Land of the Rising Fun
I admit an almost fervent obsession with the culture, the history, and everything else that comprises the fascination that is Nippon. If my wife were the jealous type she might be concerned. Thankfully she shares my love. Recently a colleague was overseas in Japan for business. I had expressed to him that I was jealous and my longing to spend time there. Being the nice fellow that he is, he brought back a treat for me! Official Japanese Self Defense Force Russian Roulette Cookies! In order to fully appreciate the experience I felt I had to document and share. Read the rest of this entry »
Furthermore
Posted by Jak in Gaming, Technology on March 19, 2010
Of course, as soon as I post my last missive this article would turn up from The Escapist. I’m not sure that Lee Sheldon is the Colleague that Schell mentions in his presentation but the odds seem good. There’s no real layout on how to use this system in a classroom setting, and the experience points eventually it still relate to a letter grade. Though, I knew this was the natural progression, I’m still a little disappointed. I really expected there to be more to it. Sheldon’s courses aer game design so it makes sense that this system would work within the confines of that environment. What about the everyday classroom though? This is a line I’m still following on my own. I recently tried making a connection between school and the Legend of Zelda with my son. We got a little off track but I think the premise is solid.
What interests me about Sheldon’s interview is where he sees the potential progression into the workforce as this “gamer” generation applies the same principles to the workplace. Greg Tito, writer for The Escapist, likens the philosophy to a fast food employee. Once enough experience had been earned at the fry station, the employee could level up to burgers leaving third degree burns to the noobs.
Jesse Schell on the Future of Gaming
Posted by Jak in Gaming, Technology on March 17, 2010
I don’t want anyone hurting themselves so I warn you straight off that this is a 30 minute video but well worth it if you’re even considering a future in media arts. Even if you’re not Mr. Schells’ ideas, should they indeed come to fruition, are at once an astounding and terrifying glimpse of what our lives might become one day.
I Love To Say I Told You So
In an interview with Turbine CEO Jim Crowley, Kotaku.com points out
Not only have more than a million new players signed up for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game since September, players signing up for the optional paid subscription have more than doubled.Things are looking up in the game’s new DDO store, where players have been buying items and new content at a rate three times higher than industry average, increasing the franchise’s revenue more than 500%.
I am, of course, smug in my lack of surprise. It is gratifying to know that a model like this can succeed, if not unseat the Blizzard juggernaut. The game is indeed a worthwhile experience, my only complaint is the lack of community that can be found in the likes of WoW. The free servers just weren’t as populated as I would have liked. More recently Mythic introduced their “Endless Trial” with the hope that this would generate new interest in the game. The restrictions are more binding than DDO, though, and in the long run I think this will amount to the WoW 10 day trial. All in all it might be time to take another plunge back in.
If You Love Something…
Posted by Jak in Computers, Technology on February 24, 2010
Now that the interwebs are mostly over the sophmoric jokes about Apple’s latest offering, it’s time to get serious. I believe that Apple may finally be up against the wall, and if we’re not there quite yet the time is fast approaching. There’s a special level of hell a person goes through when they lose their faith in a person or thing that they truly believed in. The last time I went through this George Lucas was busily carving up my most beloved childhood fable with all the surgical skill of a blunt axe. I got older and a little more jaded and thought myself proof against such betrayals. In a way this is true, or perhaps it’s just the nature in which Apple has progressively worn me down. Oh, yes, I was a most ardent evangelist for the Macintosh operating system and hardware. I still have the very first issue of MacAddict and subscribed faithfully for years. Something happened though, and while I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, I can count the series of little straws that proverbially broke the camels back. Read the rest of this entry »
Shameless Plugs
