Gaming For A Better Real World
Game designer/researcher Jane McGonigal asserts that collaborative videogames are the key to solving our real-world problems. In the video here, she outlines why she considers World of Warcraft to be an “ideal collaborative problem-solving environment.” She discusses four key factors in gaming culture that give gamers an edge at problem-solving—urgent optimism, social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning.
Dhani Harrison on Conan O’Brien, Rock Band, and thenewno2
I saw this interview of Dhani Harrison on Conan O’Brien the night before The Beatles Rock Band’s debut in September, and until then I had not realized that George’s son, Dhani Harrison, had played such a major role in the development of the game. In the interview Dhani describes how he ended up working on creation of The Beatles Rock Band, which started with his 5-year-long Guitar Hero obsession.
Videogame Idea: VirtualVenue
Music and videogames were made for each other. Here’s a videogame concept that’s been virtually bouncing my mind, called either VirtualBouncer, or VirtualVenue. There would be two main player types—bouncers and club-goers—and there would be character options for each.
