Archive for July, 2006
Next Game Controller: Your Phone ?
by Pedro Silva on July 31st, 2006
Researchers are turning cell phones into motion-detection game controllers similar to Nintendo’s new Wii device.
In a recent demonstration, the Human Interface Technology Laboratory in New Zealand used a pair of Nokia Series 60 phones in a game of AR Tennis (foto1).
Foto 1
Play takes place on the video displays of mobile phones, overlaid with a virtual tennis court of the space between the players. A piece of paper laid out on a table serves as the framework for the virtual game space, and Bluetooth is used to synchronize the ball movement between the phones.
The game begins when a player serves a virtual ball by hitting the 2 key on the keypad once. Once the ball is in play, players can simply swing their phones to hit it across a net, just as in ordinary tennis. Players know they’ve hit the ball when they hear a small sound and their phone vibrates.
Foto 2
Most augmented reality, or AR, games under development (like ARQuake in foto 2) use headgear displays that immerse players in a mixed-reality environment. But the equipment and technical support required make them cost-prohibitive for now. The AR Tennis developers plan to create compelling, shared AR games that are available to the average consumer without requiring an investment in expensive hardware. Mobile phones provide an ideal platform, they believe.
“Using physical motion as an input for a phone game is extremely natural and intuitive,” said Mark Billinghurst, the leader of the project. “Mobile-phone cameras can change the nature of handheld gameplay.”
AR Tennis can presently be played on the Nokia Series 60 phones (especially the Nokia 6630 and 6680 models) and will be exhibited at Siggraph 2006. The team is currently working on identifying the types of games best suited for the current generation of mobile phones with slow graphics and limited processing power as well as formulating prototype games for the next generation of phones that will include high-resolution cameras, screens and 3-D graphics chips
“I think there is a huge market here, and we are starting to work on games with local companies (like Turner Broadcasting) in this space,” said Blair MacIntyre, associate professor in interactive and intelligent computing at Georgia Tech. “The handhelds are getting powerful enough. For example, the new 1-GHz XScale processor coming out and the new Nvidia 5000 series graphics chips for phones will make for some really interesting possibilities. If people are in their home, they can leverage consoles/PCs and big screens to do things like the Wii tennis or (Dance Dance Revolution) or EyeToy games. But when folks are standing at a bus stop, kids are playing at recess on the playground or at lunch time at school, and want something that can be fun, collaborative and finish quickly, that’s where these games are poised to take off.”
Nintendo’s new Wii game console, unveiled at E3 last month, also uses motion detection to trigger in-game action. Players can swing a sword, direct an orchestra or play tennis by physically waving the Wii remote. According to news reports, people stood in line for hours just to get a chance to view the game.
But do such physical motion-sensing controllers really signal the beginning of an emerging trend?
“The big question is whether folks can design compelling games using them,” said MacIntyre. “Motion-sensing controllers really capture people’s imaginations, but no matter how mundane traditional game controllers are, they have the advantage of precision and lots of simultaneous channels of input, whereas the others can only sense a smaller number of relatively crude and imprecise channels. The former makes for great demos because anyone can pick it up, but the games often lack depth because it’s hard to support skillful play. The latter, on the other hand, are hard to learn but support expert play really well.”
MacIntyre thinks that these kinds of controllers will catch on, providing appropriate games are designed.
“Look at the two tennis games — AR Tennis and the Wii tennis game. I don’t think either make for good games for folks who want to play for many hours; AR Tennis is using a tiny screen that you have to hold still and not move too fast, and the Wii game doesn’t appear to let you do much more than swing. It doesn’t track position, just motion, so you wouldn’t be able to move your character or control things like volleys. Perhaps sports games are not the right target, since such games make people want to ‘play the sport,’ and require lots of input. (Dance Dance Revolution), for example, is quite good and is based on the four foot buttons. (The game’s developers) manage to simulate the essence of dancing and even let people appropriate the game for ‘real’ dancing.
“I think the real win will be games that aren’t knockoffs of things we already ‘know’ how to do, since they will have the advantage of actually being designed to the strengths of the interface,” MacIntyre said.
Por:Lakshmi Sandhana
Fonte: http://wired.com
International Digital Games Conference (iDiG)
by Pedro Silva on July 31st, 2006
International Digital Games Conference (iDiG Conference) will be the first conference organized by APROJE. Its goal is to gather people who relate to games creation, to promote presentation and discussion of new ideas, to push the envelope of games innovation into uncharted territory, and to consolidate the knowledge achieved so far.
iDiG is inserted in a larger event, the “GAMES 2006 Congress”. The goal of GAMES 2006 is to provide a broader view of the gaming universe from all perspectives, with a special emphasis in the newest developments both in theoretical as well as technical terms. Tutorials, Workshops and Round Tables that complement the conference program are organized in the context of the overall congress.
The conference program of iDiG 2006 is being prepared by an international Steering Committee, supported by a Program Committee with renowned researchers from around the world.
Saiba mais em: http://games2006.aproje.org/
Jogar não é só coisa de crianças
by Pedro Silva on July 24th, 2006
Adultos jogam mais do que adolescentes
Uma pesquisa divulgada pela Consumer Electronics Association quebra a ideia de que os videojogos são coisa de criança.
