“Feature: Mindsets In Designing Casual Multiplayer” plus 2 more |
- Feature: Mindsets In Designing Casual Multiplayer
- School Reopens After Kids Got Sick From Water
- Free summer programs for kids ready to go
| Feature: Mindsets In Designing Casual Multiplayer Posted: 02 Jun 2010 06:13 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. There are two basic schools of thought on multiplayer design for kids games -- and in Gamasutra's latest feature, WayForward designer Stephan Frost explains why they're at odds via the case study of an unsuccessful product he worked on. | Frost defines the two opposing designs as the "interactive experience" and the "competitive game experience". Of the former, he says "this form of gameplay is more of what I would describe as a 'ride', wherein victory is not largely dependent on skill" while of the latter he writes, "ultimately it is up to the player to win the game." In his work on the project Major League Eating: The Game, these two design approaches clashed, writes Frost: "The publishers wanted an interactive experience while at the same time offering highly competitive gameplay. The resulting game was not effective, because by trying to please everyone, it alienated the audiences for both types of game." Frost sees the roots of the need to provide a game anyone can win as the result of the Self Esteem Movement -- frequently summed up with the slogan "everyone's a winner!" Writes Frost: "The tenets of the Self Esteem Movement most typically enter game design via the interactive experience. There are competitive moments, but ultimately these games feed the idea of entitlement -- because we as publishers and developers are worried that children will lose the game, and be dissatisfied." For more on designing multiplayer games for kids -- including information about playtesting -- you can read the full feature article, Conflicting Views: Designing Multiplayer In Children's Games, live today on Gamasutra. Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| School Reopens After Kids Got Sick From Water Posted: 02 Jun 2010 06:16 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. School Reopens After Kids Got Sick From WaterAntifreeze Somehow Ends Up In Supply; Parents Furious
An unknown chemical was released in the water, making the children so sick ambulances had to be called in. On Tuesday night parents were demanding answers. No one expected a normal school day to end at Flushing Hospital. A long day for Esha Patil ended when she left the hospital at 9 p.m. She said she felt better and would attend school on Wednesday. But Cesar Zarama's 5-year-old daughter is spending the night. His voice trembled describing her condition. "Her stomach hurts and now you know she's sleeping now," Zarama said. The girls were among 74 students who were sickened from drinking PS 20's tainted water on Tuesday. Officials said propylene glycol, a minimally toxic substance, caused the odd taste and color. They believe it was inadvertently pumped into the water supply by workers from a refrigeration company working on the school's air conditioning. "Antifreeze can be very sweet and sometimes it can be a problem. So when I spoke to some of the children as to how much they drank and when they stopped drinking, probably because it was sweet they kept drinking," FDNY Medical Director Dr. Glenn Askeda said. Frightened parents arrived outside the school demanding answers. "I saw so many ambulances out here and kids are going in the ambulances. Some people say that kids are too sick and some say they are okay," parent Rupinder Kaur said, adding she never got a straight answer. "They say no, this door is closed, that door is closed. I don't know what's going on inside," parent Sohaira Qurbanzada added. Meanwhile, a teacher's aide inside the school tried to calm the children. "Our main concerned was to keep the kids not worried, keeping them safe and distracting them with games," the aide said. One 9-year-old girl was being kept for observation Tuesday night, but her father was calmed now that the worst was over. "She's in the hospital so I feel more safe," Luis Martinez said. Officials said water supply was to be tested through the night. One grandmother took a water sample from the school and said she plans getting independently tested just to make sure that the city is telling the truth. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | |
| Free summer programs for kids ready to go Posted: 01 Jun 2010 10:00 PM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Board games, crafts, field trips and free lunches - the city of Elgin and local nonprofit groups are promising kids an active and healthy summer. "It's been a particularly difficult time for so many local families and we wanted to be able to provide free programs and services for kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to have much fun this summer," Elgin Parks and Recreation Director Randy Reopelle said in a news release. The department will continue to host Rec in the Streets and Drop in Playground programs, which offer kids, 6 to 12 years old, opportunities to play sports and board games or do crafts in local schools and parks. Additionally, the police department is providing an open gym called "Kids United." It runs on weekdays from June 14 to Aug. 13. On Fridays, it would take kids on field trips to places like the Field Museum, said Sgt. Gary Neal, the program coordinator. Neal also introduced the new Youth Leadership Academy. "This class is taught by police officers. We'll talk about various things that we do with law enforcement, evidence, patrol, investigation of gangs and drugs, all the things that make up our job," he said. This year, 20 students were selected to participate in a two-hour class every Wednesday for five weeks. The increasing popularity of free summer kids' programs results in a significant drop in youth crimes, according to Neal. Juvenile curfew violation went down from around 36 in 2007 to 11 last year. Meanwhile, registration for "Kids United" grew from around 200 in 2007 to 350 in 2009, he said. Fun wouldn't last long without food. From June 7 to Aug. 20, Elgin children 18 and younger can get free healthy lunches every weekday in various parts of the city. Last year, the program served 14,000 lunches to about 1,000 children. Some 21,000 lunches will be available this year, according to a news release. It is sponsored by the city of Elgin, Northern Illinois Food Bank and other local organizations. "The goal is simple: To make sure that any kid in need of a meal has a reasonable access to get that. No questions asked. Just come in and get the meal," said Maj. Ken Nicolai from the Salvation Army, one of the program's sponsors. More information of the programs can be found at cityofelgin.org. Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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