The team is really excited! We are going to be featured as speakers in two of the serious games industry's most important conference, MODSIM (Washington) and the MIGS (Montreal) where we will teach the finer points of character development in the simulation arena.
Read about it at www.modsimworld2008.com and http://www.sijm.ca/2008/en.
See you there!
Showing posts with label serious games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label serious games. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Washington Post, others introduce online bracket-style games
In a bid to regain a little bit more readership, and probably add value as well, the Washington Post has added some promotional games to its usual fare. Read all about it here.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
NASA Cuts MMO Budget from 3 Millions to... 0
Nasa has asked MMO developers to develop NASA-themed MMO for free... Its commitmen will now be restricted at providing subject matter experts. Their new approach will be more along the lines of providing an IP that developers will be able to exploit along the lines of what is going on in Hollywood. More about this in Gamasutra (click here for full story).
This decision implies - of course - the need for developers to find new business models for their serious games. Here's an interesting post about the subject on elianealhadeff.blogspot.com.
This decision implies - of course - the need for developers to find new business models for their serious games. Here's an interesting post about the subject on elianealhadeff.blogspot.com.
US Spies Training with Serious Games
Wired has published a very interesting story about the use of serious games to train America's Secret Services. Read all bout it here.
Monday, April 21, 2008
When Casual Games Go Against The Grain...
Multiplayer Casual Games.
MMO Casual Games.
Casual RPG.
Ad Nauseam.
What's wrong with this picture?
Many studios and developers are betting that the future of the casual game market is in multiplayer games. And this line of thought is in danger of contaminating the serious games market.
Most casual game users are looking for a quick gaming fix. That's why one of the most successful game ever is (tada) Solitaire. It's free, easy to learn, and deliver. You don't need a powerful PC to run it. You don't need to be a computer whiz. You don't have to wait for another player to log on. You don't have to deal with other aggressive players that want to compete with them. Unless it's Poker.
Casual gamers are a fickle bunch. They're either occasional computer users (emails and word processing software) or dormant gamers (i.e. gamers who don't have time to play because they now have kids and lack time). They want a game that's easy and fast. Immediate. And free. And with no headaches.
When engaged in a Serious Games, users are reluctant to be exposed to a very competitive multiplayer environment. Here's a post that argues that the future of serious games is tied to single-player environments, not multiplayer. Read it here.
MMO Casual Games.
Casual RPG.
Ad Nauseam.
What's wrong with this picture?
Many studios and developers are betting that the future of the casual game market is in multiplayer games. And this line of thought is in danger of contaminating the serious games market.
Most casual game users are looking for a quick gaming fix. That's why one of the most successful game ever is (tada) Solitaire. It's free, easy to learn, and deliver. You don't need a powerful PC to run it. You don't need to be a computer whiz. You don't have to wait for another player to log on. You don't have to deal with other aggressive players that want to compete with them. Unless it's Poker.
Casual gamers are a fickle bunch. They're either occasional computer users (emails and word processing software) or dormant gamers (i.e. gamers who don't have time to play because they now have kids and lack time). They want a game that's easy and fast. Immediate. And free. And with no headaches.
When engaged in a Serious Games, users are reluctant to be exposed to a very competitive multiplayer environment. Here's a post that argues that the future of serious games is tied to single-player environments, not multiplayer. Read it here.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Canadian Company Aims To Drive 3D Model Price Down
Source: Ottawa Business Journal – Acron a Start-up to Watch in 2008
"The legacy training and simulation market is ripe for a disruptive influence; one that brings simulation learning to a much broader market and drives down the cost of simulators within traditional markets."
ACRON CAPABILITY ENGINEERING
Year founded: 2004 Employees: 22
Venture capital to date: None
Product: Software — CEO John Nicol
With the training and simulation market ripe for a disruptive change, Acron wants to lead the charge. And its technology, which produces high quality three-dimensional models for simulations, is already pushing the envelope.
Released in November 2007, its integrated 3D modeling technology for graphics and simulators targets the modeling, simulation and gaming (MSG) industry.
It is also the first 3D tool designed to work with Microsoft's recently launched visual-simulation platform ESP. The company also released a high-level architecture interface for ESP.
November was a busy month for the company, which also opened a new office in Gatineau to house its simulation lab and development staff, as well as a knowledge management centre in Fredericton.
