sexta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2012

Brazilian gaming market

Good content to share: high level game facts from the brazilian national gamers survey.
Source: NEWZOO (2011)

terça-feira, 27 de novembro de 2012

The games of tomorrow needs answers that last

By Vince

Two weeks ago I was in Europe visiting some universities and making contacts for my future doctorate. I visited the University of Antwerpen (Belgium) to have a talk with Dr. Karolien Poels, and the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark) to talk with Dr. Espen Aarseth.

I presented some highlights about Brazilian ludic interfaces to the researchers (you can see the files on THIS LINK). Both conversations were awesome and I got a lot of new good references for my research in the field of game design and gaming concepts. It’s very good to listen to the ideas of great minds from this area.



Nevertheless, I reached a conclusion after these two meetings: it’s important to discuss the impacts of the game culture in the contemporary world and understand those consequences for the future. We – from the gaming research field – need to be somewhat clairevoyant to identify the answers that will help us in the future. The games of tomorrow need answers that last.

A broad viewn is required to understand the game, the player, the gaming culture, the language and all things related to this subject. We need researches that give us a horizon to work better and create more accurate experiences.

Technology is an important piece in this context, but it is nothing without relevant content.

The game is only in the beginning. Let’s keep on rockin. Let’s undertand this wide world of possibilities. Let’s make good researches.

May the force be with us.

Go gamers!

terça-feira, 13 de novembro de 2012

Brazilian Ludic Interfaces: an internacional presentation

Right now I'm in Belgium giving a presentation at the University of Antwerp about BRAZILIAN LUDIC INTERFACES. Next week I will be in Denmark presenting the same content at the University of Copenhagen.

You can see the highlights of the presentation on the PDF below:




Or you can download the document with the complete contents through THIS LINK.

This is a unique opportunity to make new acquaintances and improve my research about the ludic field and ludic interfaces. Cross yours fingers for me!

Go gamers!

terça-feira, 6 de novembro de 2012

JOURNEY: an art framework to play

I really appreciate the work in the area of indie games. Every month we can see good examples of different kind of games in this field.

Some indie games have a very particular way of showing their gameplay. Some have a traditional interface, but others have very different ways of displaying their properties. The game Journey (2012) is one such example.

Journey is a video game developed by Thatgamecompany for PlayStation 3. In the game, the player controls a robed figure in a vast desert, journeying towards a mountain in the distance. Other players on the same journey can be discovered, one at a time, along the way; the two players can then assist each other, but are not allowed to communicate via speech or text and are not shown each other's names.

The only form of communication between the two players is through wordless "singing". This noise also imbues floating pieces of cloth found throughout the levels with magic powers, affecting the game world. The robed figure wears a trailing scarf which, when charged by approaching floating pieces of cloth, briefly allows the player to fly.



Journey was intended by the developers to evoke in the player a sense of smallness and wonder, and to forge an emotional connection between them and the anonymous players they meet along the way.

So we can say that Journey is a trip inside a gameplay. It's a different idea of game (like many others of the same kind) because it balances art (or introspective reflexion) and game. You can appreciate this game as an art framework, but your television is the museum.

With the constant growing of the gaming industry, I think we'll have more and more room to create experimental games like this one. With the expansion of the gaming field we can think outside the box to create new experiences beyond the traditional first person shooters or traditional side-scrolling games.

The indie games area looks perfect for this. Let's try this theory in our own games.