In looking over some of the game designer job descriptions and interviews that are online, it seems to me that a game designer has to do/know a little bit of everything. They write books/novels/comics, design, consult, collaborate with others (on a limited basis), are familiar with a variety of technologies (3D, C, C+), and play games. They are also politically and legally savvy. For example,
Michael A. Stackpole [BattleTech, and Star Wars X-Wing comics] posts some of the questions that he is asked:

Question: Do you play BattleTech?
Answer: "I have played three times, I've won each time, so, I've retired undefeated."
He explains that when the books came out-he was considered to be an expert and players would seek him out to kill him or run away. No fun!! He goes on to say that he rolls the dice to see if shots hit and to determine where they hit, so he knows his way around the combat resolution tables for the game.

He says, "Before I started writing the BattleTech novels I read the rules, moved the 'mechs about on a board game and conducted combats by myself. That gave me the basics of how the game worked and folks at FASA gave me some insights on finer points of strategy."

On the legal side, he does not read other works because he does not want to be accused of plagerizing someone else's work--in case he has a similiar idea.

Well, with all this web seaching--this may be a good time for a cookie reminder.

Quotes from Viktor Mayer-Schonberger:

"Cookies are stored in the user's computer without their consent or knowledge (First stage)."

"Cookies are (during the second stage) clandestinely and automatically transferred from the user's machine to a Web server."

"Then, whenever a user directs a browser to a certain web page from the server, the browser will, without the user's knowledge, transmit the cookie containing personal information to the Web server."

What do we do??? Check out the FAQ's at Cookie Central for some suggestions.

Want to find out when your ancestors came to the United States? The Family Search site might be able to assist you in your quest. A friend of mine was even able to get a copy of a ship record indicating the year her great-grandfather had sailed to the United States from Germany (1848).

Happy Turkey Day! I just saw an ad on tv for Friday's (tomorrow) episode of "Law and Order." During the 10 second preview, they said the story would be about a teenage boy "driven to murder by a video game?" They showed the video game and I think it was called something that had the word "quest" in it. I'm pretty sure it was a made up game. In any case, I thought the violence group might be interested.

I just received a card game at school called Flags of the World. On one side of the card is the flag of the country with an arrow indicating the direction of the flag. On the other is side is the continent of the country, a small map showing the country's location on the continent, a number to reference the country's location on a bigger map, and 2 facts about the country.

The general idea is that cards are passed out to players and they put them face up in front of them and players try to select cards they know. If not, clues are given such as the capital city. My first thought was that this was remarkably similar to the concept we are developing for our e-game on place knowledge. The second thing I remarked was that the directions provided 5 variations of the game to appeal to different styles, ages...and perhaps gender (I'm in the gender webquest group). Anyway, I thought it was a cool game.

While working on the Game Violence WebQuest, I decided that I would ask my 200 sophomores and juniors how many of them played or have played regularly games like Quake and Doom. I expected a couple, in fact, I expected a good handful, but the response was pretty amazing. Among my three sophomore classes, about 2/3s of each class has played these type of first person shooters regularly (enough to pass levels was how I qualified it) - including girls. In one class there were about ten girls who said they had gotten together with other girls to play Quake. Girls! You expect the boys...

The juniors were a little more reluctant to admit to playing these games (they mature and get cooler when they turn 16), but after a short discussion on whether or not they should be banned, more hands went up when I asked again who played these games.

When I asked how many people played educational type games. You can guess the response, about 2-5 hands a class.

IGDA update:

SDSU has offered to host the IGDA people. We can give them a pretty large room- over 250 person lecture hall.
The IGDA people tell me they'll get back to us in a week or two about whether they're interested in meeting here.

Here is an interesting twist on Tycoon it is Zoo Tycoon. It offers similiar issues as the other tycoons but the unpredictability of animals. It interested me based on it's Genre. The PC game site had the following review:
Zoo Tycoon's premise is straightforward enough: A zoo-themed strategy game in which you balance the delicate weights of profit with the well being of living creatures to meet your end goal of building and maintaining a successful zoo. But you'll realize how easy you had it building trains, airlines, roller coasters, and theme parks once you face the task of tending to a giraffe who doesn't like his mate or making saltwater crocodile number two--who doesn't like his water lily--happy, and all the while, patrons are screaming for more trash cans and complaining about the admission price.
If you would like more information go to the following PC Game site.

