ABZÛ

We will have an important gaming launching in August: ABZÛ. Created by Giant Squid Games and 505 Games, the game will be a relaxing exploration inside a strange and mystical submarine world. I saw a prototype of this game in 2014 during the E3 fair (Los Angeles). Usually I don't post about gaming launchings but I'm very anxious for this one. I think that ABZÛ will be an art framework to play. One experience similar to the game Journey.



The official release of the game describes the experience as "an epic descent into the depths of the sea, where players will explore beautifully rendered ocean environments with fluid swimming controls. The experience draws inspiration from the deep innate narrative that we all carry within our subconscious: the story of ABZÛ is a universal myth that resonates across cultures. The name references a concept from the oldest mythologies; it is the combination of the two ancient words AB, meaning ocean, and ZÛ, meaning to know. ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom".

Check the stunning trailer and gameplay below:



Click here to access the official site.

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In 2013, I started my doctorate in ESPM (São Paulo) studying the intersections between communication, technology and consume. At that time, when I was planning the main activities for the four-year course, I had decided that 2016 would be the year to make an old dream come true: to spend some time studying and living abroad.

During the first two years of the doctorate (and the previous year), I made excellent contacts in many European universities in cities like Antwerp, Copenhagen, Prague, Oxford, Budapest, Bratislava and others. These contacts were fundamental to start my journey, which I like to call my "side quest adventure".

In the middle of 2015, I started to activate my contacts to establish the first steps of my trip. After some time, I received an invitation from the Paneurópska vysoká škola to go to Bratislava (Slovakia) and study during the first semester of 2016. A formal agreement was signed between ESPM and PEU, creating interesting bonds for further researches and partnerships.

Me and the "man at work" statue (Bratislava)

So, in the beginning of this year, I travelled to Bratislava and, since then, I'm living in this awesome city where I already made great friends and discovered why Slovakia is called "big small country".

The whole semester was very rich and full of good experiences. Just to highlight some of them: 1) I gave some marketing/communication strategy classes for graduation students in Paneurópska vysoká škola (Bratislava); 2) I made a presentation about game design at the Alpen Adria Universität in Klagenfurt (Austria); 3) I presented one lecture about gaming interface at the Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic); 4) I attended an advergaming conference at Bucharest (Romania); 5) I wrote an article about wearable technologies for the Global Media Journal Slovak edition; 6) One text that I wrote with my friend Marcelo Vasconcellos about gaming concepts for the health area was published as a chapter in a book titled "Mapping the Digital", edited by Oxford University; 7) Finally, I progressed a lot on my doctorate thesis in this excellent time for thinking and reflecting.

I want to wish all the best for everybody that made this dream possible. =)

Tomorrow, I'm going back to Brazil.
Now it's time to finish the doctorate.
With many experience points.
On a higher level.
Ready for the next stage.


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