XplanaZine

Here’s our take on news that matters for Monday, March 27. Today’s theme is guilty pleasures , and here are a some links to headlines about technology that is changing the way we live and learn.

• Gaming — Top-ten research findings from the Game Developer’s conference (see also Alice Taylor’s blog post ). There is lots of good research here ranging from the importance of music in games to facial expressions and controller/interface issues. Alice also keeps score on the “Game Developers’ Rant” at this year’s GDC. A thought-provoking quote from Warren Spector:
  

  “Creations of new game styles that spawn imitators and whole new markets. The
  story of the past few decades is not about graphics and processing power, but
  startling innovation and industry. That’s why we love games. BUT IT’S OVER NOW! … [Big] budgets and teams ensure the death of innovation … You have choices too: work in a massive sweatshop publisher-run studio with
  thousands of others making the next racing game with the same gameplay as Pole
  Position. Or you can riot in the streets of Redwood City! Choose another
  business model, development path, and you can choose to remember why you love
  games and make sure in a generation’s time there are still games to love. You can start today.”

  Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered his keynote speech Game Developers Conference, and in it he mentioned Nintendo’s 4 I’s of software development (thanks to Clark Quinn for the link)–

  “First, is it truly innovative - something different from what has come before?
  Second, is it intuitive? Do the control of the game and the direction of
  gameplay seem natural? Third, is it inviting? Do you want to spend time in this
  world? And finally, how does it measure up in terms of interface? Can the player
  connect in new ways?”

  Finally, check out this summary of a GDC workshop on the importance of emotions in gaming. There is much here for those working on education simulations.

• Blogging, mediacasting, and online creations — The Diffusion Group has an article on recasting the definition of podcasting. The main idea is that, originally, much of podcasting’s importance and meaning was based on the concept of portability. Recent statistics, however, show that many people listen to this audio on their computer instead of on a portable device. How does this lack of portability in podcasting reshape its importance or meaning? Also, some are beginning to evaluate how and why the mainstream media (MSM) blogs. Kevin Anderson says there are ” compelling reasons for journalists (not the citizen variety
  but us old school sorts) to use blogs: 1) Open up and have a
  conversation with our audience 2) reinvigorate the immediacy of our
  journalism.

• Handhelds – The Q is coming! The Q is coming! It looks like Motorola may finally launch their Q Smart Phone this coming month. Also, Apple is busy packaging videos for next iPod push with a goal of creating bundles that will lead to a higher content profit margin. And, finally, Will Wright announced at GDC this past week that his new game Spore will be released for handheld systems as well.
• Social Networks – Bruce Sterling notes that folksonomies are spawning personomies. Personomy is
  a term to describe one’s “personal information environment.”
• Technology Talks — Here are some items from the “miscellaneous” department. First movie theaters hope to begin showing live 3D sports events by early 2007. This is an effort to offset sagging mid-week ticket sales and transform the public’s perception of what a theater really is. Also, it appears that Microsoft’s Vista problems may be bigger than reported. Some are estimating that up to 60% of the code will need to be rewritten. And don’t pretend you’re not sneaking a few guilty peeks at some of the classic TV shows available on AOL TV. The 80’s hair is weird but I always wanted to watch all the episodes of V. Finally, Slingbox Media has released its SlingPlayer Mobile which will let you view all your favorite TV shows on a Pocket PC or cell phone. Okay, now I’m starting to get dizzy.