De acordo com a associação, um terço dos jogadores (nos EUA) de videojogos são adultos, que passam pelo menos 10 horas semanais, em frente de um computador ou consola, a jogar. O estudo envolve jogadores entre 25 e 34 anos.
Comparado com adolescentes com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 14 anos, o número desce para 11%.
A pesquisa mostra ainda que os videojogos não são populares na faixa etária de 15 a 17 anos, não pelo desinteresse do público, mas pela falta de tempo do consumidor, que tem aquilo a que considera por “desafios maiores” na vida como a actividade escolar e trabalho. Nessa faixa etária, o interesse maior são os jogos para telemóveis e portáteis, que podem ser usados enquanto se movimentam.
Reforçando a tese, a pesquisa mostra que apenas 25% dos adultos que têm um portátil o usaram nos últimos seis meses, contra 77% do público adolescente.
Outros números da pesquisa revelam ainda que 58% do público considera os videojogos como plataforma primária e 55% joga online.
Narrativas Interactivas
by Pedro Silva on July 24th, 2006
O GamaSutra iniciou em Junho uma série de podcasts semanais com uma selecção de palestras, tutoriais e mesas redondas da última Game Developers Conference.
A primeira é do respeitado Ernest Adams (na foto), sobre a inutilidade dos designers de jogos perseguirem o sonho do “filme interactivo”. Para o estudioso, é nas narrativas interactivas que devem concentrar os esforços.
O podcast tem cerca de 1 hora de palestra e ocupa 15,7 MB.
Podem fazer o download aqui.
A 18 de Julho é a vez de John Baez e para ouvir clique aqui.
Fonte: www.gamasutra.com
Um videojogo para diferentes plataformas
by Pedro Silva on July 20th, 2006
Quando falamos de um videojogo que pode ser jogado em diferentes plataformas, será que podemos considerar que o videojogo é precisamente o mesmo produto em todas as plataformas em que se apresenta?
Conheça mais um caso e vicissitudes de uma nova adaptação de um jogo de tabuleiro às plataformas digitais.
Marvel Trading Card Game
“From the popular Trading Card Game, Versus, comes a video game adaptation for the PSP, PC and Nintendo DS. All three versions support online play, but the big difference comes in multi-platform online play for the PSP and PC versions, where Nintendo DS owners will only be able to play against those with the Nintendo DS version”.
“One detriment of creating a TCG for a handheld is dealing with a lot of information needing to be represented on a relatively small screen. For this reason, Konami has constantly been playing around with the overall look and layout, in an attempt to make things as user-friendly as possible. In our opinion, the cards are rather hard to see on the PSP screen, though thankfully a sidebar has been implemented which will show you a close-up of the card you currently have selected. Click the image to check out all Marvel TCG screens”.
Platform: PSP Also On: PC
Publisher and Developer: Konami
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending Genre: Board
Video - E3: Marvel Trading Card Game
Video - Marvel Trading Card gameplay
Brilhante João Maio Pinto
by Pedro Silva on July 14th, 2006
João Maio Pinto é o autor das ilustrações mais impressionantes que vi ultimamente no panorâma Nacional. Como tal, venho via post, destacar o seu trabalho que pode e deve ser visto em http://pleasepatronizeoursponsors.weblog.com.pt
Para os mais interessados, saibam que inaugura no Sábado dia 15 de Julho de 2006 às 15 horas na Galeria Pedro Serrenho - Arte Contemporânea, sito R.ª dos Navegantes 43 A - Lisboa, a Exposição colectiva de Ilustração, intitulada “Noite na Terra” dos artistas André Lemos, António Carvalho, Filipe Abranches, João Maio Pinto, Joanna Latka e Salvador Carvalho, comissariada por Pedro Zamith.
Visitem de 15 de Julho a 9 de Setembro de 2006
(Terça a Sábado das 11 às 19H)
A minha vénia e um grande bem haja!
Pac-Man e o macaco
by Pedro Silva on July 12th, 2006
O quê !? …. um chimpanzé a jogar Pac-Man? Mas já não bastava a surpresa de o ver fazer a separação do lixo para um ecoponto! Se é daqueles que não aprecia os videojogos porque acha que não tem jeito para os jogar, veja o vídeo.
Afinal jogar faz bem!
by Pedro Silva on July 12th, 2006
Passeava eu calmamente pelas ruas de Lisboa quando e de forma surpreendente vejo a prova de que afinal os videojogos nos fazem de facto bem! Se dúvidas havia, dissipam-se na totalidade. Preplexo pela maneira simples e eficaz como se abordou o assunto, ainda para mais com a descoberta da data daquele que foi o primeiro registo da existência de um videojogo, afinal como é referido por Johan Huizinga, “O Homem só é Homem quando joga“, resta-me fazer o registo da surpreendente imagem que mostra num tão característico painel de azulejos de Lisboa, uma pessoa com alguma idade a jogar PS (passe a publicidade) desde 1498:
Mestrado Europeu em Jogos e Media Interactivos - 2005
by Pedro Silva on July 3rd, 2006
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