Post Riders in the Sky

Mick June 17th, 2008

How can game educators prepare their students for a place in the rapidly-evolving game development industry? This thorny question was met head-on during the keynote event at the Game Education Summit in Dallas last week by Junction Point’s Warren Spector and Disney Interactive’s Mark Meyers.

Their collective interchange, on the one hand, provided some surprising insights into the unique, complex, and ever-changing process of game production itself; while on the other, they issued a direct challenge to educators to begin to prepare their students to expect the unexpected.

The single most valuable commodity in game development today, they both agreed, is the innovative creative thinker with broad interests: a team member who is willing to push the boundaries, to take chances. Someone who can actually add something unexpected to the game.

They also stressed the importance of building communication and camaraderie within the development team, that team culture and simpatico are perhaps even more crucial than talent; and that many team members who are thrown into leadership positions are simply unprepared for the demands of leadership.

“Team sizes with leaders and managers have doubled, tripled, quadrupled, and needs are not being met today,” Meyers said, and called on educators to provide management and leadership training within the game development curriculum. He also cautioned against too narrow an education, saying that there is less need for specialists than there is for talented and flexible generalists.

“Vocational training doesn’t meet our needs,” Spector said. “Platforms are always changing, technology moves faster than we train, focus on concepts instead of tools. At Pixar they say you can be a world expert on one film and useless on a second…. Your people need to love chaos, love change… If you haven’t studied economics (…and psychology), you haven’t studied game design… You need critical and analytical skills.”

In short, they laid out the difficult task ahead for game development educators: to prepare students for a future which may be completely different by the time they graduate. The solution, according to Meyers and Spector, is that they must learn how to think creatively, independently and openly, working from a broad range of interests and innumerable points of reference.

To sum up, then, it would sound something like this: if you want learn to play Chopin like one of the masters, you must first develop the requisite technical skills; then transcend the merely technical by discovering your own uniquely personal interpretation of the composition. If that seems like too much work, then simply go out and buy the CD.

Read the entire article at Gamasutra

The Invasion of the SuperMarios, photo taken in Second Life by Mick Brady

• Education , Game Development , SGDI , Second Life , Virtual Worlds
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Mick June 4th, 2008

Linden Lab’s 3D virtual world, Second Life, can now be accessed with mobile devices. Vollee’s new 3G streaming service allows Residents to explore the entire virtual world from 3G or Wi-Fi enabled handsets. Currently, 40 devices can utilize Vollee’s technology. Support is soon planned for additional 3G and Wi-Fi enabled handsets, including the iPhone. (See link below)

“Vollee offers the perfect Second Life mobile service that brings our virtual world to handsets in a way that is ideal for connecting our Residents,” said Christopher Mahoney, Business Development Manager, Linden Lab. “We look forward to the new and exciting ways people will be able to extend their Second Life experience through this new service.”

“We are very proud to debut the Vollee service with Second Life, one of the largest and most successful virtual worlds,” said Martin Dunsby, CEO, Vollee. “This application is just one example of how Vollee is capable of bringing persistent worlds, MMOs and graphically intensive PC applications to mobile in a way that works.”

Vollee’s proprietary technology can stream high-end PC titles to mobile phones, including massively multiplayer online role playing games. The VolleeX engine adapts applications for screen size and key layout, and then streams the original application to mobile devices. VolleeX optimizes compression to minimize bandwidth requirements and also leverages the 3G mobile networks in such a way that gamers can be easily and smoothly navigate virtual worlds.

Original post on Mobilecrunch by John Kulman

To download the free Second Life mobile application and view a list of compatible handsets, visit: Vollee

To read about the upcoming debut of the new 3G iPhone, scheduled for June 9th, visit: Silicon Valley Insider

Second Life photo by Mick Brady

• Mobile Media , Second Life , Virtual Worlds
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Mick May 27th, 2008

Mick Brady, Live Teams Manager at the Serious Game Design Institute, has been invited to present at the SIGGRAPH Conference in Los Angeles in August. He will be part of a panel of experts discussing 3D virtual environments and their influence on social networking, current technologies, virtual commerce, and other relevent topics. Mick will focus on the future of art in 3D virtual worlds.

