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The Overprotected Kid

The Overprotected Kid
A trio of boys tramps along the length of a wooden fence, back and forth, shouting like carnival barkers. “The Land! It opens in half an hour.” Down a path and across a grassy square, 5-year-old Dylan can hear them through the window of his nana’s front room. He tries to figure out what half an hour is and whether he can wait that long. When the heavy gate finally swings open, Dylan, the boys, and about a dozen other children race directly to their favorite spots, although it’s hard to see how they navigate so expertly amid the chaos. It’s still morning, but someone has already started a fire in the tin drum in the corner, perhaps because it’s late fall and wet-cold, or more likely because the kids here love to start fires. The Land is an “adventure playground,” although that term is maybe a little too reminiscent of theme parks to capture the vibe. The playgrounds were novel, but they were in tune with the cultural expectations of London in the aftermath of World War II.

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Danish government creates entire country in Minecraft, users promptly blow it up and plant American flag The Danish Geodata Agency recently recreated the entire country of Denmark in Minecraft at a 1:1 scale. It’s one of the biggest Minecraft creations ever, made up of about 4000 billion brick and 1 terabyte of data. It was ingeniously built using the agency’s 3D elevation model and was meant to be used as a teaching tool. Of course, players almost immediately began blowing it up. They weren’t supposed to be able to. "We consider that as a nature of playing Minecraft – elements are broken down and new are being created,” Danish Geodata Agency spokesman Chris Hammeken told The Register. You can download the Denmark map in sections from the Danish Geodata Agency’s website. "We are very happy to see so many players around the world creating fancy nice things and have fun," Hammeken said. Filed under: Minecraft

The Oracle: Essays I Have No Words & I Must Design Note: This article was originally published in issue #2 of Interactive Fantasy, and also appears on the author's website. by Greg Costikyan There's a lotta different kinds of games out there. A helluva lot. Cart-based, computer, CD-ROM, network, arcade, PBM, PBEM, mass-market adult, wargames, card games, tabletop RPGs, LARPs, freeforms. But do these things have anything at all in common? Well, we can all do the latter: "Good game, Joe," you say, as you leap the net. As game designers, we need a way to analyze games, to try to understand them, and to understand what works and what makes them interesting. We need a critical language. What Is a Game, Anyhow? It's Not a Puzzle. In The Art of Computer Game Design, Chris Crawford contrasts what he call "games" with "puzzles." Some puzzles are obviously so; no one would call a crossword a "game." A puzzle is static. It's Not a Toy. According to Will Wright, his Sim City is not a game at all, but a toy. Decision Making

How Football Sounds To People That Don't Care. This Guy Nails It. Firstly, imagine every time within a day that football is mentioned by someone else. Secondly, replace it with something that you don't want to hear about every day. Say... Archaeology. Then, think carefully about how an average day would pan out. So, you awaken to the clock radio. Time for a bite to eat over the morning TV. Even when it isn't archaeology season, the media follow noted archaeologists. Out of the car at 8:55 and into work. The drive home from work. And now the pub. Best go home and avoid anyone who might be drinking and singing. To bed. Used with permission

Bio-Sensing How to measure it: Near-infrared spectroscopy - Electroencephalography (EEG) - How it can be used: Communication Prosthetics - Cursor control - NeuroWear - Music - Supplies Links: 1.

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