games

Article

Games and Their Overvalued Points

Carl Bialik of the Wall Street Journal brings us a smart article on overvalued points in games. In short, the issue is that rule changes in games like Scrabble (allowing new words like "qi" and "za") allow players a new way to exploit the system, throwing it out of balance. Some high-level players argue that when a rule change allows in new high-value type of play (like "za"), the overall scoring system needs to change to account for it, rebalancing the game. Others disagree, seeing the rule change as a... READ ON

Article

The Panic Over Dungeons & Dragons (in 1985)

In the mid 1980s, the U.S. media latched onto a story: teens were committing suicide, and the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons was somehow to blame. As a kid who was himself playing D&D (and not committing suicide) during this media firestorm, I remember the outcry pretty vividly. All the kids I knew who played the game were nerds, just like me. I was vaguely aware that sometimes teens did commit suicide...perhaps even nerds. Was there any connection between nerds playing D&D and nerds committing... READ ON

Article

Brenda Laurel on Videogames for Little Girls

In this TED Talk from February 1998, Purple Moon founder Brenda Laurel asks: why aren't there videogames for little girls, when there are so many for little boys? Laurel did the research to suss out the specific gender differences in play behavior between boys and girls, then founded a videogame company aimed at creating compelling games for "little girls" (Laurel's preferred term for her audience). In this talk, Laurel talks about the research process that led to Purple Moon and shows a demo of an... READ ON

Article

Smart Blocks: Siftables

MIT grad student David Merrill and his team created a set of computerized toy blocks, called Siftables, that are aware of each other. Because the blocks are aware of their own orientation and (to some extent) surroundings, they can interact with each other. For example, around 2:30, Merrill shows a demo of addition via blocks -- by moving around blocks labeled "2" and "3" as well as "+" and "=", the blocks can sum themselves, forming a sort of interactive math problem. Merrill's Siftables demo is only... READ ON

Article

Video Games in Reverse

Meme alert: Twitter users have started reversing narratives. It started with BackFlicks, a process in which movie plots were rewritten in reverse -- for example, "Bambi: A deer abandons his family to play in the woods with small animals and live with his mother." (See a zillion more on Twitter.) Well, the new jam is BackGames, in which video game plots are reversed, with hilarious results. Here are a few favorites: Donkey Kong: Pauline takes her boyfriend to the top of a building. There, she... READ ON

Article

Textropolis: Awesome Word Game for iPhone

I have a real treat today for fans of word games. It's Textropolis ($2.99, iPhone/iPod Touch), and it's by far my favorite word game on the iPhone. It's a simple and beautifully designed game, and boy is it addictive -- I'd rather be playing it right now, rather than writing this review. Textropolis is an anagramming game. It gives you the name of a city (starting with Kingstown) and you have to build words using the letters from that city's name -- for example, KING, TOWN, KNOT, STOW, and so on.... READ ON

Article

Acceleration Due to Gravity: Super Mario Brothers

I've pointed to nerdy analysis of Super Mario Brothers before. Back in February 2008, I came across a video that discussed Quantum Physics in Super Mario World, in which an anonymous blogger used a hacked Mario game to demonstrate a principal of theoretical quantum physics. Well, today we're moving from quantum physics to good old-fashioned regular physics. Specifically, the physics you learn in high school. High school physics teacher Glenn Elert's students write something called The Physics... READ ON

List

10 iPhone Apps to Help You Survive the Holidays

As you settle down with family and friends this holiday season, be prepared: load up your iPhone (or iPod Touch) with applications to get through common holiday disasters. We've got a complete roundup here -- from fun photo moments to actual medical emergencies, these apps will get you through the holiday season intact...but your journey will be perilous. Read on, if you dare! 1. Save Grandpa's Life The family is settled in for a feast. The wine is flowing, there's a large bird to be consumed,... READ ON

Article

Students + LittleBigPlanet + 24 Hours = Amazing

What can a team of design students create in just 24 hours? How about a complete video game level, crammed with animation, danger, and innovative art? Last weekend, students from New York City's slightly awkwardly-named Parsons The New School for Design divided themselves into teams to design levels for an upcoming PlayStation 3 game called LittleBigPlanet. In the game, the player controls a little "sackboy" (with what appears to be a hacky sack for a head) as he runs around levels that are designed... READ ON

Article

How One Man Solved a "Baroque" Mystery

In 2003, Neal Stephenson's book Quicksilver hit the stands. It was the first in a series called The Baroque Cycle, featuring (among many other things) the exploits of alchemists and mathematicians. But before Quicksilver was released, a promotional website appeared, featuring a mysterious opening page followed by some basic information -- an author bio, some sales information, and an excerpt of the upcoming novel. But what of that opening page? It was apparently an encoded message in graphical form,... READ ON