Members of the panel include:

Chris Thorne, PhD Candidate, The University of Western Australia,
http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/virtual

Tony Parisi, Chief Platform Officer of Vivaty,
http://www.vivaty.com/

Michael Wilson, CEO of There.com,
http://www.there.com/

Doug Twilleager from the Wonderland Group, Sun Microsystems,
https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/

Rafhael Cedeno, CTO & Co-Founder, The Multiverse Network, Inc.,
http://www.multiverse.net/

Associate Professor Don Brutzman, The Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA,
http://web.nps.navy.mil/~brutzman/

Peter Schickel, CEO of Bitmanagement,
http://www.bitmanagement.com/

Mick Brady, Professor Emeritus, Russell Sage College; Live Teams Manager, Serious Game Design Institute at the Santa Barbara City College;
http://postridersinthesky.org/

Now in its 35th year, the SIGGRAPH conference is the premier international event on computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2008 is expected to draw an estimated 30,000 professionals from six continents, and will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, from August 12-14.

*Photo above from SIGGRAPH 2006; a work by Hyojung Seo & Seunghye Kim called Spatial Oscillator, a real-time audio-visual performance focusing on the relationship between the energy of the human body and virtual space. Image and sound are transformed and processed in real-time by the input data detected from the performer through the camera.

• SGDI , Second Life , Virtual Worlds
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Mick May 6th, 2008

Our second official open house event was held on the Serious Game Design Institute island campus on Thursday, May 1st, and by all accounts (at least those heard by the author) it was not only a success, but seemed to provide the perfect opportunity for new friendships to be formed; some guests even speaking in glowing terms about what may arise in the future from these virtual, but very real, bonds. That, of course, is what happens when a group of like-minded avatars get together in the New World and begin to share their passions.

The afternoon began with a stroll along a path lined with kiosks, each presenting a clear and simple tutorial on an aspect of functioning in Second Life - practical knowledge crucial to any new resident. That was soon followed by a series of magic carpet tours of the entire island (our plush oriental carpet seats six), and finally, a walking tour of some of the nearby buildings and classrooms. We all ended up at the outdoor photo exhibit, where my in-world representative, Chrome Underwood, gave an artist’s talk on his latest body of work, New Images of Second Life.

As afternoon faded into evening, many of us began to sit on the stone steps leading down to the glowing firepit in the center of the circle, surrounded by a wall of giant luminous photos in the background, with nothing but the stars and moon above. It proved to be a heady mixture, and as often happens around a campfire, we all drew a bit closer, and the conversation began to lift off nicely, soon to be sparkling in the air around us. We were off on another magic carpet ride, fueled only by the energy of our combined imaginations. It was a memorable evening; one which won’t soon be forgotten around these parts.

Author’s Note: You may also want to check out another recent account of this event at Happiness Merryman’s blogsite within the Gaia Community.

Photo credits: Top photo by Happiness Merryman; remaining photos by Chrome Underwood

• SGDI , SGDI Island , Second Life
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Mick February 24th, 2008

We were walking (oddly enough) out of Mel’s Drive-in in San Francisco on Friday morning after enjoying a classic American diner breakfast, when I began to ponder the irony in the fact that we had been seated next to a friendly, middle-aged couple from deep in the heartland who were about to embark on their first day at WonderCon 2008, the comic book convention for collectors and dealers being held at the Moscone Center just a few blocks away.

We had spent the entire meal discussing, on the one hand, the business of and the undying passion for, the collecting of comic books - the older the better, the man said. For our part, we attempted to convey the fervor that lived within the heart of every gamer and game developer for games - the newer and more technologically advanced, the better.

