Let the Children Play on NYT.com

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Sep 092009
 

There’s an editorial by Stuart Brown in the NYT advocating for more play time — physical, unstructured play time — during the school year for kids. Much of the argument is right in line with “theory of fun” principles…

For most American children in the not-so-distant past, “going out to play” was the norm. Today, according to a University of Michigan study, children spend 50 percent less time outside than they did just 20 years ago — and the 6.5 hours a day they spend with electronic media means that sitting in front of a screen has replaced going out.

Let the Children Play (Some More) – Happy Days Blog – NYTimes.com

Tossed in amidst the article is the quote

Physically engaging play is actually more fun than the virtual sort, and the enlivenment one gets from it can transcend the allure of sedentary life in a two-dimensional, electronic world.

which I don’t think is really clear from the science — our brains seem to regularly get fooled into thinking that the screen is a real world. That said, assertion or not, I think it is fair to say that the many other benefits of physical play outweigh the quibble.

The real entertainment, however, comes in the 9 pages (!) of comments, full of childhood reminiscences from people from all walks of life describing their playtime — stickball, bikes, splashing in creeks, roleplay, swings — and debate on “stranger danger.”

US premiere of “Another Perfect World” VW doc, in Metaplace

 Posted by (Visited 4105 times)  Game talk
Sep 092009
 

I have mentioned the new documentary Another Perfect World here before, when it premiered in Toronto and when it was shown in the UK. As of yet, however, it has not had a US premiere.

But that is changing. Tomorrow, Metaplace is very proud to host the US premiere! It will be available in The Stage, like many of our other events — and that means it’s available over on the sidebar here on the blog as well.

Film Screening Event – Another Perfect World

Where: TheStage

When: September 10

Duration: 12:00pm – 2:00pm PDT

Join us for the US premiere of “Another Perfect World”, a film about virtual worlds featuring, among others, Raph Koster of Metaplace!

For millions of people, the virtual universe is becoming increasingly intertwined with real life. In virtuality, creators and players can construct their own paradise, far removed from the real world, and constructed entirely according to their own personal preferences – from democracies to dictatorships. Inhabitants of virtual worlds are able to lead a parallel life which they would never have dared to dream about before – from warlord, to successful cybersex entrepreneur.

But who thinks up these worlds, and which ideas and ideologies are laying the foundations? What does the building of a virtual Utopia involve? What are the economic and political rules in the virtual world? Is there freedom of press? Which forces are driving trade? Do the virtual inhabitants have to abide by laws, or is everybody free to do as they wish? Are they real virtual worlds, free from earthly constraints?

The makers of this documentary investigate the answers to these questions.

They talk to the founders of the largest virtual worlds, including Philip Rosedale from Second Life, Jae-Kyung Song from Lineage, Hilmar Veigar Petursson from EVE Online and Raph Koster from Metaplace, about the ideas behind their worlds – and about the growing struggle between creators and players.

Watch the first 30 minutes online on the special Facebook page or on YouTube through: http://www.submarine.nl/anotherperfectworld

via Metaplace – Event Details.

A classic game revived in China backfires

 Posted by (Visited 6160 times)  Game talk  Tagged with: ,
Sep 052009
 

Several days ago, Shanda published some screen captures which the players sadly found to include class restrictions and commercial stores … the RMB will dominate everything … if a player has cash, he can purchase equipment to upgrade without having to go through the trouble to combat monsters …

The players decided to call for a boycott.  They established Baidu forums and QQ groups to protest the “false advertising” by Shanda to “take advantage of their feelings.”  Some of the leaders even called for the players to block the entrances to the various cities at 2pm, August 28 when the game officially opened.

At one entrance, more than 40 characters stood still.  They wore cloth dresses and cloth shoes and stood shoulder to shoulder.  Other players cannot enter.  Two hours later, more than 2,000 people entered the chat room.  Meanwhile, several thousand people were blocking the gates of the various cities in the game.

EastSouthWestNorth: The Legend Returns

The link is a screenshot-heavy post detailing the story of what happened when the game Hot-Blooded Legend was revived as an RMT-heavy title called The Legend Returns. It was met with protests… the page has two different accounts of the event, here’s a snippet from the other:

The reason why this mass incident occurred was that the new version of Legend was over-commercialized and quite inconsistent with their advertising claim that the “original flavor” would be preserved.  In previous versions of the game, victories and social rank depend on persistence.  As long as the player is “hardworking” and is brave and strong in combating monsters, he can get promoted in rank and obtain more equipment.  In fact, he can proceed to have “romance” and even “marriage” in a life of leisure.

Blue Mars open beta

 Posted by (Visited 6491 times)  Game talk  Tagged with:
Sep 022009
 

Blue Mars is entering its open beta. For those who have not been following it, I’d describe it as a contemporary take on the There.com model more than a Second Life style environment — brand partnerships, high quality graphics, aimed at adult social interaction. They do have a developer program, however, so there is content creation capability for those who enter the program. As a result, it’s gotten most of its buzz from within the Second Life community to date.

Blue Mars is a free to play massively multiplayer virtual world featuring stunning graphics, realistic characters, and endless social bonding activities. The Blue Mars virtual world is made up of an expanding set of independently operated cities that feature unique themes, activities, and attractions such as shopping, avatar customization, unique personal spaces, and games like dancing, racing, and golf. Cites on Blue Mars are tied together with a unified login system, persistent global Avatar ID, and platform wide participation based reward system that encourages users to explore, play, and make new friends.

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