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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 08/19/2008
[This is an interesting, if odd one - Mathew Kumar talked to Gene Hoffman, CEO of billing and fraud management company Vindicia , about the issues MMO publishers such as Blizzard (which we believe Vindicia represented, but they didn't explicitly confirm) face - and what they can do to avoid fraud, which can be massive.] As MMOGs increase in size and become more like real economies, fraud, either in-world...
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 08/16/2008
[Academia has much further to go to support game development, argued MUD co-creator Richard Bartle at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, which Mathew Kumar kindly attended for us - and Bartle pointedly criticized many major universities for failing to get on board with support for games programs and research. Some interesting food for thought here for GSW-ers interested in game education.] Veteran...
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 08/15/2008
[Another write-up from Scotland via Mathew Kumar and Leigh Alexander, and this one was described as genuinely inspirational from our on the spot reporter - yes, folks, 'regular' games can make an educational difference.] Instead of making serious games for education, why not embrace traditional gaming to enhance kids' lives? Much is made of the potential for games to enhance education for today's...
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Game|Life (Free subscription) | 08/12/2008
Gamasutra's Mathew Kumar has written an engaging article on the State of the Casual Games Industry, interviewing industry leaders from PlayFirst, Popcap, and Reflexive Entertainment. With the burgeoning industry in a state of transition, developers are tasked with evolving the...
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 08/08/2008
[Our own Mathew Kumar attended a recent lecture that saw Bungie's Damian Isla detail the "30 seconds of fun" approach to game AI in the Halo franchise - discussing the advantage to "territorial" enemies that make "smart mistakes", giving the player opportunities to feel smart. Neat.] The "30 seconds of fun" model Bungie has used to describe Halo 's design mentality has been cited countless times....
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 08/06/2008
[Over at sister online/virtual worlds site WorldsInMotion.biz , Mathew Kumar is continuing to be gently subversive whilst exploring the major online game worlds for the Worlds In Motion Atlas , and y'know, he even makes Mattel's Barbie world an interesting subject. So we're reprinting his write-up here for you probably non-tween GSW readers.] Here's an overview of Barbie Girls , from Mattel, an online...
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 07/26/2008
[Over at sister 'online worlds' site Worlds In Motion , Mathew Kumar has been doing a sterling job expanding the Worlds In Motion Atlas , so we're going to highlight his work profiling the more GSW-friendly games featured - such as this classic alt.MMO!] Here's an overview of Kingdom of Loathing , from Asymmetric Publications, a popular browser-based RPGs that features a multiplayer component, with...
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GameSetWatch (Free subscription) | 07/08/2008
[This Mathew Kumar-conducted interview is interesting because it shows that, even in the 'hardcore PC' space - as Tilted Mill are - there's interest in self-publishing and taking further control of one's own destiny - also see Stardock, Gas Powered, etc.] In 2004, Massachusetts-based developer Tilted Mill Entertainment released Children of the Nile , a city building game set in ancient Egypt. The...
