cap, βελτιώσεις στο σύστημα μάχης και στα Legendary Items, ενώ προσθέτει και τα Skirmishes.[next]

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To Hydrophobia στο Xbox Live Arcade

To Hydrophobia “πλημμυρίζει” το Xbox Live Arcade | Game 2.0

Η Dark Energy Digital ανακοίνωσε ότι το πολλά υποσχόμενο survival-adventure Hydrophobia θα διατεθεί στο Xbox Live Arcade, χωρισμένο σε τρία επεισόδια.

Το κάθε επεισόδιο διαρκεί γύρω στις πέντε ώρες και το πρώτο αναμένεται σύντομα.[next]

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To Zeno Clash έρχεται στα καταστήματα και στο Xbox Live Arcade

To Zeno Clash έρχεται στα καταστήματα και στο Xbox Live Arcade | Game 2.0

H ACE ανακοίνωσε ότι το πολύ καλό first-person ξυλίκι Zeno Clash θα είναι διαθέσιμο για PC και στα καταστήματα, από τις 16 Οκτωβρίου.

Παράλληλα, η εταιρεία αποκάλυψε και το Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition, το οποίο θα διατεθεί στο Xbox Live Arcade την άνοιξη.[next]

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χειρισμόs του Red Steel 2

Άλλη μια ματιά στον χειρισμό του Red Steel 2 | Game 2.0

H Ubisoft έδωσε στη δημοσιότητα ένα από τα καλύτερα βίντεο του Red Steel 2 που έχουμε δει μέχρι στιγμής.

Σε αυτό θα δείτε πώς λειτουργεί το χειριστήριο του Wii και το Wii MotionPlus στο παιχνίδι.[next]

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τα νέα χαρακτηριστικά του PES 2010 για Wii

Πρώτη γεύση από τα νέα χαρακτηριστικά του PES 2010 για Wii | Game 2.0

Konami έδωσε στη δημοσιότητα ένα νέο trailer του πολυαναμενόμενου Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 και αυτήν τη φορά παρουσιάζεται η έκδοση για το Wii.

To PES 2010 για την κονσόλα της Nintendo διαθέτει ορισμένα νέα χαρακτηριστικά, όπως το καινούριο σύστημα εκτέλεσης φάουλ, το Play Energy feature, το καλύτερο ΑΙ των αμυντικών και δυνατότητα να ζητάτε την μπάλα.[next]

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Will Wright's New Project

Sarah — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:01:10 +0000

After creating The Sims, SimCity, and Spore – some of the most successful and best-selling PC games of all time, you would think 49-year-old Will Wright would be sitting back and taking it easy. Not so fast. The Atlanta native, who has become something of a legacy in the PC game world, has a new project up his sleeves. According to an interview with the LA Times, he wants to “build things that people would want to play with.” So what is Wright’s latest project? Well, he wouldn’t say, but he did drop a few hints that are sure to get wheels spinning in the tech world and maybe even the toy world?

First of all, the new project is a toy, though Wright says calling it a toy exactly makes it too specific. “All of our projects have crossover elements,” he tells the LA Times. In February, Wright will deliver a speech entitled “The Evolution of Entertainment: A Toy’s Place” at Engage! in New York City. He will also be bringing his new concept along. According to the Times, Engage! is a “conference on the convergence of toys, the Internet, virtual worlds, games and social media.”

Not surprisingly, the new concept involves games – something Wright knows a little bit about. His games (The Sims, Sim City, and Spore) have generated over $1 billion for his previous employer, Electronic Arts. In the spring of 2009, Wright broke away from EA and started his own company, Stupid Fun Club, of which EA is a principal shareholder.

Wright also says the project will have robotic components, something Wright has been fascinated with since childhood. It will also have online components. This is not unusual for today’s world as many popular toys also have virtual worlds where kids (and grown-ups) can play.

Wright let a few more hints slip – you can read mor here: Will Wright, creator of The Sims, talks toys | Technology | Los Angeles Times - but the hints were elusive and it’s really hard to narrow his new project down. Even so, with a creative genius like Wright behind the wheel, the new project will most likely be just as popular as his past ones, and probably just as anticipated!

Where have Wright's Words gone?

Will Wright — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:04:37 +0000

Are you a regular reader or are you trying to be one? Have you been waiting – and waiting – for more from my voice? Well, I work hard to write consistently, but I simply have not seen a topic that called for my voice to respond. There have been a few interesting items that were already being covered by TheRoot.com.