This was our final day at the week-long Game Development Conference, and as we approached Moscone North, it occurred to me that these two conferences, running simultaneously for one day on opposite sides of the street were like two vast tribes encamped on either side of a river, each blissfully unaware not only of each other and the century or so of cultural history they shared, but of the stark contrast between them: one trying to recapture and hold on to the magic of the past, the other busy creating the magic of the future. Two starships passing in the night.

Some of my fondest childhood memories, I must confess, involve long afternoons and evenings spent sprawled across my bed, surrounded by piles of comic books. As if by magic, I could be swinging through the jungle with Tarzan, or hopping into the Batmobile with the dynamic duo, the bat signal glowing in the night sky above our heads warning of evil doings in Gotham City. Once the bad guys were safely in hand, though, I might soon find myself outside a phone booth in downtown Metropolis as Clark Kent surreptitiously transformed himself once again into the immortal Superman.

Now consider the equally magical transformation that has occurred in the real world since that little boy lay transfixed, moving from one fantasy world to another simply by flipping a page. While our new friends from Mel’s Drive-in and many others were rummaging through those old memories, we were already plugging into the electric new world of game development: a world where technology and imagination were being fused together, pixel by pixel, in a growing tsunami of sound and animation which has not only already engulfed Metropolis and Gotham City, but is poised to transform the world around us.

As a member of the Serious Game Design Institute team and an exhibitor at the Expo, I felt privileged to spend the week mingling among the technorati, absorbing the ideas of such luminaries as Anssi Vanjoki of Nokia, John Schappert of Microsoft and noted futurist Ray Kurtzweil; thereby being granted a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of that will o’ the wisp known as The Future. What I discovered, much to my surprise, was that it is already here, and moving faster than Battlestar Galactica.

That future consists of a network of virtual worlds spreading across the globe through an increasingly robust chunk of bandwidth, powered by eye-dazzling 3D animation software, made accessible on a dizzying array of media devices, from hand-held mini-computers disguised as cell phones, to virtually immersive HD monitors powered by souped-up laptop computers. Prepare thyself for the 3D interactive web, my friend; it’s coming soon to a computer near you.

Consider, for instance, the fact that virtual students are already learning microbiology in virtual college classrooms in Second Life. Then consider that more than $2 million a day in commerce is now being transacted in that same metaverse. While you’re at it, try to wrap your head around the staggering fact that the digital game industry has already surpassed the film industry worldwide in terms of real profit, and has a total budget greater than most countries. Something’s happening here; and what it is becomes increasingly clear.

The truth, according to many technology experts, is that within a few short years most business, education and entertainment will be conducted globally, avatar to avatar, in a 3D interactive virtual world, in real time, with real money, between real people, on a wireless web. Communities of learners, teams of gamers, partnerships of traders, and relationships among groups and individuals are already sprouting up all over the planet. The key to all of this is being provided by the game developers and their partners.

So, before many of us expected it, we seem to have landed smack dab in the middle of the future - you know, the one previously dreamed about only by artists, writers and that legendary child within all of us - and to add to the amazement, we ourselves have become the superheroes. To illustrate that point, I will merely note that the preferred method of travel these days of the aforementioned little boy, believe it or not, is flying. Let’s face it, it’s a hell of a lot easier and faster than walking; and time, not distance, is money. If you don’t believe me, drop into Second Life sometime and chat with his alter-ego, Chrome Underwood, over a steaming cup of freshly-brewed coffee.

Mick Brady is the Live Teams Manager at the Serious Game Design Institute in Santa Barbara, California

………………..

Photos, from the top: San Francisco skyline at sunset in Real Life; New Media Consortium (NMC) class in Second Life, by Mick Brady

• Game Development , Second Life
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Mick February 4th, 2008

There have been a number of important changes occurring on the SBCC Campus in recent weeks, as we move toward our first open-house event on Saturday, February 9th. Among the changes are a new ampitheater for musical and theater performances, the completion of the Santa Barbara City College Campus buildings, and the ongoing construction of the new Mission Games complex. Within the past few days, a brand new art and photo gallery overlooking the ocean has also been completed: an open, airy, circular building surrounding a sunken firepit and topped with a galloping chrome horse astride a translucent roof.

