A world-renowned designer of games that aim to solve real-world problems and improve lives, Jane McGonigal is a pioneer whose accolades include being named among the “20 Most Inspiring Women in the World” by Oprah Winfrey for her O Magazine and among “Top Ten Innovators to Watch” by Business Week.  McGonigal specializes in creating collaboration games that challenge players to tackle social issues such as poverty, hunger and climate change.  Her best-known work includes “EVOKE” (Direct Impact Game of the Year, Games for Change 2011), “The Lost Ring” (named “#1 Bright Idea of the Year” by BrandWeek), “Superstruct,” “Cruel 2 B Kind” and “World Without Oil (Activism award, SXSW)”.  She is Chief Creative Officer for game company SuperBetter Labs. She also authored the best-selling book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.  McGonigal serves on the advisory board for Games for Change and has been a consultant, speaker and workshop developer for over a dozen Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, along with speaking at the annual TED conference, SXSW interactive and Webstock.

Nolan Bushnell is a technology pioneer, entrepreneur and scientist.  He is often cited as the father of the video game industry, and is best known as the founder of Atari Corporation and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. Over the past four decades, Bushnell has been a prolific entrepreneur, founding numerous companies. Currently, Mr. Bushnell is devoting his talents to fixing education with his new company, Brainrush, which uses video game metrics to engage learners in academic subjects. His Anti Aging games project helps seniors to avoid many of the problems of mental aging through game exercises that maintain mental flexibility and problem solving.  His numerous accolades and distinctions, include:  ASI 1997 Man of the Year, induction into the Video Game Hall of Fame, induction into the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame and named one of Newsweek’s “50 Men That Changed America.”  He is also highlighted as one of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial icons in “The Revolutionaries” display at the renowned Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. In March of 2009, Bushnell was honored with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Fellowship Award (BAFTA) the highest accolade the Academy bestows, for his outstanding creative contribution to the Video Games Industry. He was similarly honored with a LARA award from the German Academy of Entertainment.  A biopic about Bushnell, tentatively titled Atari, is in pre-production. The story was acquired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company and is set to star DiCaprio as Mr. Bushnell.

Dr. James Paul Gee is a Presidential Professor at Arizona State University and a member of the National Academy of Education. He is also the Chief Games Researcher in the Center for Games and Impact at Arizona State University. He has published widely on language, learning, and digital media, especially video games. Gee’s keynote on the final day opens the Games for Learning Institute (G4LI) program and will take place on the Festival’s main stage. His seminal books include What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2003, Second Edition 2007), which argues that good video games are designed to enhance learning through effective learning principles supported by research in the Learning Sciences. Situated Language and Learning (2004) places video games within an overall theory of learning and literacy and shows how they can help us in thinking about the reform of schools.  His most recent books are Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays (2007); Women and Gaming: The Sims and 21st Century Learning (2010) and Language and Learning in the Digital Age (2011), both written with Elisabeth Hayes.

Lucy Bradshaw, who has produced over 30 games in her career, is the GM and leader ofthe Maxis label of video game powerhouse, Electronic Arts.  Starting her career as a producer with Activision (“Shanghai 2: Dragon’s Eye”) and LucasArts (Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Bradshaw then joined EA in 1997.  She initially served as executive producer on “SimCity 3000” and subsequently such franchise titles as “The Sims,” “The Sims 2” (the fastest selling PC game of all time), “The Sims 2: Nightlife” and “SimCity 4.”  She also led the development and successful launch of “Spore” and its spin-offs. In March, Bradshaw and EA partnered with Games for Change @ GDC Summit to announce the return of SimCity during their EA Gamechangers event.

As president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, Michael D. Gallagher leads the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers.  He has led ESA’s focus on highlighting the value of video games as next-generation learning tools by, in part, facilitating ESA’s sponsorship of the National STEM Video Game Challenge, which is a component of the White House-led “Educate to Innovate” campaign.  Gallagher previously was a leader in telecommunications and technology issues at the U.S. Department of Commerce and served as Department Chair with the international law firm Perkins Coie.

