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Google Lively Goes Games
Google Lively, released July 8, 2008, is a web-based virtual environment produced by Google Inc. It is currently only supported on Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, using Windows XP or Windows Vista. It requires a special download as well as Flash.
Following confirmation that Google intends to open its virtual world Lively to games developers, creative director Kevin Hanna has revealed the long-term goal is for the service to become an online games platform.
Lively has previously been seen mostly as a less adult version of Second Life. The company opened the virtual world earlier this summer and it’s just kind of sat there, seemingly destined to become one of Google’s forgotten products. Google Lively, released July 8, 2008, is a web-based virtual environment produced by Google Inc. It is currently only supported on Int... more -
Games less virtual, more reality
While most massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) are based on fantasy worlds, there is a growing trend for a new kind of game that merges the real world with the virtual.
Rather than taking on the persona of a mythical character who goes on quests, players of this new breed of game compete against one another in real sports, based in the real world.
At first glance, these games resemble racing simulations, but - with unparalleled realism and the ability to race against a large number of people, including professionals - they represent a cut above the rest.
iRacing is an internet-based auto racing simulation system in which drivers can race against dozens of other online participants on race tracks modelled on the real thing. This is the latest offering from Dave Kaemmer, who is responsible for other racing simulation video game titles including NASCAR Racing. While most massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) are based on fantasy worlds, there is a growing trend for a new kind of game that... more -
Designers developing virtual-reality 'Cocoon'
You're walking along a street in Roman Pompeii at the start of the first millennium when you notice a spectacular stone building. You reach out towards it and your guide informs you it's a temple to the god Jupiter, built in 200 BC. With a flick of your wrist you save the data and, school assignment complete, you step out of your Cocoon and back into your living room.
Educational historical journeys are just one possible use of the Immersive Cocoon, a walk-in virtual-reality pod being developed by NAU, an international design collective that aims to revolutionize the way we interact with computers.
When complete, the Immersive Cocoon will be a sleek and shiny human-sized dome. Step inside and you'll be enveloped by a 360° display screen and full surround sound.
When the software boots up, instead of using a joystick or mouse to navigate the screens, motion-tracking cameras will follow the movement of your arms, legs and face, and a motion-sensitive platform will detect if you're walking or jumping.
"You've got display, sound and interaction all combined to create this fully immersed digital experience," explains Tino Schaedler, the architect-turned-film designer who is one third of NAU.
"It is completely different from me sitting in front of a screen, looking at a little picture and typing something in -- almost like the experience is reduced to my brain and my fingers. In the Cocoon we have the whole body immersed inside."
Videogame players will immediately recognize the Cocoon's gaming potential. The motion-tracking cameras and wrap-around visuals could make for an incredibly realistic gaming experience, where you use your whole body to fight off enemies who approach from all directions. But the Cocoon's potential extends far beyond gaming.
Imagine having a Cocoon in your home, connected to the Internet. Its unique interface means that rather than inputing commands with a keyboard or a moving a cursor with a mouse, you can simply reach out and 'grab' information from all around you.
If that sounds like science fiction, it may be because the 3D motion-tracking system was originally developed by John Underkoffler, whose work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology inspired similar 'reach out and grab' technology in the sci-fi movie "Minority Report."
... continue reading You're walking along a street in Roman Pompeii at the start of the first millennium when you notice a spectacular stone building.... more -
EA launches Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Mythic Entertainment, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc (Nasdaq:ERTS), an interactive, entertainment, software company, announced on 18 September the launch of MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) in North America, Europe and the Oceanic territories. The game's servers are now officially live and players can experience the Realm vs Realm combat of the game.
It was originally stated that the characters in the game and other players in Warhammer Online would change as they progressed in level and fought more battles. However, in an interview given during the WAR presentation in Paris, WAR Senior Producer Jeff Hickman stated that physical changes such as Dwarf beards growing or Orcs changing in size would most likely not be in the game at the time of launch.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features Mythic's unique Realm vs. Realm (RvR) combat system, originally developed in Dark Age of Camelot.[20] This takes place within three different racial pairings: Dwarfs vs. Greenskins, Empire vs. Chaos, and High Elves vs. Dark Elves. Although there are only two races per pairing, players may travel to either of the other two pairings to help fight with their friends and allies. There are four types of RvR combat: Skirmishes (random world encounters), Battlefields (objective-driven battles in RvR-specific areas), Scenarios (instanced, point-based battles against the opposing faction), and Campaigns (invading enemy lands and capital cities). RvR contribution includes both Player vs. Player (PvP) combat and (to a lesser extent) Player vs. Environment (PvE) quests so that you can assist your realm in their victory, regardless of preferred play-style.