If you think that there’s something that’s just up my alley, tell me so. If I know what you want to see…

E.O. Wilson And Will Wright on NPR's "open mic"

Dara — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:06:04 +0000

What happens when you get really talented, accomplished people to interview other really talented, a

Will Wright and E O Wilson on educational games

Tim — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:30:20 +0000

Take a look over at NPR for a summary of an open mic session between game designer Will Wright (with credits including SimCity, The Sims and Spore) and biologist E. O. Wilson.

Wright asked Wilson if he saw a role for games in education:

“I’ll go to an even more radical position,” Wilson said. “I think games are the future in education. We’re going through a rapid transition now. We’re about to leave print and textbooks behind.”

Wilson imagines students taking visits through the virtual world to different ecosystems. “That could be a rain forest,” he said, “a tundra — or a Jurassic forest.”

Tiree Runners Island Adventures

tireecottage — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:49:21 +0000

A trio of Tiree adventurers has been pounding the roads of two of our neighbouring islands. On the 9th August, Will Wright, Joe Kavanagh and Gordon Scott set off from Tiree to take part in the Mull Half Marathon. Both Will and Gordon recorded ‘PB’s’ over the 13.1 miles as did the effervescent Joe, who was competing in the 10k walk. Not content with this, however, the lads were off to the Isle of Coll to do it all again at the Coll Half Marathon. Will came home in 6th place in a time of 01:27, no mean feat given that the Coll route is very demanding. Once again, Joe did the 10k walk and once again he came in faster than he has done before. This time, Gordon took part in the 5k race, recording a time of 30:06 and coming in 3rd overall in a field of 16 runners. Also running on Coll last weekend were Michael Holliday and Stephen Cameron, both of whom completed the Half Marathon is very fast times. The evening was rounded off at the ceilidh in the village hall. Here we were entertained to yet more of what Tiree has to offer in the form of Trail West who played a blinding set and kept the audience enthralled – and dancing – all night.

Los Sims 3: cómo echar a perder una idea brillante

charliedrums87 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:08:15 +0000

Suena el despertador. Cuesta levantarse. Desayuno, ducha rápida. Vistazo fugaz a los titulares del d

"The Sims 3" PC Review

ilovpugs — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:10:29 +0000

The uber popular Sims franchise strikes again. This time with multiple new additions. This game is more about making your Sims’ life wishes come true compared to previous Sims titles. New to the series are traits for your Sims such as excitable, unlucky, evil, hopeless romantic, virtuoso, and many more. You get to pick the traits if you raise your children well; if for example your toddler learns how to talk, walk, and is potty trained, then you pick out two traits for it. If your “child” doesn’t grow up well then you might get stuck with a bad trait like unlucky or excitable.

In The Sims 3 the houses are cooler and there are more skills your Sims can learn, like gardening, where you get to have your own garden and harvest your own vegetables. Another of the many skills your Sims can gain include logic, which you can use to write books that will earn you royalties over time. You can also take classes for a fee to learn any of the skills. New in the series is the ability for your Sim to go around town and to places like the day spa, parks, or fishing holes (where you can build the fishing skill). You can also have your own cars and it’s loads of fun.

Alas, there are many downfalls to the Sims 3. The graphics stink, your Sims have fat faces, and it takes a while when you first turn on the game for your house’s furniture to appear. You cannot go inside buildings except for the library. I would have preferred to see what happens to my Sims when they go inside their work buildings. One of my favorite things to do on The Sims Life Stories was to make households and families, but in The Sims 3 you can only have one household at a time so if you love creating families like I do, this game is not for you.

Speaking of work, there are now lots of new cool careers like Ruler of the Free World and CEO of a Major Business Corporation, and more creative ones like Masseuse/Masseur and Grave Digger. Promotions to achieve keep things interesting even though you can’t see your Sims working. Before they go away to their jobs everyday, you can set how hard you want them to work. There is some strategy involved, as telling your Sim to work hard may get them to climb the corporate ladder faster, but they might work through lunch and come home tired, hungry, and angry.

You can download things that other Sims 3 players have created like houses, designs, and furniture. I myself have found many cool user-created objects such as a Spongebob bed and a Mickey Mouse lounge chair. The official EA-created objects (including hair styles, furniture, and clothing) are fine but I don’t think they’re as cool as say, a Hello Kitty crib created by a user. The version of The Sims 3 that I bought came with a $10 download code for the online Sims store but once I’ve spent all of that, I don’t plan on spending any more money on the service.

