I've never really gotten the whole brevity thing when it comes to personal writing, particularly here in my own little piece of blogosphere. As part of a personal exercise, I would consider that to be a good thing, though I can only imagine what it must be like to slog through one of my tirades from a reader's perspective ;-) But if there is a downside (for me) its that lengthy posts are prohibitive as far as the number that can be written in a given time period. I don't get paid to write and finding a good scribe has become exceedingly difficult since the end of the good ole' middle ages.
The result is that there are a lot of topics, ideas, or general happenings that I don't have time to write about. Sure it all gets filed away somewhere, but we know how that goes. And if you saw the number of links in my Del.icio.us library, you'd probably have to use the defibrillator they just installed outside our office.
So this was a typically long-winded way of saying that I'm going to try something new - a segment I like to call "Almost All Things Considered... But Not Really". The idea is to blatantly rip off NPR idea for "All Things Considered". But not really, because I'm not Meeeeeechele Norris and my world revolves around all of about three things =) Anyway, thats enough blathering. Lets ride!
NASA Planning an Educational MMO
Hit the jump for the details, but on the surface it looks like an interesting endevour. NASA's understanding of the potential benefits of an MMO environment for education seem right on, and the basis for the game seems interesting enough. But I am a bit concerned that an emphasis was not placed on fun. I know "fun" is probably not the flashiest selling point to educators and non gaming stakeholders - but given what recently transpired with the Shakespearian Educational MMO, Arden, I hope NASA make an earnest effort to learn from the mistakes of others.
Save the Rainforest Flash Game
Though I absolutely hate jumping puzzle game design, Congo Jones and the Loggers of Doom is a nice little example of how flash games can be used to support education. Its not so educational that it ceases to be a game, but with periodic factoids and level scenarios that support the overall message, there is more to it than just jumping over alligators and chainsaws. As our own EGC begins to grow, I have a feeling that these are the sorts of games that will gain the most traction - both because of their simple, accessible, casual game play, and their relative ease to design (at least when compared to more complicated gaming engines).
"We Are Major League Gaming"... and ESPN is Covering Us
As a Gamer AND someone whose TV is perpetually set on ESPN, this should be great news. But I've never had a particular interest in watching other people play video games, so it doesnt excite me nearly as much as it might seem. Though professional gaming is an incredibly popular spectator sport in Korea, I question how well it will be received here in the States. I also can't stop thinking about ESPN 8 - The Ocho. Regardless, it further reinforces gaming's significance in our society. ESPN already has an MLG site up and running.
Time-Warner Demoing Pay-Per Use Internet Policy
This could end up warranting a much more in depth discussion should it ever become more than just a trial. I wonder about the demographic makeup of a group in which 5% of internet users account for 50% of the bandwidth usage. But a pay per use internet policy could potentially have a negative impact of the up and coming student, what with the prevalence of digital media and all. Or maybe it just becomes akin to an electric bill and no one really cares.
They Might Be Giants Doing Educational Podcasts for Kids
At first I was sure this had to be a joke. But then I remembered that two of They Might Be Giants bigger hits Istanbul and Particle Man, gained a lot of their notoriety from the cartoon Tiny Toons, so I suppose they've always been catering to a younger audience. And yet I still enjoy their songs today. I feel like this is a parallel to my post on Lego Star Wars in a way - creating content that both younger and older audiences can embrace together. Kids like singing songs. Adults don't like going to work. Its catchy AND its educational. What could be better! I love it. Are we also seeing a shift from cartoons podcasts when it comes to children's entertainment? Kudos to Stevie for passing this along.
So ok, the post didnt actually end up being any shorter. But it is more digestible (question mark?). Anyway it makes for a nice chance of pace. I think I might just have to break this out every once and a while.
Images from wired.com and stupidfresh.com
The result is that there are a lot of topics, ideas, or general happenings that I don't have time to write about. Sure it all gets filed away somewhere, but we know how that goes. And if you saw the number of links in my Del.icio.us library, you'd probably have to use the defibrillator they just installed outside our office.
