Hot Milky Drink

If you do visit this blog then you’ll have seen my last message informing you that I have moved to a new site. The only problem is that I think I made a pig’s ear of changing the feed in feedburner. In order to update your aggregator/newsreader please visit my new site:

http://hotmilkydrink.typepad.com

and take the feed from there. Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience…

The feeds the same but the host is changing. If you still want to read my nonsense and view my site then change the link to:

http://hotmilkydrink.typepad.com/

Have a listen to me under the monicker of unaccompanied_lady (there’s a respectable reason for this). I’m having a go at the Kiss classic ‘Detroit Rock City’. I’m slightly off the beat but I was having trouble with the mic and the Flash interface. Anyway, off to look for a good Scott Walker track. Enjoy, but don’t laugh too loudly.
 Click here to listen

Whilst in the throes of an early morning hangover this morning (after making merry to celbrate Scotland’s superb victory last night) I switched on BBC 1 and caught the last 15 minutes of Click, a programme dedicated to the web. There was an excellent part of the programme that featured ‘interesting’ websites. One of these was singshot.com. If you are ever out with your friends but are never brave enough to take the karaoke challenge then the anonymity of this site might suit you and get the confidence up so that you may feel that you can perform in public. I am going to register tonight and maybe record a track or two! What larks we’re going to have.
For those who want to practice a bit before going public then there is Singstar for the Playstation. This is more of a karaoke battle that pitches two singers against each other. The more notes you hit the better your points! The solo version of the game sees you singing a in a local bar where you get spotted by an agent. He books you gigs and if you are good enough you can even get to play Wembley. I haven’t got past King Tut’s yet.

I hosted the Singstar challenge at Dundee University a couple of years ago. It was a great event. Lots of good and not so good singers but lots of high jinx and nonsense. The producers of the game have created something thet really engenders a fun community spirit. I’d like to see this being used in schools in tems of helping to build a healthy and inclusive ethos. Imagine the league table with the teachers and the children…

I look forward to hearing some of my colleagues on Singshot though….

I was watching the TV this morning when I switched over to BBC2 and caught 5 mins of a programme called Roar. Very much like The Really Wild Show (or Animal Magic if you are my age). What caught my eye was the way they have integrated a game as part of the integral learning experience for young viewers.

They have a Zoo Tycoon type game on this CBBC site which presents learners with the opportunity to run a virtual zoo. Here they have to maintain the buildings, look after the animals and the staff etc..very mcuh lioke similar titles. Today’s TV episode gave the code for a ‘cheat’ which opened up a different section of the zoo. Other cheats give you the chance to look after a new animal. The high score table looks very difficult to beat.

I remember being fascinated by wildlidfe when I was youngster and can only inagine how such a context for learning would have further engaged me and helped me to learn more than from just reading about anacondas, hunting dogs and gerbils! great that this free as well. Another great example of learning focused games from the BBC.

There’s an interesting article on the BBC site that discusses gender and game play. It investigates attitiudes of female gamers ans how the games industry can attract the fairer sex to playing with range of consoles that are avilable. The EA/Futurelab research published this week found that 40% of teenage girls play computer games but that they generally lose interest after a year. It is argued that girls/women are more attracted to social based games such as The Sims and to the quirky Nintendo style games. One thing that really seems to grate with them is the attempts to attract females by making the consoles pink!

‘We don’t want pink!” they cry, “we want interest and challenge!!!”

Mmmm, the world is a crazy place, all the old truths are slowly but surely being destroyed. I still like blue though…

Futurelab have just published the report of their investigation into games and learning. It’s making interesting reading. I will post more about this later. Access the report from this link.

I have hardly spent anytime playing Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo DS due to the fact that I have been acting out my surgery techniques under the guise of Derek Stiles, trainee surgeon in Trauma Centre! Nevertheless, Big Brain Academy is superb and is yet another game from the Touch Generations! stable. A little bit different from Professor Kawashima’s Brain Training but just as engaging. Big Brain Academy indicates excellence in the game by giving you a brain weight. The heavier your brain the better you are performing. Thre are five differnt categories of puzzles/challenges in the ga,e: Analyse. Compute, Memorise, Think and Identify.

The website has some games you can play. Have a go and se what you think.

Here’s a nice review of the game from those interesting people…children!

It appears that Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame has signed up with Microsoft to design a ‘new’ approach to gaming via the Xbox 360 live. It looks as though he plans to develop an interactive game that combines video footage of blockbuster quality with the dynamic, powerful and collaborative Xbox interface. The game will be linked to that old favourite Halo and it’s title at the moment is Halo Wars. Have a look at this link and check out the video clip.

Hooray! I finally managed to get my wireless network working tonight. Isn’t it great.

Anyway, did anyone see the BBC report from the X06 exhibition? They featured a really interesting game that has the player fully engaged with a fun Martial Arts game called Kick Ass Kung Fu where you actually are carrying out the moves yourself. This link to the website provides short videos of the game actually being played. Interesting viewing.
This proved quite prescient because we have been playing with a PS2 game called Antigrav at work this week. This is an Eye-Toy game and it is one of the most knackering computer games that I have ever played. The context of this game is that the player is rides a futuristic hover board and in order to contol it he/she must move their body within the parameters set by the game. Real demands placed on the major muscle groups when playing this. After completeing one course I found myself rather sweaty in my shirt, tie and tank-top! My PE colleague and I are planning to vodcast ourselves playing this so watch this space.

These games are excellent examples that help debunk the criticism of games as something that encourage sedentary lifestyles. The physical boundaries of computer games are continually being broken down…can’t wait to see what else will be coming in the near future.