Read moreI’ll be honest up front… I think “gamification” is crap.
Gamification and Incentivizing
I’ll be honest up front… I think “gamification” is crap. Sure, making experiences more interactive, interesting and valuable for users is awesome. And yes, gaming embodies a lot of great ways to do that. But looking at gaming as the source material for that is a bad idea. Looking at the very well established bodies of knowledge known as human psychology, social economics, etc, is a fantastic idea! Everything does not need to be a game to be more enjoyable or interactive. Likewise, a firm understanding of human behavior and drives will make you a game designer unrivaled by those not in the know.
Read moreIt was clear from moment one that this was the year of the venture capitalists.
Casual Connect Seattle 2011 Reflections
It’s been almost a week since CasualConnect Seattle 2011 wrapped up, but things are still settling out for me! I met so many new people and contacts that it’s going to take weeks to fully explore all the new possibilities! I can easily say I got more than I came for this year, and had a great time doing it. Big thanks to all my friends and colleagues, both new and old! With around 2500 people in attendance, there are sure to be many views and opinions about the conference. Here I share some of my personal key observations:
Read moreEven if only a fraction of the world’s current population of roughly 7 billion uses electronic services, we run out of unique hand-picked IDs really quickly.
Unified Electronic ID?
I recently set up youtube and twitter accounts, and it became clear to me that we are at the end of a functional era. A decade ago it was cute to make up a name like “Neo” or “Mystic_Al” when signing up for an internet based service. But today there are too many of us for that to work. Just try to sign up for any popular electronic service and you will realize how hard it is to not only pick a name that has any relevance to you or your organization, but in fact find any unused name at all!
Read moreHave we come full circle in an online cycle?
Have we come full circle in an online cycle?
It’s been interesting to watch online populations over the last two decades. The first point of internet access for many people back in the mid 90s were closed network internet providers like Compuserve and AOL (America OnLine). These services offered not only the internet in whole, but also a safe space for organized content. User groups, specific email lists and direct access to products and organizations were big attraction points.
Read moreThe conference presentations are, in a word, disappointing. The focus this year is largely around “exit strategies” and “social mobile”.
CasualConnect / IGDA Summit Overview – Days 1 and 2
Wow! What an action packed two days at the Seattle CasualConnect and IGDA summit so far! I’ve met far more people already than I had expected to during the whole conference, and met up with friends and colleagues I haven’t seen in a while, and I still have two days to go! Things are really hopping and there are a lot of very talented and very cool people attending. It’s going to take me weeks to follow up on things this time!
Read moreOnce you reach a critical mass, only fracturing can occur. Everyone in that mass does not move as one to another service or purpose. This will pose serious problems to any competition.
Google + vs Critical Mass
As I see many of my Facebook friends in a flurry of excitement to join Google + and invite everyone they know, a problem emerges. Facebook reached a tipping point where critical mass was achieved, and people had one place that we could find (almost) all of our online friends, or easily send a message to someone we hadn’t talked to in a long time. If half the people on my Facebook friend list left and moved to another social network, I don’t think I would have the incentive to follow and manage multiple social networks. But I also believe most of those people feel as I do… the gathering of accessible people is more important than the features of the gathering place.
My first two weeks with Playmaker
A couple weeks ago I stared using a Unity3D plug in called Playmaker, by Hutong Games. It’s a node based system that allows a user to visually create game play scripting. While I’m fully capable of doing this by hand, I’m always open to solutions that help me do more in less time, for less effort. So far, I’m extremely impressed with Playmaker!
CasualConnect Seattle 2011
I’ll be attending the CasualConnect conference again this year, but this time I’ll be promoting my new company, Well Played Games!
Send me a note if you are also attending and would like to meet up! I’m looking forward to meeting many of you.
Percheron VA Reaktor Synth
Percheron is the first instrument I’ve built in Native Instruments Reaktor. It’s basic but solid, and has about 20 patches included. I used many core nodes in it’s construction. You can download it from the NI Reaktor User Library. If you do, I would love to hear your feedback!
The New Kitchen!
It’s been a few weeks since Keystone Kitchens finished construction, and we’ve been putting things back together and painting. Everything turned out great, and we couldn’t be happier. Taking down the walls to blend the kitchen, living room and our pub/dining area has created one wonderful big space. Lighting is better, the space is visually more interesting, and it’s easy to communicate.