Author Archives: lankoski

Game Blocks

Sheldon J. Pacotti has created a toolset for teaching game development, especially  for “constructing non-linear stories, which in my mind comprise more than talk trees and branching conversations.” The toolset is build on Byob (which is based on Scratch). Pacotti explains Game Blocks on video: Download and tutorials available at: http://www.newlifeinteractive.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=40:cell&Itemid=60&layout=default.

Testing Public Variables in Unity

Edit 2012/12/08: A bug fix (End() did not show correct error count); change reporting: now EndCase() and End() use Debug.LogError() fuction in reporting if there were errors (otherwise Debug.Log() is used). It is easy to forget to set a public variable of a script in Inspector and it might take some time to figure out whereContinue reading “Testing Public Variables in Unity”

A Piece of Gaming History Reported

Dale Dobson writes on Gamasutra about history of TSR-80 including a look at the notable games in the platform for example Zork, a text-adventure classic (1980) Temple of Ashai (1979) Misadventure #2, an adult text-adventure (1982) Asylum, a first-person adventure game with 3D graphics (1981). Recommended read to those who are interested in the historyContinue reading “A Piece of Gaming History Reported”

Introduction to Unity

  Unity 1 from Petri Lankoski The introduction tutorial uses accompanied Unity packages: http://www.mediafire.com/file/y5i38txo42fj8i3/escape.unitypackage.zip (requires Pro, as it uses Image Effects and Sound Effects). http://www.mediafire.com/file/2bdmrn5j4vcikpa/escape_stripped.unitypackage.zip (work in the free version of  Unity). Update 2013/01/07. file hosting changes and URLs changes to point to the new location. Update 2012/10/27: The slides and packages now include GameManager and MainScreenGUI prefabs. GameAgentsContinue reading “Introduction to Unity”

Unity Examples

EDIT 20130525: updated links to Escape package. I have created a small Unity package for teaching unity basics. You can download it at http://www.mediafire.com/download/y5i38txo42fj8i3/escape.unitypackage.zip (requires Pro, as it uses Image Effects and Sound Effects). http://www.mediafire.com/download/2bdmrn5j4vcikpa/escape_stripped.unitypackage.zip (work in free). To use this create new unity project (File->New Project…). Select  Toon Shading (and Image Effects if you have Pro) package(s) before creating theContinue reading “Unity Examples”

Video games, youth violence and crime

This study “A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents.” by Willoughby, Adachi, & Good, (Dev Psychol. 2012 Jul;48(4):1044-57) was today hot topic at Facebook. I am skeptical about simplistic claims (causally) linking violent video games to aggression and violent behavior and did quick search on other related statics. I found today aContinue reading “Video games, youth violence and crime”

A rule typology

I have intended to write about rule and algorithms more than a blog post. I think that it is important to understand the qualities of games in more detailed level than just games have rules. However, I might not need to do this, because Markus Montola provides a nice typology of rules in his dissertation: InternalContinue reading “A rule typology”

Two New Dissertations on Role-play

J Tuomas Harviainen, Systemic Perspectives on Information in Physically Performed Role-play (to be defended October), http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:978-951-44-8914-3. Abstract This dissertation examines information phenomena that take place in, and related to, physically performed pretence play. The emphasis is on one hand on the play experience and the elements constituting it, but underneath that all exist information processes which essentiallyContinue reading “Two New Dissertations on Role-play”

Computer Games and Emotions

Petri Lankoski Authoritative version is published in Sageng, Fossheim & Larsen (eds.), The Philosophy of Computer Games, Springer, pp. 39–55,  DOI=10.1007/978-94-007-4249-9_4. Introduction An intriguing question in the philosophy of fiction is on how can we be moved by the fates of the fictional characters or how we fear a fictional monster? This question, in the context of literature andContinue reading “Computer Games and Emotions”