Here’s an interesting find at CES: “Remission,” an action adventure game targeted at teens and young adults to help them understand their cancer and the importance of taking medications and treatments as prescribed by their physicians. An initial study shows that some patients were helped, resulting in greater adherence to treatment regimens and greater engagement with medical teams with regards to their treatment. 
Here’s a video interview with the booth representative at CES.
Category Archives: Gaming
Gaming Influence on Nissan's GT-R "Supercar" Dashboard Controls
I saw the San Diego premier of the Nissan GT-R Supercar at the San Diego International Autoshow during the last week of December. The dashboard controls inside this car, as well as other Nissan vehicles admittedly have been strongly influenced by gaming.
Reading the literature from Nissan, the GT-R Supercar is a vehicle of mythic proportions. For kicks check-out the GT-R website to learn about the legend that is the GT-R supercar. Anyhow, …, I encountered this car at the San Diego International Auto at the end of this past December. The sleek looking gleeming beauty was displayed on a rotation pedestal complete with a beautiful spokes model to to give us the 5-cent tour of the vehicle. This car will be available in 2009 in the US at the amazing bargain price of $69K, $72K nicely equipped ;p.
My Dad’s instantly fell in love and has been a lover of Nissans sports cars since the early 70’s — yes, he still has an old non-functioning pea green Z-car in his garage. Me, I’m less impressed by a race car exterior since my brain is always focused on visibility out the windows when considering a car (ever practical I guess). What caught my attention was when the spokes model mentioned that this present incarnation of the vehicle first appeared as a prototype vehicle option in Project Gotham Racing 3 (XBox 360) and that the performance monitor interface was inspired by gaming. Hmm … interesting. So as I understand it, the “performance monitor” interface not only can be used to adjust features like climate control and the stereo system, but it can also be used to monitor and adjust engine and driving parameters. Here are some further details from JD Power:
Technology
The 2009 GT-R is Nissan’s innovative technology platform designed with an elaborate array of advanced electronic computerized controls to make driving faster, easier and safer. The center of the dashboard hosts a row of switches to customize transmission shift points, choose one of three 
suspension settings, and change or override the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC-R). The driver is able to monitor more than a dozen engine and performance parameters through the multi-function LCD on the dashboard. These include vehicle speed, g-force, fuel economy, turbo boost, water pressure, oil pressure, transmission oil, front/rear drive distribution, steering angles, and more. The presentation of the information was designed in conjunction with Polyphony Digital Inc, designer of the Gran Turismo video game series for Sony PlayStation.
The standard electronics package is comprehensive. A 7-inch, touch-screen, WVGA high-resolution color LCD sits prominently in the dashboard to display GPS navigation, vehicle performance information, and audio selections. A digital Bose stereo with AM/FM in-dash 6-CD changer, HDD Music Box system, MP3, WMA and DVD audio capabilities is also standard. All GT-R models are equipped with a Bluetooth Hands-free phone system with voice recognition.
Wow! That’s a high level of driver engagement! One of the concepts the spokes model stressed is that the GT-R is meant to be driveable by anyone with a license, from novice to pro. I wonder is this true with the peformance monitor interface, or is there a learning curve associated with how each of these parameters effects car performance. Eitherway, I imagine for those who would buy this car, part of the fun will be learning how to use the performance monitor interface to enhance the driving experience and to track their preformance on their driving adventures. I just hope that fun doesn’t lead to too many horrific traffic accidents.
Thanksgiving for "Mass Effect" Weekend
Thank-you Bioware for giving us a wonderful video game to play over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Yes, “Mass Effect” is indeed wonderful and I managed to play for ~30-hours over the 4-day holiday. My husband only played ~20-hours. It seems that he likes to watch me play the game (???).
Anyhow, “Mass Effect” is set ~150-years in the future when humanity has joined a galatic federation. There’s some political machinations going on as the humans make the push to be a part of the ruling council. I chose to play a female “Sentinel” — a character with both combat “magic” and healing capabilities and no weapons specialization possibilities outside of pistols. I choose the street orphan personal background and the “ruthless” temperment. So far these details have not played a major role in the story, other than a “renegade” tendency early in the game — although that could be more linked to my choices as I played.