The first exhibit will be a selection of images, taken by yours truly, from all across the Second Life metaverse. My hope is that it will give viewers a glimpse into the vast visual and social diversity in SL, and some small sense of the explosion of creative and imaginative expression occuring there. It is truly a wonderland to behold.

The frenzy of activity continues as we speak. The true heroes of this virtual miracle are the builders and terraformers; those folks who fly in and out of the island, often unseen, at all hours of the night and day, and do their work. Some have been coming here for several months now, some live in faraway places in real life - but earthly limitations do not exist here; distance is but a distant memory. We are all one community here in Second Life.

Thanks and admiration go out to Sal Morales, Sheri Munster, DigiTed Waco and many others, for all their tireless efforts as well as their patience and tolerance of some of us newbies. Great work, guys.

• SGDI , Second Life
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Mick January 19th, 2008

This a new snapshot taken from slightly above and looking eastward, of the nearly-completed virtual campus of the Santa Barbara City College and home of the Serious Game Design Institute, whose team members did all the heavy lifting to get the project done. Why, if you were here just a few days ago you would have seen nothing but hard hats, cranes and bulldozers all over the place; but now, miraculously, it’s looking pretty pristine.

We are in the midst of preparations for our open-house event, to be held on the island on Saturday, February 9th, at which there will be a live blues concert, free demos and workshops, opportunities to ask the experts, tours of the island, and lots of give-aways. The intention is to have fun while introducing educators to the tremendous learning opportunities to be found in this new virtual world. Stay tuned.

Aerial photograph taken by Chrome Underwood using the new Windlight viewer

• SGDI , SGDI Island , Second Life
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Mick January 7th, 2008

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2jY4UkPbAc[/youtube]

A Second Life video by Dr. Tony O’Driscoll (aka Wada Tripp) 

• Second Life
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Mick November 18th, 2007

I don’t know about you, but even after spending over twenty years on the computer and having learned countless software programs and all their upgrades, I’m still basically a book guy, even when it comes to learning software. I’m not necessarily talking about manuals here; we all know that nobody reads them.

What I’m talking about is the kind of books that are written by real writers, communicators, teachers - in short, those who have that rare gift of taking something complex and otherwise boring, and transforming it into clear, concise, insightful, colorful and even humorous prose that even a neophyte can understand. Let’s face it, though; anyone learning a new program is suddenly, once again, a neophyte.

I’ve been scouting around for such books among the many that have been written about Second Life, and frankly, many of them are either too shallow (you know; hairdos, jewelry, tattoos - that sort of thing), or way, way too complex for the beginner. Remember, SL has been around since 2003, so some of us are arriving late to the party.

Don’t lose hope, though. I’ve come across at least one book that appears to have all the right stuff for beginners. It’s wide in scope, well-grounded, clearly written, and the author seems to understand exactly what us newbies experience when we pass through that portal for the first time. He cuts through the cloud of confusion we all find ourselves in in those first crucial moments - perhaps even days and weeks, for some of us.

The book, How to Do Everything with Second Life, by Richard Mansfield, is filled with real, solid and useful information to help you get started in your new life. Unlike many SL how-to’s, which often provide you with isolated details that don’t seem to connect with anything else, the author has the uncanny ability to provide the details while giving you the big picture, the context within which they function. As you proceed through the book, then, you are not only learning how to do things, you are learning why, and how they might serve to your advantage within the Second Life universe.

He delves into everything, from the importance of the name you choose, to creating an avatar, communicating in SL, managing your inventory, understanding the interface itself, and, of course, shopping. Even buying land and building your dream house, if you ever decide to settle down in Second Life; though that may seem a bit far-fetched at the moment. He also addresses the delicate issue of sex within SL - hey, it’s good to know the rules before you get yourself into a virtual jam. Even avatars make mistakes.

Mick Brady

• You can purchase this book at Amazon.com for $16.49 (in real Yankee dollars).

• Second Life
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