So this was a typically long-winded way of saying that I'm going to try something new - a segment I like to call "Almost All Things Considered... But Not Really". The idea is to blatantly rip off NPR idea for "All Things Considered". But not really, because I'm not Meeeeeechele Norris and my world revolves around all of about three things =) Anyway, thats enough blathering. Lets ride!
NASA Planning an Educational MMO
Hit the jump for the details, but on the surface it looks like an interesting endevour. NASA's understanding of the potential benefits of an MMO environment for education seem right on, and the basis for the game seems interesting enough. But I am a bit concerned that an emphasis was not placed on fun. I know "fun" is probably not the flashiest selling point to educators and non gaming stakeholders - but given what recently transpired with the Shakespearian Educational MMO, Arden, I hope NASA make an earnest effort to learn from the mistakes of others.Save the Rainforest Flash Game
Though I absolutely hate jumping puzzle game design, Congo Jones and the Loggers of Doom is a nice little example of how flash games can be used to support education. Its not so educational that it ceases to be a game, but with periodic factoids and level scenarios that support the overall message, there is more to it than just jumping over alligators and chainsaws. As our own EGC begins to grow, I have a feeling that these are the sorts of games that will gain the most traction - both because of their simple, accessible, casual game play, and their relative ease to design (at least when compared to more complicated gaming engines).
"We Are Major League Gaming"... and ESPN is Covering Us
As a Gamer AND someone whose TV is perpetually set on ESPN, this should be great news. But I've never had a particular interest in watching other people play video games, so it doesnt excite me nearly as much as it might seem. Though professional gaming is an incredibly popular spectator sport in Korea, I question how well it will be received here in the States. I also can't stop thinking about ESPN 8 - The Ocho. Regardless, it further reinforces gaming's significance in our society. ESPN already has an MLG site up and running.Time-Warner Demoing Pay-Per Use Internet Policy
This could end up warranting a much more in depth discussion should it ever become more than just a trial. I wonder about the demographic makeup of a group in which 5% of internet users account for 50% of the bandwidth usage. But a pay per use internet policy could potentially have a negative impact of the up and coming student, what with the prevalence of digital media and all. Or maybe it just becomes akin to an electric bill and no one really cares.
They Might Be Giants Doing Educational Podcasts for Kids
At first I was sure this had to be a joke. But then I remembered that two of They Might Be Giants bigger hits Istanbul and Particle Man, gained a lot of their notoriety from the cartoon Tiny Toons, so I suppose they've always been catering to a younger audience. And yet I still enjoy their songs today. I feel like this is a parallel to my post on Lego Star Wars in a way - creating content that both younger and older audiences can embrace together. Kids like singing songs. Adults don't like going to work. Its catchy AND its educational. What could be better! I love it. Are we also seeing a shift from cartoons podcasts when it comes to children's entertainment? Kudos to Stevie for passing this along.
So ok, the post didnt actually end up being any shorter. But it is more digestible (question mark?). Anyway it makes for a nice chance of pace. I think I might just have to break this out every once and a while.
Images from wired.com and stupidfresh.com
I see a major difference between the potential NASA effort and Shakespeare. Well, I actually see a couple:
- Funding. The Shakespeare effort was put together by a couple faculty members, students, and a small amount of money via a grant (small in terms of game development standards). I'm guessing NASA would have a much larger stash, and could pay, you know, real game designers and developers.
- The content. What exactly would you do in a Shakespeare MMO? Shakespeare is based in literacy, right? Sure, you are required to sometimes read stuff in games, but designing an engaging Shakespeare experience, where the player actively engages in fun quests and content, would be extremely challenging. Space exploration, on the other hand, is a tried-and-true game experience. Would you rather go on a quest to learn more about MacBeth or control a robotic druid to explore pluto?
The NASA thing could be fantastic, but I think they would have to MAKE SURE to follow the WoW paradigm: you CAN play the game solo and have a great time doing so. Making an educational MMO that relies on a certain population threshold to make the game interesting (like the shakespeare project) is a huge pitfall.