Educational Gaming Commons

Hello All!

I'm still reeling from all the great presentations at the conference I attended Friday and Saturday, "Playing to Win: The Business and Social Frontiers of Videogames".

The sessions were loaded with astute observations and posed an even greater number of interesting questions. I didn't get anywhere near all of them written down, but here are some of the highlights:

Michael Colibraro's (PSU) presentation took a look at how companies view "fan-art" based on their franchises, along with how they might find it useful. Hey, great "fan artists" are out there - the industry may as well find a way to benefit from (and hopefully even reward) some of their efforts!

Matt Kenyon and Ryan Patton (PSU) discussed "Physical Computing and Game Art". For me, the highlight of this one was the observation that Guitar Hero has essentially the same user interface as the old Simon light/tone matching game from 1978. All you need to create a great game is one simple, addictive mechanic. Of course, a presentation as stylish and innovative as the one built by the Guitar Hero team doesn't hurt one bit...

Jen McNamara and Josh Johns (Breakaway Games) stressed that their customers aren't looking for games, but instead for what games offer. I like the idea that "fun" can be a means to an end. I'm especially looking forward to "Pulse!!", a detailed medical simulation Jen demoed for us. They're also working on a game for the International Center for Non-Violent Conflict called "A Force More Powerful". A step toward less violence in the world is certainly a lofty goal for any video game.

It's good to see the potential of the video game industry inspiring so much academic discourse. I'm sure there's plenty more to come!