This game is a combination RPG (role playing game) and First Person Shooter. I’m not very good at first person shooters, which drove my decision to be a sentinel so can play to my strengths. My other characters have beefed up weapons skills. Since they are computer controlled, they have “absolute” aim and the amount of damage they do comes from the probability algorithm within the game engine. I combined this with beefed up armour and natural defense to create a strategy that has worked very well so far while in combat.
Like past Bioware games that I have enjoyed, like the Icewindale and Baldur’s series, this game is heavily story driven. The cut scenes are like little movies and the talking to the NPC (Non-player Characters) is fun, rather than a chore. The most impactful part of this game was constructing the face of my character and watching her “come to life.” The game has a face building systems that is much like “The Sims 2” and then a facial expression algorithm is applied to animate character (with the exception of the eyes — gotta work on the eyes). When the character was first shown it was quite an amazing reveal.
I will share some screen shots later, including a couple that reveal why the game was really banned in SPG :).
Gaming 3.0 ???
Here’s a reprint of an opinion article from Game Daily Biz. I’m not sure if buy the the definitions of gaming 1.0, 2.0, or for that matter gaming 3.0. I think the opinion author forgot all about the arcade games and non-electronic games before that (how about about the socializing that happens around a board game ???). The latest revolution is see is the inclusion of advertising into gaming … Oh, but wait, what about all those specialized additions of Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit ;p. It just goes to show what’s old is new again.
| Opinion: Games Industry 3.0 is Here
While Internet continues to undergo its own Web 2.0 revolution, the video game industry is in the midst of sweeping changes as well. GameDaily publisher Mark Friedler takes a look at the Games 3.0 phenomenon and what game companies need to learn from the big media corporations. |
| Everyone is talking about “Web 2.0” where hot brands such as YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Zillow and others deliver distributed services to a community of growing users. Just last week the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco drew heavyweights including Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, AOL founders Steve Case and Ted Leonsis and a who’s who of the new web titans.
These new web services have smashed the old paradigm of software products that were developed, “gold mastered” and then sold into a few predictable channels. Companies had traditional barriers of increasing costs of product development, infrastructure, sales, marketing and distribution. Now companies are built in a few weeks on “mash ups” of several existing products and technologies to become big in a matter of months on shoestring budgets. I think there is a revolution happening now in the games industry – one that many have labeled as “Games 3.0” Last year I wrote about the games business being broken and how to fix it. For a little perspective, the Games 1.0 epoch was from the early 1980s-1995 with the early Sega, Atari and Nintendo game consoles that were eventually outdistanced by the radically different Sony PlayStation. The model was simple; sell a hardware box and “attach” as many games as possible to each one. The channel was retail and stuff was sold in boxes. PC games were still mostly standalone though early MUDs were becoming more sophisticated and geeks connected over Telnet and a newly developing technology called the Internet. The next evolutionary step was Games 2.0 that ran from 1996-2004. This era was categorized with “next gen” consoles. Sega Dreamcast started things off on the console side with revolutionary modem connectivity. Sony followed with the enormously successful PS2 and Microsoft entered the market with Xbox. Handheld gaming was catching on in a big way and Nintendo had one word for it – Game Boy. The big game publishers experimented with connected games. EA’s Majestic was innovative and a few years before its time. MMORPGs caught on. Everquest became a (gamers’) household name and subscription services began to gain impressive numbers. Casual games were emerging as fun, simple entertainment that legitimized the download and buy model. For the first time, a lot of women were playing games on computers. Business models were still about shipping boxes to retail, attach rates and licensing fees. Big brand licensing got bigger and every movie had to have a game. We’ve been in the Games 3.0 period since 2005. I peg the start of it as the launch of the Xbox 360 where connected broadband gaming was now table stakes. Everyone was now doing an MMO and PC gaming was getting cool and profitable. World of Warcraft changed everything. So What is Games 3.0? There are a few necessary components of the Games 3.0 world:
The BIG idea around Games 3.0 is “Games as Media, NOT as product.” This is a big shock for most existing game publishers whose lifeblood comes from the retail channel. For over 10 years, everyone has paid lip service to digital distribution yet it has not become a meaningful part of any major publishers’ business. Revenues of downloadable games have been laughable with the exception of casual games. Microsoft has been bold with its moves around Xbox Live Arcade that will democratize the existing console oligarchy. The publishers are trying to mold Web 2.0 services and ideas to a Games 1.0 model, i.e. sell as many retail boxes as possible with additional bells and whistles. Nintendo has created a bridge between these worlds with the Wii and Internet channels. In Games 3.0 the community is a major part of the entertainment… be it on Halo 3 or Club Penguin. Look at Facebook and you see that all the traffic and potential revenue is derived from their community of user generated content. Engaged users drive excitement. The challenge for the game industry is that media understands games are important and they are jumping in. Look at the investments from Viacom, Fox, Disney and Time Warner/AOL (owners of GameDaily). They understand they need a games component to be credible in a larger media context. They have all invested in community platforms, game publishers, developers, in-game ad companies and virtual worlds. However, many game companies fail to see themselves as what they must be – engaged media companies. The winners in Games 3.0 understand the right mix of media and games. The main competition for games companies is not other games but other media. There are 100 million people on social networks who weren’t there three years ago. They are spending time, lots of it. The competition is for their time and attention. The disruptors in this space are all around us: the free MMOs selling in-game items, virtual goods and ads; free web-based games that are easy to use like casual games yet their content looks like video games; casual games that drive huge audiences in web-based competitions. A major rule of web publishing is that 90 percent of your customers at any given time are NOT on your website. Hence the popularity of RSS feeds and widgets that bring popular experiences out to users wherever and whenever. The value of a product franchise is not just the projected sell through on version 4.0 of the same license property, but rather the value of their community of engaged users and how they can be monetized through a variety of models. If the user base shows super engagement the value can be enormous (not that Facebook should be a measurement for future valuation). The challenge for game companies is to act more widely and openly to bring what have been closed, “walled garden” experiences out to users who now expect to cobble together their entertainment experiences when and where they want. Games 3.0 is here and it’s time for our industry to harness our creativity and innovate like growing media companies. |
Halo 3 Advertising — Very Entertaining
It seems the Halo 3 machine is popping up in the most unexpected places. This weekend I saw some weird Halo 3/NFL cross advertising that I honestly didn’t understand. It’s a shame, because the Halo 3 machine’s other advertising is quite compelling and enjoyable to watch. Anybody who has an XBox360 and has yet to view the various trailers and videos around Halo 3 should take the time to do so. On the XBox360 you will learn about the legendary Master Chief John 117 and of the epic war between the humans and a horde of space aliens. There is a particularly poignant video featuring a senior who looks and talks likes a crusty WWII vet. With voice trembling he talks about the perilous battle with the aliens and inspirational acts of “Master Chief” in a memorial museum of the future that features a fabulous diorama. (If this diorama exists, I want to see it in person because it looks very detailed). The making of the diorama video and the making of the game videos are also fun to watch. From watching the video you get the sense that a lot of passion for game playing and consideration for the game players went into this project. Seeing and listening to the actual engineers and artists experiences brings a very human touch to something that could have been swept up in the Microsoft machine.
If you don’t have an Xbox360, check out this website to see some of the videos: http://www.bungie.net/Projects/Halo3/default.aspx Be sure to watch some of the Red vs. Blue videos too!
As for Halo 3 in the Brister household, I pre-ordered a copy from an online retailer on Sunday. My husband is curious, but his excitement is tempered by his belief that First Person Shooters should use a keyboard interface rather than a console controller. Personally, I’m curious and I’m hoping the console controller will make the game more accessible to me (I’ve never been good at FPS’s). Most importantly, though, I want to see the “Man Canon” in action :).
More Rambling 