About a week ago I posted this entry on a Will Wright interview and also made mention of a link to a video (the Will Wright/Spore one). Well, I tried to watch that video, couldn’t get it to play, then didn’t get back to it. Turns out I had browser issues. So yesterday I made my way back and watched it. Wow. It’s much better than I had imagined. But before you watch the video, check out this speculative article on the future of character design/creation. That way, when you watch all the cute characters shown in the Spore demo, you’ll be aware that it doesn’t have to look “cartoony”. It could look as good as this (mature content).
Category Archives: reTransmit
Touch2
Just posted an entry over on Core77’s Software & Technology blog about the above interface device. Interesting product.
RepRap Feed
The RepRap blog has been jumping lately. And I’ve been wondering how the feed system would start to evolve since early on when I’d discussed injection molding systems with Dr. Bowyer. His “integrated auger” idea posted here is a nice solution. No one said the raw material had to be an amorphous plastic chip.
Tracking Johnny
Clickable Culture points to and has an entry on an AdAge article (registration req’d) discussing the marketing power inherent in Microsoft’s new XBox 360 console. From their post:
Unlike any other in-game marketing network, the new Xbox Live could offer marketers data on every player’s move through the Xbox Live system, every gaming and lifestyle preference, and every purchase.
Not news, but as expected, this new capability is moving into the mainstream discourse. When AdAge or another publication explains how vectors work and how it’s possible to “sense” what a player is doing in the game (e.g. looking at their billboard for 12.93252 seconds), then let’s see how excited they all really get… beyond the obvious numbers. One guy, Jamie Berger from IGN, has some good advice to all the drooling hawkers out there though:
Marketers need to tailor their approach and make it special and unique to the platform “not just an ad, but a brand experience,?” Mr. Berger said. “They need to use the medium in a way that adds value to the consumer and show that they’re embracing the gaming culture.”
(Edit: there’s also another article on AdAge titled “AdAge.com’s Advergame Chronicles – Tracking the Rise of a New Marketing Venue“, but that’s paid content, sorry. I’m cheap.)
For Fun and Profit
The NYTimes is carrying an article that’s worth a quick read: “The Game Is Virtual. The Profit Is Real.” Not much there that hasn’t been covered by other recent articles on the subject but it’s not that long. Registration required.