26 random acts game?

Game idea
I was thinking about this beer app a friend showed me, that she is super into.  It has a whole slew of unique brands of microbrews.  Players check off and rate the different types of beers they have and share with their friends.  Are there any apps that people get to check off random acts of kindness?  I was thinking about the 26 random acts of kindness movement.   It would be fun to have an app that has a whole list of random acts (pay for someone's expired meter, hold the door open for someone that is not right behind you, ...). It would be fun for the person doing the acts, they get to check off the tasks and its effects could be immeasurable.

Everythings Going to be Alright
"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -George Bernard Shaw


Zorro's Corner
When cleaning out my parents' attic, I catch delightful glimpses at their uniqueness.  I have uncovered a homemade ozone machine, antique scuba gear (suprisingly quite a market for that), homemade heathkit computers (also suprisingly quite a market for that as well).  One of the most fun things to come across was my dad's correspondence (zero market for that yet). At one time he was planning on growing mushrooms (suprisingly just the edible kind, however, it certainly would explain a lot more if he was interested in the halliconegenic variety).  Anyways, the spawn people sent him something different than what was pictured in the 1976 catalog.   All of my years growing up I had no idea that he had such an interest in fungi, that he addressed people as gentlemen, that he wrote letters...  Point of the story, well there's several: people have a lot to uncover, don't judge a book by its cover, don't send Zorro the incorrect genus of mushrooms, people collect nearly everything, appreciate the riddles wrapped in engimas that are your family., and perhaps the most important message: A 6910-4 mushroom spawn culture packet would only set you back $2.50.  Wow have times changed.

(On the back Zorro asks how long will a package of spawn last in storage, good info to know!)

Extra Extra: World of Warcraft to End Hunger Games

There are a few things that without fail give me goosebumps.  Seeing Doug and Kate complete the Pamchenko in Cutting Edge, walking on crunchy leaves in the fall, and listening to wonderful ideas that connect and resonate.   I just listened to an awesome Ted talk given by Jan McGonigal: (already quite likeable based on her last name alone, but became even more likeable based on her wonderful ideas), "Gaming Can Make a Better World."

Here is the gist:
People spend 3 billion hours a week on gaming.  To solve the world's problems those hours need to increase by 7 times.

What????!!!! Crazy talk?  I don't think so! 

Jane went into the feelings felt during gaming:
1. Urgent optimism
2. Tight Social Fabric
3. Blissful flow
4. Awe-inspiring missions

These feelings allow a person to do amazing things.  But what does it matter if they do amazing things in a game?

It matters because if game developers develop games that are designed in a way where real world issues are handled, people will tackle these problems and the way they solve them can be extrapolated and used. 

Jane developed a cool game called, "Oil shortage, real life without oil."  The participants were immersed in the game and came up with ingenous solutions and actually continued to live in a way that they would not have done based on guilt and just the idea that their lifestyle was bad for the environment.   She also mentioned a tetris like game that led scientist to understand the HIV virus more (foldit).

It's awesome because this is just the beginning of what can be done when we start thinking in this new direction. People are not lazy or stupid.  However, just like children, adults need scaffolding., support that meets them where they're at and pushes them to be greater.   Without scaffolding, frustration and a belief of ineptitude can set in.  Without scaffolding, options are possibilities of actual greatness might never be realized.

So as game designers, we have so much potential to design situations and scenarios that meet people where they are at and allow them to become amazing.


Everythings going to be alright
Reading Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living."  And really enjoyed several quotes from the first chapter about living in the moment and was able to sleep 8 hours without waking up once, that Dale is alright! 
"I found it wasn't so hard to live one day at a time," Dale Carnegie
"Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today," Horace
"Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life!" Kalidasa

Zorro's corner

Prayers

 Everything's going to be alright
I can't even imagine what the families must be going through.  And I don't know if this story will ever hold true to them because certain events happen and maybe peace can never return, but it's given me comfort when I've been sad.  A wise king asked his most faithful servant to find him something that would make him happy when he was sad and sad when he was happy.  The servant left on the mission, searching far and wide and finally returned to the king.  The servant was haggard and in need of rest but before he collapsed, he told the king, "I have found what you asked for.  The thing that will make you happy when you are sad and sad when you are happy are these four words, 'This too shall pass.'"

