Here's a video that Gabe and I just completed - it's in honor of Lila's first birthday. This is our first video collaboration, and we had a blast putting it together. Happy Birthday Lila! We love you and we're so glad that you're part of our life.
It's been awhile since I've posted. Let's see... in the past year, I had a baby, Lila Rose, moved to a small house in Los Angeles to be closer to family, got my son Gabe settled into a new school, setup new business and household systems, and spent a lot of time with our parents. Yikes! It's been a busy, tough -- but deeply gratifying -- year.
Now that we're settled into our life in LA, I have some time to reflect and blog about what I'm seeing on the social media scene. Everywhere I look, "games meets social media" is happening. We're getting far more consulting requests than we can take on. At long last, computer games have moved beyond the hardcore audience and are truly becoming a mainstream medium.
| This is our current fave video -- a Rube Goldberg machine by Andy Hicks, Leo Howell, Brian Lum and Ben Tyers. How long do you think it took to setup that contraption? :-) | |
I've been hard at work, prepping my tutorial for the O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference next week. This session is a continuation of my talk from last year, with an emphasis on merging ideas from game design with the power of Web 2.0 technologies. I can't wait to see who shows up! I really enjoyed the crowd at Etech last year, and I'm looking forward to teaching, learning, and re-connecting with friends and colleagues.
In doing the research for this talk, I came across some great people and articles - e.g. this YouTube Case Study from the Startup Review blog (an excellent resource for entrepeneurs). By far the most insightful analysis I've seen on YouTube's product strategy.
Gabriel and I were featured in this piece about the changing media habits of "Generation We." In the article, Gabe (or more accurately, his Mom) revealed his media habits - which consists of TIVO, YouTube, Wikipedia, Google, DVDs, and Guitar Hero. As the author points out, Gabriel is growing up in a world where he has choice and control in virtually all his media experience. Very different than the linear, non-interactive media landscape that I grew up with. LINK
I haven't posted for awhile, and here's the reason: we had a baby! Lila Rose Kim made her appearance on Dec. 27th, 2006, weighing 7 lbs 7 oz. Scott, Gabriel and I are thrilled with our newest family member. We're laying low, sleeping and eating and singing lots of lullabies. Posting will be light this month -- I'll write when I can, in between feedings :-)
This blog will remain largely about my work in social games and online environments, with occasional postings about our family gaming adventures. For those of you who are interested in Lila, I've started a blog to record her daily life: http://amyjokim.vox.com
Happy 2007, everyone! May the new year bring you lots of gaming fun, and moments of unexpected joy.
A few random thoughts...
I just got off the phone with Chase customer service, and actually recieved knowledgeable, pleasant tech support from a lady located in Mumbai. Existence Proof!
I realized today why-and-when some Yahoo services really irritate me. It's when I'm task-oriented, and the ads are irrelevant to what I'm there for -- 'cause it distracts me from my goal - e.g. checking the weather, scanning headlines, etc. And if the ads are intrusive (e.g. big, colorful, contain movement...)
I'm gonna try checking the weather on my mobile each morning. I wonder which services are most accurate and up-to-date? If you've had any experiences with mobile weather services, I'd love to hear about that.
For anyone interested is ARGs (alternative reality games) like Majestic and I Love Bees, here's a fastinating interview with Elan Lee's on the Gamasutra site.
From ringtonia.com, a report that tribal chants from Indians in the Amazon rainforest are finding their way into the ringtone market. Maybe the "healing dance" could become the chosen ringtone for my doctor's office... :)
Xavante Indians living on the southern edge of Brazil's Amazon rainforest plan to start selling ringtones of traditional chants like the hunt song and the healing dance to cell phone users in China and Europe.
"The project has generated tens of thousands of dollars for the Xavante and several other impoverished rural communities".
This morning (courtesy of Raph Koster) I ran across an excellent and timely essay about the nature of game mechanics. The author begins by offering a definition:
Game mechanics are rule based systems / simulations that facilitate and encourage a user to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use of feedback mechanisms.
He then goes on to explore these elements, and includes a useful reference chart (see below) that summarizes his main points. Well worth a read if you're interested in creating compelling, addicitive interactive experiences (games or otherwise).
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