In doing some web research for the gender webquest, I came across American girl products by Mattel. They represent every stage in a girl's life and are educational and entertaining. The website lets girls meet a "real" American girl and play a game in which they get to know particular girl characters. Research has shown that girls are more likely to play games that are like their own lives and which contain characters with whom they can identify. Wow...this is theory in practice. Cool!

Charles Cameron (Hipbone), the fellow who provided much of the information we read about the Glass Bead Game, is a member of Brainstorms (affectionately called "BS" by its participants), a virtual community founded by Howard Rheingold. I am also privileged to be counted among this august assemblage, an honor I earned just by writing Howard (he's on a first name basis with pretty much everyone after one exchange of correspondence) and telling him how I thought I'd contribute to the group.

Anyway, Paul's "challenge" from way back when, how do we get from the Sistine Chapel to Sept. 11, reminded me of one of the conferences in Brainstorms, "Culture word association," where November 17-19 saw this progression (having nothing to do with Paul's thing, it just reminded me...):

Chauncy Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner
The Canadian Gardener
The Victory Garden
The Secret Garden
Loose lips sink ships
Rosie the Riveter
Josephine the Plumber
plumb line
plum wine
Boone's Farm
Apple or Strawberry?
Fudge Ripple
coffee Heathbar crunch
Wuthering Heights

Each of these items was posted individually, with all previous items visible to the poster, and with only two or three people posting more than once in that span.

While people don't HAVE to explain or justify their associations/connections, everyone is accessible by email, and if one's curiosity is piqued (as mine has been on several occasions by seemingly random links), one can always query a poster about their rationale. Given that BS is a very diverse, international community, I've learned quite a lot and been turned on to many interesting (and time wasting) items of cultural interest to SOMEONE.

I will be happy to add links to information about one or more of those items in the list if anyone's interested. Alternatively, you could just do a Google search for the term and go hunting yourself.

Today at a faculty meeting after work, the upper grades (3-6) teachers at my school, along with the director, the science/art teacher, and I talked about how we encourage and develop critical thinking skills in our students. I got a chance to talk about Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego, after showing an Internet based lesson plan, part of the CyberTrips catalog, that I'd picked up at SDCUE's Tech Fair this past weekend. Another cool thing I got a peek at at the Fair was Super Hero Creator, from the good-hearted but weak-spelling folks at Kreative Komix. Bernie and his son, Alex, did a short presentation of this cool program that incorporates creative storytelling, graphic design, and a bit of dramatic flair. As demonstrated and suggested by some of the attendees at the presentation, it could fairly easily be adapted to fit nearly any curriculum area, from mathematics to language arts, science to social studies.

The material I talked about, CyberTrip to Paris, is a binder without any software whatsoever, but with ideas about how to build a host of robust units using resources found online. The guide is good for anywhere from a short, 3-4 week unit on the City of Lights, to an entire semester or even year's worth of stuff. The folks at Classroom Connect, who publish this stuff, also put out units for Ancient Egypt, Washington, D.C., and a few other places. Unfortunately, the only direct references to this product on the Classroom Connect Web site are behind a fee-based gateway, and they are so concerned with exchanging cookies with me, that I didn't stick around all that long. For those willing to become members (free 2 week trial, I think, then you get charged), check it out. I did find lots of mentions of CyberTrips online, primarily references to the product at other K-12 schools' sites.

Just found this quote:

No human being is innocent, but there is a class of innocent human actions called games.
-W.H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand, 1962

Interesting, especially considering the subject of some of our WebQuests (violence, gender issues, etc.).

The International Game Developers Association, or IGDA, has some great articles, on of which is called "So You Want To Be A Games Designer?. You might like reading the article if you want to take all that we have learned and turn it into a career. I've been finding lots of interesting info on this site. Check it out.

Those of you interested in taking this class to the next level (you know like getting a job and stuff), may want to look Makegames.com. It includes interviews with game makers and an online book about the process of making games including the design and programming procedures. It claims to be a real look into the game developing world.

Did you know that studies show playing violent video games may cause children to become more likely to engage in real-life violence? For more fast facts and statistics on the affects of violence in media and video games check out: VIDEO GAMES AND CYBERVIOLENCE

I found a very useful site on game design, at the Game Dev site. It contains many articles about different facets of game design. A good source of info for the Egame and WebQuest.