If you have The Sims 2 and are happy with it, I wouldn’t bother spending the dough on The Sims 3. The second game is fine, and although the additions in number three are nice, they aren’t worth the money if you already have a Sims game laying around.

Pros: More careers, you don’t have to go out to a store and buy your clothes, deeper customization than ever, traits can be chosen, lifetime goals more prominent in the gameplay, cars, cool online store, well-designed pre-made houses, young adult phase, great replay value

Cons: Fat faces, long loading times, can’t see Sims inside most buildings, horrible makeup choices, not all that different from The Sims 2

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10

By iLovPugs with Josh60502

Will Wright keynote en Siggraph

jalonso — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:20:56 +0000

Estaba revisando las notas del keynote del martes pasado de Will Wright (creador de los SIMS y SPORE) en el Siggraph, y ha sido la mejor keynote a la que he asistido en directo. IMPRESIONANTE presentación de 270 slides, que tiene una razón de ser, y es la cantidad de información que pueden absorber las personas de una edad media de 35 años en la duración de su presentación, aproximando el valor de 1 imagen con 1.000 palabras y haciendo así los cálculos de número de slides necesarios.
Genial el arranque de la charla para hablar de su gato, y cómo a partir de ahí cogió carrerilla para dejar al auditorio flipando y en una ovación final.
Ni que decir tiene que si alguien sabe cómo conseguir esta presentación (idealmente de forma legal), que haga un comentario a esta entrada pq me gustaría mucho poderla comprar.

Vid-Biz: Upfronts, TiVo, Hulu

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:36:39 +0000

Broadcast Networks Cut Upfront Ad Prices; estimates peg the decline at 15 to 20 percent off last year, dipping to $7.5 billion, a dollar figure not seen since 2001. (The LA Times)

TiVo Gets Rovi’s Data; DVR service will get access to Rovi’s metadata, which includes info on more than 1 million TV series episodes, 400,000 movie titles and 13 million music tracks. (Multichannel News)

More Online Video Ads vs. Higher Prices, That is the Question; CBS trying to figure out how many ads viewers will tolerate, Hulu just wants to charge more for fewer ads. (BusinessWeek)

Pure Pwnage Going to Canadian TV; web series gets an eight episode order from the Showcase channel. (Tubefilter)

More than Half of Americans Have an HDTV; 53 percent of U.S. households have HDTVs (it was 35 percent in 2008) according to CTAM; 69 percent of those have HDTV service. (Multichannel News)

Sims Creator Looking Beyond Games; Will Wright considers himself an “entertainment designer” and is working on new ideas that go into TV and movies. (The Hollywood Reporter)

ACMSIGGRAPH asks Will Wright, “What’s next?”

ballightning — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:59:24 +0000

Review: The Sims 3

moodyp — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:21:48 +0000

Will Wright’s most successful Sim franchise was unleashed in February 2000 and within two years became the best selling PC game franchise of all time. Part life simulator and part virtual dollhouse, The Sims tapped a massive audience of casual and primarily female gamers. Expansion after expansion flew off the shelves and solidified the series as major force in gaming.

The Sims 3 still retains the core gameplay of previous versions: build a home and keep it clean, find a job and climb the career ladder, buy and do things to make sims happy, build relationships and procreate, raise kids, die, repeat steps using your offspring. This endless cycle sounds dull (and reminiscent of life’s chores) but is actually challenging and incredibly addictive because of the broad range of things you can do.

Legendary game designer Sid Meier once described a good game as being a series of interesting choices. The Sims 3 is abound with them. Your sim’s personality, the color and texture of your furniture, the architecture of your house, your career and personal aspirations, how you treat your friends and family – all of these (and many more) are laid in front of the player with an intuitive and polished interface.

The amount of customization available to the player is impressive. You can personalize almost anything that exists in the game world. Afterward you can even share your creations online on the exchange where thousands of items, sims, and houses made by players around the globe are available to download. This extensive world-wide community provides players with free content while the developers are busy creating brand new items that can be purchased online at the store. You can share photos and movies taken in-game. Some are quite bizarre.

