XplanaZine

EA plans Mac version of Spore, from Sims creator
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced plans to release Spore for the Mac later this year. The game is the latest work in progress of legendary game designer Will Wright, maker of SimCity and The Sims. — Macworld

Parents & Preschoolers, Launches on Funbrain
Parents and preschoolers now have a safe, fun environment to enjoy games together on the Internet with the launch of a new playground on Funbrain.com. The Moms’ & Kids’ Playground, designed for parents and their kids ages 2-6, features unique, colorful characters and houses [22 exciting games suitable for first-time Web users. Funbrain is a leading online publisher for preschool to middle school children. The popular site includes teacher-endorsed educational games for children, online books, puzzles and games, comics and more. — PR-USA.net

What’s all this virtual world stuff anyway?
There is a Second Life users group meeting in Chicago this week and CNet’s story previewing the event all-but acknowledged the terrible press they have the Second Life virtual world has been getting. This article links to recent articles on Second Life and original Webcasts with people involved in the program. The author, Chris Dorobek, concludes, “I don’t think that these Web tools are for everybody — or everything or every organization. Few tools are. But in some situations, I think they may be powerful and useful.” — Fcw.com

Serious games = serious training
Video games have become ubiquitous. A diversion that began as two lines and a dot in Pong has evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry. Proponents of serious gaming say the industry has been slow to take off because it has relied mostly on limited government funding. — Fcw.com

Army game garners 2.4 million users
The official computer game of the U.S. Army has enjoyed 2.4 million users since its debut in July 2002, according to Major Bret Wilson, the support operations officer for America’s Army, The Official U.S. Army Game. Unlike most commercial shooter games, America’s Army rewards points for teamwork, rather than for simply finding and using the weapons that can kill the largest number of hostile targets. — Government Computer News

Got game? NASA wants to know
NASA wants to make a massive online game in which dozens of players can band together to conquer a common enemy: physics experiments. The agency’s Learning Technologies Project Office released a request for information to create an online world where players can tinker with experiments that apply science, technology, engineering and math concepts. — Fcw.com

Learning could be fun and games at TSA
The Transportation Security Administration hopes to use video games to train its 40,000 officers who check luggage and cargo for dangerous items. TSA solicited for a six-month, single-source contract July 27 on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site to create a game that would help its screeners identify guns or knives through X-ray machines. — Fcw.com

Serious game teaches emergency responders
In testimony before the House Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff lamented the lack of real-time situational awareness after Katrina hit New Orleans. Real-time situational awareness is difficult to achieve, but a game known as “Incident Commander” could help public safety officials improve their response to emergencies. “Incident Commander” is based on the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a command and control infrastructure for emergency preparedness. — Fcw.com