Out of one of my RSS feeds jumped a website called Games With A Purpose, which looked to be worth a visit. I’m always sceptical about how ‘meaningful’ games will look and feel, but the GWAP web interface is shiny and cute so at least we’re off to a good start.

GWAP’s motto is, quite literally, to make “games with a purpose” – in this case, using 5 simple (yet strangely addictive) games to train computers to ‘solve problems’ in a similar way to how we humans do it.

There are five games currently available which are all designed to teach computers to be smarter – ‘human smarter’. Initially this seems like it might be a bit of a chore. The games vary between having to choose between images, listen to audio or describe words, but after a short sign up, I am a level 1 gwapling and ready to play.

Initially, and as always, I am hesitant about playing with other people online. I still feel quite uncomfortable about that. But GWAP overcomes this by automatically pairing you with another person online as if you were just waiting for the game to load. You simply select to play, and they will match you with someone else who is ready to play. You don’t need to know their name, where they live, or what elf costume they are wearing.

I tried ‘Verbosity’ first – a game which requires you to take turns in both describing and guessing a random word with a partner. You have 4 minutes to guess and describe as many words as you can, each word being worth a predetermined amount of points. If you get it right as a team, you both get rewarded with points, and the system stores your responses for future use. The time limit adds a sense of urgency, and it is self-moderating as it is in the best interest of the team not to cheat. The other games follow much the same pattern – you play with a partner to gain points by trying to communicate with each other using drawing, sound, key words and so on.

In a few plays I had levelled up to a ‘gwappie’, and I find myself surprisingly addicted. What is effectively a glorified data entry system becomes an interesting challenge with a game wrapper around it. And while we play to score points and challenge our knowledge, the data is incredibly useful to make search engines more effective and accurate, ultimately better for everyone.

GWAP shows that using a simple game mechanic with a clean, quirky style can make even the most mundane of tasks enjoyable. Couple that with accessibility to everyone, and you have a great wee example of meaningful play.

Straylight will be attending the AnimfxNZ Conference held at the Wellington Convention Centre from the 14th – 16th of November 2008. The conference theme is ‘where digital creative convergence begins’, and some of the best Animation, VFX, Games and Digital Film speakers will be in attendance.

Visit our booth to demo 3 of our games, including a first time look at our brand new title. See you there!

So I finally caved. I’ve managed to avoid buying a ‘next-gen’ console for some time, instead being more than happy with a PS2 and an original XBox that a friend didn’t need any more. I have a PC, and it’s filled with great games that I don’t have enough time to play as it is. So why would I buy a new console? And what would it be?

The title of this post says it all. We went out to buy a new answer phone and came back with a Wii and Wii Fit (and 3 new phones, but that’s another story). I wanted something I could enjoy with the whole family, as there are already too many games I can’t play when the kids are around. Before we even got to playing games I knew we were onto a winner – creating ‘Mii’ avatars and playing with the weather channel were great fun. My wife and I barely touched it on the first day, our kids were having too much fun – playing tennis, skiing or tight rope walking.

In the day and a half since we bought it, most of the extended family has had a go and enjoyed it – from 3 year olds to Grandma. This is what games should be. As for Wii Fit, it’s my (not so) secret plan to get back in shape. With three kids it’s not always easy to get out of the house or go to the gym. Wii Fit is simple to get into, far blunter about my weight than a real person would be and doesn’t feel like a chore. It also will track my progress over time as an incentive to do well. I wouldn’t call it a game per se, but it’s enjoyable enough. There’s a lot of nice touches, for example when you’re ‘out’ exercising you pass the Miis of your friends and family, who wave and encourage.

So, having never been a Nintendo fan before, I can now say I’m hooked. Congratulations Nintendo, Wii Fit is a perfect example of Meaningful Play in action.

So there I was, all prepared to write about “Convergence” (wonderful buzz word that it is), and how often it is misinterpreted. I figured I’d let the ideas settle over the weekend, then distill my thoughts into a great blog entry.

But – and there’s always a but – that’s not quite what happened.

During the weekend, I bought the Orange Box from Valve. The prospect of two episodes of Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 was too good an offer to turn up. And here comes another but… I didn’t play any of them! Instead, I gave my time to Portal, the ‘freebie’ in the set, and it’s the best gaming experience I’ve had in a long time.

Sure, I could go on about the games physics, its humour (and more humour) or even the fairy tale story of the development team that were picked out of College by one of the top developers / publishers in the business. There are people who have already told those stories far better though (warning: ‘strong’ language).

What I found myself thinking of though, was our company’s new vision – ””Meaningful Play””:http://www.meaningfulplay.com – the idea that game playing should be about more than just filling in time, or “seriously” gaming to learn how to repair a 747 engine.

So what has this got to do with Portal? Valve have made a top rate game, there’s no doubt of that. But mixed subtly into the game play are questions of ethics and morality. They don’t preach, they don’t even demand that you pay attention to them. But it’s hard to play the game and not think of the computer as a real person, with motivations and feelings. And don’t get me started on the gun turrets. It’s the Turing Test made real for a new generation.

Amidst the fun and challenge of Portal, Valve has snuck in a story that makes you ponder important, long term issues, without ever feeling preached to. Thank you Valve, for bringing meaning into my play without removing any of the fun.

In the latest Auckland City Council news, Auckland has been crowned the home of New Zealand’s creative industries. Within the city there are approximately 5250 employees in the design sector alone. This totals
39% of the country’s creative workers . Whilst this can mean more competition, it also means the ability for more collaboration; which the majority of designers appreciate.

The Council is pleased to be supporting the upcoming Semi-Permanent 08 conference that is to be held on August 15th – 16th in the Aotea Centre. Design is crucial to the city’s economic future, says chairperson of the City Development committee, Councillor Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga. “Design adds intrinsic value and provides unique points of difference that give New Zealand enterprises an edge in the global marketplace.”

Auckland City council have initialised an action plan called Blueprint: Growing Auckland’s Creative Industries . As mentioned on the Auckland City Council website, Blueprint aims to build on the vital contribution the creative sector makes to Auckland. “This plan views the creative sector through an economic lens and will result in the council actively promoting and assisting Auckland city’s creative industries to greater national and international economic success.”

Blueprint will be implemented over the next 10 years hoping to raise awareness, support enterprise and create environment for the creative industry in Auckland.