Watching the cooking channel in HD - Sims 3 Gameplay

The graphics are highly polished and textures are surprisingly crisp given the number of them. The only downside to this is that if you build grandiose four story mansions that house a handful of sims like I do, the game will often crash while saving, especially if you’re throwing a party. To the game’s credit, even after once loosing 3+ hours of work on a massive house due to a crash, I went back and built it again because it’s that much fun.

What struck me while playing was how academically solid the game is. Will Wright’s design team is well schooled in the fundamentals of game design. For example, how they used the rule: always have goals for the player to achieve – long term, mid term and short term. The wish system lets you achieve lifetime happiness points that can purchase lifetime skills. A Lifetime Wish, worth a lot, and others based on difficulty. Sims always have things they want to do and need you to make it happen.

Learn from electrocution - Sims3 Gameplay

The sim’s AI is still lacking the autonomy one could hope for. I left seven sims alone for one day and by their first night I realized they wouldn’t survive without me. Although sometimes they almost didn’t survive with me either. I electrocuted my chef while he was trying to repair the dishwasher. I made sure to make him read a handiness book so it wouldn’t happen again.

Will Wright’s Sim City on the SNES was for many the introduction to the “God Game” genre. These games allow the player to create and control a number of variables (be it characters, buildings, units, etc.) and continue playing often without an end-game, making them very hard to put down once addicted. The Sims 3 grabs your ambitions and virtualizes them. Become a renowned chef, write a book, delve into the criminal underbelly, be a chess master, get elected mayor, the list goes on. Throw in life events, social interactions, and natural duties that we can all relate to and you have a game that can appeal to anyone who likes to build and tinker.

Video: Flashback to Will Right Circa 1996

wilsonscrazybed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:34:57 +0000

Will Wright holding invisible spear.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who Will Wright was until I watched a video about spore a couple years ago. Ironically enough I was completely awed by Sim City 2000 (the best one), and spent nearly a year trying play it on my crappy old 386.

In these video he talks about things ranging from persistence (like playing your original Sim City city in Sim City 2000), and how the franchise was born out of a war game. But the best part is that he has an awesome mustache and mullet. For that reason alone I command you to watch all 4 of these (short) videos.

Videos after the jump

Meet Me in the Middle: Defining Goals in Video Games

mtvernon — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:31:33 +0000

There’s been a lot of hullabaloo lately around Ben Abraham and his Far Cry 2 permadeath experiment over at Sometimes Life Requires Consequences. I love what the guy’s doing — it’s fantastic. But what’s weird to me is the whole thing’s perceived novelty. Because I’m pretty sure we’ve all experienced the same at one time or another in our gaming lives…ever played a title in that relatively well known The Sims series, for instance?

Clint Hocking, perhaps Far Cry 2’s most prominent designer (and a man who seems quite the humble fellow despite his notoriety), responded to the whole business by saying that Abraham’s experiment isn’t being noticed because he’s “having a more emotionally engaging narrative experience.” Nor is it “because he is playing the game in a more serious way in order to experience more serious emotions.” Rather, Hocking believes that Abraham’s experiment is significant because Abraham is “is manipulating the game itself.”

I find this notion pretty exciting for a number of reasons but, mostly, I’m fascinated because it’s a realization of the game’s meaning that’s not entirely dependent upon a fixed ruleset. All things considered, however, this isn’t exactly unique. That it’s happening in a different and traditionally somewhat rigid, authored genre is great, but the fact of the matter is these kinds of organic, player-defined objectives have been around since about 1989 at the absolute latest.

For quite some time now, there has existed an entire school of game design revolving around the idea that players should do the same sorts of things that recently occurred to Ben Abraham. In fact, virtually all of Will Wright’s titles have stressed just this sort of gamer agency: you don’t get anywhere in SimCity, for instance, without an idea of where you want to go. YOUR goals are the ones that make the game interesting.

What I love about Far Cry 2, however, is it’s a title that feels designed as if to provide a rich playspace for just this sort of active self-direction. For instance, in addition to the unusually robust main storyline, there are fifty-seven guarhouses to find. Tackling these outposts is wholly voluntary, but scouting each and every one of them in a particular way is an optional objective that even the unimaginative player can choose to engage in highly creative ways.