For a great study on overall affects of violence and video games, check out: Video Games and Violence This is comprehensive study of how factors such as gender, social status, economics and education may affect a child's likelihood of reacting violently after engaging in violent video games.

For those of you working on your WebQuest, here is a site with kid and parent reviews of videos, games, and some websites Kids First. I have reviewed for them, and it was a pretty interesting experience.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Sage advice from a 16 year old game-playing friend of mine: "The trick is to make them want to play the game without knowing they are learning something."

People with Disabilities

In looking over some of our game analyses it occured to me that some of these games may be valuable for people with disabilities. Disabilities cover a wide spectrum, not just blind or deaf people but also people who are colorblind or have some injury where they could not use a mouse, etc.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has some guidelines to follow to make sure that a wider audience could use materials presented on the web. It doesn't have to be ugly and, in fact, there could be a separate area they could go to to achieve greater accessibility. It could be as simple as having colors controlled by style sheets or making sure all your graphics have descriptors. It just all depends on that audience.

I don't remember if I posted this article before regarding game violence, but it's pretty interesting and poses the question "What is a game?," something we should now be experts at! The article also brings up how game violence is the easiest way to create the struggle/challenge element of the game, and that's why it's so widely used. In class, we found out first-hand that it is far more difficult to create a challenge without relying on violence by exercising our creativity. Go to Salon.com Technology article to read the article.

Hey everybody. For a different aspect on the gaming world, check out Nokia Games . Most people have games in their cell phones these days, but you never really give it much thought. Considering the new technologies coming out, there may be a gaming world in every aspect of our lives. I mean, I get bored at the toaster waiting for the toast to brown - maybe the future is games associated with every electrical appliance? You never know, it's a weird world. But there may be career opportunities you never even considered...

In researching the game industry, I came across Pogo.com Games for Everyone. This company has been sold to Electronic Arts, the world's leading interactive entertainment software company - with revenues of over 1.2 billion in 1999. They develop, publish, and distribute products for PC's, Playstation, PS 2, and Ninetendo 64. The corporate background information page discusses EA.com's plans for an online game bonanza this fall season-targeted to 18-54 year olds - interested in sports and popular entertainment.

According to market research firms:
Game industry revenue is expected to grow to over $7 billion in 2000
Revenue from sales of online games isexpected to grow from 2% presently to 24% by 2002
Pay-for-play revenues up from $41 million to 360 million in 2003
Advertising at online sites up from 65 million to 409 million by 2003

There was a short interview of J. Allard, CEO of Microsoft, on Fox 6 the other day. They have 20 games online now and 20 more are planned by the year end.

At the company site, there is also detailed information on available jobs. For example, Software Design Engineer-SLC Games [developing games for the XBox] qualifications include strong math/physics background, strong C/ C++coding skills, good understanding of object-oriented architecture, 2+ years C++ coding experience, Direct X/3d Graphics programming a plus, etc.

I am really interested in the new x-box by Microsoft. It seems to be a leap ahead of PS2 or Nintendo for what it can do. Has anyone actually gotten their hands on the system yet?

If you are interested in web-delivered games or simulations, check out the Survivor games (yes, Survivor again!). They have some FLASH-based games. I tried out the Photo Shoot game. The game itself isn't very interesting, but the artwork is a good example of the realism that can be delivered via the web for games and simulations.

My e-game history group has been viewing other games...the competition you could say. One game we've actually played thanks to AG is Where in Time is Carmen SanDiego. The premise is you are a time pilot sent back in time to catch one of Carmen's cohorts and fix a problem they created. I was a little bored playing the game to be honest and I was also a little frustrated because there weren't any directions on what to do many times. I did a lot of clicking and messing up. In fact in ancient Egypt I competely destroyed the pharoh's body that I was trying to mummify because I resorted to the "let's see what this does" strategy of trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. The head priest yelled at me twice...complete turn-off to the game. This definitely helps to direct us on what we could make better should we go in this direction with our game development.

In with the Gender equity group, I found a interesting committee that was formed hoping to bring more women to the gaming industry.
The Women In Game Development Committee investigates ways of making this happen. It was started by two women already in the gaming industry Sheri Graner Ray and Heather Kelley. For more information seeIGDA (International Game Developers Association) site.

