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Showing posts from June, 2013

CoolStreet @ ISTE 13: Serious Games Reinforce Basic Micro-Economic Principals

Pizza Battles - Review previous battles or start a new one CoolStreet is a "Serious Game" in which players own competing pizza shops (Please find also Serious Games Immersing Students In Core Economic Concepts ). Promethean , a global education company dedicated to elevate the interactivity of classrooms, is launching its  free "Serious Game"   CoolStreet at ISTE 2013 , being held this week in San Antonio, Texas. CoolStreet is a cloud-based micro-economic simulation game in which players own competing pizza shops on the same street.  Pizza shop owners contend for business against each other by configuring their shops in such a way as to maximize market share and earnings. After the players setup their pizza shops, the organizer/teacher opens the CoolStreet for business and thousands of customers begin roaming the street, choosing pizza shops based on their own individual preferences. During the game, players are encouraged to review the f

Reach For The Sun: Serious Game To Experience Life Cycle

Pairing "Serious Games" with curriculum Reach for the Sun , developed by Filament Games , was the winner of the 2013 award for Best Gameplay at the tenth edition of the Games For Change Festival , held this week in New York City. Reach for the Sun, officially released in May of 2013, is a single-player, resource management game for Web platform, in which you control a plant, growing it across a season in the attempt to make as many seeds as possible before winter comes. Your three main resources – water, nutrients, and starch – are used to expand your plant from a little seed into an extensive network of roots, leaves, and flowers. Roots and leaves are used to generate more resources, and flowers are used to produce seeds, which are also used as a currency outside of levels to unlock new types of plants, as well as improvements for the garden such as fertilizer, a watering can, and a praying mantis to fend off pests. In the process of playing Reach for the

BlindSide: An Audio-Only Serious Game

BlindSide , developed by Epicycle, was the winner of the 2013 award for Most Innovative Game at the tenth edition of the Games For Change Festival , held this week in New York City. Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of Serious Games for social impact that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts. BlindSide is a single-player,  3D audio-only adventure game for Mac, PC and iOS, inspired by co-creator Aaron Rasmussen's temporary blindness as a result of an explosion in high school chemistry. BlindSide takes the video out of video games, and tosses players into a fully rendered 3D world that they'll never see. Players explore their environment guided only by what they hear in the world around them and their memories. In the environment, there are certain sounds that are constantly playing in order to act as a reference for the player. These can be the sounds of other people, a ticking clock, or sleepi

StudenTopia: Serious Game To Promote Healthy Eating Will Be Unveiled At G4H

Baldwin 5th grade students participated in testing the online browser-based Serious Game StudenTopia based on KickinKitchen.TV characters Next week, KidsCOOK Productions, the kids entertainment media organization, and  Muzzy Lane Software , the leading Massachusetts-based Serious Games company, will be introducing the Games for Health community to their new interactive adventure game StudenTopia . KidsCOOK Productions, with the support of USDA's NIFA Small Business Innovation Research grant, is developing a digital curriculum and StudenTopia teaches middle schoolers about nutrition and health related concepts.  Students from Maria L. Baldwin School in Cambridge, MA, were asked to help with the Serious Game testing. HERE IS THE FULL PRESS RELEASE Adventure Game for Tweens to Promote Healthy Eating Will Be Unveiled At Games For Health Conference KidsCOOK Productions and Muzzy Lane Software’s StudenTopia to be shown at the conference which takes place at the

Arthrogame: Serious Games Reach Pharmacists Training

"Serious Games" are increasingly being used in healthcare. Now they have reached pharmacists, allowing them to better advise osteoarthritis patients (please find also Serious Games For Healthcare Design Beyond the Hospital ) Osteoarthritis, OA, is a chronic disease that affects some 27 million Americans according to the  Arthritis Foundation . OA is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage – the part of a joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement. As cartilage deteriorates, bones begin to rub against one another. This can cause stiffness and pain that make it difficult for you to use that joint. Osteoarthritis can also damage ligaments, menisci and muscles. The pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis can make it difficult to do daily activities including your job, play sports or even get around with ease. That’s why it’s important to learn all you can about this disease, how it affects you and how to live with it – a process called sel

Hammer & Planks Wins Serious Games For Health Award At e-virtuoses 2013

Hammer & Planks Screenshot The  5th Edition of e-virtuoses , the International Serious Games Conference organized by the Grand Hainaut Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) and  held on 4 and 5 June 2013 in Valenciennes, announced last week the five winners of the e-virtuoses Awards 2013 (please find also e-virtuoses Evaluating And Measuring The Impact Of Serious Games ). The event enrolled this year 500 attendees and 10 nationalities, with an ambitious program consisting of 4 interactive workshops dedicated to the process of Serious Games creation; 25 scientific presentations in the context of the International Scientific Symposium intended to evaluate and measure the impact of Serious Games; the e-virtuoses Awards competition and more than 30 exhibitors. An independent international jury chaired by Chris Crawford auditioned the 20 award finalists in 5 categories: Serious Games For Health / Serious Games For Communication/ Serious Games For Training / Serious

Serious Games For Oil Exploration Hands-On Experience

Quest For Oil - A Subsurface Serious Gaming Experience Maersk launched today a new Serious Game called Quest For Oil. With the free, world-wide distribution of the real-time strategy game, Maersk aspires to open up the oil business to everyone. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Maersk is a global conglomerate with a variety of sectors within the transportation and energy industries. The Quest for Oil Serious Game is based on the Maersk Drilling and Maersk Oil units that are at the cutting edge of the upstream oil sector. Quest for Oil allows players to test their analytic and strategic skills while experiencing first-hand what it’s like to be on a drilling rig .  Drilling for oil - Step 1: Choose your drilling rig by browsing through characteristics and prices Along the way, players are introduced to the key challenges of the industry such as how to read earth layers and detect oil reservoirs. It’s a player’s ability to analyse and use this knowledge

Serious Games Showcase and Challenge 2013 - Are You Ready?

SGS&C 2013 has a new award category: Students' Choice Award It's Almost Here! - Are Your Serious Games Ready? The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge 2013 year will be open for entries this summer! If you or someone you know works in Serious Games be sure to let them know about this amazing opportunity!  Contact sgschallenge at gmail.com today with any questions regarding the rules or how you can enter.  Important Dates Aug 1  Game Submission Opens Sept 12  Game Submissions Close Oct 15  Notification of Finalists Dec 2-5  SGS&C at I/ITSEC 2013 Dec 5  Awards at I/ITSEC in Orlando, FL Awards Special Emphasis Award: Adaptive Force Students' Choice Award –  NEW ! Best Business Game Best Student Game Best Government Game Best Mobile Game People's Choice Award The Serious Games Showcase & Challenge is the premiere venue for recognition of excellence in the field of Serious Games development. The challenge prides its