Other confirmed speakers include:  Matt Binkowski (SVP, Social Experience with Social@Ogilvy); Sojo Studios founder Lincoln Brown (“WeTopia”); Sharna Jackson (Tate Kids Editor); Babooga’s J Moses (Founder and President, and Board member, Take-Two Interactive Software); Afroes Transformational Multi-Media’s Anne Shongwe (Founder and CEO); HopeLab’s Richard Tate (VP Communications and Marketing); AMD’s Ward Tisdale (Director, AMD’s Global Community Affairs Department); GameDesk’s Lucien Vattel (Founder and Executive Director); game designers Chris Bell (“WAY,” “Journey”), Ian Bogost (Game-o-Matic), Tracy Fullerton (Director of the Game Innovation Lab at the USC School of Cinematic Arts), Navid Khonsari (Cinematic Director “Grand Theft Auto,” “Alan Wake”), Jesse Schell (Author, The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses), John Tynes (Lead Game Designer, Microsoft Studios), and a spotlight on game studios out of the UK including, Preloaded’s Phil Stuart (“The End”, a two-time nominee for this year’s Games for Change Awards), LittleLoud’s Simon Parkin (“Sweatshop”) and Rob Davis’s Playniac (“International Racing Squirrels”). For the complete line-up of speakers: http://gamesforchange.org/festival2012/speakers

New at the festival this year:

• Summit with Members of the Federal Games Working Group – A day-long program designed to provide game developers and non-profit organizations with an opportunity to network with members of U.S. Federal Agencies that invest in games, including representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, NASA, National Endowment for the Arts, National Institutes of Health, the Smithsonian, State Department, and the National Endowment for the Humanities

• AGITPROP – An evening, public program curated by NYU Game Center, with NYUGC Director Frank Lantz, Paolo Pedercini of Molleindustria (and three-time nominee for this year’s Games for Change Awards) and Wafaa Bilal of the NYU Photography & Imaging Department on the role of games in social change and political debate.

• Kinect Lounge – Debuting at this year’s Opening Night festivities

Returning day-long thematic strands include:

• Games for Learning Institute (G4LI) @ G4C returns for the third year. In addition to presenting Dr. James Paul Gee, the program also includes Valve Software’s Josh Weier (Software Developer and Project Lead, Portal 2) and Leslie Redd, Director of Educational Programs. G4LI is a joint research endeavor with Microsoft Research with generous support also provided by the Motorola Foundation and Microsoft Game Studios.

• Tools for Teaching Game Design to Youth, supported by the AMD Foundation, designed as a series of hands-on workshops for educators interested in teaching game design to youth

The Games for Change Festival brings the digital games industry together with a broader community of government agencies, foundations and charities, educators, media and corporate entities.  The festival, which is open to the public, includes a Game Arcade where award-nominated games can be played, along with speakers, panels, workshops and other activities.  The festival culminates with the annual Games for Change Awards.  For a complete itinerary and to register, visit www.gamesforchange.org/festival. Media links here: http://gamesforchange.org/festival2012/press

Major support for the 9^th Annual Games for Change Festival is provided by the AMD Foundation, the Entertainment Software Association Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Microsoft, and ESI Design.

Games for Change (G4C) is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact.  Founded in 2004, G4C facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational efforts.  The organization aims to leverage entertainment and engagement for social good.  To further grow the field, G4C convenes multiple stakeholders, highlights best practices, incubates games, and helps create and direct investment into new projects.  Visit www.gamesforchange.org.

Games4Change Speakers Announced is a post from: Thumb Gods

,,,pleased with my contributions on the design of the Jungle Shirts, Island Shirt, and Elysian’s Tropical Top. Personally, when I play MMOs, I’m a woman playing a female avatar. I want my character to be pretty, I like skirts and pretty shoes, and many hair options, but I don’t want to fight dragons in a battle bikini and stilettos. I know plenty of players of both genders, who enjoy playing in pure fantasy outfits, and I understand the pure character customization and the implied escapism in this.

As a female player, I always feel sidelined in my hobby when my character’s only fashion choices are skimpy miniskirts, chainmail bras or other items designed for the male gaze. As a designer, I value virtual items that contribute to the atmosphere. When Crystal Center is full of avatars in tropical shirts, sunglasses, and so forth, it makes Next Island feel even more like an island paradise. Many players seem to agree, importing things like sundresses, hats and sandals from the others planets to wear on our beaches.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we’ll never make bikinis (or I guess Speedos for the fellows!)…

via Next Island Dev Blog.

Thoughts on Virtual Goods is a post from: Thumb Gods

BuzzMob delivers a real-time digital community experience within physical spaces and surrounding events. It connects on-site and virtual attendees, fostering fan interaction and delivering exclusive rich media content curated for the event. BuzzMob’s quest to revolutionize the live event experience through digital represents an opportunity for people, places and brands to build authentic, hyper-local connections.

