Augmented reality gaming...

This video was posted on the HP mscapers forum... It's meant to show the potential for location based technology. All very exciting and fun n'est-ce pas? Except I'm still a little dubious as to whether they'll really ever manage to get the real/virtual to merge quite as seemlessly as presented here. I'm also rather uncomfortable about the target audience for the clip, as I pointed out (perhaps a little too strongly!) on the forum.

Good to see the blog is still getting new posts! Hope everyone enjoys the summer break.

French tax cuts for "cultural" games

I just came across an article on Wired about the tax cuts the French government wants to give game development studios. However, they have an interesting set of conditions which reminds me of Sutton-Smith's rhetorics of play, the discourse on high/low art and ludology vs. narratology,

Not all video-game makers will necessarily benefit from France's tax-break incentives, either. Only video games with "cultural content" will qualify.

"The games must have a narration of some kind and a scenario written in French with elements of adventure or simulation games," said Marc Herubel, an adviser to the culture ministry. He cited Fahrenheit and Missing as games that would have probably qualified for the tax break.

And among some of France's intellectual elite, such as professors of art theory and history, video games also have a long way to go before they are taken seriously, some say.

"Intellectuals in France who defend the traditional culture like the cinema, literature and music, etc., generally don't care about video games and say they have nothing to do with culture," said Frank Beau, a consultant and writer who specializes in new media and the video-game industry. "On the other end, the intelligent set who defend video games in France are usually involved in psychology and social sciences, and they tend to favor role-playing games. "

Videogames and violence

Just a couple of days after I handed in an assignment for my other module (Researching New Media) which dealt with violence in video games, the topic hits the headlines again:

• Joystiq ponders, "The Political Game: How old is too old for game blame?"
  
  "When pundits, culture cops and massacre chasers espouse their theories about the forces that drive real-world killers, exactly how old does the perpetrator need to be before video games get a pass?
  Based on recent events, that magic number is ... 30."
  
  "It's bad enough that some critics will reflexively point the finger at video games when a 15-year-old commits a violent act. It's indefensible to blame games for the actions of a man in his mid-20's."
  
  



• GamersWithJobs reckon games are "No Cause For Murder"
  
  "The argument that games cause terrible acts of homicide implies that movies, music, or even other people can have the same power over anyone."
  
  "Lasting, positive change will only come when we stop reaching for causes and start creating conditions that will support kids and teenagers who need it. We can’t make anyone put the pin back in the grenade, but by supporting active, caring people who want to help, we might be able to influence some of those fateful decisions before it gets that far."
  
  



• ./ Games is discussing whether "Games Are No Cause For Murder"

Zombies Attack San Francisco

They just wanted to eat some brains.
Pictures and article.

Online Iraqi Hunt

Domestic Tension, an installation featuring a live webcam, paintball gun and an Iraqi / American.

Is it a game or is it art?

The interview makes interesting reading.

DJ WiiJ

Engadget has a short article about using the Wiimote as a DJ interface.

Guitar Hero

The Guitar Zeros play music with two guitar hero controllers,