At launch the game requires a 200MB+ patching process to run, so be warned. It seems a lot faster than patching on World of Warcraft, though, so that's something to smile about while you wait. Mythic Entertainment, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc (Nasdaq:ERTS), an interactive, entertainment, software company, announced on 18 ... more -
Largest online protest in Habbo hotel
War Child and Habbo are teaming up for what promises to be the largest online protest ever. On 19th September, in the run up to UN International Day of Peace, teens will gather in Habbo hotel to raise awareness about the effects of war.
Thousands of teens from all over the world are expected to congregate online at the Habbo Global Peace Gathering on Friday 19 September.
Habbo is a virtual community of millions of young people, who hang out, play games and get involved in these kind of events.
War Child is an international charity that works with children affected by war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. War Child and Habbo are teaming up for what promises to be the largest online protest ever. On 19th September, in the run up to UN Int... more -
Virtual-Reality Multimedia Cocoon Being Designed by NAU
"You've got display, sound and interaction all combined to create this fully immersed digital experience," explains Tino Schaedler, the architect-turned-film designer who is one third of NAU.
"It is completely different from me sitting in front of a screen, looking at a little picture and typing something in -- almost like the experience is reduced to my brain and my fingers. In the Cocoon we have the whole body immersed inside."
If that sounds like science fiction, it may be because the 3D motion-tracking system was originally developed by John Underkoffler, whose work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology inspired similar 'reach out and grab' technology in the sci-fi movie "Minority Report."
NAU sees the technology as part of a trend away from traditional interfaces towards more intuitive ways of interacting with technology, a trend they say has already begun with existing mainstream devices such as the motion-sensitive controls of Nintendo's Wii gaming system or the touch-sensitive display on the iPhone.
Schaedler says the Cocoon could re-shape our working environments, allowing home working and virtual meetings where you could talk with virtual versions of your co-workers in detailed virtual environments. "You've got display, sound and interaction all combined to create this fully immersed digital experience," explains Tin... more -
Motorhead Comes To Entropia Universe
Part of the CryEngine 2-powered graphical update to Entropia Universe, Motorhead Stadium is billed as the world's first virtual rock arena, allowing fans of the band to listen to exclusive pre-recorded and live broadcast music, while visitors to Lemmy's Castle will be able to battle the Guardians, virtual defenders who will sometimes drop "rare and valuable" Motorhead Armor Parts. Players who collect a full set of Motorhead Armor will be granted access to the castle's inner sanctum, where they will become eligible to join Lemmy's private army.
"The Motoerhead Stadium and Lemmy's Castle will add great diversity to Entropia Universe when we launch the upgraded version of Entropia Universe using CryENGINE(R)2," says David Simmonds, Business Development Director at Mindark.
Fans can already download the free software online at Entropia Universe and create a unique avatar which will then be used to visit Motoerhead Stadium, where they can view exclusive Metal and Rock concerts, pre-recorded or broadcast live from around the world. In addition to the live music, fans will be able to create their own social networks and fan clubs, battle Monsters to earn real cash, and even manufacture and sell collectable Virtual Rock merchandise. Part of the CryEngine 2-powered graphical update to Entropia Universe, Motorhead Stadium is billed as the world's first virtual r... more -
Attacco di panico
Secondo i dati dell’O.M.S. il 20% della popolazione occidentale soffre di attacchi di panico e di sindromi da ansia generalizzata.
Questo pod segue una persona comune, Gianluca M., che soffre di questo disturbo, attraverso il percorso di scoperta di se stesso e delle cause del suo disagio, per descrivere un problema che radicalmente riguarda la società e il suo sistema. Secondo i dati dell’O.M.S. il 20% della popolazione occidentale soffre di attacchi di panico e di sindromi da ansia generalizzata. ... more -
Fully immersive virtual reality
The next generation of virtual reality is being perfected right now at the University of Washington. Talk about getting into the game, literally. The next generation of virtual reality is being perfected right now at the University of Washington. Talk about getting into the game,... more
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Press play to grow! Designing video games as aids to improving yourself
As odd or paradoxical as it may seem, I envision video games being increasingly designed to facilitate human development, as virtual reality technologies continue to evolve and integrate with leading edge developmental practices.
Now being a 38 year-“young” man researching video games at the dawn of the 21st century, I still feel quite amazed and dazzled with what is now being called “a new generation of interactive entertainment”. Recent technological and artistic developments have made some of these games to be so realistic, meaningful and potentially engaging that the line between “virtual” and “real” reality are really starting to fade away... Transported through time from Pong to now, I see myself enthusiastically engaging in a 40 hour (15 days) “action-research” marathon playing Bioshock, a video game set in a beautiful but “fallen” utopia futuristic city called Rapture, located at the bottom of the ocean. The creative storyline is based on Ayn Rand’s constructivist insights from the book The Fountainhead (1943), which unfolds in an exquisite aesthetics of a post civil war art deco decayed environment, providing the adequate atmosphere that invites me to subtly experience with full engagement a series of existential insights.