As Duncan Fyfe notes on his fifth-from-last entry on the extraordinary Hit Self-Destruct, “According to the most classic definition possible, games are not stories or narratives. They are rulesets designed to live in perpetuity and whose potential can never be exhausted. Individual instances of the game can be won or lost, but the game itself never ends.” Changing the ruleset in some meaningful way means changing the play. By leaving room for rules manipulation, smart designers extend the lives of their games, allowing players practically infinite experimentation, expressivity, and argument within otherwise fixed systems.

What is the difference between Spore and Mass Effect?

mfauli — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:08:07 +0000

This is going to be a look back at how awsome Spore was supposed and it turned out. And to answer the above question: One claimed to be scientific (evolution), the other one actually achieved it (creating a believable future).

When Spore was initially unveiled, everyone was in awe of the grand scale of the game. Not only in terms of sheer space, but even moreso that it was said that the player could really follow his own creature through all kinds of evolutionary stages. Visuals also were great, while already simple, they looked rather realistic. We also had realistic behaviour, like your creature pulling a dead creature´s body to a safe place to then eat it. Sure, some quirks were already present, such as mating with another creature, but such elements were put in decently.
So what did we expect from Spore prior to its release? A simulation of evolution, seamlessly progressing in a believable way.

What did we get? A game devided into five separate stages where you jump instantly jump on the evolutionary ladder, rather then take it step by step. Visuals were turned into some mainstream-appealing cartoon-look, and social interactions between your own creatures became complete comedy.
Basically, Spore went from a scientific vision (and just listening to Will Wright´s speeches shows how awsome he wanted Spore to be) to a mindless monster-creator with bonus-environments to put them in.

I have no idea who to blame for this. I´d prefer to believe it was EA who forced Will Wright into making these changes, but who knows. Spore 2 is probably a sure bet, but at this point, i don´t have much hopes for that game to do what people wanted from the first one. Oh well, a tiny glimmer of hope remains, as i really think that the original vision of Spore would be the greatest game ever created.

The Sims 3

allen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:30:24 +0000

The Sims 3 is here! At first glance, it’s not that different from The Sims 2, but once the gam

Sputnik Observatory: Extraordinary minds shaping modern thought

judhudson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:24:50 +0000

Sputnik Observatory is a brand new website that features over 200 interviews with some of the greate

EA and Dr Pepper o Create Unrivaled Gaming Experience with Exclusive Premium Downloadable Content

8bitjay — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:17:28 +0000

Electronic Arts and Dr Pepper have just announced a marketing agreement that brings additional content to Dr Pepper drinkers through codes.

The press release says that Sims 3 will be the first game to receive the treatment.

Hit the jump for the press release.

EA and Dr Pepper to Create Unrivaled Gaming Experience with Exclusive Premium Downloadable Content

The Sims 3 Will Be First Game in Multi-Title Relationship

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & PLANO, Texas, Jun 25, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Dr Pepper today announced that the companies have entered a multimillion-dollar marketing agreement that brings original content to Dr Pepper consumers via EA’s blockbuster portfolio of games. Gaming fans may have access to exclusive premium content on select EA titles throughout 2010 with codes found on more than 500 million Dr Pepper products.

“We’re proud to partner with an innovative marketing company like Dr Pepper that has such a rich heritage,” said Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice president of Global Media Sales for Electronic Arts. “EA is always looking for new ways to reach its fans, and by aligning with Dr Pepper, we’re able to offer consumers premium content that enhances the gaming experience.”

“The first-of-its-kind partnership with EA will give Dr Pepper fans an unrivaled experience by adding exclusive value to their games such as new levels and items,” said Tony Jacobs, Vice President of Marketing for Dr Pepper. “EA is the only media company that could reach our target audience with the breadth and depth of titles for gamers on any gaming platform.”

Gamers will experience many facets of this campaign ranging from co-branded retail initiatives to unique gameplay enhancing items for many of the popular 2010 titles and only available to Dr Pepper fans. The Sims(TM) 3 is the first title to participate in this campaign beginning early next year and will allow gamers to experience a variety of original content. For example, codes from specially marked Dr Pepper packages will unlock exclusive premium downloadable content that may include one-of-a-kind beach party items or all the elements of a perfect fall tailgating party.

“The Sims team is particularly excited about this offering because the Dr Pepper team shares our passion for introducing its brand to our player community in ways that will add to the players’ experience,” said Steve Seabolt, Vice President of Global Brand Development for The Sims. “This will include exclusive downloadable content available via ourTheSims3.com community site. We have huge confidence that this ‘opt-in value add’ will have our players thinking very kindly of the Dr Pepper brand.”

