1st-playable-productions
Latest
MMO Family: Exploring game writing for short attention spans
Trying to create a virtual world that's engaging and compelling is no easy task. But for an adult designer, trying to do so for a young audience is even more challenging. Kids' interests are not necessarily the same as adults' interests, and their life experiences are much different. On top of that, you can't even lump all child age groups together; a four-year-old, nine-year-old, and 12-year-old are all tackling vastly different challenges in their lives. At this year's GDC Online, Elizabeth McLaren from 1st Playable Productions gave a talk about this very topic, titled Short Attention Span Theatre -- Writing for Child Gamers. In it, she looked to the book publishing industry to see what themes and interests exist for particular age groups and how they can be integrated into video game writing. Read on for highlights of the panel and a brief look at the mind of a child gamer.
The Hidden media reminds us that we're not alone
You must be so content in your quiet, oblivious state of ignorant obliviousness. You probably think that you're all alone right now, don't you? You've carved out a tiny bit of solitude from the hurried, bustling activity of the modern world, just long enough to read a website about video-games, when little do you realize that you're sitting on a ghost right this very second. See, human beings are constantly surrounded by the tormented souls of our loved ones, as these new screens and trailer for The Hidden are so quick to remind us. Now, it's possible that these are actually squishy cartoon ghosts, rather than the eternally damned apparitions of our tortured ancestors, but we can never really be sure.%Gallery-137137%
Majesco tries creepy AR again with 'The Hidden' for 3DS
Now this sounds familiar. Majesco just announced that it's publishing an augmented-reality game for a Nintendo handheld, to be released around Halloween, that allows you to search for ghostly phenomena in your environment using the system's camera. No, it's not the DSi game Ghostwire, whose developer is still seeking a publisher after splitting with Majesco. The new game is The Hidden, created by 1st Playable Productions, and coming this October to 3DS. The Hidden puts the player in the role of a member of the Ghostly Entity Investigation and Strike Team (G.E.I.S.T.), hunting around the real world to find spectral creatures, and then "using a full arsenal of high tech tools and upgradeable weapons, including the Plasmatic Disruptor, Ectoplasm Sensor and Spectral Shield" to defeat them.
