Ludology.org

CFP: Binaria journal.

BINARIA, a journal on communication, culture and technology from the Universidad Europea de Madrid, is hosting a CFP for its next issue on videogames. Deadline for submission is January 15th, 2006. Both contributions in English and Spanish are accepted. Click on Read More for further info.

Interview with Jane McGonigal

Jane talks about alternate (and alternative) reality games. Jane works at 42 entertainment and she's the sould + brain behind avantgame. She blogs, too.

Raph Koster blogs

There is a new blog in town. Now it's the turn to Raph Koster and you can bet I'll be closely reading his posts. Simply go to RaphKoster.com.

Georgia Tech is hiring

2 positions. Assistant or associate professor. At Georgia Tech. The team is simply one of the best in the world. I have many friends teaching there, so if you are looking for a great academic place to work, this is your chance. You can read more at my other blog, Ian wrote it all down for you (this linking back and forth between blogs is a bit schizoid, don't you think?)

Business Week interviews Costikyan about Manifesto Games

The man has a plan. And here's what he has to say about it. The same magazine also offers a previous article on indie gaming that is worth a look, too.

Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Game

If you want to learn more about the upcoming King Kong game, click here to read the NYTimes article (free registration required). It has some interesting bits of information but fails to say how pissed Jackson was at EA (even though that is hinted). The game is now being developed by Michel Ancel (Rayman and Beyond Good and Evil) in France. The game should be out at the same time than the movie and, unlike Enter the Matrix, it does features the main characters in the game (so that's a good start).

Norrath GDP questioned

Journalist Mark Wallace questions Ted Castronova's Everquest GDP calculation. According to Wallace, the GDP should have been around 400 US dollars rather than 2200 (at the time Castronova's article was published).
rI have no idea how to calculate the GDP (well, I do have an idea, but it is not my field of expertise) but I think the question is worth asking. Let me know if you get any updates on these claims.

Powerful Robot develops IGPX Fight to the Finish

I am proud to announce that Powerful Robot Games has completed a new game for Cartoon Network. The new game is based on the network's new show, Immortal Grand Prix (IGPX) that was jointly created by Cartoon Network and Japanese animation studio Production I.G. (creators of Ghost in the Shell and the animation sequence of Kill Bill). rFight to the Finish is a fast-paced action Shockwave game where the player controls a team of robots that must fight while racing on a giant racing track.
The game starts with a sprint sequence and later on develops into a full fighting game. Most of the show's characters are introduced in the game and it also includes some funky track rotation effects that I am sure that you'll enjoy.
rI really hope you like it, the Powerful Robot team worked really hard on this project and I think it shows. Play the game here.

Hideo Kojima blogs... in English

It seems that MGS's Hideo Kojima has been blogging for a while in Japanese. The good news is that now you can read his posts translated into English. Some of the posts are quite interesting, particularly his reflections on being doomed to produce sequel after sequel (if I recall correctly, he has been saying that this is his last MGS game... for at least the last 2 editions. In any case, now you have yet another blog to read.

Steven Johnson in The Guardian

Steven Johnson writes an article about games in The Guardian. It's a good introduction to some of the current game culture issues, so it's worth taking a look at it and, even better, sharing it with your non-hardcore gamer friends. And, of course, you can read and share his book, which I liked very much (thanks Roger Darlington)