Additional details of the relationship will be announced in the future.

IndustryGamers – Interview with Will Wright on Spore, Sims, Stupid Fun Club and more

ballightning — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:55:36 +0000

Will Wright chats with Industry Games about many topics – the Stupid Fun Club, whether we’ll see Spo

Los Sims 3 (PC Review)

.:: KamE ::. — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:23:58 +0000

No es nada fácil tratar de ser objetivo sobre una franquicia cuyo género no tiene competidores mínimamente comparables, y cuyo peculiar gameplay es pródigo tanto en críticas como en alabanzas.

No en vano, millones de jugadores de todo el mundo han hecho de este título un best-seller con cada edición, y sus expansiones no han hecho sino engrosar las ventas de la original idea de Will Wright.

En un principio parte de la detracción por parte del sector hardcore de jugadores se basó en la inevitable comparación del por entonces neonato Gran Hermano español. Las comparaciones fueron producto, entre otros motivos más evidentes, de la inclinación por parte de la prensa (y no sólo de la especializada) en remarcar que el juego era “El Gran Hermano virtual”. Calificación penosa donde las haya, puesto que el juego suponía un avance significativo en cuanto a diseño, estructura e inteligencia artificial.

Obviamente esta falsa presentación del título sirvió para que los más temerosos con este tema del juego para ordenador se atreviesen morbosamente con algo distinto y más cercano a la televisión que al formato en el que se dispuso al público. Sin embargo, los años darían la razón a la desarrolladora, borrando la mancha de sensacionalismo barato e infundado que se habían esforzado desde el exterior en promover. El juego se descubrió finalmente como lo que en realidad era. Un gran título, único en su especie, que permitía hacer una vida distinta, formando una familia, siendo un ligón, atendiendo necesidades básicas y hasta cumpliendo los deseos más ávidos de los personajes. Había que cuidar las distintas etapas de la vida de los “protagonistas” y era divertido, muy divertido. Puede parecer una gigantesca casa de muñecas para PC, o un “juego de niñas”. No obstante, me sigue pareciendo un comentario totalmente fuera de lugar, que en el 99% de las ocasiones provienen de gente que no les sacas del “Pro” y 2 juegos más ni aunque les apuntes con un cañón. Por lo tanto, no me es relevante.

En cualquier cosa e independientemente del público que lo disfrutase, el título creció imparable, y con su segunda parte se consagró como rey y señor de la venta mundial. Es enormemente complicado conocer a alguien que no haya jugado a Los Sims en alguna de sus ediciones. La crítica, por si fuera poco, acompañó a los dos títulos positivamente, ignorando (como debe ser) las impertinencias “machudas” de 4 tontos, o la publicidad que antes he mencionado acerca de un reality casposo para “jennys”.

Desde ese punto de vista (más objetivo y menos absurdo) me acomodo a la hora de valorar este “Los Sims 3″, que viene para, sencillamente, demostrar que tienen las orejas para algo y que saben de dónde cojeaban los anteriores. Los Sims 3 es como rehacer los dos anteriores puliendo prácticamente todo lo que fallaba y añadiendo tantas, tantísimas novedades y posibilidades en el diseño y el juego en sí, como se le podría pedir a este nuevo juego.

Por supuesto, no son tontos. Han dejado claros huecos como la ausencia de mascotas (y no, el pececito no cuenta). Igualmente han descartado el diseño interior de los comercios (aunque no lo echo de menos, conste) y otros apartados como la ropa (en cuanto a modelos, que texturas hay las que queramos) o los peinados se muestran recortados demasiado a propósito con el fin de expandir una vez más el juego hasta el infinito.

Pero bueno, la verdad es que las “faltas” del juego no van mucho más allá, puesto que ahora la inteligencia artificial otorga una gran facilidad al jugador de cara a manejar a varios personajes a la vez sin volvernos locos. Se ha simplificado y acelerado sobremanera el ritmo a la que se gana una amistad o una pareja (si juegas como un rompebragas o una bajagayumbos, éste es tu juego!). Ahora no tenemos que pasar días llamando por teléfono a la presunta “víctima” de nuestros amores pretenciosos. Realmente pillar es algo exageradamente fácil en el juego, hasta el punto en que mi personaje principal en el juego (básicamente yo XD) tiene mujer, y sólo con ir al trabajo tiene dos ligues a los que jamás jamás jamás he visto en el juego. De hecho, tengo que evitar invitarlos a los cumpleaños por si una que yo me sé las parte por la mitad.