Zorro's Corner
I am one of the luckiest people in the world, and there are days when I am not grateful.  So this is to serve as a reminder to me, but if you read this try to be grateful for what you have in your life and appreciate the wonderful people in your life for all their flaws and eccentricities.  I listen to a book on cd called the Silva program. I love one part, where it asks you to look at others as brothers and sisters, children or parents.   I think it raises the level of compassion you have for others when you make this connection to them.  And I think compassion for others is desperately needed right now.

Hopefully will bring a smile:

My great grandpa was from Greece.  He was a very solid man and was purported to have eaten an entire lamb.  One day my dad put a piece of plastic cheese on his sandwich.  My great grandpa took a bite and chewed and chewed.  Once he swallowed it, he said, "hmm tough cheese," and then continued to eat the sandwich.   Tough dude! 

So what's the deal with the game?

Geo Popper, Playcadia's premier app, is a mobile location based game.  It uses a mobile device (in our case the iphone) and turns the physical world into a game arena.  In the most basic version it is like a scavenger hunt.  A player will be able to pop balloons and get points by physically moving to the location of the balloons on the screen map on her phone.  There will be arenas all over the world that players design and then conquer.

Future discussion points:

• How to use games for more than just entertainment?  Visions of gaming potential.
• What mobile location games are out there currently?  Hotsy totsy or hotsy notsy?
• Ideas for games that could be transformed into awesomeness
• Ways we are going to build on the basic framework of our game to make it ammmmaaaaazziinnnngg!!!!!! Spoiler alert, it's not going to be the graphics (see below)

Fun with inksape

Everythings Going to be Okay
Sometimes adults, like kids, need a reassuring hug and to be told that everything is going to be okay.  A somewhat odd entrepeneaur realized this need and created the Everythings going to be alright doll, a somewhat odd looking blue doll.  He went on "Shark Tank" (Zorro's favorite show) with his creation of a doll for adults that when hugged soothingly said, "everything is going to be okay."  Unfortunately, the doll was not well recieved .  I would like to extend my offer of backing when I become a venture capitalist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGYYRr6DOSo

Zorro's Corner
You know the note your mom would occasionaly stick in your lunchbox filled with xs and os and effusive use of sweetie?  Well, that habit never wore off for my parents and in recent days the note has been augmented with awesome stick figures.

As usual if there are negative critiques without a sprinkle of positive encouragement, please email norm@someonewhocares.com. 

Mr. Rogers, Coco, and more!!

I workout everyday. But, i have had extreme difficulty bringing this discipline to writing.  I explored how i got into the habit of working out everyday.  Before i had the commitment to daily exercising, i use to set it up so it would be as easy as possible.  I gathered all my workout clothes the night before, I only engaged in exercise I found easy and enjoyable , I made sure I had interesting things to listen to or read.  I realize i need this same kind of scaffolding to become a more prolific blogger.  One thing that would likely make it easier to blog every day or at least every week would be to have a structure.

So for the time being, the structure for this blog (an outline that may not always be followed)
1. Game discussion (games in general, ideas for games, discussion on current games)
2. Updates on playcadia's games
3. Creativity, flow ideas, quotes, and inspiration
4. To steal from Jon Stewart: your moment of zen
5. Zorro's corner

I'd like to elaborate a bit on this moment of zen and zorro's corner.   At the end of the daily show, Jon Stewart has a moment of zen, usually a short clip that is mildy amusing, sometimes quite hilarious ().  So each post I will end with a little story (one that has certainly amused me and will hopefully amuse the readers as well).