“Stan Lee’s Comikaze is an impactful event that resonates globally. While it was huge last year, this year’s show is looking even bigger,” said Jeff Jackel, BuzzMob’s CEO. “We’re excited to partner with Comikaze to provide the best experience possible for potentially hundreds of thousands of fans. This event will showcase the future of what live events will look like with real-time digital interaction. The price of tickets is no longer just an entry fee – its access to a digital network of exclusive content. Our hope and expectation is that event attendees will ultimately come to expect and demand this level of digital engagement. Comikaze is at the forefront of event innovation and we’re looking forward to an incredible event.”

Comikaze is the largest pop culture convention in the Greater Los Angeles area set to take place from Sept. 15-16, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Last year’s show, its first, was the largest first-year expo of any kind, with over 40,000 attendees. This year’s expo recently announced a partnership with Stan Lee and his company, POW! Entertainment. Now titled, Stan Lee’s Comikaze presented by POW!, it is expected to generate even more attendees and feature additional celebrity involvement.

“We want our fans to have the best event experience possible, which is why we’re excited to work together with BuzzMob to provide our fans with a truly unique social media experience,” said Regina Carpinelli, CEO of Comikaze Entertainment. “Our fans are smart, savvy and digitally connected, so this is the perfect vehicle to engage with them.”

BuzzMob’s partnership with Comikaze will provide exclusive content, contests, panel question and answers and a never-before seen fan interaction with celebrity participants.

About BuzzMob

BuzzMob is a location-based mobile platform that brings social media communication to real-world places and events. Using GPS-enabled smartphones, BuzzMobbers within the same vicinity are instantly connected to talk, share tips, photos, and media as well as receive exclusive content from within a private digital network. With customized features for a range of markets, from shopping centers to campuses to arenas to neighborhoods, BuzzMob is an opportunity for people, places and brands to build authentic, hyper-local connections in real-time. BuzzMob’s social live engagement tool is changing what it means to experience and interact with the everyday world. BuzzMob is currently available on Apple iOS, the web, and is launching soon on Android. Visit them online at www.BuzzMob.com.

BuzzMob at Comikaze is a post from: Thumb Gods

Contains Katy Perry singing in Simlish.

I always love The Sims, but I’m embarrassed by how much I want The Sims 3: Katy Perry Sweet Treats.

Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats is a post from: Thumb Gods

HONG KONG – Apr. 26, 2012 - Conquer Online, one of the longest-running, free-to-play online PC games, made its formal debut as a full-featured Action MMORPG on iPad in December of 2011 to great fanfare, breaking into the Top 10 RPGs category in its first week. The game’s iPad community has already surpassed 200,000 fans and continues to grow. Today, NetDragon is launching the first expansion, Invasion of Pirates, to the Chinese fantasy universe. In the new expansion, players will have access to explosive new skills with the newly added Pirate class. An all-new video has been released to showcase the Pirate class in action.

To celebrate the launch, NetDragon is also giving away some real-life loot, including brand new iPads. Players who discover the hidden in-game iPad item (hint: hack-‘n-slashers, apply skills here!) will be able to turn it in for the newest generation of iPad for free!

The new Pirate class comes dressed for battle wielding both rapiers and pistols. Their abilities all channel power and precision alongside the most fiery, action-packed combat in the game. Pirates have the advantage of being able to down any foe—on land or sea. With a little strategy and pirate know-how, the new class can easily become the most deadly in PvP battles.

Download Conquer Online HD and get the Invasion of Pirates expansion free now for iPad in the App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/app/conquer-online/id459012102?mt=8.

Win Free iPads and Real-Life Booty: Pirates Landing Ashore in MMORPG Conquer Online for iPad is a post from: Thumb Gods

I am still not entirely sure if this is a rhythm game or a sports game. But it involves Kinect and a basketball!

Trailer for Majesco’s NBA Baller Beats is a post from: Thumb Gods

Interested in minimalist gamer shirts like these? Espada Limited, the maker of these shirts, is offering readers 30% off any purchase with the coupon code “ThumbGods”.

Espada Limited is a post from: Thumb Gods

Via Work In Progress:Campbell’s Basic Framework >> Next Island Dev Blog

Campbell’s Basic Framework is a post from: Thumb Gods

Prototype 2 Trailer is a post from: Thumb Gods

Sketch Nation Studio Launches! is a post from: Thumb Gods