Corramos un tupido velo en la situación, que se nos va de las manos y, pese a que mis reviews son muy a mi rollo, tampoco nos podemos centrar en los pormenores del juego (pero vamos, que pones pinchos como en una terraza en verano).

Progresar profesionalmente también se ha facilitado, y además, en función del personaje y el empleo, se han sumado varias opciones que nos permitirán concretar qué queremos hacer en el trabajo. Podemos vaguear, conocer a la gente, hacer la pelota al jefe, y hasta hacer conciertos a voluntad. Ocasionalmente se nos ofrecerán “retos” que definirán una mejora en el trabajo o en una aptitud en particular, que suponen un aliciente para no aburrirse cuando estamos simplemente pasando el tiempo hasta que el sim vuelve a trabajar. Además, podemos hacer que, al salir de trabajar, podamos ir al parque y, por poner un ejemplo, tocar la guitarra por dinero para sacar unos simoleones extra.

Ésto es gracias a la mayor de las mejoras del juego. La más evidente y anunciada: mundo abierto.

La ciudad está abierta a nuestra disposición. Tenemos el parque, el gimnasio, el supermercado, la comisaría y hasta un centro militar donde podremos tomar clases, impartirlas si se nos presenta la ocasión, pedir trabajo, e incluso hacer un tour. Hasta podemos editar zonas de la ciudad a nuestro antojo para luego ser utilizadas por los personajes que pueblan el juego. Y además, no devora tantos recursos al PC como pudiera. Podemos elegir cuántas parcelas queremos ver con detalle, por lo cual si no queremos ahogar la RAM siempre podemos bajar este número y no nos perderemos gran cosa, puesto que prestar atención a algo que no sea nuestra casa o nuestros personajes, al menos en mi caso, no es nada habitual.

Otra gran novedad es el completísimo sistema para decorar la casa. No tanto en cantidad de objetos, donde cumple de sobra como siempre, sino en el placer que supone elegir la textura de cualquier objeto y redecorar cada parte con los colores o decoraciones que queramos.parecer. ¿Queremos una tele con textura de piel de vaca? Marchando. Una pared de metal reflectante? Y unas sábanas de pajaritos? La ropa de tus sims nunca ha podido ser tan variada y personal. Un grandísimo acierto a mi parecer, porque permite crear una armonía antes demasiado dependiente de las creaciones prediseñadas.

El último gran punto a favor que le encuentro al juego es el de poder asignar unos cuantos puntos que detallarán la actitud del personaje basándose en un listado de tópicos del tipo “amistoso”, “odia los niños”, “genio de la informática”… y realmente es espectacular ver cómo gracias a estos atributos, podemos recrear a amigos y familiares de una forma muy cómica, viéndoles esforzarse de forma automática en sus aficiones favoritas e incluso comportándose muy acorde en todas la posibles situaciones que el juego nos propone.

El resto de novedades debéis descubrirlas vosotros. Sí, merecen la pena, y sí, son muchas. Muchísimas como para enumerarlas, pero suficientes (de sobra, vamos) para declarar este juego como un must-play para cualquier aficionado a la saga. Eso sí, si nunca te han gustado “Los Sims”, éste sigue sin ser tu juego. Pero puedo aseguraros que como evolución de la serie y juego en general, es sobresaliente en casi todos sus aspectos. Un mayor repertorio a la hora de tallar a nuestro personaje, unos cuantos arreglos aquí y allá (DÓNDE ESTÁ EL PIANO!?!?!), y todo quedaría como un juego redondo, puesto que incluso gráficamente luce bastante bien.

Así pues, una vez más quedamos a esperas de una expansión en condiciones que termine de bordar el juego, puesto que incluso gráficamente el título (configurado a tope, como debe ser) luce de maravilla. La inclusión de sombras en tiempo real y la suavidad con la que los personajes engordan o adelgazan (imperceptible) son verdaderamente admirables. Como ya digo, si algo hay que mejorar, es el editor de personajes, y alguna cosilla más. Por lo demás, sobresaliente.

VALORACIÓN: 9

PC GAMER: 9,2

GAMESPOT: 9

IGN: 89

GAMETRAILERS: 90