Suddenly, the quest for the victory is also the quest for my own path and identity as a player. Am I really in control of my choices in the game? Groundbreaking surprises await me throughout the path as I start knowing more about myself, my past history, and why I am really there. Boundaries between my player self and “real self” sometimes seem to disappear… Chosen by many standards as the “game of the year in 2007”, Bioshock is part of an emergent generation of “First Person” role playing video games (RPG) that bring an exquisite mix of high level of aesthetics, technological power, and a fairly amount of subjective depth (if you have the right “eyes” to see it), including “grey” moral choices that go beyond the “black and white” of good and evil. However, as expected from a contemporary best selling action and role-play game (RPG) title such as Bioshock, many aspects of the current paradigm of video game design are still at play, including violence, shootings, weapons, and blood, lots and lots of blood…
But, would that really spoil the other deeper and more positive aspects of the experience? Would that be really only a video game problem, independent of the reactions and interpretations of the player? Are video games, especially from the First Person RPG genre, “doomed” to be a just a mirror of our contemporary mainstream culture, society and entertainment? Well… yes and no, if seen from the lens of the Integral Psychology created by the contemporary philosopher Ken Wilber (2000), which can take into a more balanced account both the “dignity and disasters” of the evolution of video games and virtual reality technologies in a broader and deeper context; a perspective that accounts for many developmental variables and aspects of AQAL.
As I came to realize, the potentials for video games to promote positive and proactive influences can be especially significant at this moment in time and in the future yet to come, with a myriad of educational and developmental possibilities already being explored (see page 16), and many more still waiting to be “discovered” and “downloaded” into concrete video game manifestations. As odd or paradoxical as it may seem, I envision video games being increasingly designed to facilitate human development, as virtual r... more -
Like Oregon Trail, except in Darfur
Highly addictive virtual reality game that draws from the day to day hardships of living in Darfur
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The next generation of racing video games?
The patented video game system, iOpener Media is developing sucks in real-time GPS data from racing events and pumps it out to compatible games consoles and PCs
Sounds like a great way to spend Sunday. The patented video game system, iOpener Media is developing sucks in real-time GPS data from racing events and pumps it out to compati... more -
Wii Music Orchestra
Wii Music Orchestra is an upcoming music video game that simulates playing musical instruments and conducting an orchestra using a Wii remote. The game will supposedly include up to 40 instruments including a guitar, drums, and trumpet. The release date is still unknown but I definitely cannot wait and I hope I am not disappointed. Wii Music Orchestra is an upcoming music video game that simulates playing musical instruments and conducting an orchestra using a Wii... more
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Hands Free 3D: Second Life Navigation Demo
"Mitch Kapor and Philippe Bossut designed a prototypical interface that demonstrates the possibilities for operating Second Life "hands free" without a mouse or keyboard. To make this work, they modified the open source Second Life client to support the camera as an input device." "Mitch Kapor and Philippe Bossut designed a prototypical interface that demonstrates the possibilities for operating Second Life ... more
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Coming soon: iGoggles?
A new Apple patent showing a head-mounted laser display surfaced today. The patent, which looks like a rather odd pair of sun glasses, would allow you to view video (or your Mac's screen) in a manner similar to the MyVu products. This patent also includes a geeky looking device that attaches to the belt, probably for image/video processing, and battery. A new Apple patent showing a head-mounted laser display surfaced today. The patent, which looks like a rather odd pair of sun glasses,... more
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RaceFace
RaceFace is the high tech helmet that takes race fans where they've never been before!
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Get a First Life
A short rant about the general pointlessness of the 'virtual world' Second Life and the socially crippled people who inhabit it. A short rant about the general pointlessness of the 'virtual world' Second Life and the socially crippled people who inhabit... more
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3D Virtual Reality via the Wiimote! Kick-Ass!
Technology is so cool. If you want to skip the (neato) setup, jump to the end of the video for the payoff.
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Illuminated
Mind blowing animation!!
Illuminated is a new animated series being created by some of the people behind GNN (Guerrilla News Network), Phong.com (Eminem's "Mosh"), Pod Collective, Broken Saints, and ConceptArt.org.
Set in the not-too-distant future, planet Earth is being ravaged by rampant environmental change and collapsing economies, as widespread social movements triggered by online interaction are reshaping the face of world politics. Mind blowing animation!! ... more -
Virtual Shop 'til You Drop Anyone?
This brings a whole new meaning to the world of Online Shopping, gone are the days of actually leaving your home to go shopping. Not only can you get your groceries delivered to your door from your favourite supermarket, but now you can go for a wander around a completely virtual shopping mall, dipping in and out of shops and browsing their virtual shelves just like you would in reality...
Check the link, It's one crazy shopping experience!
http://www.themallplus.com/home.html This brings a whole new meaning to the world of Online Shopping, gone are the days of actually leaving your home to go shopping. Not o... more
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Virtual Reality
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Virtual Reality