The company hopes to build a network of offices across the country and bring desktop simulators to military bases across Canada. Police forces have also shown interest in the technology.
With its relative low cost, Acron's technology promises to ease pressure on budgets and increase the speed at which soldiers get essential training.
But until the armed forces change the way training is supplied and move to the easy-to-use platforms that connect seamlessly, there will be a market for the company's Info X product, which helps facilitate communication between the mishmash of simulators already in use.
So, far Acron has gotten its products to market without the help of any venture capital. With the response continuing to be positive, the company expects to increase its workforce by one third in the next eight to 12 months, to about 36 staff.
Acron 3D Modeler
The Acron 3D Modeler application is a powerful integrated 3D modeling tool for real time graphics, which allows users to create and optimize 3D Models for their simulation environment.
This application has been specifically engineered for the Modeling, Simulation and Gaming (MS&G) industry with support for industry standard 3D formats and modeling formats used in the entertainment industry such as Microsoft Flight Simulator ™.
Its easy to learn environment enables artists and modelers to quickly produce stunning quality models and environments in less time.
The Acron 3D Modeler is the first content development tool to support the new Microsoft® ESP simulation platform and incorporates many advanced features that allow the easy reuse of content from legacy systems.
Acron Capability Engineering is a growing, dynamic company that specializes in Information Exchange applications for Command and Control systems and develops Modeling, Simulation and Games technology in Canada and overseas.
The Acron InfoX Information Exchange Architecture allows government and non-Government organizations to communicate and exchange information collaboratively. The company provides a full range of services in the three main areas of Live, Virtual and Constructive Simulation and Serious Games.
Acron has technical staff that constructs stand-alone or distributed modeling and simulation assets using its own tools, or other commercial tools and can also provide management staff for projects at many different levels.
The company has facilities in Ottawa (Ontario), Gatineau (Quebec) and Fredericton, (New Brunswick.) www.acroneng.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Some More Books I'm Reading
Here's what I'm reading these days in case anybody out there wonders ---
- Herodotus - The Histories --- good storyteller, not much of an historian/he really likes Pericles... Persians not so much....
- Aldrich -Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning ---- a classic or so i've heard
- Anderson - Outsourcing the Sales Function: The Real Cost of Field Sales --- some more arguments in favor of sales outsourcing, which is part of my business model
- Herodotus - The Histories --- good storyteller, not much of an historian/he really likes Pericles... Persians not so much....
- Aldrich -Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning ---- a classic or so i've heard
- Anderson - Outsourcing the Sales Function: The Real Cost of Field Sales --- some more arguments in favor of sales outsourcing, which is part of my business model
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Serious Games Market Size Discrepancies
What's the real market size? 1.5 billion? 150 million?
Good blog post about the size of the serious games market.
Read it on Eliane Alhadeff's own blog.
Good blog post about the size of the serious games market.
Read it on Eliane Alhadeff's own blog.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
French Academia Tackles Serious Games
Nothing is safe anymore... After selling the very strange idea of the film director as the sole auteur of movies (aren't they a group thing?), that books should be analyzed without any regard for the life of their writers (or by taking apart their childhood and neuroses), the French are now looking to take on serious game criticism. More info here.
For those of you who are not reading French, the crux of the biscuit is the following:
For those of you who are not reading French, the crux of the biscuit is the following:
Serious Games are analyzed as cultural, pragmatic and formal systems
- The pragmatic system study the game and educational aspects. The aim is to identify a
Monday, April 7, 2008
Use of Games Growing in Corporate Market
The eLearning Guild's recent research on Immersive Learning Simulations (ILS) reports that in the next 12 months there will be a:
- 72% growth in simulation and scenario-based learning, and
- 37% growth in e-learning games
Some barriers to entry:
- perceived difficulty in building this type of product
- development cost
- misconceptions about the use of "games" for e-learning
Read the Abstract here
- 72% growth in simulation and scenario-based learning, and
- 37% growth in e-learning games
Some barriers to entry:
- perceived difficulty in building this type of product
- development cost
- misconceptions about the use of "games" for e-learning
Read the Abstract here
Virtual Heroes Publishes White Paper Promoting the Use of Serious Games
A very interesting White Paper brought to you by Virtual Heroes exploring the use of serious games to foster a culture of exploration.
Download here.
Download here.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
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