Everything's going to be okay moment (title to be tinkered with)
As a kid, I absolutely loved Mr. Rogers.  He was such a calming influence, always so soothing with the same routine and song.  It wasn't until high school, that I realized the show could be quite funny.  Not sure why i happened to be watching mr. rogers  in high school, but i happened to catch two absolute gems:
1. Mr. Rogers learning how to roller skate (so sad I could not find a clip! First reader who finds a clip of this  will get a $15 gift certificate to my dad's eBay store or a $10 donation to the human fund)
2. Mr. Rogers meeting Coco, the most amazing gorilla(another favorite of mine who will surely get future mention) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cn79Lgfh1hw

As for zorro's corner, this will be filled with anecdotes, quotes, and perhaps drawings from my dad, a delightful individual 
I know there is one man who has amassed a huge twitter following based on his posts which just contain quotes 
from his dad.  So for the first installment of zorro's corner.  I was helping my dad clean out his attic and came across
 a seemingly random assortment of items, magic books, pocket knife, waterproof 
matches.  My dad saw the box, and said, "oh good , you found my emergency kit!"


Lastly, a note on positive reinforcement, I think people (at least speaking for myself) are more encouraged to work when given positive reinforcement.  I'd like to thank game guy for being the first non-family member to leave a comment on the blog!  Not only was a comment left, it was a very nice comment!

Enjoy this blog while you can, it needed to be written per my committment to getting words on a page, but may disappear due to a need to be more relevant, professional, logical...

Developing the game design and reading, "Tapworthy: designing great iphone apps." It really gets into how people actually interact with their apps. When they use them, what else they may be doing. It discusses icons, flow, and other design that needs to be extremely well thought out, but should be simple and intuitive on the page. Users are very smart, but not patient. So the design is extremely important. Currently, we are cleaning up Geo Popper so it embodies these principles.

Testing for Geo Popper has slowed down due to the extreme weather conditions in Michigan and by extreme, I mean not pleasant and quite chilly. Unfortunately, when games are set up inside buildings, the GPS  tracking is not accurate. So it is time for the team to get on snowsuits (yep, 2 members of the team own snowsuits), take a business trip to Florida, or just suck it up (which reminds me of a little outfit called Suck it up Cafe on Packard Street in Ann Arbor. The owners were so enthusiastic, but quite dismal on the business end. I only went there once to buy a pretzel. I was one of the only customers that day and did not have to purchase the pretzel because I guessed the number of the day (a number 1-10). That is one time I did not feel great about being a lucky winner. They closed up shortly after, hopefully that enthusiasm payed off in their next venture and maybe for future promotions they choose their number of the day within a greater range). This also reminds me that if something pops up in one's brain, it is not necessary to share it with others, especially if it is not that interesting, funny, or relevant. I lack this filter when I speak and even more so when I write, eeks.

In other Playcadia news:

• Due to an overwhelming response (from CStax) C-Dogg will be replaced with Cstax.
• Geo Popper players can log in through facebook and invite friends through facebook (this lead to Zorro getting a facebook account, and an awkward invititation to me, where I really contemplated accepting the friend invite.  And a subsequent quote from Zorro, "Oh crap, do I have to be friends with people now?"

More on game design in future posts as well as much to be discussed about marketing. Currently, Zorro is quite adamant that people will do anything for a free cookie. Now on the one hand, i believe he and most people in grade school will be quite moved by a cookie. Will the cookie promotion hit our target audience of young adults? Also since geo-popper has huge cardio potential, we may be thinking wabout using a more health based approach and that does not go hand in hand with cookies (at least any decent tasting cookies)

Now a few notes related to my defunct blog, "How I won the Boston Marathon and Made it on the Amazing Race," a blog about visualizing and dreaming big. Although neither has happened, I did do a casting call for Amazing Race last Friday and recieved my confirmation for the Boston:) There is certainly something about visualizing and writing down goals and possibilities that makes them much more likely to happen.

Watch for our upcoming annual Christmas/Holiday contest (If Zorro has anything to do with it, their will certainly be chocolate and flour involved. I'm thinking more along the lines of The Human Fund)