My roommate just bought a new game called Empire Earth and is completely addicted to this game. The game revolves around building an empire (civilization) from the stone ages through time and into the future. When I said it sounded like SimCity, he replied "kinda, but more in depth and you can go to war against another civilization that another person is constructing…that’s what makes it fun." (I knew there had to be a shot-em-up aspect to the game for him to like it so much.) He and his two friends have been holding competitions for days playing against each other for hours upon hours. I have yet to play the game but after talking to him about it and viewing the web site, (They even have their own blog right on the site) I just might have to play. However getting him to share could be reminiscent of fighting with my little brother to play Super Mario Brothers when we first bought our Nintendo.

OK, I happened upon this Dukes of Hazzard website which is a Sony Playstation site for the game Dukes of Hazzard II: Daisy Dukes It Out. You can discuss the product, submit a cheat/FAQ, and look at (or write) reviews of the game. Then they have a drop down menu where you can skip to other forums and guess what was an option? The Xbox! It's everywhere. Little did I know...

My family has enjoyed watching Survivor through all three versions. They seem to have found a good formula in picking a blend of personalities that will insure some interesting interactions. One observation that I have made might have some impact on the broader world of games. I'm convinced that the producers decide to change the rules from time to time when they feel the game may be headed in an uninteresting direction. A week or so ago they actually tricked the players into rearranging the teams. It looked like an alliance of young slothful players was going to vote off their older tribe members and in the process probably assure their own defeat. It seems like an interesting concept -- changing the rules to keep the game interesting. There is nothing new about changing the rules, but with computer AI models perhaps e-games could predict a players course of action and alter the rules of the game to make it more difficult. As long as the game didn't permanently move a person out of the channel, it could prove interesting.

Oh, as for Grand Theft Auto, a friend of mine has played it. She said it's funny, but it's also kind of scary. I guess you go around stealing cars and doing "jobs" for some sort of mafia boss or something. You just carjack anyone you want, unless you run into a mafia guy. Then you get beaten up. If your health declines, you can hire a prostitute and go somewhere secluded with her in your car. Wholesome fun, huh!

For the Project Management Group: Did you see the article in the UT today called "Simulator brings biz world to CSUSM"? It's a computer simulation where you are a CEO. Sounds pretty cool!

Has anyone out there played Grand Theft Auto 3? I haven't played 1,2,or 3. Does anyone know how popular it is? It sounds unsavory, but it has a great review.

Kristine,
My friend's 10 year old son loves Roller Coaster Tycoon, and her husband loves it too (40ish). I played it for a while and thought it was great. I would recommend it to anyone who likes building things. Roller Coaster Tycoon is explained in the Rouse book as well.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like the SIMS, but I haven't played it. I know three families who have it, and two of the families didn't want their children under 14 or so playing it.

So there you go!

This is in response to Reed and anyone else interested.
MSN did a review of the new arrival of Microsoft's Xbox on Nov. 15 and Nintendo's GameCube on Nov. 18
The article stated that, "they bring a powerful new options to gamers, and creates perhaps the toughest battle yet for control of the console market. Take a look at our series on the consoles, the hottest games and the struggle for dominance in this multibillion-dollar industry."
This link takes you to a review site of the games.

I read an article by David Walsh, Ph.D., the president of the National Institute on Media and the Family. In the article he talks about the point I was trying to make with my "You Don't Know Jack" blog. Even when games are just disrespectful and not violent they may also be harmful.

"What qualifies as extreme is related to the definition of normal. If normal behavior is kids treating each other with some respect, then the extreme might be a verbal outburst, a kick or a punch. But if putdowns and "in your face" behavior is already the norm, then the extreme behavior is going to go farther over the edge."

Did you know that there is actually a new type of addiction caused by video games? It's called stimulus addiction and it mostly affects boys, according to the Media Awareness Network. Stimulus addiction means "you increasingly need more powerful images in order to respond emotionally to the game."

I checked out the article Kristy referenced in her last blog on Games and Violence. In the article the author states that 49% of kids prefer electronic games including violence and 2% prefer educational games. The author doesn't elaborate on the specific games he is calling violent and the ones he is calling educational, but I have to wonder if this is really about all of those things we are learning that make games fun (interactivity, challenge, etc.) Nowhere in the literature does it say that games have to be violent to be fun, but unfortunately game manufacturers that put violent content in their games are better at making their games fun than educational game makers. I think some people have the misconception that a game can't be fun and educational. It is our job to prove them wrong!